“The princess?”
“Unmarked.”
Oberon relaxed a bit. “Good. We’ll make sure to send our deepest condolences.”
Robin nodded once before continuing. “Jennifer Douglas had a run-in with an each uisge during what was supposed to be a routine investigation, one she’d been doing for some time. She was supposed to do surveillance on the new Malmayne clan, and was apparently discovered.”
“How was she doing her investigation?” Jennifer was not one of the Blades he was familiar with.
“She’s a brownie, a house sprite. She was already an employee of the Malmayne clan when they switched allegiance from the White to the Black.”
“Ah.” Leave it to Robin to have more than one Blade looking into that situation. Too bad neither Jaden nor Jennifer had managed to stop the Malmayne’s fall. “She was discovered, then.”
“Either that, or the water horse has a taste for brownies.”
“Not funny, Robin.”
“It wasn’t meant to be.” Robin turned away from the window. “You have any more whiskey? The last death was…interesting.”
“More interesting than being devoured by an each uisge?” Oberon stood, going to the small bar he kept in the sitting room just for Robin’s late night visits. He poured the Hob a double shot and brought it back, setting it on the table before retaking his seat.
Robin tossed back the drink in one long swallow. “Indeed. It seems Janice Lawhorne fell afoul of a djinn.” Robin’s glass was placed carefully on the table. The Hob toyed with it, his gaze glued to the faceted glass.
Oberon blinked. The djinn were most decidedly Gray Court, with few members of that unique race on either side of the divide. “How did that happen?”
“The djinn can be remarkably touchy on certain subjects. Apparently, Janice was spouting off in a bar owned and run by her cousin, when a group of djinn arrived. They overheard her speaking, and one of them took offense at what she was saying.”
“I need details, Robin. If the djinn needs to be sanctioned, I’ll need to know exactly what was said and done, and by whom.” A Blade’s murder was not something he took lightly.
“Unfortunately, all within the establishment were witness to the challenge the djinn issued when Janice refused to back down. I have several affidavits that state it was a fair duel.”
“How did a djinn take down a Blade?”
“Piece by piece.” Robin crushed the glass in his hand. “She refused to back down, wouldn’t yield even when it was obvious the djinn would win. So he used his fire on her, trying to get her to submit.”
“Let me guess. She was a vampire.”
“And as a djinn, his fire is tied to his emotions.” Robin shook his hand, the glass shards falling to the table to glitter like blood-stained stars.
“So he didn’t mean to kill her, just to force her to admit defeat.” Oberon slumped in his chair. “But being a Blade, she couldn’t believe she was being defeated by not only a civilian, but a djinn at that.”
“Exactly.”
“Then there’s nothing to be done.”
Robin stared out the window once more. “Except recruit him.”
“How did I know you were going to suggest that?” Oberon nodded. “What is his name?”
“Nasir al-Hazmi of clan Karzai.”
“Al-Hazmi. A lesser family within the clan, am I right?” It had been a long time since Oberon counted a djinn among his Knights.
“Correct, as always.” Robin waved his hand and the bits of broken glass disappeared. “He will have to learn to control his fire better, however, if he is to work with us.”
“The shadow-walking of a djinn might prove useful.” The djinn moved as easily through shadows as Oberon did through space, allowing them to disappear and reappear wherever one happened to be. But djinn were almost as insular as the aquatic courts, keeping to themselves as much as possible. To have a djinn in the Blades, one who’d defeated another Blade in honorable combat before official training, would be quite the coup.
“Do you think he’d accept the position? And if so, what plans do you have for him?”
“For now, I intend to extend the invitation. I believe he’d benefit from training with Akane. A dragon will be able to handle a djinn with ease.”
“Once she’s whelped, and if he agrees, send for her.” Bringing Shane Joloun Dunne closer to the Gray Palace would be a very useful side effect of Akane Dunne’s training of Nasir.
“I’ll extend the invitation, then.”
“Any chance that he could be part of the plot to poison me?”
