King of Tides (The Immortal Iron Brothers #3)

Chapter 13

What’s Going On?

“ T his doesn’t make any sense,” I say as I sit in Ardan’s lap while looking down at my phone. This is the third time I’ve tried and failed to log into the chat my sisters and I have been using to talk to each other.

“I know. Something is wrong. Could it be something blocking the Wi-Fi signal here or something?” Ray asks.

“No. You shouldn’t have any interference. Our system is high tech. Our human brothers made sure of it for their needs whenever they’re here. We also protect it with magic, so it’s impenetrable,” Reilly replies.

I shake my head and try again but get the same results. When I look up, Ray and Taylor have similar looks on their faces as they, too, try to log in with no success. I frown.

“I never log out. I don’t know what’s going on,” Taylor says.

“Same here. This is crazy,” Ray murmurs as she stares down at her phone.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll find her and then we’ll know if she’s Charlie or not,” Reilly says dejectedly and gets up to walk off.

I watch after him. I’m even more determined to help him now that I know who Charlie could be to him—or should I say Lee?

I get the feeling she is one and the same. It only makes sense. I want Reilly to find her more than anything so Candido will lose all his cards to play.

“Thank you for wanting to help my brother,” Ardan says into my ear.

I turn to look back at him over my shoulder. After showering together, he felt it would be best if I came back here to the clubhouse with him. Since he cleaned up my place for me, I figured, why not?

All I needed to do was get dressed and brush my hair into a ponytail after the mess he made of it during our session. Thank God for the supernatural healing thing.

If I weren’t supernatural, I’m sure I wouldn’t be walking for another three weeks. Man, Ardan is hung like a motherfucker. If I had seen what I saw in that shower before we had sex, I would have run.

“Taylor and I are heading up for the night. It was nice meeting you, Billy. I look forward to getting to know more about you,” Bradan, Ardan’s twin, says.

“It was nice meeting you too. Taylor, I can’t wait to hang out when I have some time,” I say and smile at my sister.

“Me too. I have work and school tomorrow, but I hope to get some free time to spend with both of you,” Taylor says to me and Ray.

She seems a bit shy, but I like her. She’s much smaller than Ray and me. I’ve been wondering what our birth order is. I don’t know why Ray feels like the oldest. Taylor and I seem to be a toss-up for the youngest.

“Don’t drown her on the first night,” Bradan teases Ardan.

I look up into his eyes as he stands and tucks Taylor into his side. I search his face, wondering how much of that is a joke. He winks back at me with a playful smile on his lips.

I recognize him as the other biker from the warehouse that day. If not for the hair and the eyes, they would look just alike. Both of my sisters look so happy here.

I guess Ardan was telling me the truth about everything. I’m still trying to wrap my head around it. I have so much to digest.

“I think we’re going to call it a night as well,” Kendrick says as he stands and helps Ray get up from her seat.

“Can I have one more hug?” Ray says to me with a hopeful smile.

I stand and pull her into me, hugging her as tightly as her baby bump will allow. She squeezes me back. Oddly enough, it feels like a hug I’ve needed for a long time. Not being a hugger, there’s this connection I wasn’t expecting to find.

“I look forward to spending time with you. I’m so happy to finally have met you. I’ve always wanted siblings. Now I have three,” Ray says happily.

“You’ll be tired of me in a week,” I tease.

“Doubt it,” she says and kisses my cheek.

Yup, the older sister. I chide myself for feeling like I’m about to burst into tears. When Ray pulls away and looks into my eyes, I see the tears building up in hers.

I give her a nod as I fight back my own. It’s been a long day. I’m sure she’s just as overwhelmed as I am. Then there’s the baby.

Releasing her, I take a step back, only to have Ardan tug me back into his lap. Ray smiles and places a hand on her belly. I shake my head as I think of the fact that she’s pregnant with a baby from the past.

I feel like I’ve been dropped into the twilight zone. None of this should be real. My thoughts go back to the brothers’ earlier conversation.

Reilly mentioned something about iron. I want to know more about that and what it all means. I’ll have to remember to ask Ardan about it later.

“Or you could ask me now.”

I jump as Ardan’s voice plays in my head, clear as day. However, I know he didn’t speak because his lips were on my neck, and I had those thoughts to myself. I know I didn’t speak them out loud.

“How did?—”

“I’ve been waiting for your thoughts to become clear to me. Your mind is as stubborn as you are.”

“What the fuck? I’m losing my damn mind. I know you’re not in my head,” I scold.

“Oh, but baby, I am.”

“Oh no, you’re not. Ardan, I didn’t sign up for this. I’m a damn detective. I don’t need or want you in my thoughts. I’m not even supposed to talk to you about my work.

“Are you telling me you’ll be able to see the details of the cases I’m working on? This is crazy. Make it stop. Now.”

“You have the ability to block me out. I don’t like it, but because of the nature of your job, I understand. I hope someday you will be comfortable with our bond and you will choose to let me in,” he says aloud.

