Page 16 of Property of Fire

“What do you mean I’m Freyja’s son? You talking about the Norse goddess Freyja?” Fire demands, brows furrowed, eyes unreadable.

“There’s only one Freyja, brother,” Heat grunts. “I don’t know all the damn details, just that you’re one of her children. Herja let it slip one night, and I asked her about it.”

“If that’s true and all, which I’ve got to admit it’s bullshit, then where has Mommy Dearest fuckin’ been?” Fire demands, starting to pace around like what he just endured with the lashes he took from Heat didn’t happen.

I follow his movements, watching him closely. Something in him seems different, and I’m not talking about the fact he could heal like he did. I just can’t figure out what it is.

“Look, I get you’re pissed, and you’ve got a right to be, but can you chill out? Take a walk or something. Herja will explain everything when she gets here later,” Brimstone states. “We’ve got shit to do this morning as it is and?—”

“I know we’ve got shit to do this morning,” Fire mutters, lip curling in fury.I suck in a breath at the sight of his eyes when they turn their attention to me. Fire jerks his chin toward the RV while holding my gaze. “Get inside and get ready.”

“I’ve got Evelin for now, brother. You need to take a walk and calm down. You get back, and we’ll go meet up with Big Daddy and the rest of the California chapter,” Heat grunts, stepping into Fire’s line of vision.

Fire stays quiet, though he does nod. Finally, he grunts, “Fine.” His eyes come back to me. “You best listen and not argue with Heat. I get back, we’ll discuss things.”

He doesn’t wait around for me to tell him off for that little command of his. Fire moves past me and the others, and steps into the RV long enough to grab a shirt and his cut. With those on, he moves past me and his brothers. His body visibly tense.

“Pyro, Hotshot, Flame, go with him. Make sure he doesn’t do anything to get himself in trouble,” Heat orders. “You know his temper when he’s close to losing it.”

The three men nod as one and follow after their brother.

“What do you mean by him losing it?” I finally manage to croak out the question after they’re all out of my line of sight, and I can focus solely on my brother.

“In the RV, Eve,” Heat commands, grabs me by my upper arm, and guides me into the RV.

Brimstone’s already situated in one of the seats at the table.

Heat lets me go, and I turn in time to see him looking out the doorway as he says, “Get ready brothers. Fire gets back we’re getting to work.” Closing the door, he turns toward me. “What the fuck were you thinking?”

“What are you talking about?” What exactly did I do?

“You let one of my brothers, my best friend, fuck you. You did it in a place where I’d fuckin’ have to hear it. Means I’ve got no choice but to do what I had to do.”

“Prez, you were gonna have to do it anyway, and we both know it,” Brimstone remarks.

“Yeah, but I could’ve done without having to hear the shit and possibly waitin’ until we got back to Virginia. I sure as fuck didn’t think it was gonna happen first thing,” Heat gripes and paces slightly.

“You can’t be serious,” I snap, hands on hips and staring at my brother in frustration.

“Oh, I’m deadly serious.” My brother stops pacing and glares at me. “I’m not blind, and I know Fire just as I know you. You both had a thing for each other. Fire’s able to hide it better than you, still, he can’t hide that shit from me.”

“Again, you can’t be serious. If he was into me, it wouldn’t have been your business.” I cannot believe this whole ordeal right now. The nerve of Heat to think he can . . .

“When it comes to you, little sister, it is my business. Anything and everything to do with you is my business. Don’t think it’s not, Evelin. In this club, no one fucks with the Kings. No one fucks with those the Kings claim. Our chapter also has rules. Rules that we set in place out of respect. You don’t cross those rules, not without punishment. Because of you, Fire had to take that punishment.”

“He wouldn’t have if you didn’t force him into playing bodyguard.” This is totally not something that should be happening. This whole conversation shouldn’t be. What I do with my life shouldn’t be any of my brother’s business, and he needs to get it through his head he cannot dictate my life. Not now. Not ever.

“Fire was going to guard your ass whether Heat put him on you or not,” Brimstone remarks, jumping into the conversation. “Don’t think you don’t know how this club runs. You ain’t stupid, Eve. We all know you’re smart as hell. So, lose the fuckin’ attitude and listen for a change rather than arguing every little point.”

I open my mouth to snap at him, only to close it while glaring at him. How dare he.

“Evelin, what you gotta get, little sister,” Heat states, anger still filling his voice. “You gotta use your smarts to do things right.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“The fact that you and him fucked this morning.” It was Brimstone who answered the question. “You weren’t quiet about it and because Fire hadn’t claimed you. You weren’t his ol’ lady. We had to hear you two, that’s bad enough, but you, fuck,” he grimaces, shaking his head, “we all fuckin’ heard you, Evelin, don’t you get that.”

“Then you should have blocked out the sounds,” I state a bit snarkily. “Now, can we be done with this? It’s not a conversation I want to be having with you two.”

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