Robin shook his head. “No. Red checked him thoroughly. He’s clean.” He smirked as he glanced toward the bedroom door, where Oberon’s mate slept soundly. “We could have her majesty listen to his song if you like.”
“We’ll see.” Oberon stood, the need to check on his bondmate overwhelming. “Is that all?”
Robin stood as well. “I will keep you posted on Etienne’s condition, sire.”
“Very well.” Oberon headed for the bedroom door. “Give your bondmate my regards.”
“And yours, mine.” Robin was gone before Oberon slipped into his bedroom.
He slipped under the sheets, gathering Cassie close when she whimpered and shifted against him. Her long legs brushed against his as he kissed her brow, soothing her restless sleep.
She settled back down, her head against his arm, her breath warm against him. Their song sweetly swept over him, lulling him back to sleep with the knowledge that his truebond was safe and in his arms.
“Cassie? Someone’s here to see you.” Jaden had a look on his face like he’d sucked old blood. “It’s your sister.”
“Which one?”
“Princess Demetria.”
Ugh. The worst of her sisters, Demetria had always lorded her age and beauty over Cassie and demeaned Dayton at every opportunity. Cassie nabbing the High King as her truebond must be sticking in her gills something fierce.
“She’s insisting, rather loudly, that you speak with her.” Jaden rolled his eyes. “Duncan’s on his way. He’s used to dealing with this kind of thing.”
What could a Sidhe lord deal with that a Blade couldn’t?
Her confusion must have showed, because Jaden laughed. “Haughty, entitled bitches. Duncan did a lot of negotiating before he became lord of the Malmayne clan, and he still does work in that capacity.”
“But now he does it for the Blackthorn clan?”
Jaden blushed. “And for Robin and the High King. He’s good at it.” Jaden’s pride in his bondmate was adorable. The often brash vampire had a soft expression when he spoke of his lovers that Cassie desperately wanted to see on Oberon’s face someday. “And Moira is turning out to be one hell of an administrator. She’s ruling the Blackthorn clan when I’m not there.”
“I’m glad things have turned out so well for all of you.” Cassie remembered how both Duncan and Moira had done their best to save Shane when he’d been poisoned, his visions turning on him and nearly destroying him. Jaden had joined Akane in the hunt for the people who’d hurt her bondmate, trusting his own mates to keep Shane safe. The three worked well together.
Pounding on the door interrupted them. Jaden glared at the door, once more all business. “She’s brought guards with her, by the way.”
Of course she did. A royal princess, traveling without guards? Perish the thought. “She can enter, but her guards have to remain outside.”
Jaden grinned. “She won’t agree to that.”
“It’s what I’m counting on.” Cassie winked at Jaden. Demetria was her least favorite sister. Older, and with an attitude that would choke Titannia, Demetria was the epitome of the kind of Queen the Atlanteans wanted. She was cold, vicious toward those she considered lesser than her, and stunningly gorgeous. She was also ruthless in her
dealings with the Black Court, making her a favorite of Gloriana and her ilk.
Yet not all those of the Black were completely evil, as Pacifica had proven. Most of them chose sides long before they realized what Titannia had done, and had been either stuck with a ruler who they no longer believed in, or had come to think along the same lines as the Dark Queen. Those who felt stuck were watched closely, some disappearing entirely to be replaced by those utterly loyal to Titannia.
Those who believed as she did deserved to be where they were.
Pacifica’s refutation of Titannia was going to hurt her standing among her people, the ones who believed in her ruthlessness. She would almost have to retaliate in some way to maintain her standing. She’d have to ask Oberon to make sure the Pacifican king and queen were guarded closely. She couldn’t lose Dayton, especially now that they were both free.
“Your Majesty, I present Princess Demetria Nerice, Crown Princess of Atlantis, jewel of the Atlantean court.”
