Ruling Fire (Bad Boys Of The Underworld Book 4)

by Crowe, Mallory

  “Jackson, I—”

  He abruptly stopped and stood up when he saw her. Somehow the large office felt half its size when he stood.

  Brock looked good and bad at the same time. He had the same circles under his eyes that were hidden under concealer on her face, and the stubble on his jaw indicated he hadn’t had time to shave.

  Besides that, she didn’t see a single bruise or cut on his body. Well, the body she could see.

  “This is for you.” She handed him the envelope before she chickened out.

  He didn’t reach for it. After standing awkwardly for a moment, she set it on his desk.

  “What is it?” he asked.

  Judging by his hesitance to accept it, he already had an idea of what it was.

  “My two weeks’ notice,” she said, without the hint of a quiver in her voice.

  He raised an eyebrow at that. “Really? You have another job lined up?”

  “Not at the moment, but I have had various offers over the years.” A few of those offers had even been rather generous, but she never wanted to leave the safe environment of Holt Automated before.

  Now that it wasn’t safe, she was getting the hell out of Dodge.

  Of course, Jackson picked the most inopportune time to speak up. “You’re quitting?”

  “Shut up, Jackson,” barked Brock. He picked up the envelope from his desk and looked it over for a second without removing the short letter inside. Then he ripped it in half and threw the pieces in his trash bin. “Go back to work, Elsie, and, so help me, if you ever give me shit about quitting again, you’ll be sorry.”

  Elsie saw red. “What are you going to do? Turn furry and chase me through the woods? Don’t think for one second that I don’t have a bullet with your name on it. Even if you hurt one hair on my head, Roman will have every vampire in the country destroy your dogs.”

  Jackson turned an ashen white. “What is she talking about, Brock?”

  Brock ignored Jackson and kicked his desk in frustration. A loud cracking sound filled the office and Jackson quickly closed the door so no one else would hear. Elsie made a mental note to put an order in for another desk and to get Jackson’s approval before she reminded herself that it wouldn’t be her responsibility anymore.

  “You think I’m going to hurt you!” screamed Brock.

  Elsie took a step back at his shout.

  Brock cursed under his breath. “This is why we should’ve talked this out last night.”

  “I thought I was working for a normal company with a normal boss. You’ve been lying to me for years,” she hissed. At this point, the girls in the office were probably all aware something big was going down, so she kept herself from yelling.

  “I’m sorry, I must’ve skimmed over that line on your resume. You know, the one that says you’re a siren!” At least this time his shout didn’t reverberate off the walls, but Elsie widened her eyes, silently pleading with him to lower his voice.

  “You’re a what?” Jackson’s voice came from behind them. Elsie and Brock’s angry gazes both turned to him. Brock stormed from around the desk, opened the door, grabbed Jackson by the upper arm, and threw him into the hallway before he slammed the door shut.

  “How dare I not disclose that the women in my family like to marry up and we care a little too much about how we look,” she said sarcastically, as though Jackson never interrupted the argument. “God forbid! I’m not the one who changes into a different species under a full moon. I think your thing is a bigger deal than mine.”

  “Then, yes, you got me. I lied to you the same way I lie to every single damn person I meet. So sue me.”

  “You lied last night,” she said. His blank stare told her he had no idea what she was talking about. “You said a verbal declaration was all that was needed to claim a mate. I’m not claimed. I’d know it.”

  “Really? Is that a siren thing?” he asked in a sarcastic tone.

  “Well, yeah.” A siren’s sole purpose was to find a mate with a strong life force they could tie themselves to in order to extend their own lives. Though she had never experienced it, Elsie knew that she would be able to feel when another being committed him or herself to her in any way.

  “I didn’t lie. That’s the truth. A public announcement is all that is needed for a mating to be recognized.”

  “Then you omitted something. I know the ritual isn’t complete until the full moon. There is still time to reverse this.”

  “Even if we could reverse it, the myotis we bargained with last night expects us together. If he finds out we played him, we’re both dead.”

