Ruling Fire (Bad Boys Of The Underworld Book 4)

by Crowe, Mallory

  Brock almost dropped the phone. “What?”

  “She told me today over lunch. Well, over water. She didn’t stay long enough for food.”

  “She’s not having the dreams. She would’ve told me if she was.”

  “Would she? Even knowing how much it scared you? Even knowing it might cause you pain and worry?”

  “She would’ve told me!”

  “Fine. Then ask her yourself. But until then, I want you to know that I just want what’s best for you.” Lana hung up and Brock threw the phone across the car. The sound of plastic cracking filled the small compartment.

  Fuck.

  He hit the gas and sped on toward the city. It was time he and Elsie had a talk.

  ~~~~~

  Elsie’s eyes snapped open, but she wasn’t awake. She was in the familiar marble hallway that she’d come to dread.

  “Damn it,” she muttered under her breath as she pushed herself up. She was in that same delicate silk nightgown that reached down to her feet, and some chill swept through the hall; Elsie shivered and wrapped her arms around herself.

  Last time, an earthquake had forced her down the hall. Maybe this time they were trying to freeze her out. Except obviously whoever was orchestrating this torture forgot that she’d already found a way out. She just needed to burst through the window again.

  Elsie made her way to the first of many windows that covered the ornate hallway. They were covered in white, sheer curtains that billowed out with the breeze. Elsie pulled the curtain aside and stared in shock at the iron bars that now covered the outside of the windows.

  She was caged in.

  Even as she stared out the window, the temperature seemed to drop even more as the mysterious force that drove these dreams egged her on.

  Except Elsie already knew what waited at the end of the hallway. Every other person who’d had these dreams had died within weeks, and Elsie was willing to bet they were braver women than her. Luckily, she had a leg up. She had cowardice on her side. If those women wanted to try to defeat the old queen and gain her power, good on them. That wasn’t her problem. She just needed to get out of this dream world unscathed.

  Elsie turned around, walking back to the end of the hallway where she’d always appear. She’d already tried the doors here in previous dreams, but considering the windows had changed, it wouldn’t hurt to check all these locks too.

  Nope. Still locked. The temperature seemed to drop another ten degrees, and Elsie could now see her breath. The marble floors felt like ice to her bare feet, and she ran her hands up and down her arms even faster, trying to keep warm. When she jumped out the window, she’d woken up. Maybe if she stuck out the cold, she’d eventually wake up unharmed?

  Elsie knew people could die in the dreams, but there weren’t exactly rules for her to look up.

  “Holy shit. Is it always this cold here?”

  Elsie twisted around as the last person she expected to see stood in front of the doorway she was always dropped off at. “Rachel?”

  It was hard to recognize her in an identical flowing gown to what Elsie wore, with her dark hair down and blowing around her face. But ever since the night at Brock’s cabin, Elsie had committed Rachel’s features to memory, namely her expressionless face as Cullen and Derek had beaten and taken her.

  “So where’s this queen? Has she showed her face yet?”

  Rachel squared her shoulders and Elsie could tell this wasn’t someone afraid to face the doorways like Elsie. Rachel was ready and willing to fight.

  “She’s down there.” Elsie pointed to the door across from them. Her hand shook as she pointed, another reminder of the rapidly dropping temperature.

  Rachel being here could be a good thing. She would take care of the queen so Elsie wouldn’t have to.

  Except if she defeated the old queen, that would give Rachel immeasurable power. At least according to the wolf legend. If Cullen’s mate suddenly had all the power, Brock would never be able to keep his place as alpha.

  And Elsie knew from experience that Cullen wouldn’t be a gentle leader.

  “Thanks, man killer. I’ll take it from here.” Rachel confidently strode down the hall. She didn’t seem to be affected by the cold at all.

  For a moment, Elsie just stared at her. It wasn’t her job to stop Rachel from killing herself. But it was sort of her job to get to the queen first. But what could she really do? Rachel had come here with purpose. Knowing she was here to kill and fine with that.

