Fire & Smoke (The Red Masques Book 4)

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Title Page

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Epilogue

  M. Sinclair

  Copyright

  Copyright © M. Sinclair, 2019. All rights reserved.

  No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are products of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.

  ✽✽✽

  Fantasy Reverse Harem

  Vegas and her boys swear a lot. As well, please be advised that the book contains darker themes such as gore and violence. Additionally, sexual themes are suitable for mature audiences +18.

  For those who love our over the top alpha males AND our kickass heroines.

  “Create an empire together.”

  Description

  Fantasy RH

  Tick. Toc. Tick. Toc.

  Do you hear that? Yeah. That is the sound of a countdown.

  What countdown you ask?

  The one where everything goes to shit.

  Everything had been silent for a week. A week filled with rest and change. A week we needed. Thanksgiving is today and a feeling of apprehension has me brimming with nerves. I know something big is about to happen and I have no idea what.

  Well, not exactly.

  Will there be a clash between my stalker and I? How the hell are we going to make this relationship of eleven work? What about Gray, my totally badass sister, finding out about our relationship? Or the things we have been neglecting as a Red Masques team? Oh, and let’s not forget the war with the crazy Dark Fae king!

  Oh, no.

  But what if it is even larger than that?

  At least we have Thanksgiving to look forward to, right? Hadn’t I said something about living until the holidays?

  I mean, what’s the worst that can happen…

  This 100k fourth installment of the Red Masques series is filled with fantasy, adventure, and a ton of steamy steam.

  Get your fans and water bottles ready because this is going to be a hot one! Not to mention the substantial blood, violence, and swearing that we’ve come to love! Be ready for this fast paced and exciting continuation with Vegas and her boys!

  A note to readers of both the Red Masques & Vengeance: There will be spoilers!!! The plot lines intertwine so I am releasing both books at the same time. Feel free to pick either release but I just wanted to give you a heads up! Enjoy!

  Also, don’t forget to follow my FB group Sinclair’s Ravens for new updates!!!

  Chapter 1

  Vegas

  Excess, thy name is Byron.

  “We can’t accept this,” Blue muttered softly in disbelief. His voice betrayed his growing eager excitement. I leaned against the doorway that led from the back hall to the massive showroom sized garage that had clearly been an addition to this classic home. I was placing my bet now that the Horde property didn’t have one of these babies. Then again, it had magic…

  ...so I was willing to excuse what it lacked in modern luxuries.

  Edwin stood behind me, his shadows wrapping around my ankles, as his smoky red wine scent surrounded me like a warm blanket. Mind you, I hadn’t confirmed visually that it was him but I was nearly positive. I may have been bothered enough to check if I hadn’t been absolutely bamboozled by whatever the fuck was occuring in front of me.

  Yes. I did use that word. Deal with it.

  “You can,” Byron spoke confidently with his large tan hands shoved in the pockets of his tailored dress pants. “And you will. It’s an inconvenience and a safety concern for all of you to be limited to one car. Additionally, you can’t respond to threats if you have to wait for someone to pick you up. Imagine if Vegas was in trouble and the car wasn’t here. You could be putting her life at risk.”

  Oh! Our poor SUV and sedan, Byron had done his homework. Aced it. Proceeded to get a PhD and was now manipulating my boys to accept these outrageous cars. I had to admit, he was fucking good at this. I should have been taking notes.

  Originally, I had been concerned about all of the designer shit I had ordered to replace what we lost in the fire. Then Byron had persuaded the boys to see “reason” in that the purchase wasn’t a personal expense but, rather, a team one. His analogy was something along the lines of “if an employee had an accident at work their medical bills would be covered by the company.” It was complete bullshit but, hey, I wasn’t complaining. The boys and I had always been comfortable financially, even when Vivian had passed away. She had set aside a trust in our names for when we turned eighteen, but I was starting to suspect that somehow the money had come from the Horde.

  These magical bastards were sneaky.

  I mean, we couldn't afford to be prideful considering we had almost nothing left from the old house. These cars though? Well, these weren’t designer clothes and they were definitely not a need. This was a whole new level of excess.

  “I get that,” Blue stated as I watched the boys’ expressions ranging from shocked to confused. They reminded me briefly of the young boys I had known in high school. Ah, boys getting toys. Never really changes with age, does it?

  “It’s just. I mean. Do they have to be… well, fuck, Byron these are all worth over hundred grand easily,” Blue stated in a pathetic and truly poor attempt to dissuade him from this gift.

  Come on baby, you aren’t even trying…

  I wouldn’t either but I was still going to give him shit about it. You know, on principle alone. The man needs to know who’s calling the shots around here.

  The dramatic psychopath Vegas. Always the dramatic psychopath. Stupid question.

  “I already had them and they serve our current purpose because of how fast they are,” Byron stated.

  Liar. I’m sure he already had them, after he customized and ordered them to the house as convenient gifts.