“How do I close you out?”

He sighs and nuzzles my neck. I squirm in his hold. I need to keep my wits about me, and I can’t do that with him on me like this. I think that’s his point.

“It’s not. I just can’t keep my hands off you. It’s simple.

“To close me out, you need to find the door in your mind. Pull it closed and I won’t be able to see into or hear your thoughts. We can still communicate like this, but your thoughts will be limited to me until you open the door again.

“I will only know what you chose to let me into,” he replies to my thoughts.

I quickly search my mind for this door and pull it shut. Ardan chuckles into my ear. A shiver runs through me as his breath tickles my skin.

“We should head upstairs too,” he breathes against my neck.

“What? I need to head back to my place.”

“I thought we could stay here tonight. I don’t want you in your place alone.”

“I have work tomorrow and none of my things are here. I need my workbag,” I protest.

“Not a problem,” he croons as my bag appears in my lap.

“My service weapon and my badge,” I say.

“Look inside.”

I open the bag and peek inside. Sure enough, both are in there. I shake my head. I’m going to have to get used to this magic stuff.

“Okay, fine. I’ll stay, but only because I have questions.”

“All of which I plan to answer after I’ve taken you again,” he says with a wicked grin.

“Tour first, I’ll think about the rest.”

He rumbles with laughter and lifts to stand while holding me close. Ardan takes my bag and slings it over his shoulder. I listen intently as he points out different areas and the species occupying them.

“You will be presented to everyone as my mate tomorrow,” he says, interrupting my thoughts.

“Tomorrow? I have work,” I say in confusion.

“As you have said. I will call a town hall meeting for the afternoon before we leave.”

Stopping in front of an elevator, I then turn to face him. “We?”

“You can handle yourself with humans, but you got lucky earlier. I’m not going to chance them sending others who are more skilled and more powerful.

“I will be with you when you’re not here. Wherever you need to go, I will be there,” he says so matter-of-factly.

“Okay, back up a little. I have an entire life outside of you, outside of this. Whatever this is. As I’m sure you have obligations outside of me. What are you talking about?”

“This I understand. However, I will adjust to your life. My sole purpose will be to ensure you’re safe. I will maintain my obligations to the club as well. This is nonnegotiable, Billy.”

“Excuse me?”

The elevator opens and he stalks toward me, causing me to back into it. I look up into his eyes and see the unyielding determination in his gaze. I stumble backward a step. He shoots his hand out to steady me.

“I know you understood what I said. None of that attitude is going to work with me, Billy. You can reel that right on in. I don’t have to interfere with your life or your career, but I will be there to protect you.”

My protest is cut off as he delivers a passionate kiss that ends the conversation. I run my fingers through the short sides of his hair as he devours my mouth. When I get to the longer hair in the back, I thread my fingers in it and lift onto my toes.

Ardan groans into my mouth and palms my ass in his large hands. This man is going to be problematic. I don’t even remember what it was I was going to say.

“My job is important to me,” I breathe when he breaks the kiss.

Lifting his hand to run his thumb against my bottom lip, he nods. “I know this. I promise you won’t notice I’m there. If you want, I’ll allow you to wear me around your neck.”

I wrinkle my brows as the elevator opens and he takes my hand to walk me out. As we walk down the long corridor, he rubs his thumb back and forth across my knuckles. It’s like he’s placing me in a trance.

Once at the end of the hall, he turns left and opens the second door we come to. I step into the room and come to a stop as a gasp leaves my lips. This isn’t what I thought I would find behind that door.

This is a very nice clubhouse for what it is, but this is above and beyond what I was expecting. I thought we would walk into a dorm-type space or something. A bed, a dresser—the basics.

However, we’ve just walked into one of the most opulent bedrooms I have ever seen. The walls are a cool blue and there’s something so calming about the space. There is a bed lifted up on what looks like a raised platform in the center of the room.

The platform is surrounded by a pool that looks deep enough to swim laps in, although concrete floors surround the perimeter of the room and encase the bed and pool. From this end, the pool looks to have an infinity edge that drops down into a lit space that emits a blue glow.

There are clear stairs that float over the pool and lead up onto the platform the bed is on. The bed is huge, but there seems to be enough room to walk around the bed on the sides. I’m thinking the bed is a California king, if not a custom-made king for him.

On the back wall behind the bed is a fireplace with blue glass inside. However, what takes my breath away about the fireplace is the crest above it. It’s like the crown with the sword running sideways through it and the chain draping them are coming out of the wall and looks to be made of glass or ice.

“Wow,” I say as I take it all in.

“Still thinking about your apartment?” Ardan says teasingly.

“No, I’m wondering why you ever lived there,” I murmur.

“I bought the building a year ago after feeling drawn to it and then moved in. Now I know what the draw was.”

“You own the building?”

I turn to look up at him. He has a mischievous smile on his lips. He shrugs as he studies my face.

“I do. I own quite a few properties.”