  Elsie wasn’t a fighter. Sure, she’d taken out the crazy myotis before, but that had been under extenuating circumstances. She’d been backed into a corner and thought she was going to die. Thought Brock was going to die.

  But what would happen to Brock if Rachel and Cullen took over? They’d simply evict him and hope he had a nice life?

  No. If she wanted to keep her mate safe, she’d have to stop Rachel one way or another.

  Cursing under her breath, Elsie jogged to catch up with Rachel right as she opened the door leading to the queen’s bedroom.

  The second they stepped into the room, they were surrounded by warmth. Even the floor was plush carpeting, so her feet had some relief from the unrelenting wind.

  Just like before, the queen sat on the bed, her back to Elsie and Rachel.

  Rachel didn’t waste any time as she spotted a sword leaning against the wall to the left of them. She grabbed the weapon and turned to face the queen, who still ignored them both.

  If the queen knew they were here to kill her, why wouldn’t she move? Try to defend herself? She’d seemed angry enough that first time Elsie had come here and Elsie hadn’t even planned to kill her then.

  Or she didn’t need to be worried. This was her home. Her realm. Elsie and Rachel were just visitors.

  “Rachel, stop,” said Elsie.

  Unsurprisingly, Rachel wasn’t swayed. “Move aside, siren. I’m going to finish this once and for all.”

  “It’s a trap. If you attack her now, you’ll get us both killed.”

  “Well, I’ll cross that bridge when I get there.”

  Rachel strode across the room to the queen; Elsie ran forward, grabbed Rachel’s arm and twisted her around. “Did you really think it would be this easy? Think! This is a trap!”

  “I won’t beat her hiding in the hallway, will I? So back off or I’ll make you.”

  Rachel started to turn again and Elsie ran in front of her. “If you just take a minute, we can work together to—”

  Intense pain filled Elsie as Rachel flung the sword forward. Elsie tried to speak, but nothing came out. She coughed and felt some type of warm liquid dribble down her chin.

  She looked up at Rachel, only to see a dark ceiling above her.

  “Bad dream?” asked Brock from the doorway to his master suite.

  Elsie shot up in the bed, feeling at her abdomen and chin, making sure there wasn’t any blood.

  She wasn’t dead. Why wasn’t she dead?

  “Lana told me that you’d been having the dreams. Were you planning on telling me this any time soon?” Brock moved to cover the doorway more. All the lights in the bedroom were off and the light from the hallway silhouetted his form, making him look even bigger and more imposing than normal.

  Elsie tried to pull herself out of her haze. She wasn’t sure whether it was brought on more by the dreams or by her lack of sleep. “I told Lana I wasn’t having the dreams and she accused me of lying.” Elsie evaded the true question as she pushed the covers off and swung her legs over the bed, glancing at the clock: four a.m. She’d only been in bed for an hour. No nightgown. Just her sleeping t-shirt and panties.

  “I’m done with your fucking lies, Elsie. I don’t know if you think you’re protecting me in some deluded way, but right now, you’re the one who needs all the help you can get. So pack a bag. We’re leaving.”

  “Leaving? We just got here. I have weeks of work to catch up on at the plant.”

  “Yeah, well, you can’t catch up on
work when you’re dead. We’re going to the Ranch.”

  “No, Brock. I’m not going to Connecticut with you.”

  “The Ranch isn’t in Connecticut. It’s in Montana.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Brock was exceedingly quiet on the long drive from New York to the secluded mountains and fields of Montana. A quiet that Elsie didn’t know was possible. Maybe he had wolf-like powers of concentration. Maybe he was really that angry with her.

  But when he’d said he wasn’t opening up to her until she told him about the dreams, the threat he’d made as he’d loaded up her luggage into the back of his SUV, she’d thought it was an empty threat.

  Nope. After about an hour of silence, Elsie had drifted off into a thankfully dreamless sleep. When she woke up again, Brock had picked her up some fast food and still wasn’t talking.

  Okay, he was still angry. But hour after hour, rest stop after rest stop: all went by without more than a grunt yes or the shake of a head.

