KING OF THE UNDERWORLD (Earthbound Book 1)

You could cut the tension in the room with a knife. There’s something building in the air, like the ozone smell you can practically taste just before a storm arrives. Nobody can agree on what we should do and nobody will admit to any of their people going missing, despite the fact that we already know they have. It’s bloody ridiculous, but it stems from a lack of trust. Everyone is going to have to find a way to get over it because if we can’t manage to work together, we’re all going to be in serious trouble.

The delegates from the councils arrived first, one for the humans and one for the Naturals. Immediately, they started fighting over who would be running the meeting and neither of them were pleased when Lucien cut them off and informed them he would be in charge of leading. They’re now sitting across from me and my family in stony silence while the rest of the council members, five from each council, are sitting around them, arguing over every little thing.

If that wasn’t bad enough, Aria arrived shortly after, entering the room as though it belonged to her. Now she sits next to Lucien, looking like his fucking queen, while shooting daggers at me with her eyes. At least she’s keeping her mouth shut. I don’t even know how I would keep control of my temper if she started mouthing off.

Lucien, the bastard, just sits there, letting her touch him. I watch as the glances at me with a smirk while running her fingertips across his hand. Fucking bitch. I know she’s trying to torment me. Sadly, it’s working.

If he hadn’t broken our link, I could tell him what I thought of him. Instead, I’m just left to stew in my rage. If he thinks I’m going to let him touch me after this, he’s in for a rude awakening.

When the shifter sovereign arrived, my family and I all felt the shift in Melissa. Sadness and anxiety rushed out of her, and I wanted to put my arms around her in comfort, but I knew she wouldn’t appreciate the gesture. Not here. Not now. Jacob, the sovereign over all shifters saw Melissa as he took his seat and hasn’t taken his eyes off her since. It’s obvious they know each other, but I could only guess at the nature of their relationship. His handsome face looks angry, while my cousin has managed to hide any trace of emotion. The dark-haired woman sitting next to Jacob was introduced as his mate, and she’s been giving my cousin the evil eye since her arrival.

The Fae arrived with all their usual fanfare. I was shocked to see that all the Fae King’s guards are women, all of them jaw-droppingly beautiful. Based on the whispers from the rest of the table when they entered, they’re his lovers as well as his guards. His demeanor is arrogant, and I haven’t missed the way he looks at Mia. I really don’t appreciate the way he’s eyeing her, as though she’s a tasty meal waiting to be devoured. Luckily, she hasn’t seemed to notice. I can only imagine how she would react. It’s bad enough to have to watch Abigail and Damien eye fuck each other. Everyone in the room can tell there’s something between them. They’re acting like horny teenagers.

The Vampires arrived all together, but their leader Nathan will not be attending. Jax will be filling in for him, though he didn’t say why. I don’t like the way the Vampires and Jaden have been eyeing each other, as though they’re ready to come to blows. So far, nobody has done anything, but the vicious looks being thrown around are distracting.

The Gargoyle Elder, Reid, and a group of Angels were the last to arrive. Gargoyles look human but looks can be deceiving. The Angels, a mix of male and female, are regal and striking. They have their wings hidden from view, probably using a concealment spell which allows them to call their wings when necessary.

There are about sixty total people in the room by the time the meeting starts. My family and I have gotten a few suspicious looks, but the concealment spell seems to be working so far. There were a few people who questioned Lucien about who the hell we were, and Lucien had told them half-truths; that our sister is missing, and we turned to him for help, and about the soul keeper and soul eater who appeared to have been involved. It seems that the soul keeper and soul eater part distracted them from their suspicion of us because as soon as he finished speaking, the room erupted into chaos. It took at least half an hour to calm everyone down so we could move on.

Lucien’s gaze flickers around the room until it lands on Jax. As he speaks, his eyes narrow. “Jax. Where is Nathan? Don’t give me any bullshit, either. He’s never missed a single one of these bloody meetings and I know the message I received wasn’t from him. Tell me, what the hell are you hiding?” Lucien demands, his eyes flashing red.