  I finally straightened myself up and spoke. “Boys, just accept the gift. It’s fucking awesome and everyone needs a way to get around without depending on our current vehicles.”

  Yep, that was all they needed.

  Each of them took the key fobs that Byron had handed out and the garage exploded in excited deep voices as they each found their designated car. I chuckled as Byron looked back at me with a pair of crackling lava eyes made of a deep chocolate mixed with crimson. Despite the glamour I donned and the brother’s hidden blood ink form, they just seemed a tad different than before our Horde trip. Or maybe I was just more focused on them.

  In honor of Thanksgiving, Byron had worn a bright red quarter zip sweater and dress pants. We had tried to explain to the two of them that the holiday was for consuming mass quantities of food and football, but I don’t think they were really getting it. Silly magical asshats.

  They would, though. Oh, they would.

&nb
sp; It was still early in the day, around 10 a.m., and the Macy’s parade could be heard from the kitchen. Bandit hadn’t begun cooking yet unless you counted putting the turkey in the massive commercial sized oven that resided in the Ivanov’s kitchen. I was finding it far easier to adjust to this home than I would have assumed. I know. Surprising. I mean you would have thought it would have been more difficult to adjust to such excessive wealth.

  Nope. It fit me just like a motherfucking jewel-encrusted glove. Or something that rich people would wear. You feel me?

  “See? That worked great,” Byron offered while mussing his white blonde hair with his left hand. Ever since mentioning that I liked his hair messy the other day, he had stopped styling it and I wasn’t about to bring it up in fear of him reverting back.

  I smiled my teeth pressing down on my lip slightly. “And how long until they notice the custom interiors, model year, and license plates?”

  Byron narrowed his eyes with a sexy smirk. “The license plates are numbered.”

  “Yes,” I grinned feeling a curl of desire tingle through me at his narrowed gaze. “In order of when each came into my life. You don’t think that’s convenient for someone who just had them ‘sitting around’?”

  Byron chuckled as his eyes sparked. “Fuck, doll, you notice everything. Don’t you?”

  “I think this was really sweet of you,” I commented softly with a more serious expression. There was a slight vulnerability to his tanned face as he offered me a shy smile that was so different from his sexy smirk. Before he could respond Decimus walked up. I bit back a laugh as Deci ran a hand through his thick hair and rubbed the back of his neck.

  “Listen, I already have a motorcycle. I can’t accept…”

  Byron turned. “The motorcycle was a birthday present from all of us. This is a necessity. How are you supposed to transport more than one person on that thing? Also, do you want Vegas riding on a motorcycle? That sounds dangerous to me.”

  I scowled.

  I would have liked to point out that the ridiculously expensive cars barely fit two people if that. But still, the bastard had thought of every conceivable argument. Decimus swore and took off towards his car. Byron grinned. I had to give him credit. The man was a genius. I’d have to keep an eye out for his tricks. I’d fallen for a few even in the past week. Hence the closet filled with insanity upstairs. I let him pass through the door as he offered me a wink. I couldn’t deny the heat that flashed through my body at that.

  Honestly though, the heated desire didn’t surprise me.

  Despite everyone’s exhaustion this past week, something had been turned on inside of me. And no, not just my fucking hormones. Those were a bitch though because every single day I was resisting the urge to fuck like a bunny. Christ. Maybe this was because I’d gone so long without sex, now I was constantly turned on. Oh, well. I hope the boys can deal.

  I nearly grinned at that. Oh, I bet they would be able to deal.

  “You know, dolcezza,” Edwin spoke softly from behind me. “He has a car for you as well.”

  Normally, his random appearances would have made me jump. Instead, I looked up at him and found his beautiful eyes staring down at me. They were framed in thick dark lashes that highlighted the amber color that brightened to a pumpkin orange. It was a unique color and one I had started to really like. Much like Byron, Edwin had put on dress pants and a sweater, because that is truly dressing down for him. Sometimes Edwin struck me as so relaxed and other times he was a fucking lunatic. A well dressed lunatic, of course. It was a fifty-fifty chance every morning. I resisted the urge to twirl my finger through his thick black curls that rested lose and down to his shoulders.

  The man was just beautiful. No denying it.

  I shook my head. “I can’t accept it.”

  “You haven’t seen it.” His lip twitched. “Go, check it out. Remember, Vegas, Byron really only knows how to show his affection through what he’s used to. Money has been a constant since birth, so buying presents for the people he cares about seems right to him.”

  Ah. Fuckity fuck. When you put it that way...

  A key fob slipped into my hand as his lips grazed my temple before walking away. Besides one or two passing kisses in the past few days, we hadn't had much time alone. It didn’t seem purposeful, we just were busy. I was really hoping for some alone time though because the quick kisses weren’t enough. I was very greedy and wanted more now that I had admitted my frustrating attraction and affection toward the magical asshat.

  And, yes. I would still be calling him that from time to time.

