For a few moments, she sat frozen in the driver’s seat, the shadows of the almost completely set sun giving the whole meeting a nefarious feel. This was her last chance to back out. Run to Brock. Let him and his men take care of everything.
Dani brought this on herself. There was no reason for Elsie to put her ass on the line for a disobedient teen who might not even want to be rescued.
But then Elsie remembered Dani crying as her father struck Elsie on the beach. She pleaded for them to be gentle and they all ignored her. Derek was far more interested in pain and violence than his own daughter.
No. Elsie couldn’t just abandon Dani, no matter what mistakes she was guilty of.
Newly determined, Elsie strode toward Lucian. He and two other men got out to meet her. Like Lucian, each of the men was drop-dead gorgeous. All three men were well over six feet tall. While Lucian had shiny and long chestnut hair, the blond man had short hair cut just as it started to curl. The other man was bald, but combined with his dark, African skin and hulking build, his bare head somehow seemed to make him more attractive.
The grin Lucian aimed at her told her he knew exactly how tempted she was to run. “Guys, I’d like to introduce you to Elsie, the siren queen of werewolves. Elsie, these are some of my most trusted men, Cade and Dean,” he said, referring to the blond and bald man, respectively.
Elsie smiled nervously and held out her hand. “Nice to meet you.”
Cade raised an eyebrow at the offering, but Dean smiled back at her and reached out to shake her hand. “You too.” His grip was warm and firm, but not comforting at all. Elsie couldn’t stop thinking about the monsters hidden behind the smiles and beautiful faces.
Elsie turned to Lucian. “I feel like I’m overdressed for this.” Although she still wore her dress slacks and bright, patterned shirt, the three myotises all wore loose t-shirts and sweatpants. From spending the last few weeks with werewolves, she understood why. The loose clothes made changing forms easier.
“You look fine the way you are.” Lucian’s look said he wanted to eat her up. Elsie just couldn’t figure out whether he wanted to eat her in a sexual or literal way.
“If you’re going to kill me, please get it over with quick. I’m already way too nervous about this.”
Lucian looked to Dean and Cade. “Take a beat, guys,” he ordered. Immediately, the two disappeared right in front of Elsie’s eyes and she blinked at the sudden exit. “Never seen anyone transport before?”
Elsie shook her head. “Only when you broke into my house.”
“One of the benefits of transporting is that nothing in your home was broken. We really just entered.” Elsie raised her brows at that but didn’t bother fighting him. “I wasn’t expecting you to call so quickly.”
Elsie chewed on her bottom lip. “Can we cut the small talk? I just want to get this over with.”
“I can respect a woman who gets right to business.” He slowly approached her. Elsie took a steadying breath as everything in her told her to run. He stopped just inches from her. “If I was going to kill you, you’d be dead already.” He gently laid his big palms on either side of her waist.
Elsie’s hands shot out and grabbed his wrists. “Understand this. We might be working together, and, for the time being, I might be keeping this from my mate, but none of that gives you permission to put your hands on me.”
One corner of his lip curled at her threat. Before she could react, he rolled his wrists, dislodging her grip, and grabbed her arms right above the elbow, pulling her close.
“Understood.” His grip pressed into her flesh and a painful tingle shot through her hands. When she looked down, her claws were extended and ready to cause damage.
“I don’t think you do,” she growled.
Lucian cocked his head and stared down at her. “Trust me.”
He gripped her arms even tighter and the world around them fell away. Colors swirled together as though they were caught up in a tornado, but no breeze touched Elsie.
After just a second of the disorienting sight, the world righted itself, but the scenery was completely different. Elsie pulled herself away from Lucian and turned in a circle. They were in some old neighborhood. The houses were all aged and once beautiful, but years of neglect left them all in various states of disrepair.
The sun was low in the sky, casting long shadows over the street, which only added to the eerie feeling that filled Elsie. “Where are we?”
