KING OF THE UNDERWORLD: Lucien and Scarlett (Earthbound Series Book 1)

by V L Peters

  I could feel them beginning to waver, I knew I had an hour at most. Maybe slightly longer if my luck stayed. I just hoped I could get out of this predicament before that happened. I would have to play dumb. I’d say that I had gotten lost not realising that I had gone into a part of the club that wasn’t allowed.

  I knew he was coming; I could feel him reaching out. Feel him leaking into the pores of my skin, into my very bones. The feeling was so strong I felt the energy pouring in through the walls of the building, his power radiating to my very core. I saw the flicker of my true appearance come and go. Shit, the spells were wearing off much quicker than we had hoped. Was it the power he beheld that was causing it or the spells were not as powerful as we had hoped they would be? No matter which way I looked at it, I was about to be in deep trouble and if I was truthful to myself there was no way that I was going to get out of it. Megan had definitely been here; I had seen her in the vision. She’d been with somebody else. A man, but I hadn’t been able to see who it was. His face had been in complete shadow. That was the one and only vision I had had in the two hours I had been here. Without a doubt I now knew she had been taken, but how? I didn’t know. My vision hadn’t completely let me see what had happened.

  The only feeling I had gotten and felt was she’d been happy. Too happy. It was as if she had not a care in the world and was floating on fluffy white clouds. Had she been drugged? It was possible, but with what or by whom I hadn’t a clue, not yet. It was so frustrating not knowing who the hell had taken her. I had a feeling it had something to do with the man she’d been with. Though she hadn’t been frightened while in his company, I couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d been in danger. I paused in my thoughts turning my gaze towards the footsteps I could hear coming towards the door, deep voices penetrated through the dark wood. I tried to hear what they were saying to each other, all I could hear where a few words here and there. Not being able to make any sense out of what was being said. I sat there waiting for that very door to open, I couldn’t help, but wonder if they were talking about me or Megan.

  I hated the waiting; it drove me crazy. I knew without a doubt that Lucien Sinclair was behind that door. I didn’t like the thoughts that kept popping into my mind a mixture of dark and sexual. I didn’t know what was more alarming. Both scared the hell out of me. I knew from the pictures I’d seen of him that he was a raw sexual being. I had never been one to frighten easy, I knew what was coming and had learnt to accept it to a certain extent. This was something entirely different. He was a different thing altogether; I knew there was darkness in him, and I hadn’t even met him yet. I knew that he was the dark to my light. He had a blackness that was so deeply imbedded inside of him that I could feel it pouring and sinking through the walls around me and I hated to admit it to myself, it scared the shit out of me. I sat waiting for fate to walk through that very door, I had decided I was going to fight whatever I’d seen in my dreams. It couldn’t happen, I choked back a laugh, who the heck was I kidding even if I fought it I knew that it wouldn’t stop the outcome. The fates must be having a bloody laugh at my expense. If I could get my hands on even just one of them, I’d tell them what I thought. No, I would ring their bloody necks!

  I got up from the seat I’d been sitting on, walking over to the large window. Gazing out into the darkness I gave a low laugh. I wanted to yank that damn door open and demand what the holdup was. To just get it over and done with, to scream in frustration. I had never been one to patiently wait, it just wasn’t in my nature. It was one of my flaws, so my family liked to inform me. I held my breath as the door swung open. I could see his reflection staring back at me from the glass window. It caused me to try suck in more air, it was as if the oxygen in the room had been sucked out causing me to have trouble breathing. The door shut with a deafening click. I was now completely alone with this man. I felt his dark gaze boring into the back of my head, as if trying to worm its way into my mind and trying to read my thoughts. I felt those same eyes running down my body taking in the red and black uniform. I prayed that the enchantment was going to hold that little bit longer. Long enough that I’d be able to get out without anyone knowing my true form. I knew it was going to end before this evening would.

