Free Ruling Fire (Bad Boys Of The Underworld Book 4) by Mallory Crowe

she figured shit out. Riggs was still there, so they shouldn’t worry too much. At least, that’s what she told herself as she started Brock’s car and sped away from the lake.
     
    ~~~~~
     
    Sonin Tower was a sight to behold. Standing at seventy-five stories tall, the imposing building was a testament to the vampires’ growing power in the world. Built by the most powerful vampires for vampires, it was a sanctuary to all of their allies.
    And Elsie needed some sanctuary.
    The guards at the front desk, vampires during the day and evening thanks to the special glass that surrounded the tower, allowed Elsie in without hesitation. Her family was known to almost all vampires in New York City.
    Exhausted from the two-and-a-half-hour drive, Elsie couldn’t wait to see her stepfather and mother. Unfortunately, she had no cell phone to call ahead of time.
    At the guard station, Elsie called Etta first. Roman and Rebecca tended to have a busier schedule than her sister. Because Etta had only recently bonded with Max, or Maximillian Balko to the other high council members, she was not invited to council events as often as Rebecca.
    No answer.
    She tried her mother’s apartment, fingers crossed for someone to pick up. She got her wish, but it wasn’t who she hoped for.
    “Thomas,” was all the deep, masculine voice on the other end said.
    “It’s Elsie. Is Mother there?”
    “Shit. Elsie? Or should I be calling you ‘Your Majesty’ now? I heard you’ve been out having fun without me.”
    Elsie rolled her eyes at his laughing tone. “I’m assuming that’s a no?”
    “She and Roman are at a dinner with the Europe council branch.”
    Elsie sighed in frustration. “Can I come up?”
    “Fine. But you owe me some serious explanations,” he warned before he hung up.
    One of the guards gave her a nod as one of the resident-only elevators opened. Elsie walked in and rested against the side wall. It seemed as if it took forever for the elevator numbers to tick by, but eventually the doors opened on the fifty-third floor.
    There were only two suites on this floor, both larger than Elsie’s house. Elsie took the elevator only for residents, the guards programming which suite she wanted. The elevator had doors on two sides. Only a guard’s instruction or a specific key would allow entrance into one of the lofts.
    As the doors opened, Thomas waited for her. Elsie took one look at her stepbrother’s familiar slicked-back blond hair, casually dressed in a t-shirt and jeans that together cost a couple hundred dollars, and burst into tears.
    Without hesitation, Thomas’s arms were around her in a comforting bear hug. For the first time that day, Elsie was grateful she wasn’t wearing any makeup so she wouldn’t ruin his shirt.
    It was a strange thought to have in the middle of a breakdown, but breakdowns weren’t known for being logical.
    Thomas pulled away slightly. “What’s wrong?”
    Elsie tried to get a hold of herself and focused on clearing her breathing without any embarrassing sniffling. It was already painfully clear she’d embarrassed herself enough.
    “Everything’s wrong. My boss is a werewolf, I accidentally married him, and I may or may not die in my sleep!”
    Thomas’s comforting features turned stern. His already dark-brown eyes turned black. “Did the wolf hurt you? You know we can protect you here.”
    “No!” Elsie emphasized the denial with an emphatic shake of her head. “Brock’s been nothing but nice to me, but he never asked for any of this.”
    Thomas gave her a skeptical look, but at least his eyes went back to their normal brown. “Elsie, you’re a beautiful woman who’s smart and was raised among the most powerful vampires in existence. He’d be stupid to not want you as a queen.”
    Although his words were flattering, Elsie knew he only had platonic feelings toward her. There was a time when she’d dreamed of Thomas turning his legendary charm on her, but those dreams vanished