“Cullen’s latest hole in the ground is around the corner. Your girl is there. I didn’t want to use a car they could trace, not that they couldn’t find you if they wanted. I more so didn’t want them tracing me. But we do have a car stashed in case we need one.”
In case Lucian wasn’t able to transport her back for some reason...
Elsie looked back to him. “Are you afraid of them?”
Lucian’s jaw tightened. “Every single thing they don’t know about us is an advantage.”
“That’s the reason no one knows the myotis are shape shifters?”
He shrugged. “Some people know. They just know better than to blab about it to the other supernatural races.”
“And I’m one of the lucky few,” she said with a sarcastic smile.
“I’m trying to help you,” he pointed out.
“You want something from me. I still have every reason to hate you.” Elsie looked at the sad neighborhood again. “Why would they stay here? It’s so…”
“Crappy?”
“Unfamiliar. My stepdad’s place is so posh and Brock’s family all live so well. Why would Cullen stay in a place like this?” Every supernatural being she’d ever met lived a lavish lifestyle. Cullen didn’t seem like the modest, humble type.
Lucian’s brow furrowed. “Cullen and his wolves are different from your Brock. They’re primal and vicious. They don’t believe in integrating into human society. They refuse to work or fit in. They take what they want, when they want.”
Elsie clenched her fists. “And no one bothered to tell me this?”
“Your man was trying to protect you. Probably felt bad for dragging you into all of his shit.”
She turned her angry gaze on him. “Don’t stand there and defend him. This is all your fault. If you weren’t so busy trying to defend a murderous rapist, Brock and I would still just be coworkers.”
“So you think your mating was a mistake?”
She turned her gaze away from him. She’d been asking herself the same question ever since this whole thing started. “Let’s just get this over with.”
“Cullen’s shitbox is around the corner.” Lucian started down the sidewalk.
She followed closely behind. “Aren’t Cade and Dean going to help?”
“They’re around. There are going to be a lot more wolves than us. If you show up with one and two more show up, Cullen will assume more can show up just as easily.”
Elsie couldn’t fault the logic but still wondered out loud, “Why didn’t you just bring more men?”
“Because I can’t imagine you’d need more than three. We know what we’re doing and we specialize in scaring beings of any species shitless.” He held out his arm, signaling her to stop. “It’s time to get my game face on. You okay with that?”
“I’ve seen it before.” She decided not to mention that the image had haunted her ever since.
Judging from the look he gave her, he already knew. He pulled the t-shirt over his head and Elsie turned away. He laughed at her reaction. “You don’t have to shield your eyes. I’m assuming it’s nothing you haven’t seen on your wolf.”
“Well, Brock is my wolf and you aren’t. So I’m going to keep looking away.”
A sharp intake of breath told her he was going through the change. She heard the sound of bones breaking and skin shifting. She stayed facing away from him for ten long seconds before she turned around to face the beast.
She knew it was Lucian. The same attractive and sardonic man she was getting used to. There was
no question it was him. Yet every cell in her body screamed at her to run as fast as she could.
His formerly beautiful, bronzed skin was now a dark gray, wrinkled mass over muscles that now seemed larger and more intimidating. His nose had flattened, leaving two open holes where his nostrils used to be while his ears lengthened and flattened against his head.
His sparkling blue eyes were now a dark gray that matched his dark skin. His fangs were so long that his mouth couldn’t fully close around them.
Although the myotis who attacked her at the plant had been scary, Lucian seemed to take it to another level. She narrowed her eyes at the beast. “Are your teeth longer than they were when you broke into, sorry, ‘entered’ my house?”
Lucian shrugged. “I’m trying to be extra scary,” he said with a lisp caused from his enlarged fangs.
She snorted. “Talking doesn’t help the badass image.”
He smiled at her joke and for a brief second she could recognize Lucian. Then drool started to drip from his open mouth and she looked away before her disgust showed.
Which was his true face? The man or the monster? She shook her head. “Let’s get this over with.”
