Duncan had stepped out of the limo and proceeded to prove her right.
“Perhaps we should test the theory. See if what I believe is true.” Duncan tipped up her face with a smile.
She blinked, the memory of Jaden’s face when Duncan had descended on her fading from her mind. The vampire had looked stunned, even…hurt? But then Duncan’s face had blocked out the night, the startled joy in his face making her heart race. He’d kissed her, and nothing else had mattered.
Not her family. Not even the defeat of the Malmaynes who had done their best to destroy the Dunnes. Only the presence of Jaden had continued to tickle her senses.
Just the thought of him still did.
She stomped out the shiver of unease at the thought of the vampire. She was almost positive Duncan was her true bond. She shouldn’t be entertaining thoughts of the seductive vampire. She licked his lips and could almost taste him again. “Maybe we should.”
Duncan bent to her, his lips touching hers with reverence. She smiled against his mouth, waiting for the Sidhe lord to take what he so obviously believed was his.
He played with her mouth, teasing little sips that left her wanting more. By the time he parted her lips she was dying for a real taste. He dipped inside, offering her the spicy taste of a Sidhe, and she took it and demanded more.
He gave it to her. He hauled her into his arms and devoured her. His taste exploded on her tongue, drove through her with a shaft of need, of want that left her writhing on the leather seat.
Oh, yeah. He’s the One. She no longer had any doubts.
Duncan Malmayne was meant to be hers.
So why did her thoughts instantly return to the vampire they’d left behind? Some small part of her knew he suffered agony, but she didn’t know why. If it was a physical pain she would have ordered Duncan to turn the limo around and damn the consequences.
But something had hurt Jaden’s heart before he shut her out of their weak blood bond. Was it the knowledge that Duncan had found his true bond and begun to Claim her? Was he jealous that he’d have to share his bond brother’s affections?
She didn’t know. She just hoped whatever had caused Jaden grief he would get over it, and soon. She didn’t like the thought of him suffering. Not one little bit.
Duncan was ecstatic. He’d found his true bond, the one person the universe had created just for him. To find out that she was the descendant of the woman he’d been contracted to wed was irony of the tallest order.
Duncan couldn’t believe the luck he’d had. All of the things that made Aileen Dunne such a beautiful woman existed in her daughter, but they were refined, honed, tempered by her inner fire. While Aileen was gorgeous, there was a gentleness about her that no one could deny.
Despite what others might say, she was well-matched to her leprechaun husband. Duncan was quite glad things had worked out the way they had. If they had gone through with the arranged marriage the way their families had wanted they both would have been miserable. He needed someone to keep him on his toes, and Aileen was too soft for that. Her softness grounded her husband, Sean, tempered his wild ways. They were a perfect match in every way.
Her daughter, on the other hand, was truly stunning, with her mother’s gentle eyes and her father’s warrior’s stance. He’d stepped one foot out of the limousine and felt like he’d been punched right in the stomach.
There had been only one other time when he’d felt like that. He frowned, but shook thoughts of Jaden aside. He couldn’t allow himself to be distracted by thoughts of his bond brother. Besides, his bond with Jaden was nothing like the one he’d have with Moira.
He had a mate to Claim, and he couldn’t be happier about it.
His first sight of Moira Dunne would be burned into his memory for all eternity. Waist length red-gold curls, bound in a loose braid, had called his fingers to bathe in their fire. Stunning green eyes flashed at him, intelligence simmering in their depths. Her pink lips had curled up in a welcoming smile even while her fisted hands revealed her wariness. She’d stood with her feet braced apart, a warrior queen ready to defend her own. Something had passed between Jaden and Moira, something that brought a softening of the smile on her lips, relaxed the tense set of her shoulders. He’d been grateful for whatever reassurances Jaden had given her, but he had no time to thank the man.