Cassie tried not to laugh at the sheer disgust in Jaden’s voice as he announced her sister’s presence. “Princess Demetria.” She remained seated, as befitted the Queen of the Gray, somewhat surprised her sister had agreed to see her without her bodyguards. “To what do we owe the pleasure of this visit?”
Demetria narrowed her eyes even as Jaden applauded silently behind Demetria’s back. “You aren’t queen yet, Cassie.”
Green flared across Jaden’s black eyes as he stared at Demetria. “She is the truebond of King Oberon, your highness. Therefore, with or without the formal bonding ceremony, she is, indeed, high queen.”
Demetria was not one to take being corrected lightly. “Will you allow a vampire to speak to me so, Cassie?”
Cassie ignored her sister. “Lord Blackthorn.”
“Your majesty?” Jaden bowed.
“Please ask your bondmates to inform King Oberon that my sister will be leaving the Gray Palace immediately.”
Demetria’s jaw dropped. “You can’t do that!”
Jaden’s eyes glazed over as he communicated with his bondmates. “King Oberon is on his way, your majesty.”
“Thank you.” Cassie stood, turning her back on Demetria. “Please escort Princess Demetria out, Lord Blackthorn.”
“With pleasure, my queen.” She heard Demetria’s loud protest. Cassie watched the pale reflection in the window as Jaden grabbed hold of Demetria and began dragging her toward the door.
“Wait! I have something I need to tell you.” Demetria yanked her arm out of Jaden’s hold, wincing and rubbing at it as she dashed toward Cassie. “It wasn’t Titannia who poisoned Oberon.”
“What?” Cassie turned, stunned. “What did you just say?”
“Got your attention finally?” Demetria flipped her hair back. “Will you listen now?”
“Sit down and tell me everything.”
Demetria’s gaze flickered toward the door. “I don’t have much time. But I can tell you it was an agent of Gloriana who poisoned the king, not Titannia.”
Cassie’s gaze darted toward Jaden. “We were attacked by agents of the Black Court on the road not far from here.”
“I’m certain they just took advantage of the situation.” Demetria sniffed. “Things were supposed to go differently.”
“Were they?” The menace in Jaden’s tone was startling.
The implications of what Demetria was saying finally filtered in. “Mom and Dad did this.”
“As if they would dirty their hands with such a plot.” Demetria drew herself up with a smirk. “No, they were aware of it. They just chose not to act on it.”
“Why? Why would Gloriana do this?” Jaden took a menacing step toward Demetria.
“The Black Court needs to be obliterated. They are a stain on the fae world, filled with evil creatures that prey on mortals and lesser fae alike.” Demetria’s disgusted look as she glared at Jaden was telling. “Creatures like you, spawn of the dark one.”
“Gloriana wants to start a war.” Cassie shuddered. “Is she insane? It took the gods to stop the last one. The world couldn’t survive another fae war.”
“And mortals would learn of our presence. There would be massive hunts for us, experiments done on us…” Jaden shivered. “Vampire hunters would come out of the woodwork.”
“We need to warn Oberon.”
Jaden nodded, but before he could do anything more a startled, pained expression came over his face. When his hands went to his chest, she began to worry.
“Jaden?” She took a step toward the vampire, scared as the disruption in his song flared across her senses.
The vampire fell to the ground, a stake driven into his back by—
“Good night, Cassie.”
And the world went black.
Chapter Seventeen
Duncan Malmayne ran into his study with a pale face and shaking hands. “Jaden’s injured.”
Oberon was out of his chair so quickly it toppled. “Where?”
“The sitting room off your bedroom.” Duncan ran to keep up with Oberon. “He was guarding Cassie tonight.”
Oberon’s fists clenched. If Jaden was injured, it could mean only one thing. “Where’s Cassie?”
“I don’t know. Princess Demetria Nerice was demanding she be allowed in to speak with her sister. I was on my way to deal with her when Jaden asked me to inform you that Cassie was kicking Demetria out of the castle. Next thing I knew, his pain…” The Sidhe ground his teeth. “The last time I felt this much pain coming from him, he’d been stabbed with a stake.”