  It took all of Elsie’s willpower to keep from throwing something at him. “Because you’ve obviously spent so much time researching ways to get out of this! You can’t just throw your hands up in defeat and say ‘oh well! I guess I have to marry Elsie now!’ We can at least try to find a solution. I am no werewolf queen. I am not giving you any puppies. You and me isn’t an option. There has to be another way.”

  “Why wouldn’t you and I be an option?”

  Elsie stared blankly at him. What did that have to do with anything? “Well, for starters, you don’t even like me.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “When have I ever given the impression I didn’t like you?”

  “Um…” Elsie took a nervous gulp as she struggled to find words. “I just meant, you know, that you didn’t like me like me.” She mentally winced. Good grief! She sounded like a nervous high schooler. He opened his mouth to speak, but she interrupted him. “It’s not like I want you to like me. I’m just saying that we shouldn’t feel pressured into anything. You are a lot older than me, anyway, and I’ve never really done anything with anyone and I’m sure you would want someone more experienced.”

  As soon as she stopped talking, she turned a bright shade of red. Well, that plan sucked. A small smile crossed Brock’s face, though she could see he tried to contain it. “You’re inexperienced?”

  “You’re changing the subject,” she said, refusing to discuss her experience. She may be quitting, but he was still her boss for the next two weeks. The last thing they needed to do was discuss her sex life. Well, her refusal to have a sex life.

  “The reason I didn’t spend all night looking for a way to outsmart the myotis is because I don’t think there is a way, and even if there is, I’m not going to stake your life on the possibility. I could do a lot worse than you.”

  Elsie narrowed her eyes. “The funny thing is, you think that’s a compliment.” She pinched the bridge of her nose. This was crazy.

  She had been so sure of herself when she walked into the office this morning. She was going to give Brock her two weeks, tell him the mating was never going to happen and that would be that.

  He wasn’t supposed to fight her on it. She and Brock couldn’t be mated. She barely knew him! He seemed nice enough, and God knew he was beautiful to look at, but the past twenty-four hours had taught her just how little they knew about each other.

  He was a king, for crying out loud! She’d never even kissed anyone! Part of her stupid plan to be independent and not give in to her siren instincts. Which meant no men. Ever.

  As though he read her mind, he said, “Seriously, what do you mean by inexperienced?”

  Elsie turned to leave. “I’m going back to work.”

  Before she could open the door, he was behind her. The heat of him burned through her clothes while a hand rested on the door to bar her exit. Her frustration finally got the best of her.

  “Fine! This is what I mean.” She turned around, grabbed his crisp white shirt and pulled him in for a kiss.

  Her lips pushed against his roughly and she had no idea what to do with her other hand. She should open her mouth. That’s what people in the movies did.

  No. That’s what people who wanted more did. All she was trying to prove was just how incompatible they were.

  He had other plans. His hands fell to the curve of her waist and pulled her tightly against him as he opene
d his mouth over hers. She pulled away to protest, but as soon as her lips parted, his tongue was there, making her forget all her reasons to object.

  One of his legs snuck between hers, moving slowly upwards, pushing her skirt higher up her thighs. As the rough fabric of his pants brushed the delicate skin of her inner thighs, he deepened the kiss. One hand held her tightly to him while the other roamed up her back before it skimmed over the curves of her breasts.

  The jolt from the unexpected contact snapped her out of whatever trance he had her under, and she pushed him away with all the strength she could muster.

  She knew she wasn’t strong enough to move him, but he did step back, allowing her some space. For a few long seconds, neither spoke. Only the sound of their ragged breaths filled the quiet space.

  “Elsie…”

  She turned and walked out of his office, too embarrassed to linger. As she hurried into her office, she could see the girls giving her curious glances out of the corner of her eye. They must’ve heard the yelling, but Elsie could only hope they didn’t know what else happened.