Duncan had to have Moira. After four hundred years of waiting, of longing, he’d finally seen the woman meant to be his. The breath had left his lungs in a rush. The lust nearly toppled him to his knees. He was damn surprised he’d been able to walk toward her without falling at her feet. His cock had been rock-hard in seconds, an ache between his legs he had no intention of denying. He’d moved forward in a daze, his hands reaching for her, his mind reeling with the knowledge that here, here where he’d least expected it, he’d found the keeper of his heart. He’d kissed her, tasted her and known what he had to do.
He had to take her. She belonged to him.
So he bundled her into the limo with a smile, informed her family that she was his, and waited for Jaden to get into the car.
Jaden had refused. Duncan was still trying to figure that one out. If he’d stayed behind only to fill in the gaps for the Dunne family why had he shut Duncan out of his mind? True, he’d mentioned something about giving him privacy with Moira, but still. They’d never been apart for long, at least not mentally. The last few weeks in Paris, unable to communicate with Jaden, had been a strange sort of torture he’d never before been forced to endure.
Another thing he needed to discuss with the vampire. Was it possible that their bond had become too strong? Duncan had actually started to feel ill while in France, a rare occurrence for the Sidhe. He’d returned home as soon as possible only to feel the near-fatal blow Kaitlynn’s “friend”, Jeremy West, had dealt Jaden. The pain had nearly dropped him. Only the knowledge that Jaden had survived kept Duncan from losing his mind long enough to get to him.
Only to find Leo Dunne had connected with the land in order to save his wife from Kaitlynn. The reassurance that Jaden would live, that the land itself was sustaining him, had eased the terror riding him. If Leo hadn’t killed Jeremy in such a spectacular way Duncan was certain he would have found a way to make the Black Court vampire suffer a thousand deaths for harming Jaden.
Duncan shook his head and turned his attention back to Moira. Jaden would be home soon, and then everything would come clear. In the meantime, he had Moira in his arms, and he had no intention of wasting any time in making her his.
Too bad he just couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right.
Jaden watched the fading dust of the limo and turned to the Dunne family with a smile. Inside, his heart was broken in two. He laughed to himself. It made perfect sense that it was in two pieces. It had just been ripped from his chest, and wasn’t it fitting that Moira and Duncan each held a piece? Still, he had things to do, places to go, yadda yadda. He was certain that someday he’d be able to see Duncan and Moira together, happily bonded, and not want to drop to his knees in agony.
And maybe someday monkeys will fly out of my butt.
“What the hell is going on?”
Jaden turned to Aileen Dunne, the sight of her reminding him of the woman who had just taken off with a piece of him in her little hands. “Seems Duncan has found his true bond.” He shrugged. “You know how it goes. You get a little kiss, do a little mattress mambo, mutter a few words and before you know it you’ve got a little wife nagging at you to lower the toilet seat.”
Leo Dunne was the only one of the Dunne family to look even remotely amused. Sean Dunne glared at him, his green eyes flashing, the pebbles at his feet popping like water on a hot skillet. “That isn’t remotely amusing, vampire.”
“Dad, chill. It’s okay. Jaden’s cool.”
Jaden blinked in shock. The last person he’d expected to stand up for him just had. “Thanks, Shane.”
Shane Joloun Dunne shrugged his shoulders, an easy grin on his f
ace. “I know what you did in that control room, and I know how you saved Ruby. You’re all right as far as I’m concerned.” The man brushed his golden curls off his forehead, his emerald eyes twinkling. “Besides, something tells me that you’re not done with us. Not by a long shot. We might as well get used to you being around, right?” Shane winked at him, looking like he knew something no one else did, including Jaden.
That’s it. I hereby declare you a freaky-ass dude. “Yeah. Well. My bond brother just mated your sister. I’m betting we’ll see each other over Thanksgiving turkey once in a while.” Not. If the pain he was experiencing now was anything like what he’d feel when he saw Moira and Duncan happily snuggled together he’d probably be forced to do a little sunbathing. Enough sunlight would eventually render him dead enough not to care what happened between the only two people he’d ever loved.
