Siren's Song: The Gray Court, Book 5 (10 page)

When his lungs burned and he thought he might pass out, Cassie did something he hadn’t been expecting.

She kissed him.

Surprised, he opened his mouth, desperate to take a deep breath, even if it meant stealing hers.

Except he didn’t breathe, not in the way he’d expected.

Sharp, searing pain ran down from his armpits almost to his waist. Something fluttered against his skin, tickling him.

The overwhelming urge to gulp in air faded.

Something inside him, some ability he hadn’t realized he had, took notice of what Cassie had done. He’d changed, his body transforming to accept the oxygen in the water. Gills had grown on his sides, close to his lungs, the water flowing over them and feeding the life-giving element straight into his bloodstream while removing the carbon dioxide that would kill him.

Oh. So that was how merfolk breathed. Now that his body understood what to do, he would no longer need Cassie to give him breath. He could transform himself whenever he wished.

What other abilities were lost with my memories?
Could he grow wings and fly? Burrow beneath the earth? Turn lead into gold?

He couldn’t wait to find out.

As Cassie started to pull away he reacted on instinct. She wasn’t about to end this kiss before he’d truly begun to enjoy it.

Oberon took hold of her, refusing to allow her to back away. Now that he wasn’t in pain, he was going to savor this. He’d fought his attraction to her, afraid she’d turn out just like Titannia.

She’d proven she wasn’t anything like his faithless ex. Hell, she’d gone bravely into the water, terrified though she’d been, just to help him. He doubted that Titannia would have done the same, even when things had been good between them.

Cassie jolted under his touch, her lips just a breath away from his own. They gazed at one another, Cassie’s expression shocked, her hands gripping his arms almost to the point of pain. Her fingernails had turned into short, sharp claws, but even in her surprise Cassie didn’t break his skin.

Shock turned to longing as Oberon brushed their lips together. He wrapped his arms tightly around her waist, gliding his hands down her sides toward where her hips should be. The feel of her skin gradually becoming cool, supple scales was surprisingly erotic. When she closed her eyes and relaxed against him, allowing him to take her, to be the one guiding them…

Was there any better sensation than a woman’s surrender? Her trust humbled him when little else did. He’d done nothing to earn this from her, yet she granted him the right to hold her, to protect her. He could sense it in the way she gave herself up to him, the way she wrapped herself around him and let him hold her weight. She let him guide them, the kiss slow and sweet as the desire between them built into a bonfire. Her taste filled his senses, burrowed into him until nothing else mattered. Not memories, not crowns, not even treacherous exes. There was nothing but the warm, willing sea nymph in his arms driving him out of his mind.

When he finally pulled his mouth from hers his only thought was how he could take her, make her his so that nothing could take her from his side.

Cassie licked her lips, her eyes still closed, her arms still wrapped tightly around his neck. They were so close he could see the tiny scales on the bridge of her nose, the way they branched out on her forehead like pearl dust. Her eyes finally opened.

They gazed at one another, and he found himself stunned at the sorrow that slowly drove the need from her expression. Cassie loosed her grip on his neck, carefully pulling free of his hold. He wanted desperately to ask her what was wrong, why she’d pulled away, but he had no breath to speak, no way to tell her the last thing he wanted was to be free from her. She caressed his cheek with a look that was remarkably like a good-bye.

Before he could do more than reach for her, Cassie began to sing, and any thought of holding her was driven from his mind as he was bowled over by the savage wave of his life.

Chapter Nine

The magic that made Cassie what she was flowed through her, burst from her as her song took flight, filling the water around them with the sound of Oberon’s life. The dark threads that had wrapped themselves around his memories shattered under the vibration of her voice, freeing the High King from the evil that had threatened to engulf him.

No longer would he be vulnerable to the influences of the Dark Court. Never again would he not know who he was, for Cassie made sure that his harmonies were so strong no other would ever be able to mess with them. He would retain who he was until death took him from this world, and even then his song might influence those around him, living in the world through those whose melodies he touched with his own.

She’d never before sung for someone whose song was so long, so complex. The bits and pieces she’d managed to repair were nothing compared to the totality of his melody. Most people she healed had a single melody at their core with minor harmonies that enhanced or detracted from that melody. But Oberon was different. Now that his harmonies had been freed, it was like trying to sing in many voices, creating an a cappella symphony.

Shane’s song had been like a school of fish, swooping and diving in perfect accord, each fish the same yet different. The harmonies had worked together to create the whole of the man whose visions had taken her to the here and now.

Oberon’s song…

Oberon’s song was like all the fish in the sea swam through his melody at the same time. There, a grouper swam counter to a school of colorful damsel fish, while clown fish darted in and out of the brightly colored anemones. Stingrays floated along the bottom, their flaps pushing them along the surface in lazy, gliding movements. A shark swam with lazy, lethal grace past an octopus hiding in the sand.

Time and circumstance had complicated his song, the touch of the gods now visible in his convoluted harmonies. Even his pitch had changed over time, deepening as his power grew. The texture changed, becoming denser as time moved on and more harmonies were added to the whole.

