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

“You have people who come and go in your quarters. The cleaning staff, your valet and your personal assistant should all be suspect.” He heard the squeak of the bedsprings as Cassie shifted. The sound brought to mind far more than they were discussing. He tried to ignore the way his cock stiffened as thoughts of taking Cassie filled his mind. He needed to remain on task. He couldn’t afford the distraction a love affair would bring, not when he still wasn’t entirely sure he trusted her.

Especially if what he suspected of her was true. He’d been burned by one truebond before.

“I don’t remember much of my life, Cassie.”

“I find it interesting that the first memory to return was of her.”

“You saw that?” He watched her reflection in the glass as she nodded. He wondered if his possible connection to Cassie was the reason Titannia’s memory was the first to surface. “How did she betray me?”

“Legend says she made a pact with a demon for power.”

So that part of his memory was true, at least. “She was dazzling, so bright I thought I would be blinded by her smile.”

“You were.” Cassie stood, placed her hand on his shoulder. “It’s all right to grieve for the woman you thought you bonded to, but you can’t lose sight of the woman she has become.”

“The demon changed her melody.” He didn’t understand how that was possible, but it had to be true. The woman he’d loved so long ago was gone, but at one time their love had been true. And that was why her betrayal had hurt so badly, had torn at him with claws of fire until his heart was almost burned out of his chest.

“I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting, let alone attempting to heal, the Black Queen, so I don’t know. It is possible to change someone’s harmonies, but I’ve never heard of a melody being altered to such an extent.” Her grip tightened. “I’m sorry.”

It wasn’t her words so much as her conviction that had Oberon wishing he had the strength to truly mourn Titannia. Once upon a time, he’d believed in forever, believed his truebond was everything he’d ever wished for.

That belief had been destroyed, and now Cassie was telling him it had all been based on a lie, a house of cards that could have toppled at any moment.

So how could he trust that what he might have with Cassie would be any better? How could he be certain that the woman behind him, rubbing his shoulder and offering silent sympathy, wouldn’t turn out worse than the woman who’d shredded his soul? Already she could see deeper into him than Titannia ever had. “I need sleep.” He pulled away from Cassie’s touch, reluctant to be near her now. “I’ll take the bed closest to the door.” Despite his desire to remain away from her, he would continue to protect her.

“All right.” Her soft voice throbbed with disappointment, but he couldn’t comfort her the way she deserved. For a moment, rage at Titannia filled him. She’d killed something inside of him, something he should have been able to give to Cassie, and he didn’t know if he’d ever get it back.

Chapter Four

“It shouldn’t be much longer until we get to the farm.” Cassie kept her eyes on the road. She wasn’t sure the Black Court goons weren’t still following them, but she wasn’t taking any chances. It was eight, maybe ten hours from where she’d picked up Oberon to the Dunne farm, but they’d both needed a night’s rest before completing the journey.

She didn’t begrudge the time spent in the motel. She had a slightly better handle on what had happened to the High King and what she’d have to do to cure him.

If only she could get him in the ocean. The water would amplify her powers, make her task that much simpler. But she didn’t dare approach either coast too closely. Her father’s soldiers were already searching for her, and she doubted that Pacifica’s people would be taking her defection lying down.

Until she and the High King had bonded all the way, she was still in danger of being forced into the arranged marriage. She needed to avoid the soldiers of both courts until then.

Gods, it was such a mess.

“Where are we headed again?”

She blinked. “I didn’t tell you?”

“I don’t remember.” Oberon’s tone was cool, distant. He’d put a wall up between them ever since she’d tried to heal him, and Cassie wanted to weep.

There was nothing she could do about that until he dealt with the memories. She’d have to make sure he learned he could trust her implicitly, a task she understood would be damn near impossible. “The Dunne farm.”

“That doesn’t sound familiar.”

“I don’t think you’ve ever been there, but the Dunnes and the Malmayne-Blackthorns are considered family by Robin. We’ll be safe there, for a little while.”

“So Robin knows I’m on my way there?” A faint hint of warmth entered his voice, his expression easing. He really did trust Robin, even if he didn’t quite remember him.

“No. The person who asked me to bring you to the farm specifically told me to keep you away from Robin, at least for a little bit.” She winced at the scowl that was now directed her way. “Look, this person truly wants what’s best, not only for you, but for Robin. He’s helped more people in your court than the official Seer ever has. He sacrificed quite a bit to make sure that the dark future he saw wouldn’t come to pass. He took quite a lot of damage ensuring that certain things would happen that would prevent you from falling into the Black Court’s hands.”

“Including sending you after me.” His tone was thoughtful. Perhaps he was beginning to understand. “But why hide me from Robin?”

“A vision, I think. We’ll find out more when we get to the farm and can talk to Shane.”

“The Child of Dunne will one day perform an act that will change our world.”

That was odd. Most of his recent memories were still buried under the off harmonics, so why had he remembered that? “Shane is the Child of Dunne. His prophecies led Robin to finding his mate.”

Oberon nodded.