“I will keep that in mind. This room is nice. Not at all what I thought would be in this clubhouse.”

“We all designed our spaces to our own needs and personalities. That door over there leads to my private kitchen,” he says, pointing to the left. “Over there, if you walk through the bathroom, you will find the walk-in closet. That can be yours. If you want more space, I can create it.”

“I should be fine. I don’t need a lot of room for a spend-the-night bag.”

“I don’t need to read your thoughts to know you think this is one night. Don’t fool yourself. Welcome home, baby. Make yourself comfortable.”

“There is so much I still need to process. Look at this place. It’s like a luxury hotel suite or something. We just walked through a warehouse-like structure. Where the heck does this fit in?

“Do I really have my own magic? What did you mean, allow me to wear you around my neck? I’m not committing to calling this my home until I have some realistic answers. Not that any of this seems realistic,” I say and palm my forehead, turning to look at the bed longingly.

I’m starting to feel the exhaustion from the day’s events hitting me. Maybe once I go to sleep, I’ll wake up and this will all be some crazy dream. Ardan moves to wrap his arms around my waist, and I sink back into him.

If it weren’t for the fact that he makes me feel so relaxed, I would probably be out. This is all so crazy. I sigh and try to reel in my wayward thoughts.

“This necklace will serve as a talisman. I will be able to fit into it while you are working. If I’m needed, I will be able to force my way out. It is only one of our options,” he says.

I look down at the necklace now around my neck. I lift the pendant and smile at the pretty crystal wave. The thought of this huge man fitting inside this wave that rests between my breasts is unfathomable.

“I would like to hear the other options. You’re a lot of man; this doesn’t seem right to force you into.”

“You’re not forcing me into anything. We can talk about those other options later. Right now, I want to take you to our bed,” he replies, placing emphasis on our .

Ardan

“That was so intense,” Billy pants as she lies on top of my chest. “I had no idea I could see your thoughts as well.”

She’s right. Our session was intense. As I took her sweet body, I began to show her my thoughts of what I wanted to do to her. How much better it would be when I took her to her limits.

I have no doubt Billy loved what she saw. I’m now looking forward to turning things up. Especially with the use of an ice cock. That one seemed to rile her up.

I rumble low with laughter. “I enjoyed showing you that you can.”

She lifts her head and stares back at me. Reaching up, she palms my cheek and runs her thumb down the bridge of my nose. I can’t help smiling back at her.

“Like what you see?”

“Maybe. I was just thinking. I never registered all your piercings before. I mean, of course I caught this one in your nose, but I never thought about the fact that your ears are full of them.

“I was a bit preoccupied earlier today, but I noticed your dick is pretty loaded with them as well. I feel like there’s some story there,” she says as she searches my gaze.

I hold her gaze and give her the answers she’s seeking. In fact, I give her answers to all the questions I believe she has from the brief time I spent in her thoughts before she shut me out.

“Thank you.”

“For what?” I ask.

“Answering so many of my questions by showing me. You’re intentionally letting me in. I’m not ready to give you free rein of my thoughts, but I see the gesture,” she says.

“I will wait for as long as you need. I’m not going to force you to do anything you don’t want to.”

She snorts. “Yet, here I am in your bed, and you’re insistent on following me to work.”

I begin to run my fingertips up and down her back. She melts into me and nearly purrs with the gesture. I bite back a laugh.

“Something tells me you don’t mind either.”

“I don’t know if I do. Not yet at least.”

“Good. Keep that in mind. I’m going to make things go away for you and Carson. That’s nonnegotiable as well. I know that’s on your mind. I want to take it off.”

“Is that something you saw before I shut you out, or are you creeping back in? Something also tells me you could take my thoughts if you wanted, whether I want you to or not.”

“It was and I could.”

The room falls silent for a few beats, and I think my little human has finally fallen asleep. I’m not tired, so I lie staring up at the ceiling, savoring the feel of my mate in my arms. I don’t know why our mates have appeared now, but I’m not complaining.

“Ardan, don’t change your mind,” Billy whispers and then the door to her thoughts comes open.

My heart begins to ache as I’m thrown right into the time when she was a little frightened girl running away to save her own life. Then I’m taken back to how people repeatedly let her down.

The more time I spend in her thoughts, the more I begin to understand her. I stiffen when I come to the bond she has with Carson, Mack—the man who raised her—and Eddy—the one she truly bonds with as an older brother.

I know she has fallen asleep when her thoughts become more open than I think she means for them to be. I stop and slowly back out. I would never take advantage of this gift.

Gratitude fills me as I have a deeper understanding of my mate. The abandonment, anger, the need to be independent—it all makes sense now. I think I will travel with her within the pendant.

That way, I can show her I’m there for her whenever she needs me, but I’m not there to take her power away. Billy needs that sense of control, and I won’t shatter that. It’s going to be a challenge, but I’m willing to bend for her. Only her.

“I will never change my mind. You’re stuck with me,” I murmur and lean in to kiss the top of her head.