  As she shut the door to her office, she breathed in a sigh of relief. How could they know? The kiss couldn’t have lasted longer than a minute.

  It seemed like longer. Not in a bad way. As far as first kisses go, Elsie was fairly certain that was an eleven on a scale of one to ten. That was why it had seemed longer. How could something so epic be over so quickly?

  Bringing her back to reality was the new stack of vendor invoices waiting for approval on her desk. Work wouldn’t wait, no matter how earth-shattering the kiss.

  Elsie cursed herself. The kiss was supposed to convince them both to stay away from each other. It’s okay. I still have two weeks to figure all this out. After that, I’ll never see him again.

  With that thought, Elsie scooped up the invoices and tried to push everything about Brock out of her head.

  The pain hit her before she could sit down; the intense agony shot through her stomach and pushed her to the ground.

  ~~~~~

  “Oh my God!” shouted Jenny.

  Brock looked up from the email he was trying to read for the tenth time, his mind unable to focus on anything since Elsie left.

  A small crowd gathered outside of Elsie’s office and he pushed himself toward her in a heartbeat. When he saw her, his heart caught in his throat.

  Her normally pristine face was contorted in pain, and her body curled in the fetal position as if trying to protect itself.

  One high-heeled shoe was on her foot while the other lay three feet away. Her breaths came in shallow pants, her fists clenched and eyes squeezed shut.

  He knelt next to her as Jackson appeared in the doorway. “We need to get her to a hospital. Grab the car,” shouted Brock.

  Screw 911. No ambulance driver would ever make it to the hospital as fast as Brock would. Not when he had this kind of motivation.

  In an almost undetectable movement, Elsie shook her head, and her body shuddered. Through her clenched jaw, she mumbled, “Rebecca. Mother. Phone. Purse.”

  Brock frantically scanned the room until he saw her purse under the desk. Without leaving her side, he snatched the bag closer to him and fumbled inside until he found her phone.

  A moan escaped from Elsie and he could tell she was trying to hold back her cries of pain. “What happened?” he asked as he tried to find her mother’s contact information.

  It had only been minutes since he last saw her, and she didn’t have any signs of outward trauma. She was shaking, but her ability to speak and follow him with her eyes told him it wasn’t a seizure. He couldn’t think of anything that could cause such a sudden and crippling onslaught.

  He scrolled through her recent calls until he found the contact titled “Mom.” As he hit the Send button, Jackson was back.

  “I have the Hummer out front.” He leaned down to pick up Elsie.

  The sound that emerged from Brock’s throat was enough to stop Jackson mid-crouch. “Don’t. Touch. Her,” he growled, the sound completely inhuman.

  Jackson’s eyes widened at the threat and he slowly backed away, hands up in a non-threatening way. “I won’t, man,” he muttered.

  Brock shoved the ringing phone at Jackson. “You talk. I carry.” Elsie stared at him, but he couldn’t tell how much she comprehended. “I am picking you up now. I think it’s going to hurt, but I’ll do my best.”

  Though he knew she was far from okay, she gave a quick nod of consent. Without waiting for the anticipation to get the best of him, he hooked an arm under her knees and behind her shoulders and lifted her up in one swift motion. Her responding scream cut him to the bone.

  Wanting to get her to the relative comfort in the back of Jackson’s SUV as quickly as possible, he turned and strode out of her office. All the office girls were now gathered in a large crowd, but he didn’t stop to tell them where they were going.

  At this point, he didn’t even know. He looked over his shoulder and saw Jackson speaking on Elsie’s phone but was too focused on her shuddering body in his arms to focus on what was being said.

  He quickened his steps and held her closer, hoping that his presence would somehow lessen her discomfort.

  He couldn’t think of a way to get her into the backseat without hurting her more. Hell, at this point, each breath caused even more shivers of agony. He just knew he wanted to get her into the car with as little jostling as possible.

  So he climbed into the backseat, still holding her in his arms. They ended up with him sitting down, cradling her on his lap. If it weren’t for the extreme situation, it would’ve been a sexual position. Lord knew he had thought of ways to get her in his lap before, but never like this.