“Shane will be able to explain a lot of this.” She made the turn-off into the Dunne farm, sighing in relief. Finally, they were safe. “We’re here.”

Oberon squinted at the house in the distance. A gingerbread Victorian, the stately farmhouse was painted with bright white trim and pale blue siding. The wrap-around porch was homey, inviting visitors and residents alike to sit and enjoy the view. “It seems there are more people than just your seer here.”

“Looks like the whole family has gathered.” Moira, Duncan and Jaden Blackthorn’s Bentley was parked right next to Leo Dunne’s SUV. Shane and his mate, the half-dragon Akane, still lived on the farm, but the others had homes of their own in the area.

Shane must have rallied the troops. She wondered if he’d bothered to tell any of them who Cassie’s passenger was, or why he was there. Shane liked to keep his secrets, even from his truebond.

He was a seriously freaky guy, and she was eternally grateful he was on their side. His power, in the hands of the Black Queen, would spell doom for both the Gray and White courts.

She pulled up next to Leo’s SUV and turned off the car. Before she could climb out, the front door opened, revealing the patriarch of the family, Sean Dunne.

She shouldn’t have been surprised to see him, or the way he crossed his arms over his chest. A leprechaun, Sean Dunne would have known the moment she crossed over onto his territory. A leprechaun’s bond with the land ran so deep he couldn’t leave it for any serious length of time. Short trips away were fine, but anything longer than two weeks and the leprechaun would start to feel sick.

It was a price most leprechauns willingly paid, for their power on their land was almost absolute. He could hear a whisper all the way on the other side of his fields, could open a pinhole in the ground and suck an enemy into it, or cause the land itself to rise up against an enemy. The fields of a leprechaun were almost always fertile and the livestock healthy.

So he probably knew who her passenger was, and judging by his expression he was none too pleased about it.

Too bad. Shane should have warned his father that she was bringing Oberon here. The Dunnes would help protect the High King while she healed him.

She hoped.

She climbed out of the car and lifted her hand in greeting. “Sean.”

“Cassie.” The lilt of Ireland was in his voice. “What a pleasant surprise.”

Oberon got out of the car slowly, eyeing Sean with some misgiving. “Dunne.”

Sean bowed. “Your Majesty. Welcome to the Dunne farm.”

“Thank you.” Oberon pushed his hair out of his face as the wind blew it forward. The silver strands were so long they reached his waist. His gray eyes were calm, his posture regal. None of the fear he must be feeling showed in either his expression or demeanor. “I believe your son has summoned me.”

Cassie winced.

“Now, I wouldn’t say that.” The screen door opened, and Shane Joloun Dunne stepped onto the porch next to his father. He had his hands in the pockets of his jeans as he rocked back on his heels. “More like a strongly worded invitation.”

Oberon’s brows rose. “Indeed. I can only imagine what a command would have been like.”

Shane grinned. “You know you’ve been dying to see my work room.”

Something in Shane’s tone was off. The man wanted the High King to see whatever he had hidden away in his private sanctuary. Very few people had been allowed within. Only family had ever been in Shane’s work room before Cassie was called in to heal him of the poison that had nearly sent him to the Black. The man created incredible sculptures he sold in art galleries from New York to Seattle under the name Shane Joloun.

Over half those sculptures were visions of what might come to pass.

“Shane, Sean, don’t make our guests stand out in the cold.” The warmth of that new voice had Cassie grinning. She’d missed the matriarch of the Dunne clan. Aileen had defied her Sidhe family to bond with her leprechaun, much like Cassie was running from her own family. Cassie could respect that. Hell, she was hoping to get some pointers.

“Coming, Aileen.” Sean opened the door, gesturing for Shane, Cassie and Oberon to precede him into the house. “After you.”

“Thank you.” Oberon walked into the Dunne house as if he owned it, his head held high, his stride regal. He greeted Aileen with a kiss on the hand, causing her cheeks to flush.

Sean gently tugged his mate away from the High King, tucking her close to his side.

Aileen smiled up at her husband indulgently, obviously used to his small displays of possessiveness. “Tea before Shane takes you to the work room? Leo and Ruby are in the kitchen, preparing lunch for all of us.”

“I think I need to take him over now, Ma.” Shane led the way into the kitchen, briefly running his hand over the shoulder of his pregnant mate. Akane bowed when she saw Oberon, her belly preventing her from bending too deeply. Her strange eyes, the mark of her Seer heritage, lowered in homage to her king. One eye was dark brown with a startling light hazel star in the center. The other eye was a pure light hazel. Black brows were a straight slash above them, giving her a stern expression.

She was one of Robin’s favorite Blades, a dangerous warrior dedicated to protecting the very man Cassie was going to mate.

Oberon reached out and ran his hand over her head. Cassie wasn’t certain if anyone else caught sight of his confusion before Oberon controlled his expression. “My Blade.”

“Sire.” Akane stood, throwing a quick glance toward Shane, who shook his head. Akane grimaced, her hand rubbing her distended stomach. “Jaden has agreed to guard you while you’re here.”

