Cassie could see the truth in the old wound. The rips and tears were worn down, old, but still there. Oberon had been forcibly removed from his mate, whether by his own hand or by the hand of the gods she did not know, nor did she care. The only thing that mattered was the taint of the Dark Court did not lie over the wound, thus Titannia had not been the one to free herself. Rather, Oberon had been the one who chose to leave his soul-bonded. The minor harmonics were too much a part of him for it to be otherwise.
So she left it alone. No, the discordant notes she sought were not the same as what had caused his soul to be wounded, so she listened further for those chords, the threads of their harmonies trying to change the overall song of his life.
It was pervasive, the overlapping song, almost drowning out the melody that made up the High King. No wonder he couldn’t remember anything but bits and pieces of his former life. He couldn’t hear any of it over the cacophony of the curse.
Cassie listened to the music she needed to restore, found where she needed to begin, and sang.
Oberon watched as Cassie’s brow smoothed out, the frown that she’d been sporting as she hummed gone. Her lips parted, and the most gorgeous sound he’d ever heard filled his ears—no, his very being, bringing him a peace he’d seldom felt before. The pain of loss that was such a part of him he’d barely realized it was there faded under the weight of her song.
For just a moment, another face superimposed itself over Cassie’s, a young face filled with laughter. Light brown hair was pulled up into a complicated knot. Sparkling hazel eyes gazed at him with affection so long gone he almost wept. Flowers adorned her hair in a fairy crown as she took his hand, following him to where they had agreed to speak their vows.
The woman had once been the light of his life, his bondmate, the one person he’d trusted above all others, and she’d ultimately betrayed him. Who she was, her name, he couldn’t remember, and wasn’t sure he wanted to.
Cassie’s voice rose, forcing him to remember, causing that bit of him he’d rather let go to rise to the surface.
Titannia.
Oh, Titannia. The pain, sharp and bitter, filled him once more as Cassie’s voice forced him to remember.
The Black Queen, the great betrayer, the one who’d torn everything he’d ever held dear apart and, in the process, created the three Courts. She had to be the one who’d done this to him, caused him to forget who he was, what he was. It was by her decree that he’d been poisoned, but why? Why did someone he’d once vowed to love with his very soul want him lost forever?
No. Not lost. Controlled. He was High King Oberon Airgeatine, once called the Silver Flame, and if Titannia could rule him she would rule the fae world.
Cassie sat back, her song quietly ending as she sighed. “Wow. That’s pretty… Whoa.”
“What is it? What did you sense?”
“The curse is trying to eradicate all of your harmonies.” When he gave her a blank look she grimaced. “It’s hard to explain, but every person’s self is made up of different harmonies, blending with the melody that is your ultimate self. It’s…” She licked her lips. “You are the sum total of what you have seen and learned, but underneath that is a core being, a usually untouchable being, that makes you who you truly are. It can make a person into a great peacemaker like Ghandi, or a serial killer like Ted Bundy, but it is immutable. That core holds both our deepest darkness and our greatest light. It’s the harmonies layered on top of that core melody that make us who we are from day to day.”
“I’m not sure I understand.” He sat up, tugging his shirt back into place. He felt mussed, as if he’d writhed on the bed, and his voice was hoarse. Had he spoken while she sang? How much had she heard, and how much had she guessed?
“You’re not the same Oberon you were a hundred years ago because your harmonies have been added to, changed by time and hindsight. The you of a hundred years ago was not the you of a hundred years before that, and so on. Each new experience adds to the harmony that you are.”
“I suppose that makes a certain amount of sense.” The gods knew he was not the same man who had loved Titannia with all his heart.
“But you, the core being, remains unchanged. While someone can alter your harmonies, make the you of now different from who you once were, changing that core melody should be impossible. You’ll never be a serial killer, because it simply isn’t part of your make-up.”
“But changing the harmonies can make me into a bad person.” Circumstances could turn even the best of people into hardened criminals or frightened children. He’d seen it far too many times to discount the possibility.
“Yes. By changing what you believe about yourself, removing those harmonies and drowning them out, it’s possible to reshape the you of now into what someone else wants.” Cassie bit her lip, watching him anxiously. “If the Black Court gets ahold of you, they will do everything in their power to convert you, make you one of them.”
“Titannia.” Whatever she saw in his gaze had her flinching back. “If she holds sway over me…” But he couldn’t finish that thought, couldn’t figure out why that would be so devastating. “This is because I’m a king?”
The slight hesitation before her answer was far more telling than the word she finally spoke. “Yes.”
“Can you restore my harmonies?”
She stared at him, her eyes unfocused, seeing or hearing something beyond his comprehension. “I think so, but Shane was right. This is very complex and will take some time to repair. Whoever did this planned it for some time, and it’s not a simple thing they’re attempting. Changing such a long life, altering your harmonies…this was meant to occur over months, not days.”
“Then it wasn’t a crime of opportunity, was it?” If this was something that had been planned for quite a while there was no way his weakness could truly be connected to it.
“No. And that scares me far more than your lost memories, because it means you definitely have a traitor in your court. One close enough to deliver the medium used to cause you to take the curse into your body without you even once questioning it.”
“It would require sympathetic magic.” That he understood that instinctively should have surprised him, but didn’t.
Cassie nodded. “A lock of hair, a fingernail clipping, even a used tissue would do the trick. Someone who has access to your inner sanctum either helped, or is the culprit.”
“You say my Hob is loyal, but are his men?”
“He hand-picks them himself, but there’s always a possibility that one might have slipped through the cracks.” She paused, her expression uncomfortable. “He did recently recruit someone who used to be Black Court, but from what I understand you met him and approved of him.”
“Who?” That recruit might be the answer to all of his questions.
“Lord Raven MacSweeney.”
The name didn’t ring any bells or set off any alarms. “Why was he taken in by Robin?”
“Because Lord Raven is his son.”
Oberon wanted to groan. “Wonderful.”
“If it helps, when Michaela nearly lost her life, Raven went with Robin to destroy the one who’d hurt her. Beyond that, and the fact that he’d once been one of the Black Queen’s favorite enforcers, I don’t know much about him.”
“Then he remains on our list of suspects. You say I met him. It’s possible he got hold of something of mine at that time, something to add to this curse that has taken my memories.” Oberon stood, paced toward the window to stare restlessly into the darkness. “I need to make a list of any other possible suspects, anyone who could have access to me. Could the Black Court have found a way to subvert someone else close to me?”
“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 b
rought 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 bringi
ng 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.
Siren's Song: The Gray Court, Book 5 Page 4