Jaden, who is sitting beside Lucien, tenses, and the rest of the room breaks out into murmurs. Jax looks around the table before turning to his men and clearing his throat. His expression hardens in anger. “Nathan is missing,” he announces, confirming everyone’s worst fears.

The entire room goes silent. You could hear a pin drop outside.

The two delegates from either council finally seem to wake up and join the meeting as they start throwing questions at Jax faster than he can answer them. They want to know why they weren’t informed, how long it’s been, and every detail of every minute since Nathan went missing.

I see Lucien, Damien, and Jaden share a look and watch with bated breath as the scene in front of me continues to unfold.

“How long?” Jacob snarls, baring his teeth.

“A month. We’ve been looking for him every night since, but there’s been no trace. It’s like he just vanished,” Jax answers, his voice full of frustration.

A growl of displeasure falls from Jaden’s lips and his pure, unadulterated hatred for the other vampire is palpable. “Why has this been kept from me?” he demands.

“You’re no longer a part of our coven, so why would I keep you in the loop on coven affairs?” Jax responds, his eyebrow arched condescendingly.

Jaden stands, his face full of uncontrolled rage. A deep growl rumbles from his throat as violence blazes in his eyes. The lights in the room flicker.

“Do not push your luck, Jax. If you keep attempting to provoke me, you will leave this room in a body bag. You know the rules. Whether I’m in the coven or not, Nathan is my blood, and I should have been informed. Tell me, Jax. Why isn’t one of Nathan’s blood leading the coven in his absence instead of you?”

Ripples of shock travel around the room at finding out Jaden is related to the Vampire King. The men standing around Jax shift uneasily. They know the laws of their coven and know they’ve been broken. On top of that, Jax has no lawful right to lead the coven, but he somehow managed to take the role anyway.

“I was elected to be in charge while Nathan is unavailable,” Jax states in a cool, relaxed tone.

Jaden’s voice echoes with challenge as he shouts, “There is no way in hell that someone who isn’t of our blood would be elected while our King is missing!”

Jax cocks his head. “Things have clearly changed since you left, Jaden,” he drawls, his voice heavy with sarcasm.

The fire burning in Jaden’s eyes flares brighter, his features hardening even more as he meets Jax’s mocking stare.

A hand slams against the table, hard, the loud slapping sound gaining everyone’s attention. All eyes turn to my side of the table.

“Gentlemen. I think the matter of Nathan, our sister Megan, and the other humans and Naturals going missing is more urgent than the two of you having a pissing contest,” Pamela says, in her most patronizing tone, eyes full of contempt. “People are missing. Megan was kidnapped and now we know that the most powerful vampire to walk the earth has vanished as well. I think most of the people at this table would agree that we need to concentrate on that issue. Whatever disagreements you two may have can be discussed later, on your own time.”

“The woman is right. This isn’t the time or place,” Reid chastises in a gravelly voice.

Jaden turns his head as Lucien murmurs something and his mouth hardens as he listens to what his boss has to say. An expression of acute anger appears as he turns towards his nemesis. He retakes his seat and bites out, “This is far from over.”

Leaning back in his chair, like he’s enjoying the game, Jax retorts with amusement, “I’m looking forward to it.”

There’s a brief moment of silence before Gil-Galad, the Fae king, speaks with quiet authority. “The woman was right. Something is going on and we need to figure this out.”

“The woman has a name. Pamela. Please remember it and use it from now on,” Mia announces.

Gil-Galad glares at Mia, annoyance written across his refined features as their eyes lock. A smirk spreads across his face, one eyebrow lifting in challenge.

Pamela and Abigail send warnings through the link, telling Mia to behave herself. They’re right. We can’t afford too much attention being on us.

She tears her gaze away from his and looks down at her hands.

LUCIEN

If this meeting doesn’t work, we are beyond fucked. We’re going to have to find a way to work together. That means not keeping secrets like the one Jax has been keeping from all of us. I’m so fucking pissed off, but it’s nothing compared to the rage radiating from Jaden.

Jaden has had dealings with Jax before, and apparently things haven’t gone well in the past. How Jax was able to get the vote to oversee Nathan’s coven is something even I’m having trouble coming to terms with. Jaden isn’t the only one who doesn’t trust him. He’s definitely up to no good. But whatever he has planned, I intend to deal with it.

