KING OF THE UNDERWORLD (Earthbound Book 1)

Lucien never came to show me around the other night like he was supposed to. In fact, I haven’t seen him at all. As much as I hate to admit that I’m bothered he hasn’t sought me out, I’m having trouble pretending otherwise. But the thing that has gotten to me the most is the dream I had the other night. I’ve been unable to push it out of my mind. Lucien draws me like a moth to a flame, and as much as my saner, human side tries to deny his pull, my witch and omega are fighting back, wanting to tempt him, tease him.

I’m growing increasingly angry at his absence. I want to know what progress has been made with finding Megan. Alex hasn’t been much help. All he’s offered are platitudes; Lucien is handling things and when he knows something, he’ll let you know. I haven’t even had the chance to inform him my sisters will be coming for a visit. I’m at the end of my rope and my temper is on the brink of explosion.

I’ve been trying not to touch things, wary of the images or visions that might bombard me. I’ve already seen a few of him and Aria; sexual visions, and they turned my stomach. I hate thinking about him with other women. The other visions I had were of Lucien talking to his men. In one, he threw a chair across the room in a blind rage while Damien tried to calm him down. That one left me agitated for hours, Lucien’s fury becoming as much a part of me as my witch.

Now I’m sitting at the window in my room, watching the day pass. I can sense my family through our connection, trying to get me to link in. I ignored them the whole first day, but when I felt their concern growing, I reached out and let them know I was okay and told them I would contact them tonight. I’m currently waiting for Alex to arrive. I’ve decided to demand an audience with Lucien and not take no for an answer. If all else fails, I will open a portal and leave. It will be as though I was never here at all.

I hear a tap on the door and glance at the clock. Alex is early.

“Come in,” I call out, watching the door open, and Alex steps in, closing it behind him.

“Hey Scarlett, I’m a bit early today,” his warm smile fades as he moves closer and gets a look at my expression.

He lowers his large frame in the chair across from me and settles in, his gaze meeting mine with a raised eyebrow. “What’s wrong?”

“Wrong?” I laugh in disbelief. “What could possibly be wrong?” I reply sarcastically, pressing my lips together to hold back a torrent of hateful words.

Alex gives me a thoughtful look. “Scarlett, I know things are hard.”

“Hard,” I mutter. I feel like I’m going around in circles. I grip my hair in both fists but manage to stop myself from pulling the auburn locks. I loosen my grip and drop my head into my hands, letting out a loud groan. I’m sick of being kept out of the loop! I’m going to murder that stupid, bloody man!

I hear Alex laugh and then cough to hide it and realize I must have spoken my thoughts aloud. He laughs again, unable to contain it apparently, and I lift my head and glare at him. Does he think I’m joking? I’m propelled from my seat by rage, my body shaking and face heating up. I feel my control start to snap.

“Alex. I like you. I think of you as my friend. As a friend, I can overlook certain things, but right now, in this moment, I need you to know that I am not amused. I’m not fucking joking. My sister…” My voice breaks and I take a deep breath, clearing my throat and calming myself. I continue as if I’d never faltered. “Not only is my sister missing, but other people, humans and Naturals alike, are going missing. They are being kidnapped and nobody knows who is responsible or where they’re being taken. So. You tell your dumb dick of a boss that I want an update, or I am going to completely lose it and he will pay the price.” I take another deep breath, attempting to gain control. I know this isn’t Alex’s fault and I don’t want to take it out on him.

Alex stands up and puts his hands in his pockets, a frown on his face. He starts to speak but stops as he takes his hands back out and rubs his eyes before meeting my gaze. He opens his mouth again and snaps it shut immediately.

Standing up straight and pulling my shoulders back, I speak with a firm voice, hoping Alex misses the tremor running through it, “You tell Lucien that Scarlett wants to see him now; otherwise, I am leaving.

The witches of old may have been powerful, but they were no match for my own powers or that of my family. I can tell he doesn’t think me capable of getting out of here, but I don’t care. I know that everyone thinks I’m just a weak little witch, that I have little power to speak of, and I have no intentions of telling them differently. Not yet anyway.

“I’ll relay your message, Scarlett. But don’t be surprised if he doesn’t come running at your whim.” Alex warns, his brows drawing together as he gives me a tight-lipped smile. “He’s not one to be told what to do. Lucien calls the shots.”