  Jackson hopped into the driver’s seat. “Who the hell am I talking to?”

  Brock reached forward and grabbed the phone out of his hand. “What the hell is wrong with her?” he shouted into the mouthpiece.

  “How long ago did the cramps start?” asked Elsie’s mother, in a completely calm voice.

  Brock growled in response. Hadn’t Jackson explained anything? “These aren’t cramps! Something’s killing her. She can barely even talk.” Elsie winced at his raised voice and he lowered his volume. “Five minutes ago.” Just ten minutes ago, he had her pressed up against him. She kissed him.

  He closed his eyes, blocking out the sensual memories in order to focus on the situation at hand.

  “What happened before this started? Did you complete the claiming ritual?” Elsie’s mother didn’t sound worried. She sounded...happy?

  His eyes shot open at her question. “What would that have to do with anything?”

  “That explains it. Her life force is bonding with yours. Nothing life-threatening,” she cheerfully assured him.

  Brock had no idea what she was saying. “How can you say it’s not life-threatening?”

  “It was always going to be hard for her. Etta was incapacitated for three days after Max agreed to bond with her. Because their father was human, it seems to be harder for their bonds to form. But don’t worry. Just give it time and you two will live a long and happy life together!”

  Her cheerful tone made him want to throw the phone out the window.

  Jackson turned to Brock. “Which hospital we going to?”

  “You’re telling me she shouldn’t go to a hospital?” Brock asked.

  “There is nothing a human doctor can do for her,” assured Rebecca. “By the end of the day, the pain will put her to sleep and she will be unconscious until the bonding is completed.”

  “Why doesn’t anyone know this about sirens?” bellowed Brock, cursing himself when Elsie shuddered.

  “Why doesn’t anyone know that a vocal declaration isn’t enough to claim a mate? Did you tell her that a kiss was needed too or did you let her believe it was innocent?”

  A red haze filled his vision and a cracking noise sounded next to his head. He threw the broken phone on the floor and focused all his attention on Elsie. />
  “I talked to your mom. She says everything is going to be okay. I guess this is normal?”

  A small smile curved Elsie’s lips, though it left as quickly as it came. “They left out a few details.” Her grip on his shirt tightened and he knew she was fighting the need to scream.

  “Just hold on. She said you’d fall asleep soon enough.” His arms gently cradled her and he brought up one of his hands to gently stroke her head. “Jackson, take us to the lake house.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Just drive,” ordered Brock. Jackson normally knew better than to question Brock, but at the moment, Brock was too distracted to remind him who was king. Besides, he needed Jackson to drive.

  Elsie’s eyes opened and for a few moments, she just stared at him. He couldn’t think of anything to say that would make her feel better, so he didn’t talk. He just continued to stroke her hair.

  She buried her face in the crook of his shoulder, and for a moment, he relished the feel of her in his arms. When was the last time he’d had a woman let him hold her? Better question, when was the last time he’d actually wanted to hold a woman?

  Normally he was ready to move on as soon as the sex was done. Of course, he was selective enough with his partners to assure himself that they wanted nothing more than a good time from him.

  Elsie was completely different from any of the women he’d been with. Hell, she was completely different from any woman he’d ever met. She took a pride and care in her appearance he’d only ever seen in the models he knew, but she also knew his company better than he did sometimes. Her breath tickled his neck and he savored the feeling, hating himself for enjoying anything about this.

  “I’m so sorry,” she whispered against his skin.

  The feel of her lips moving against the sensitive area sent a shiver down his spine. After a second, her words absorbed. “You have nothing to be sorry for.”

  She shook her head and immediately grunted at the movement.

  “Just sit still, okay? I know you aren’t used to it, but you’ll thank me later,” he said with a grin, trying to distract her from her misery.

  “You never knew what you were getting yourself into. You should’ve had a choice,” she muttered.