Even Leo, the normally easy-going brother, was looking at Shane like he’d lost his damn mind. “What the hell are you talking about?” From the amused exasperation in the Sidhe’s voice it wasn’t the first time he’d been forced to ask Shane that question.
“You’ll see.” Shane slung an arm around his mother’s shoulder. The poor woman was so tense she jumped. “Let’s go inside and have a nice cup of tea. Okay, Ma?”
“But, Moira.” Aileen refused to allow her son to turn her, keeping her gaze focused on Jaden. She was wringing her delicate hands. Jaden was worried she’d start ripping off fingers if she tugged any harder. “Where is Duncan taking my daughter?”
If I know my bond brother, to the nearest bed. “Probably back to Dunne’s new house.” He pointed to Leo, who was cuddling his wife close to his side. Ruby was a delightful armful, with rounded breasts and hips and a pouty mouth that Jaden, under other circumstances, would have loved to taste. “Don’t worry.” He stared down the road. He couldn’t catch even a fleeting glimpse of the limo. “Your daughter’s with the best man I know.” He turned to face them again and plastered a smile on his face. “Tea sounds good.” The bow he gave them was exaggerated. He was delighted when Ruby giggled. “Shall we?” He offered the brunette his arm, grinning when she took it. He stuck his tongue out at Leo and sauntered into the house with the newest Dunne, trying his best to pretend that he wasn’t bleeding to death inside.
Chapter Two
Las Vegas, two weeks before Christmas…
Jaden danced across the floor, wondering what the fuck was wrong with him. He was starving, and not just for blood. But none of the many hot, available bodies called to him. Hell, at this point he’d be willing to pay for a body that appealed, but none of them did. Not one, damn it. Not even the blond with the blue eyes whose build so reminded him of…
Okay, not going there.
Jaden loved a big, strong man, and dayum if that guy didn’t have big and strong down to an art form. Not even the stupid Santa hat detracted from his looks.
Then the guy had to go and ruin it by lifting some little twink up in the air and almost dropping him.
Jaden laughed and rolled his eyes. Or not.
He hit the edge of the dance floor and made his way through the crowd, pausing only long enough to check his watch. Almost two thirty, and he still hadn’t fed or gotten laid like he’d originally planned. As a vampire he couldn’t even get good and drunk without a little veinicular help.
Heh. Veinicular.
Jaden sighed and propped up a wall. It was pretty fucking bad when the best part of the evening was a lame vampire joke. He hadn’t been laid in more months than he could count, and sucking without fucking was, well, chocolate without peanut butter. Coke without rum.
Turner without Hooch.
Jaden rubbed his chest. The ache that kept him from following that blond’s tight end right to nirvana had been growing by the night. He knew exactly who to blame for it too.
Damn it, he missed them. He missed them both so much it hurt.
“You okay?”
He grimaced and stared down at the small Asian woman in front of him. “Yeah, I’m good.”
She shook her head, her glossy black hair shimmering under the lights. “If you’re hungry I could feed you.” Her startling eyes looked up at him with a mild expression, almost as if she was offering to order him something off the dollar menu at Taco Bell.
Akane Russo had the weirdest eyes of anyone he’d ever met. 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.
Those eyes freaked him the fuck out every time he saw the woman. Considering how many times they’d worked together over the years, he’d found himself freaked out quite a lot. He’d long ago become used to the sensation and counted her as one of his few real friends. “Nah. I’m good.”
One brow rose in disbelief. It was almost Spockish in its elegance. “You sure? You look really hungry, Jade.”
He grinned and tried to make it look like he meant it. “I’ll be fine.”
She shrugged. “All right then. But eat soon, okay? I’d hate to have to hunt your ass if you go feral.” She started to walk away, ignoring his shiver, but before she got very far she turned back. That golden star in the center of one of her eyes widened. “There’s something different about you.”