The Atlanteans. Oberon’s wrath grew as he thought of the King and Queen of Atlantis and their smug, horrid daughters. He would obliterate their court, scrap their entire city and demolish anything and everything that belonged to them. Their future was assured now: they had none. “I want her found.”
“Yes, sire.” Duncan frowned, but still ran with him toward Oberon’s private quarters. “Moira is contacting Robin.”
Oberon slammed into his private quarters, howling in fury as he saw the down vampire, the overturned chair Cassie had chosen as her own. His mate was nowhere in sight.
“Jaden!” Duncan dashed past him, kneeling at the side of his bondmate. “Amoureaux.” Duncan’s Seeming dropped, the Sidhe lord glittering like spun gold. “He’s alive, barely.”
Robin swirled into being, a very sleepy-looking Michaela held in his arms. “Sire?”
“Oh.” Michaela dashed toward Jaden, kneeling next to him and tugging the stake free of his back. “Hold on, Jaden.” Her hands glowed as she began the long process of healing the vampire.
“Cassie is gone.” Oberon could barely focus on anything else. As fond as he was of the young Blade, Cassie was gone.
Robin nodded once and disappeared.
“Sire?” Harold stepped into the room, looking horrified. “What happened?”
“The Atlanteans have Queen Cassandra.” Oberon could feel his heart, so newly healed, ice over. If anything happened to Cassie, the world could burn for all he cared. “Bring them to me.”
Harold nodded and ran from the room as if his ass were on fire.
Oberon closed his eyes, listening for the sound of his mate’s song in his heart.
There. So far away she might as well have been…
Oh. Oh, how stupid they were. They should have known he would come after them, would find them so easily if they returned there.
“Oberon.” He opened his eyes to find Raven staring at him, his own eyes swirling green and blue. “Wherever she is, you can’t go in guns blazing.”
“Why not?” Oberon stared at the son of the Hob, daring him to contradict him. Child of his blood-brother or not, Oberon would go through Raven if need be.
Raven refused to back down. “Because it’s a trap.” Raven kept his gaze on Oberon’s, not lowering his gaze even when
Oberon snarled. In another place and time Oberon might have been impressed. “They’re using your bondmate to lure you to a place of their choosing.”
“He’s right.” Duncan looked up, his expression haggard. “They’re going to want to bring you to them.”
“Their plan won’t work if you don’t play along.” Raven refused to back up even when Oberon dropped his Seeming, even when Oberon’s hands crackled with lightning. “You need to let the Blades do their job.”
“Your majesty, King Alrik and Queen Andromeda of the Atlantean Court.”
Oberon smiled, and Raven shuddered. “Bring them in, Harold.”
“Yes, sire.”
The monarchs were led into the room by his majordomo, who was pale and shaking. “Sire?”
“Dismissed, Harold.”
Harold’s chin rose. “If it’s all the same, I would like to stay. Queen Cassandra deserves no less.”
Oberon nodded his agreement before turning toward the parents of his bondmate. “Where is my truebond?”
King Alrik and Queen Andromeda exchanged confused glances before their expressions became blankly polite. “I’m sorry, your majesty. Why would we know where your bondmate is?”
Lightning crackled from his fingertips, narrowly missing Queen Andromeda’s toes. “Do not lie to me. She lies under the sea, by your hand.”
“If you know where she is, why do you question us?” Queen Andromeda took a step back at the look on his face. She must have realized that the next bolt would strike her down. “I mean, what makes you believe we have anything to do with her disappearance?”
Oberon narrowed his eyes. “Did I say she’d disappeared?”
“You didn’t have to.” King Alrik maneuvered himself until he stood in front of his queen, protecting her from Oberon’s wrath. “Just the fact that you question us has us believing she must have.” He smiled in a conciliatory manner that had Oberon growling under his breath. “It is possible she chose to leave of her own free will.”
Siren's Song: The Gray Court, Book 5 Page 18