  If it weren’t for the radio that he let her control without complaint (of course, complaining would imply talking) the entire thirty-hour drive would’ve been in complete silence.

  And, except for a few bathroom breaks, he’d driven straight through, which was especially impressive considering he hadn’t slept before they took off on the impromptu road trip.

  She had an idea they were getting close when they drove past a sign for “Holt Ranch.” But half an hour later, they were still driving and she didn’t see any sign of a building or home of any type.

  “Is this all your land?” she asked. He nodded and she cursed herself for asking a yes-or-no question. She should’ve asked something open-ended to force him to say something.

  “Must be nice to be a wolf out here.”

  “This is a sanctuary for us,” said Brock. The most he’d said to her at once in over a day. “It says Holt Ranch, but it’s not truly mine. It’s everyone’s. There’s no such thing as a homeless werewolf.”

  “They do call it a werewolf pack.”

  “We used to be packs. The queen united us. Made us all one pack that took care of each other. A pack of thousands. And this is our home. We can leave whenever we want, but we always come back at some point.”

  Elsie nodded as she looked out over the landscape. It was mostly flat where they were, but she could see the foothills in the distance, signaling the start of the mountains. It was only three p.m. at the moment, but it was probably gorgeous during sunset. “So you’re talking to me again, I assume.”

  “I’m not the one who wasn’t talking.”

  “You were the one giving me the silent treatment like a child,” she pointed out.

  “I’ve been there for the last two people killed by the queen’s curse. You didn’t think it would be helpful to tell me what was happening?”

  It was Elsie’s turn to be quiet. Even though she’d repeated time and time again that she hadn’t wanted to worry him, she realized now exactly how frustrating it was to be protected against your will. Brock, who was so used to having control over all things, would probably be hurt more than most by her omission, no matter what her intentions were.

  But he’d just have to get over that. At least if she wanted to spend her last few days in relative happiness.

  Elsie shook her head at the strange turn of her thoughts. No. She couldn’t think like that. As if it was only a matter of time before the queen’s curse got her too. That wasn’t the only option. Maybe Rachel would take her out...

  But then Cullen would be the alpha king and that wouldn’t be any better.

  “So when are we going to get there?”

  “Soon. You’ll know it when you see it.”

  Well, of course she would. Based off the scenery they’d driven by in the past hour, she figured the Ranch would be the only physical building in view for miles.

  But a few minutes later, she saw clearly what Brock meant. The ranch came into view quickly over the flat land, and, when the entire building was visible, Elsie realized it wasn’t really a ranch at all. It was a strange mixture between a compound and a mansion. The white marble stretched up four stories, with beautiful columns decorating the front of the ranch and framing the large picture windows all over the front of the ranch that was visible.

  The wolves might like their privacy, but they still enjoyed luxury. The terrifying thing about the ranch was that she recognized it. Even from this vantage point, she’d know those windows anywhere.

  “Look familiar?” asked Brock from the driver’s seat.

  “You know,” she breathed.

  “The nightmares all take place here. If you’d told me about what was happening, I could’ve told you.” He hit the brakes and the SUV came to a gentle stop in the middle of the road. “I can help you fight this, but you have to work with me.”

  Elsie nodded even as she continued to stare at the massive structure in front of them. “If you think we can fight this...then okay. I’ll fight it with you. But I don’t want you to get your hopes up.”

  “Look at me,” ordered Brock.

  Elsie tore her gaze from the home in front of her to look into Brock’s beautiful golden eyes.

  “I don’t lay down for fights. I am the alpha and king to my pack and to you. No matter how likely it is that we will lose, no matter what the odds, I will always fight for you. Do you understand?”

  She nodded as the tears threatened to break free. Even though she believed every word, she couldn’t stop the next statement from coming out. “But you don’t even like me.”