Oh, boy. He had no idea what she was seeing, but there was a curiosity in her expression he could live without. He had no desire to be dragged off to her lair and dissected. “My shirt is new. It’s Marc Jacobs.” He spun, making sure to leer at her over his shoulder. “You like?”
Her eyes rolled, the star shrinking to its normal proportions. “Please. I’m probably the only piece of ass in this bar not interested.”
He wiggled his butt, confident she would turn him down. “You sure?”
She laughed, the sound remarkably sweet from a woman he’d once seen rip the head off a Black Court vampire. “I’m sure. I don’t poach, remember?”
He frowned and wondered what the hell she was talking about. Before he could ask she waved good-bye and headed back to the dance floor.
“Freaky ass dragon bitch.”
She glared over her shoulder at him. “I heard that.”
That startled a laugh out of him. How she did that he’d never know, but it sounded like she was standing next to him in a nice, quiet room. He shook his head and turned back to the dancers. He had no idea if he was going to be able to find a real meal tonight, but he was sure as hell going to try.
The sight of the blond man bent over the red-headed twink brought home that no, he wasn’t. Damn it.
He headed toward the door, his hunger effectively demolished by the thought of Duncan and Moira. It still amazed him that she’d let him in after his role in kidnapping her sister-in-law Ruby. The human had been a trouper when faced with the Deranged Darling.
Just thinking about Kaitlynn was enough to have him clenching his teeth in rage. So he brought forth the memory of how he’d made her pay oh-so-dearly for everything she’d done, including the murder of her own father. She’d been bitter going down his throat, but at least he had the satisfaction of knowing she’d never hurt anyone else ever again.
Duncan was now head of the Malmayne clan and newly mated to Jaden’s dream woman. Too bad Jaden couldn’t be there with him to celebrate. The way Moira had defended her new sister-in-law had earned Jaden’s undying respect. He’d left a piece of his heart in her soft hands. Hell, he’d left fully half of it there, since that’s all he’d had left to give. Duncan owned the other half, and had for a century.
He couldn’t even muster up any enthusiasm when his favorite song came on. It had been a while since he’d heard Seal’s “Kiss from a Rose”. He always smiled when he heard the line, “I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the gray.” Everyone thought that the line was “rose on the grave”, but they were wrong. He’d looked it up one night, wondering why that line haunted him.
A rose on the gray. Damn it. Visions of Duncan’s gray eyes and Moi
ra’s fiery hair danced before him.
Aw, hell. Now he was getting all mushy and stuff. Next thing he knew he’d be sending little Hallmark moments to the both of them over Facebook or something. If he didn’t get himself under control soon he was going to wind up destroying all of them. Duncan, ah, beautiful Duncan and his sweet little leprechaun deserved better than that.
This was Jaden’s burden to bear, and bear it he would. No matter the cost.
He left the club, still starving, snarling at the small, blonde female who sidled up to him.
“Leash it, Blackthorn. I’m so not in the mood.”
Jaden stumbled as that smooth male voice washed over him, sweat already popping out on his back. Fuck. What did I do to draw Robin’s attention? “Consider it leashed.”
The amused smile on Robin’s face wasn’t what scared the shit out of him. It was the flash of iridescent green in those guileless brown eyes that did. “Good.”
They walked for a bit, but it was anything but soothing. Finally, Robin spoke. “We have a problem that you’re uniquely situated to deal with.”
He didn’t dare run away screaming like a little girl no matter how badly he wanted to. It just wasn’t in the macho vampire code. “And what would that situation be?” Thank God his voice was steady. He didn’t think he could show his face at the next vampire convention if he acted like a total wuss.
Robin eyed him sideways. It didn’t matter that the form Robin walked in was a full head shorter than Jaden’s, he still wanted to crap his pants. “A Malmayne situation.”
Jaden stopped. No fucking way. “Sorry, you’ll have to find someone else. Someone a little less prejudiced.”
Noble Blood Page 2