He pointed to a house. “Over there. You lead. I’m just here as backup.”
Elsie nodded. “Remember. Kill me now or never. Last chance I’m giving you.”
He groaned. “Just go.”
Taking a nervous gulp, Elsie walked toward the house he’d pointed to. She didn’t look behind her, but she could hear his loud breathing and footsteps. Was his breathing always that loud in his beast form or was he hamming it up for dramatic effect?
Either way, she had to keep on reminding her subconscious that he was there to help her, not kill her. Theoretically.
The door to the house had seen better days. It looked as if she could give it a heavy push and it would creak inward, just like a cliché horror movie.
Hoping to avoid any more horror movie comparisons, she knocked politely at the door, ordering her hand not to shake. She was going for the confident, badass vibe. Not the “please don’t kill me, sir” one.
Her heartbeat banged against her chest as she stood and waited for the door to swing open. She was about to confront her kidnappers. They’d tied her up. Beat her. Laughed at her pain. And she was about to barge in and make demands. What the hell was she thinking?
An arm grabbed her shoulder and Elsie jumped. Gasping for air, she turned to the threat but only saw Lucian’s hand on her. “Calm yourself,” he mouthed, careful to make sure she could make out the words through his fangs.
She nodded. They would be able to smell her fear. Hear her heartbeat. She couldn’t just play at being the brave queen. She had to actually be her.
At least for the next few minutes.
The doorknob moved and Elsie panicked. Her arm reached blindly behind her, gripping Lucian’s rock-hard forearm. He stepped closer, just off to the side, so her body would hide the death grip she had on him. His comforting presence allowed her heart rate to slow as her hands stopped shaking.
The werewolf who opened the door was unfamiliar to Elsie, but she didn’t get a good chance to look him over. His eyes glanced past her straight to Lucian. A growl sounded from behind her and she knew Lucian was doing his best to be scary.
It must’ve worked, because the wolf scrambled away from the door, tripping over pieces of broken furniture. “Cullen!” he called. “Get out here!”
As he retreated, Elsie moved forward. The werewolf’s fear boosted her confidence, allowing her to release Lucian’s arm. The house didn’t look much better on the inside. The smell of dust and dirt permeated the air. All the curtains were down, a few dim lamps the only form of illumination.
The house wasn’t messy in the sense that there wasn’t much stuff. A small coffee table and couch in the living room, but no other furniture Elsie could see. Who would live here?
Footsteps pounded on the stairs, announcing Cullen long before he was in Elsie’s line of sight. He wore only a pair of boxers, and his long hair was down and covering most of the burn scar that stretched across his face. Even in his state of undress, he was still intimidating, and the memory of his fist slamming into her face was all too fresh.
He stopped dead in his tracks as he saw Elsie and Lucian. “What the fuck?” he muttered.
The clattering of more footsteps sounded and Rachel appeared, wearing only an oversized t-shirt that hit her mid-thigh and Derek close behind her.
“Hey boys,” said Elsie with a calm and sultry tone she didn’t feel. She looked Rachel over. “And, whatever it is you are.”
Rachel’s eyes narrowed as she lunged forward, but Cullen caught her before she reached Elsie. Lucian let out a threatening growl from behind her.
“Obviously you don’t want me here, and, believe me, I don’t want to be here. Just give me my niece and I’ll get out of your hair.”
Cullen sneered at her orders. “Do you have any idea what you’ve started by coming here?”
She rolled her eyes. “What? A civil war between the werewolves? If you haven’t noticed, I’m not here with wolves.”
Derek stepped forward. “She’s not even your niece. I’m her real family.”
“Please,” muttered Elsie. She looked Derek over. “You don’t even know the meaning of the word ‘family.’ My vampire stepfather has more affection in one of his fangs than you have in your entire body. Dani is my niece and if you deny it again, I’m going to wear your intestines as a scarf to the next gala at Sonin Tower. And you can bet your ass I’ll look amazing.”