Most amazing of all, at his core his melody was so deep and true it stunned her. Unfettered by the dark harmonies, it resonated inside her, profound and all-consuming.

Her power was strained to the utmost as she tried to keep up, but the complexity of his song finally drove her out. Her vision dimmed as she struggled to hold on to her own sense of self, the song that made her Cassandra Nerice. His music was drowning out her own, buffeting her about in painful waves of sound as his psyche sought to drive her, the invader, out.

Cassie stopped singing. There was nothing more she could do without losing herself in him completely.

She was completely drained, her energy gone. She clung shakily to Oberon as he drove them toward the surface. His expression grim, Oberon swam as if sharks were after them, taking them back to air and light with a ferocity that would have startled her had she been less exhausted.

“It will be all right.”

His voice barely registered as her head flopped onto his shoulder. She couldn’t even hold it up without the water to bear her.

“Cassie?”

She took a shallow breath as she fought to stay conscious. The hum of his song under her skin soothed and frightened her both. She hadn’t managed to completely disengage from him after all.

How that would affect them in the future, she didn’t know. She’d never heard of something like this before, a siren trapped in someone else’s music. Not even a siren’s Claiming wound the partners together so tightly that one became the other.

“Cassie!”

His frantic tone forced eyes open she hadn’t even realized she’d closed. She gazed up at him, his features blurry, the low hum of him rendering her practically deaf to anything else.

He cursed under his breath. “It will be all right,
a thaisce
. I swear it.”

When she opened her mouth to respond a fragment of song came out. His song, not hers.

He tightened his grip on her. “I know what to do, but we need to be on shore first.” He glanced back toward the twinkling lights of the homes in the distance. “Hold on.”

Cassie blinked as her fin brushed against sand. As always when she left the water, her body felt too heavy and tight. She whimpered as more notes poured from her involuntarily, his song overwhelming her senses.

Oberon lowered her to the sand, careful of her dorsal fin, lying her on her side so it wouldn’t be damaged. When he tried to pull away she reached for him, grabbing his arms to keep him in contact with her. She was terrified that if he let her go the song would engulf her, render her nothing more than a voice in the wind.

“Sing with me.”

She blinked up at him, still unable to answer.

“Trust me, Cassie.” He cupped her cheek, his gray eyes glittering. His hair was unbound, somehow dry, a shining silver cloak that enveloped them both. The tips of his ears were visible through the fall of his hair. “Sing with me.”

Oberon’s lips parted, startling her with the purity of his voice. He sang a familiar song, one rooted in her own soul, stealing her breath away.

He knew her song, and was singing it back to her.

Cassie opened her mouth, Oberon’s song pouring forth without conscious thought, the complex harmonies blending with the melody he sang until she couldn’t sense where one ended and the other began. The blending of the two songs was blindingly beautiful as each one became part of the other, binding them on a level only the gods could break.

If Oberon hadn’t given her back her song, she would have been consumed by his, destroying her melody forever. By joining their songs, he not only saved her, he Claimed her as his own.

She was able to breathe easier, the melodies blurring together, his voice and hers matching as it became
their
song. She could hear the hum of him inside her, forever a part of her, and knew he could feel her the same way. As consciousness faded, she could only think of one thing.

He’s going to be so pissed when I wake up…

He was grateful there was no one on the highway that night, because he might have caused an accident. Oberon drove with his gaze on the road but his attention more and more on the quiet hum of his bondmate’s song inside him. She’d healed him fully, restoring his memories, but the cost had been almost more than she could bear.

It was surprisingly soothing, the feel of her there, that bubbling, frothing joy and deep sorrow, the loneliness and the aching need for someone who made her feel wanted, cherished. The sheer nobility of her soul stunned him as the notes of her song played out in his mind, each one giving him a piece of her life. The childish wonder as she swam on her own for the first time, touched a piece of coral or floating seaweed, or when a seahorse accidentally tickled her nose. The sense of pride when she realized just who her parents were, and the hurt and confusion when those same parents, who should have loved her, turned their backs on her for her more conventionally pretty siblings.

The strength she developed as she decided that, despite her parents, she was worth something more than they chose to give her. The love and pride she felt when she held her baby brother for the first time. That boundless affection between the siblings had saved her, made her something more than the unwanted daughter of the royal family.

He’d have to do something nice for Dayton Nerice, if only because his sister adored him so. Her memories of how he’d put himself in danger for her since she’d run away from home made Oberon determined to free the young merman from the confines of Atlantis if at all possible. Perhaps he could get the boy an internship somewhere, or apprentice him to Robin?

He shuddered as he realized if her parents had given her even a little bit of affection they wouldn’t be where they were now. She would have gone through with the marriage with the Pacifica prince just to please them.

Part of him wondered if the Atlantis royals were aware of just how strong their daughter was, of what she was capable of. If so, their fear of her power might have been one of the reasons they chose Cassie as the princess to marry off in an alliance marriage rather than one of her siblings. Her power might have been viewed as a threat to the king’s hold on the crown.