  I stood stock still not moving a muscle. As if rooted to the very floor I stood on. An air of danger came from him oozing out of his pores swirling around me as if it would consume me and drag me under like a punch to my gut. He was big, huge in fact much bigger in the flesh than in any of the photos we had seen. He must stand at least 6feet 4 maybe taller. His body was more muscular than in my visions and dreams. His eyes penetrated through my skin, to my very bones. Burning a hole right to my very soul. I felt his eyes on me like fingers touching me, stroking me and holding me in place. He moved closer watching with those bottomless black eyes. Calculating my reaction as if he was waiting for me to flee.

  Did he expect me to make a run for it? Hell, where would I even run to, the door was now tightly shut, and he was in the way of any hope of freedom I might have harboured. Instinct and my own survival told me to run. To get the hell out of here because this was hell. Where the flames would reach out licking at me, threatening to burn me alive. I had to get my feelings under control. This man was far more dangerous than any of us had realised.

  He stood a few feet away from me standing half in the shadows and half in the light. Making him seem almost like a phantom, like a hallucination. Making it harder for me to read him. He was just there …. Watching. Was he waiting to see if I would say something? It was as if he was daring me to make a move for freedom or utter a word to him. Still he stayed silent not uttering a word. Still watching me with those black eyes.

  For a brief moment he moved his head out of the shadows giving me a flash of his face. I couldn’t read him; his face was void of any emotion. I gathered what courage I could master up swallowing down my fear and slowly turned around. I suddenly felt hot, as if the heat in the room had gone up tenfold.

  His eyes pieced right through me, as if he could see right into my soul and threaten to snatch it up and devour it. In that moment I felt as if I was this cute little furry rabbit left alone with the big bad feral starved tiger. He didn’t say anything for what seemed like hours, when in reality it was only a few minutes. His silence spoke volumes. This man in front of me was different. More calculating and more dangerous than we first visualised.

  My heart raced, my head swam with the realisation that this was bad and I, not only put myself, but my loved ones in an extremely dangerous situation. Coming here, deciding to try to find out what had happened to Megan hadn’t been the smartest move we had ever made, but it was the only thing we could see that would help us to find out what happened and the man standing in front of me might be the only one able to give us some of those answers. My visions only let me see so much.

  ‘’I’m Lucien Sinclair,’’ he told me his head now cocked to one side his gaze taking me in as if he could see into the depths of my soul. ‘’You are’’ he didn’t phrase it like a question it was as if he knew the answer already and wanted to see if I’d give him the correct one.

  I stared at the TV monitors situated across one of the walls, where an array of shots of the interior and exterior of the club appeared. A sicking realisation stated to settle in my stomach as it quickly drew on me that he had been able to see everything I had been doing the whole time I’d been snooping around. The possibility he had evidence of what had happened to Megan was closer than we realised. A recording of that night in the nightclub with her friends before she had disappeared was possible.

  ‘’You have been watching me?’’ I whispered my gaze flying from the monitors to the man standing before me. Now I was wondering, was there something he hadn’t wanted the police to see.

  ‘’Nothing gets by me. I’ve eyes and ears everywhere’’ he said with no remorse or shame ‘’your name? Do not make me ask again’’ he demanded as he sat in the large jade green leather chair with his b
ack to the monitors. His eyes boring into me, watching me like a hawk about to strike.

  This was fucked up, part of me was scared shitless, the other part I didn’t want to scrutinize too closely. The feelings he was bringing out in me, I didn’t want to admit to. He was formidable, so powerful that it flowed out of him, seeping out of his pores and into the room around us. I needed help, it wasn’t normal the way I was feeling, if I wasn’t careful, I’d be on my knees begging for his attention like a happy puppy glad to see their master. I had this bad feeling in the pit of my stomach he knew what I was. That he was toying with me, waiting for me to fail some sort of test. Part of me knew I had to ask him for help, there was no doubt in my mind that my family would go bat crazy when they realised, I had been holding that little tip bit from them. That it had been part of the reason I had to be the one to come here. No matter that I had tried to talk myself in staying as far away from him as humanly possible, I knew this was our fate. I just had to bring myself to ask him that simple question. A question that shouldn’t be hard to ask.