The corner of Rachel’s mouth lifted even as she narrowed her eyes, as though re-estimating how much of a threat Elsie was. Good. They should re-estimate her. She was stronger than she’d been when they took her. She was smarter.
Cullen didn’t move, but he didn’t look any closer to handing Dani over. “She is here of her own free will. You can’t just take her.”
Lucian stepped forward to stand right at Elsie’s side.
Elsie looked over to him and smiled. “Oh, did I forget the introductions? This is my friend Fuck You. He would also like you to give me my niece back.” Suddenly, all the werewolves in the room stumbled back as they tried to get away from some new threat.
Elsie looked behind her to see Cade and Dean, both in myotis form, had finally made an appearance. “Yeah, they want her back too.”
Lucian kept his gaze on Cullen but spoke to his men. “Get the girl.”
Cade transported away, but Dean stayed behind, doing his best drool-infused grimace.
The werewolf who’d answered the door shifted in fear, his wolf form growling at Elsie. Lucian gave Dean a quick nod, and Dean had reached the wolf before Elsie even saw him move. She wasn’t sure whether he transported or whether he could just move that fast. Before she could think about it, he backhanded the wolf, sending him slamming into a wall. The unconscious body of a man slid to the floor.
Cullen stepped forward to defend his own, but Lucian met him with one clawed hand pressing into his chest. A scream sounded from upstairs, and Elsie knew Cade found Dani.
Instead of fighting past Cullen, Derek, and Rachel on the stairs, Cade just transported himself and Dani back to the entrance of the home.
Although Rachel and Derek both looked as if they were just seconds away from shifting and attacking, Cullen held himself in check. A cold rage simmered in his eyes, but the threat of the three myotises was apparently enough to keep him from trying anything. “You have no idea what you just started,” he warned.
Elsie could hear Dani’s frantic breathing behind her but kept her gaze on Cullen. “I didn’t start shit. You took me, remember? You took me, beat me, and scared me. Now you have to deal with the consequences of pissing off people with friends in high places.”
“You and your mate are never going to make it out of this alive.” The words dripped with menace and promise.
She raised her chin in defiance. There was no point in arguing with hi
m. He was convinced she was wronging him. Like she had no reason to hate him. “We have what we came for.”
Rachel smiled menacingly. “I’ll be seeing you,” she warned.
Lucian’s arms wrapped around Elsie from behind, not giving her a chance to process the other woman’s threat. The leathery feel to his skin caused shivers to run up her spine, but she was careful to hide any revulsion from Cullen and Rachel.
The room started to spin in a tornado of color, and seconds later, they were all back on the street they started on.
After Elsie’s feet touched solid concrete, Lucian let her go and she stumbled free, head still dizzy from the trip.
“What the hell?” shouted Dani from beside them as she backed away from the entire group.
Elsie pressed her fingers to her temple as she tried to focus through the spinning. It hadn’t seemed this bad when Lucian had brought her here... maybe there was a limit to the amount of transporting a person could take? “I’m here to bring you home.”
Dani’s wide eyes alternated between glaring at Elsie and keeping track of where the three monsters around them were located. “Brock isn’t here,” she pointed out. “So what are you going to do when you bring me home and he kicks me right back out?”
Elsie opened her mouth to respond, but Lucian spoke from behind her. “Don’t talk to your queen like that, pup.”
She didn’t know whether she should thank him for his help or snap at him to let her take care of this. She opted to ignore him. “Brock will accept you back because you’re family. Now let’s go home so we can get this confrontation over and on with our lives.”
Dani looked as though she was about to yell at Elsie again, but then a menacing growl cut through the night and Elsie turned to glare at Lucian. “Can you go back to your pretty form?”
“Nope.”
“Please don’t test me right now.”
Even through his monstrous features, she could see the skepticism on his face. Apparently she wasn’t that intimidating. “I physically can’t at night. Not without excessive amounts of pain.”
Ruling Fire (Bad Boys Of The Underworld Book 4) Page 17