The knowledge that she’d been willing to walk away from their bond, aware of what he was to her and she to him, simply because he’d desired to have no bond with her, humbled him greatly. She was willing to give up her very life so that he would be happy.

If only she knew. He would have mourned her for eternity. The idea that he’d sought to run from her appalled him. From now on, he would go nowhere without her by his side.

Cassie moaned, the sound filled with pain. He winced in sympathy. Just as he was experiencing her life through their bond, she must be experiencing his as well. There were parts of his life he would wish on no one, but Cassie would be forced to live through it all.

He shook his head. Perhaps he should have simply taken them to the Gray Palace. He had healers there who would help ease Cassie through the bonding, but he’d been worried that the surge of power would not only alert their enemies to their location but make things worse for Cassie. The touch of his power while she was lost in his memories could cause them to come too fast and too hard, overwhelming her as they almost had on the beach.

Gods, that had been a disaster. He was back, his memories and powers restored, but he’d almost lost Cassie in the process. And what pissed him off most, made him want to growl and shake her, was that she’d cupped his cheek and prepared to say good-bye to him, more than aware of his previous feelings toward her.

He’d have to have a little chat with her about that. She was most definitely not allowed to sacrifice herself, especially for him.

She groaned again, her head moving against the seat, her hair tangling around her face. She was sweating, her brows furrowed, her fists clenching and unclenching even in her unconscious state. She was living through one of his more painful memories.

To ease her, he began to hum her song again, sighing in relief when her brow slowly smoothed out and her hands relaxed. The uneasy movements stilled, and she sighed.

He’d never planned on bonding with anyone again, let alone a truebond. He’d been burned by Titannia, abused and left with half a soul and only a fragment of his heart. But the holes Titannia had left behind were being filled by Cassie. There was very little deception in his truebond’s soul…

Oberon blinked as the first memory Cassie had of him filled his mind.

She’d come to the Gray Palace at the direction of Shane, who’d told her that her healing would be needed, but she was terrified of meeting Oberon. He’d have no choice but to send her back to Atlantis, but what else could she do? Before anything else, Cassie was a healer. If she was needed, she would be there, despite the danger to herself.

The silver-haired man appeared so suddenly she was startled. His voice rang out, causing her to jump. He hadn’t turned around, just started striding toward a set of double doors she had been told led to the personal quarters of those who lived in the palace.

There was something about him that made her heart pound faster. Maybe it was the steady, determined stride, or the regal bearing. Maybe it was the long fall of silver hair her fingers itched to touch. Never before had she wanted so badly to run her fingers over the curve of a man’s shoulders, feel the strength in his arms.

She almost envied the woman he held. She would have, if she couldn’t have sensed how damaged she was. She was close to true death, and if Cassie didn’t act soon the woman would die.

“Harold!”

The brownie scurried from her side. “Sire?”

Oh, no. This man was the High King? The man with the long stride, the glowing silver hair, holding a woman so close to his heart, was the Lord of the Gray?

She was so screwed.

“Kael is an apprentice Blade. He’s been injured. Send for the healer to see to him. Also, the redcap is Lady Goodfellow’s personal guard.”

Redcap? He’d brought a redcap into the Gray Palace?

“See to it that his injuries are tended as well.” He turned to the redcap. “I’ll be taking your oath when your lady is well again.”

The redcap bowed. “Yes, Sire.”

“Sire? Lady Goodfellow?” Harold’s voice was full of concern. Everyone knew the brownie had a soft spot for the Hob.

Oberon shot Harold a quick glance. “I will tend to her myself.”

The other men were the ones she’d been called here for, then. “I can heal him.”

Oberon turned, and she was done. One look in his silver eyes, and she knew.

The High King was her bondmate, and nothing would ever be the same again.

His gaze roamed over her, became cold as ice. “I have a Blade who needs your skill, your highness.” She winced at his cold tone. The pull she’d felt as soon as she saw him wasn’t apparently reciprocated.

He was going to deny the bond, and seal her fate.

Cassie took a deep breath. She could deal. She’d never truly been wanted, so why should that change now? “I might be able to help with her, as well.” Her hands were shoved deep in her pockets, so she pointed with her chin toward Michaela.

“Is this why you returned, your highness?” Harold’s guilty gaze darted toward Oberon. “My liege, I—”

Oberon’s brows rose. “You knew the princess was hiding at Lord Goodfellow’s?”

“The Child of Dunne, he…” Harold’s ruler-straight shoulders slumped. “He said it was for the good of the Court, sire.”

Oberon shook his head. “And you didn’t think to inform me of what was going on?”

“Do we really have time for this?” Cassie waved her hand toward the woman in his arms. “The longer you delay, the more likely it is you won’t be able to bring her back. Her soul will be beyond even your grasp.” It was already beyond Cassie’s, but the High King’s power was rumored to be beyond the comprehension of a normal fae. She had no doubt her bondmate would not attempt to bring Lady Goodfellow back if he doubted for even a second that he could do it.