  Could I ask this man, this demon for help? We needed to find Megan and asking for his help was our only option. He had enough power in the palm of his hands to find her, but what would he want in return. The very thought scared the living day lights out of me. I had no doubt in my mind that the demand would be high. Am I foolish enough to ask and what would he demand in return? It could be leading me into a situation that is way worse than the current one. Looking into his dark bottomless eyes, I could see that he was use to owing the world. People didn’t hesitate to bow down to him. Asking Lucien Sinclair for help was the same as asking the devil not to drag me into the pits of hell.

  I stood stock still not replying to his questions. I couldn’t stop myself from staring at him. My eyes must be open wide in fear. My tongue seemed to be rooted to the roof of my mouth. Making me unable to speak. The loud slap of his large hand on top of the desk jerked me out of my fog filled trance, making me jump in shocked surprise. Should I give him my real name? Even as that thought entered my mind. I heard my name leave my mouth.

  ‘’Scarlett Winters,’’ I whispered, feeling as if my throat was going to close up. It felt so thick, my heart racing and my hands shaking so much. I made a fist of each hand, trying to control my reaction. I felt as if I was on some sort of drug and I had no control over my own body. I just prayed that he couldn’t sense how nervous he was making me. Part of me felt as if I should run out of this room, out of this building and far away from the man sitting in front of me. The other part of me. Longed, needed to stay near him. It was telling me not to run. That would be my own downfall.

  ‘’Scarlett,’’ my name rolled around his mouth, as if savouring his next meal, ‘’and what Scarlett where you doing snooping in places you shouldn’t have been?’’ he softly asked me raising a dark eyebrow.

  I had to decide and fast, it was obvious he knew or suspected that I was there under false pretence. How much he knew or suspected was a different matter. A half-truth was better than none. I needed to keep my story as truthful as possible, so he’d hopefully trust me enough to help find Megan. Of course, once the glamour wore off and the other spells no longer functioned all agreements would become void. I couldn’t see him carrying on with the agreement once that happened. Unless I could give him something. Something he couldn’t turn down. That would be useful to him. The question was could I handle what he would want from me? I had no experience with sex, none whatsoever, though that might not be what he’d demand in payment. If it was true about his dislike of humans and witches, then I’d have nothing to worry about in that department, so no sex. Anything else he’d throw my way I’d be able to handle. I didn’t want to annoy him, and I couldn’t just come out and say Hi I’m a human witch. I’m from The Crystal Coven. Somewhere down the line you might have heard of us. That wouldn’t go down well.

  So, I’d tell him why I was there. If I had to, I’d tell him a little white lie that we had gone to a shop that sold old spells and brought them from the shop keeper. Yes, that sounded fine. Nothing could go wrong. Could it?

  ‘’I’m looking for someone,’’ the words just came out from my mouth, like water gushing from a broken tap ‘’my sister. She was last seen at your club on a night out with a group of friends,’’ my words were like a string of letters stung together. I didn’t want to wait to hear him tell me no. ‘’I have no one else to ask for help,’’ I breathed out slowly trying to appear calm and failing miserably.

  He sat silently watching me out of those dark eyes as if I had intruded on his time, his space, which I couldn’t really deny, I had. I waited for his response; none came my way. It seemed like forever as we stayed staring at each other. He was watching me, his focus calculating, intimidating, I am feeling terrified, was surprised that I had gathered up enough courage to even think about asking this man for help.

  He wasn’t human, oh he looked the part and if it weren’t for those black soulless bottomless eyes, you’d think he was human in every sense of the word. He was one of the most dangerous, most feared beings known to any human or supernatural. He was someone you didn’t want to cross.

  ‘’Why do you think I’d be interested in helping you?’’ he asked softly as he leaned back into the chair, his face remaining a stone mask.