  Since coming back from the Horde, the group of us had been busy and not the bad type of busy. Because, I may or may not have gone full out on purchasing festive fall decor and preparing for Christmas. They just had so much space to cover, I mean what could a girl do except decorate every square inch of it.

  When Edwin had suggested hiring someone to do it, I had been furious. I hadn’t talked to him all day and it confused the shit out of him until Grover explained the problem and my wounded pride. Eventually, I compromised agreeing a professional could do Christmas lights but that was only because I didn’t want my boys, including them, going up that high. Byron had made a quip about “caring about them” and I didn’t correct him. Instead I fixed him with a look and a hitched brow daring him to laugh about my affection towards them some more. I think he and Edwin had been shocked about my lack of sarcasm.

  That’s just how I was though, once I cared… I cared a whole fucking lot. So they would need to get used to that and get used to being part of ‘my boys.’ It also convinced Edwin to have the Horde house decorated as well, which was fucking awesome since they didn’t celebrate Earth realm holidays. With the two of them having returned into the massive house, I smiled and skipped down the stairs to see the shiny new toys.

  “Oh, wow,” I chuckled at my first stop.

  Grover looked down at me from where he stood, his arms crossed over his muscular chest. The guy was a dream boat. Today, like a normal person, he wore sweatpants and a black shirt. Even our comfy clothes were designer and well made. It was fucked up.

  I couldn’t even start to tell you about my wardrobe. I’d deal with that later. Extensively.

  Grover’s hair was mussed, the rich auburn color darker than normal, and almost matched his warm chocolate brown eyes. The thin silver ring circling his pupil had been a permanent change and it transformed his face from classically handsome to something else. Something less human and more ethereal. He hadn’t shaved yet so his jawline had a slightly dark shadow that was absolutely yummy. Then again it could be that I was intoxicated by his delicious scent which smelt like my fucking body wash. I swear to god, one of these days I would say something.

  “What is this?” I asked with curiosity.

  He chuckled with a nearly overwhelmed and disbelieving expression, “this? This is an Aston Martin DBS Superleggera Coupe, Angel.”

  “I have no idea what you said, but it looks fancy,” I smirked playfully. It was a beautiful car with a sleek crimson shape that seemed very Grover-ish. Attention grabbing and a bit sporty. Then again, did I really know what classifies a car as ‘sporty?’ Hell, no.

  If it goes fast then it’s sporty to me. Vroom. Vroom.

  Grover shook his head, smiling at me affectionately, and kissed my cheek before approaching the vehicle. I walked towards Cosimo and his brightly lit crystalline eyes. Out of everyone, besides me, Cosimo got into the spirit of American holidays the most. Today he wore a sweater with a massive turkey on it and pajama pants, because he would no doubt fall asleep at some point. His tall lean form looked more muscular than usual but his midnight messy asymmetrical hair was still 100% him. He also had a black hoop in for his lip ring and a small crystal stud in his eyebrow. My attention had a hard time straying from the lip ring though. I wanted that lip ring against my lips…badly.

  The man was just sexy.

  “What’d you get?” I asked curiously as he wrapped
his arms around me along with his soft expense aftershave. Can we say ‘edible?’

  “I have to be honest,” he smiled. “I know nothing about cars, but mierda. It’s cool as fuck.”

  It was and I reluctantly separated from him to examine it. The car itself was bold, unique, and slightly eccentric with a low profile in electric blue. The back of the car was black and created two C-line curves behind the doors. It was absolutely visually captivating like its owner. I snapped my head up to see how Cosimo looked standing near it.

  Oh. Byron was good.

  The car matched his dark midnight hair and bright blue eyes. I opened the door and pulled out the information on it. “It says it’s a Bugatti Chiron.”

  Cosimo whistled and got into the driver's seat. I kissed his soft lips in a light peck that had him making a soft low sound in his throat. I winked and moved out of the car, traveling onwards to my next lover.

  “Rocket,” I sang as my mad scientist peeked his tousled platinum and blonde waves from his car. A car that was very much Rocket. I knew this car though. It was a Mercedes-Benz S class in silver. How did I know that? Because Rocket had only wanted it since it came out. I’d latched onto that small nugget about him, since it wasn’t often he expressed a preference, and somehow Byron had found it out as well. The car had a powerful yet classic style to it.

  “Do you see this, sugar?” He grinned and I think the sky broke open as a choir of angels descended. It wasn’t often that Rocket smiled and when he did it was beautiful. Although, I had to admit to seeing a lot more smiles lately. Like a fuck ton.

  His birthday two days ago? Yeah, that didn’t hurt.

  As I’ve mentioned, Rocket always prefers to do something interesting that will further his knowledge base on his birthday. So, of course I expected something with magic. Instead the fucker did something way more romantic that nearly had me sobbing like a baby. On November 21st I had gone to sleep and when I’d awoken? I was in Alabama on a jet with just Rocket and Booker.