“Not now, he doesn’t,” I shoot back. I look away and sigh before turning back. “Look, what is going on right now is too important. Far more important than whatever power trip Lucien wants to play at. Families are losing their loved ones. Tell me, how many people have been reported missing since I last saw him?” I look away again, this time gazing out the window. “Alex, I will not keep repeating myself. Tell him I need to speak with him immediately or I will be leaving.” I sigh heavily. I hate making Alex deal with this, but I will not run after Lucien. He assured me that I would be kept in the loop, and he’s broken that promise. I walk to the door and open it. “Alex, I am sorry for putting you in this position,” I apologize, feeling guilty that he will likely have to deal with his boss’ wrath. “He needs to realize that I am not messing around. I don’t care if he’s busy playing with his girlfriend or all the other women in this place. Either he agrees to meet me today, or I am gone. We will find another way to find out where my sister is and who’s responsible for taking her and the others,” I tell him with confidence I don’t really feel.

He gives me a curt nod and, turning on his heel, strides to the door. Just as he gets there, he turns to face me. Meeting my defiant gaze with an admiring one of his own, he says, “I know Lucien is a difficult man to understand and I know he seems hard. Unforgiving. I don’t deny he can be that way, but he’s also fair and loyal to those who are loyal to him.” He walks out of the room, closing the door behind him with a click.

SCARLETT

^{THE NEXT MORNING}

The brilliant rays of the sun streaming through the open curtains wakes me from a deep sleep. Yawning, I stretch and look the other way to shield my eyes from it. I stayed awake last night, waiting, until my eyelids gave up the fight and I passed out. I foolishly thought he would show up or at least send someone to tell me a time he’d be available to meet. He did neither. To say I’m angry would be an understatement. I went to sleep furious and woke up feeling even more so. I punch the pillow in frustration. Bloody. Fucking. Man. It’s plain as day he doesn’t take me seriously.

I roll over with a sigh and look up at the ceiling. I had another dream last night, this one different than what I’m used to. From what I can remember, it seems to be a warning of some sort, but of what, I have no clue. Something is coming and it has to do with the past. I’ll have to mention it to my family. They might be able to help me figure it out, or at the very least, they will be warned to stay on guard. Pushing it to the back of my mind, I go over the conversation I had with my family last night. After about an hour of arguing, we came to an agreement. I would wait until morning and attempt to seek Lucien out first thing.

I was surprised to find Melissa and Evelyn with my sisters on the link. If I decide to leave, Melissa is going to make me a portal that is stable and strong enough that I will get where I need to go, and nobody will be able to stop me from going through. Spells aren’t really my specialty; Melissa is the expert. We don’t want to do it unless we absolutely have to because it can give away the fact that we aren’t normal witches.

It may not be the best idea to seek Lucien out in my current mood, but I know it’s necessary and it cannot wait any longer. At the very least, I need to try to get some more information about what’s happened since we last spoke. With a sigh, I throw the covers off my body. I can’t lay here all day, no matter how tempted I am to do just that. There’s no time to waste, far too much is at stake.

If I happen to run into Lucien’s she-demon, I’ll just have to deal with her. Logan and Adam haven’t been stationed at my door the past few days and when I asked Alex about it, he said Lucien wanted to show me that he trusted me. He also said that Aria hasn’t been in the building, so I know that if my guards show back up, she’s likely the reason why.

After taking a quick shower and dressing in a pair of black jeans, pale blue top, and my black boots, I leave the room with one thing on my mind. Finding out what the fuck is going on.

I walk down one corridor after another, a smile on my face. I stop to say hi or give a slight wave to people I’ve met the past couple of days. There aren’t many, but there have been a few who have shown me kindness and respect. Encountering some of the ones who are hostile towards me, I toss my hair over my shoulder in an act of defiance and ignore their whispers. I feel like stopping and demanding to know what the hell their problem is, but I don’t. They aren’t worth my time.

I feel a little smug knowing that it’s only a matter of time before one of Lucien’s little minions tells him I’m wandering the halls. That’s if he doesn’t see me on the security monitors first. Hopefully the thought of me not being where I’m supposed to be and not having a guard will irritate him enough to seek me out.