  I swallowed thinking of something anything to say ‘’For one thing, it’s not good for business. To have innocent people to go missing from your establishment, that’s bad news for anyone. Let alone Lucien Sinclair’’ I swallowed, I was so nervous and I’m sure it was showing through ‘’I’ll do anything you want, if you help us find our sister’’ shit did that just come from my own mouth, please no. How could you have been so stupid Scarlett? If it had been possible, I would have kicked my own ass. I just admitted that there was more than just me looking for Megan. Did he realise the slip up. I held my breath.

  ‘’So, you are willing to do anything? Does that include your family as well?’’ his voice was like ice, emotionless, hard and unforgiving as he stood and slowly moved towards me until his body was almost touching mine. I fault myself. Willed myself not to take a step back, not wanting to show any sign of weakness ‘’or does that offer just include you? Mm…would you let me defile you? Take whatever I want. Without question?’’ he demanded as he made this deep rough sound in his throat. It was like a growling noise like a hunting tiger. The sound making me even tenser as his gaze moved up and down my body.

  This was not good. He had heard my slip up. Did he already know that the figure in front of him wasn’t my own? I could not help but look down at myself feeling relief to realise that the glamour was still in place, though I knew it wouldn’t be for much longer. The spell had dwindled greatly in strength the last few minutes. It crossed my mind that maybe he could see beyond the false figure in front of him. That he could see my true form. If that was the case, I was in so much shitting trouble. ‘’the offer only includes myself,’’ I whisper, biting my bottom lip.

  ‘’What makes you think I’d even want to help,’’ he eyed me for a long second as if reading my reactions, before rising out of the chair and walking towards me ‘’even with that so tempting offer that you have just given me,’’

  He walked around me; I could feel his eyes boring into me. I felt him stop directly behind me. He pressed his hard body against mine, with his head bent towards me with his mouth against my ear he whispered ‘’you scream of desperation and that alone makes me rock hard. It makes me want to take you up on your offer,’’

  My whole body went rigid. I felt his hot breath flutter onto my skin. I felt frozen to the core, his voice was so deep, so heavy it felt as if it was weighing me down. Sucking me under, making me want to hold on to something for dear life in case my knees gave way under me and I’d full onto the floor like a puddle. I didn’t know what to say, how to reply. It was as if I had fallen down the rabbit hole like Alice, but this wasn’t a film or a dream that I could wake up from. It was reality a
nd it was mine.

  ‘’Tell. Me. Why. I. should. Help?’’ he whispered into my ear, sending shivers down my spine. ‘’How will it benefit me?’’

  My mind was completely blank. I couldn’t give him a reasonable answer, it was impossible. The only thing I could offer him was myself, though I had no doubt that there were plenty of women who were available to scratch any itch he had. ‘’I don’t know’’ I whispered it was the only thing at that moment in time I could tell him. There wasn’t any reason he should help us, but we needed his help. He was so feared that people jumped to his command, they feared what he might do to them if they crossed him. ‘’I don’t know’’ I repeated, my voice firmer than it had been a few seconds before ‘’we don’t know anyone else who can help us find our sister’’

  ‘’You’re not helping your case little human, you need to give me something that will make me want to help you,’’ he tells me as he presses his hard body closer to mine

  ‘’Me,’ I whispered with a murmur ‘’ I can only offer you …….. Me’’

  CHAPTER FOUR

  LUCIEN

  The air seemed to rush out of my lungs the minute I set my eyes on the girl. No, woman, I corrected myself. The uniform hugged her lush body like a second skin. The shorts moulded to her round ass; the shorts where so short that her ass cheeks where hanging out of the bottom of them. I couldn’t see her tits, but I could guess that they would be just as delirious as the rest of her. Deep red, auburn hair was piled high on top of her head. I wanted to order her to turn around, something was pulling me towards this woman, this human and I did not like it one bit. My body seemed to be reacting to this woman like it hadn’t for a long time.