Then there’s Scarlett. I felt her pain when I blocked our link, but I didn’t have a choice. I knew Aria would be at the meeting and I wasn’t willing to take the chance that she’d be able to pick up on our connection. I must keep Scarlett and her family safe. If that means letting Aria touch me and pretending like I still care about her, so be it. Even if it means hurting Scarlett.

I hear the clearing of a throat and I look down the table at Austin, one of the smaller region leaders. He’s been nervous since he arrived and it’s clear he has something he needs to tell me.

“Austin,” I acknowledge him with a nod, prompting him to speak.

Clearing his throat again, he wiggles nervously in his seat. “Some people in my region have gone missing,” he says in a voice so faint; I have to struggle to hear him. I barely manage to bite back a snarl. I knew I’d made a mistake when I gave him his own region; he’s too weak to lead. He’s neither ruthless nor powerful, two qualities necessary to be in charge. He continues in a voice slightly louder than before, “At first, I thought little of it as the people who reported them missing said they’ve gone missing before and shown back up after a few weeks at the most.”

“What’s different this time, then?” asks Damien, giving me a ‘what the fuck’ look.

“Since the first report, we’ve received twenty-five more reports of people being missing. All different ages, both male and female, some human and some Natural,” he explains, looking around the room nervously and never quite meeting mine or Damien’s eyes.

Fucking idiot. I gave him a part of my territory to run, and he didn’t even think to keep me informed of something so important. Bloody useless fool. I want to put my hands around his neck and squeeze until his eyes pop from his head. I look over at Damien and he looks every bit as angry as I’m feeling.

I turn back to Austin. “I want a list of every single person who is missing from your region before you leave tonight,” I order, watching as he gives me a shaky nod.

Turning my attention to the rest of the region leaders in my territory, I ask them, “Has anyone else had anyone disappear in the last few weeks and neglected to tell me?”

I curse, rage building inside me, as half the hands lift. I slam my fist down on the wooden table, causing the glasses to rattle. The sound of cracking wood echoes around the deathly silent room.

“Has anyone else had people go missing and not come forward?” I demand in a deceptively calm voice. My temper is a drumbeat in my skull as every territory leader from all the other regions nervously raise their hands. Jacob, Gil-Galad, Reid, Jax, and Archer all stare at the people they trusted to be in charge, the people they counted on to keep their part of the region safe. The people who were expected to report to the region leaders when something happened so that we could keep our regions safe.

“Why the fuck wasn’t I notified!?” Jacob roars. “Why weren’t any of us notified?” He locks eyes with each and every one of his territory leaders before he turns his attention to me, his face reflecting the same rage I feel building inside of me.

“Jacob, I’m sure I speak for everyone here when I say, I’m sorry. Please accept our apologies. We had no way of knowing how important it was,” Luke says to his leader, his head bowed in shame.

“Your apology is worthless, and I don’t accept it. Do you think because we’ve given you regions to run in our territories that you’re somehow in charge? That you get to make decisions without consulting us? You bloody don’t. You should consider yourselves lucky to be permitted a seat at this table. All of us want a list of every single human and Natural that has gone missing from each region by tonight. No fucking excuses,” Jacob rants.

I notice his eyes flashing silver and know he’s struggling to keep his wolf under control. The leaders in question squirm in their seats. Jacob’s orders ringing in their ears, all of them grab pens and paper from the center of the table and start scribbling names.

“When did Megan go missing?” Jax turns his attention to Scarlett and her family, grabbing my attention as well.

“About a week ago. Megan was out with a group of friends and just vanished,” Melissa replies, shifting in her seat to face him.

“And nobody’s seen her since?” asks one of the council members. “Are you even telling the truth? You’re sure none of you know where she is?” He scoffs, looking at them with suspicion glowing on his face.

Melissa’s face tightens in anger, and I ready myself to jump in if she decides to try anything. I won’t let her expose Scarlett’s secret. If any of them show their powers, everyone in the room will know exactly what they are and that cannot happen.