  Brock reached across the console to take her hand in his and gave her a comforting squeeze. “Don’t say stupid things.” He hit the gas and took them the rest of the way to the ranch.

  Elsie held onto his hand right up until the moment he parked and needed his right hand to push the gear into park. “So how many people are here normally?” she asked.

  “On the entire property, there’s normally around a hundred wolves.”

  Her mouth dropped. The building was large. Extremely, obscenely, large. But not big enough to house a hundred people. “Where are they?”

  “This plot of land is about a hundred fifty square miles. There are a few cabins and out homes for people to stay.”

  “And do you know everyone who’s here at any given time?”

  “For the most part. We have a few regulars. A few drifters who only stay for a few weeks or so. It’s pretty much honesty policy here. No rent and if we run low on space, we can always find room for whoever needs it. The pack takes care of its own.”

  “Sounds like paradise. Why don’t you stay here more often?”

  “Because it’s paradise for everyone but me. I can’t get a moment to myself out here. The problem with living so long is that you keep on accumulating friends. And catching up with those friends takes a hell of a lot of time.”

  Elsie let out a laugh. “You have too many friends here? Oh no. What a hardship.”

  “Something else you should know about the ranch. This is a safety zone for all wolves.”

  “That sounds fine.”

  “For all wolves. No matter who.”

  “Oh.” Realization dawned on her...

  “The cabin was protected from Cullen. The only reason he got in was because Dani let him in. Here, he’s more than welcome to move in at any time.”

  “He’ll probably be here soon too.”

  “You mean once he finds out you’re here?” asked Brock.

  “Once Rachel woke up, I’m sure he was halfway out the door.”

  “Wait, Rachel? What does she have to do with this?”

  Elsie took a deep breath and released it. If Brock wanted full disclosure, she’d have to tell him. “In the nightmare I had last night, I wasn’t alone. Rachel was there. She’s having the nightmares too.”

  Brock cursed under his breath and pounded on the steering wheel in frustration. “So she’s after the queen now too?”

  “She’s after something. I was kicke
d out of the dream before I saw how far she got.”

  “If she got the queen’s power, I would’ve felt it,” said Brock confidently.

  Elsie wasn’t so sure. It wasn’t as though this was something Brock had dealt with before. Everything was new to both of them. Even though she was determined to be more open with Brock, she didn’t tell him the real way the dream ended last time. He already knew Rachel wanted her dead. He didn’t need to know she’d been run through on a sword in her dreams.

  “So if we could be in more danger here than back at the cabin, why did you bring me here?” asked Elsie.

  “Because this is where the queen lived. And if you have a chance of fighting her, you have to know her.”

  “What does that mean?”

  Brock looked over to Elsie. “All the queen’s journals are here. You can finally get an idea of who you’re dealing with.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Brock pulled open the unlocked front door to the ranch and held it open for Elsie. He gave it about five seconds before...

  “Brock! I didn’t know you were coming out,” shouted the burly bearded man who came out from the east wing hallway to wrap Brock up in an intense bear hug.

  Elsie stepped back from the embrace as a smile covered her face. She held a hand over her mouth to hide her amusement, but she wasn’t fooling anyone. Elsie was used to the stiff and formal vampire hierarchy. Where people would bow and curtsy to their elders.

  Wolves would play fight. Hell, they’d real fight just for fun. The lines were blurred. At least for him. The number of males who were allowed to walk up to Elsie and pick her up in a bear hug was limited to one: Brock.

  Henry let Brock go and turned his grin to Elsie. “Welcome to the Ranch! We’ve all heard a lot about you.”

  Damn it, Henry. Not the best thing to say to her. Depending on who was doing the talking, that could be good or bad.

  “I’m really excited to meet everyone,” she said carefully. “Preferably after I’ve showered and changed clothes.”

  Elsie would want to get into a fresh set of clothes. They’d been in the car for over a day with barely a chance to stretch their legs.