“Sire.” Jaden bowed, his dark hair hiding his face for a moment. His mates flanked him, one golden, one redheaded. Duncan had his hand on Jaden’s back, while Moira, his red-haired mate, watched with a pleased expression.

“And you’re not.” Shane’s tone was firm.

“No, I’m not,” Akane grumbled.

“Aw, darlin’. Don’t look so down. You can start kickin’ Black Court ass again just as soon as you pop out the kids.” Shane winked. “Of course, I could just keep ya barefoot and preg—oof.” Shane rubbed his stomach. “Ow. Why’d you hit me?”

Akane shook her head. “Knock it off, Jethro. I swear, I don’t know how you survived to adulthood.”

Aileen smiled serenely. “He’s cute when he’s sleeping.”

Aileen’s comment generated a little laughter from everyone except Oberon, who merely smiled. Cassie doubted the High King ever truly laughed. There might have been a time when such came easily to him, but the wound to his soul inflicted by Titannia ran far too deeply.

“Cassie, wait here. What I have to show the High King is for his eyes only.” Shane’s tone was once again normal, the “Jethro” accent he put on only to make Akane insane completely gone.

“I guess I’ll have lunch with Leo and Ruby, then.”

“Cassie. Are you sure about this?” Oberon’s quiet question caused everyone to stare at her in confusion. Everyone except Shane, that was.

She nodded. “You can trust Shane.”

Oberon studied her for a moment before nodding slightly. “Very well.” Without another word he turned on his heel and followed Shane out of the house. Jaden murmured something to his mates and followed the two men out the door.

“Lunch?”

Cassie allowed Aileen to take her arm and guide her into the kitchen, but her thoughts remained, as always, with her mate.

“Well?” Raven perched on the edge of the building, his claws digging into the edge of the brick to steady himself. “What have you heard?”

The sylph shivered not from the cold, but from his gaze. Good. Let the fae know that Robin had a new Blade willing to do what it took to get the job done. If they learned to fear him almost as much as they did Robin, his job would be that much simpler.

Of course, it also meant he wouldn’t be sent on the easy jobs, or the ones that required him to hide in the shadows. That had never been his strong point. Unlike his father, he kept to only three shapes, his human Seeming, his unkindness of ravens and his true self.

He still hadn’t shown his father his true self. He wondered briefly what Robin would make of it. He had the feeling his father would understand as no one else could.

The sylph gulped as Raven smiled. “I…I saw the High King on the road.”

“And you didn’t think to inform the court?” Raven crooned.

From the look on the sylph’s face it was all the poor man could do to keep from shitting himself. “It’s the
High King
. I thought he was doing something he wanted to do.” The man shivered again, his expression terrified. “Who am I to question royalty?”

Raven bit back a frustrated growl. It was the same with every sylph he’d questioned. Each and every one had been playing in the early spring winds, and each one claimed to have seen the High King walking on the icy road. Where he was headed, or why, none knew.

Hell, Raven hadn’t even been able to figure out how he got out of the palace undetected. The servants were flustered, the majordomo was in a tizzy and the courtiers who flocked to the Gray Palace were still reeling from Robin’s announcement that he was Prince Regent. The only thing he could be sure of was the High King appeared to have left under his own power, alone.

It was a start.

The sylph flew off after pointing out which direction the king had walked. Each sylph had pointed the same way.

The High King had walked down the mountain, toward civilization. Now to find out why.

Oberon stared at the glass sculptures Shane showed him. One depicted a man, long-haired and sad, his hand extended toward the sea. A woman, obviously a mermaid, reached back for him, her expression full of such yearning need his heart ached.

Cassie. It was Cassie in her merform, reaching out to that man with everything she was.

The other showed the same man in black glass, his eyes red gems, his expression an evil, fanged snarl.

Both looked disturbingly familiar. “Is that me?”

Shane nodded. “Yes.” He stroked the man holding his hand out to the mermaid. “This is the path you’re currently on.” He touched the back of the black sculpture. “This is what will happen if you don’t allow Cassie into your heart.”

“You’re saying if I want to survive I need to take Cassie as my mate?”

“More than your mate. Cassie is your truebond, and you know it. But you’re fighting it with everything in you because of what happened in the past.” Shane leaned back against his work table. “Only you know how to make one come to pass rather than the other. I can tell you that refusing the bond will result in that.” He pointed toward the fanged sculpture. “But I can also tell you that trying to form the bond without acceptance will simply drag Cassie down with you.”

“By forming the bond I make Cassie a target.”

Shane nodded. “Anyone you bond with will become a target, and not just of the Black Queen. Gloriana won’t exactly be thrilled either. Plus there’s complications with Cassie’s family that may come to bite you in the ass.”

“Is she in danger from her family?” Oberon understood all too well how family could turn on a person. It wouldn’t surprise him to find that they were the ones she was running from.

“I’m not sure. The people her family are trying to form an alliance with might be. Maybe.” Shane’s gaze became unfocused. “And both sides are closer than you think, despite being so far away.”