Oak & Thorns

by Yasmine Galenorn

  His words spun a web around me, making me dizzy. I swayed, my breath coming in short, ragged pants. My body was responding to him and it made me angry. I didn’t want to feel this way. I didn’t want the presence of this creature to affect me. I moaned, afraid, and Blackthorn laughed. I tried to move away but found that I couldn’t. I let out a soft whimper as he licked my throat, his tongue raspy.

  “Tasty, very tasty,” he said. “You even taste of magic.”

  Herne stepped forward, his hand on his dagger. “Leave her alone. She’s mine. I claim her.” His voice contained a threat even I couldn’t ignore.

  Blackthorn gave him a long look, then slowly pulled away. “So protective, son of Cernunnos. You claim her? The dog keeps a tight chain on his bone.” With a shrug, Blackthorn swept back to his throne, the hypnotic pull of his voice fading as he went into an all-business mode. “Not to worry. She isn’t worth my time. She would break at my first blow…perhaps.” He watched us with a cunning gaze. “What do you want?”

  “You know why we’re here,” Herne said, glaring at him. “Admit it.”

  “No, I don’t know why you’re here.” Blackthorn shifted in his seat. “I’m not at all sure what this meeting is about, other than wasting my time.”

  It was the first lie I’d heard from him. I could feel it, the hesitation. He believed everything he had said to us, except this. I steeled my shoulders. Blackthorn terrified me, but I turned to Herne. “He’s lying. I can hear it in his voice.”

  Herne nodded. “So can I. Blackthorn, you cannot tell me that you aren’t aware of what’s been going on.”

  “If you’re so certain I know, then it won’t hurt to inform me of what you think,” the King of Thorns said. “Why don’t you acquaint me with the reasons your father sent you into my world?”

  “You know full well we’re here because of the murders you’ve committed. Your mark is on the bodies. And that’s not even touching on forty missing people over the past few decades. My father has ordered me to put an end to it, since this affects the humans.”

  Herne was doing his best to remain calm, but his jaw muscles tightened. His hand moved toward his blade, but then he stopped. “If you promise by sacred oath to stop, we’ll leave you be. But you must break the pact you made with the sheriff, asking her to keep your dirty little secret. She’s complicit in these deaths.”

  Blackthorn eyed Herne with an impassive look. “For the life of me, I cannot figure out what you’re talking about.” And then he stopped, a slow smile stealing across his face. “So the pup has gone and made himself a nuisance. Well, that doesn’t surprise me.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?” Herne asked.

  “You’re not looking for me,” Blackthorn said. “The person you’re looking for is my son.” And then, he began to laugh.

  Chapter 15

  “YOUR SON?” HERNE stared at him, his anger draining out of his face, replaced by shock. “I’m not sure I follow.”

  “Then listen well, Herne, son of Cernunnos. You’re not looking for me. You’re looking for my son. I will admit, I’ve been out of my realm off and on, but I have no keep with the mortals on this island. And I know my son.” He frowned. “The whelp is incapable of restraint.”

  “Why do you think your son is capable of committing murder?” I meant to keep quiet, but the words came pouring out.

  Blackthorn turned back to me and I immediately regretted speaking. He regarded me carefully, his lips stretching into a crooked smile.

  “All of the Ante-Fae are capable of committing murder, as you call it. To us, it’s nothing more than removing an irritant or stepping on an ant. But as to why I think my son is capable of murdering humans? It’s a simple matter. I caught him the first time. That’s when I ejected him from the realm.”

  “Forty years ago?” Herne asked.

  Blackthorn nodded. “Thereabouts, give or take a few years. I don’t care what happens to mortals, but I do know that your father has a persnickety bone about it. And while I am not bound by the Fae covenant, neither am I looking for trouble. I have chosen to settle in this area, and I choose to stay here for now. I have very little interaction with those in the outer world, by choice. My son is another matter. Or should I say, my youngest son. So I kicked him out in hopes of forcing him to grow up. Apparently, it’s taking longer than I hoped.”

  He sounded so blasé that it made me want to slap him, but I wasn’t stupid.

  “There are people whose lives have been ruined because of him.”

  Blackthorn glanced at me, even as Herne gave me a sharp shake of the head.

  “She speaks again. Really, this is a feisty little wench you have, Lord Herne. If you ever want me to take her off your hands, just whistle. She’d be good for some amusement. At least, as long as she’d last.”

  “I told you, leave her alone.” Herne turned to me. “And you, be quiet.”

  I noticed he hadn’t introduced either Viktor or me, but I had no qualms about it. We were better off if Blackthorn didn’t know our names, though I didn’t put it past him to already know all about us. He knew we were mixed blood, and that wasn’t always an easy thing to peg. I nodded, closing my mouth and scooting back to stand beside Viktor.

  “I take it your son can control the blackthorn trees, like you?” Herne asked.

  Blackthorn gave him a long look, then shrugged. “What can I say? He’s my son.”

  “You do know he doesn’t just kill his victims? He’s torturing them.”

  “I have some idea. Straff, my son, had a very peculiar mother. I can’t remember her name, she’s dead now. But she had a particular disease that made her waste away. The only treatment was to draw life force and blood off others. I kept her alive as long as I could, but in the end, she asked me to let her go and so I did. Straff inherited her disease. To survive, he must feed off both energy and blood. Luckily, the disease hasn’t taken full hold of him yet, so his needs are sporadic.”

  “The murders started forty years ago. Twenty victims we feel are his work, and forty missing that we think are connected.” Herne crossed his arms, waiting for Blackthorn to answer.

  “While he was in my realm, I could attend to him here. But he decided to visit outside the realm. I overheard him talking to a friend about murdering a human. He reveled in it. I enjoy the pain of others as well, but I cannot allow him to involve the mortal world in my business. So I gave him a choice. Stay and remain my son, or be disowned and go out on his own.”

  “Where can we find him? I’m going to have to take him to my father.”

  Blackthorn snorted. “Do you really think that I keep tabs on him? I told you, I kicked him out. You’ll likely find him near the water. He loved it.”

  “If I do catch him…” Herne paused.

  “If you find him, do what you will. I want nothing more to do with him.” He motioned toward the door of the Barrow. “Our interview is done, although I have little doubt we’ll meet again.” He was staring at me when he said that. I wanted to crawl into the shadows.

  “No doubt. Shall I notify you when we find your son?”

  “Why would you? He’s dead to me.” Blackthorn glanced back at Herne, his voice as cold as the grave. “Please leave before I have my guards evict you.”

  “How can we find him? What should we look for?” Herne looked angry, but again, he forced himself to remain as calm as he could. I could feel the struggle raging within him.

  Blackthorn, who had turned to walk away, glanced over his shoulder. “You suspect him of bribing the sheriff? Ask her.” And with that, he vanished into the darkness.

  There was a noise at the door, and we turned to see the lead guard waiting for us. Herne silently motioned for Viktor and me to follow him, and we left the Barrow, following the guards back to the meadow. We didn’t speak until we reached the touchstone again. Herne thanked the lead guard, but they just withdrew without a word, leaving us alone.

  “Let’
s get out of here.” Herne turned the knob, and the portal appeared again. We joined hands and, without a word, walked through the gate back into the forest.

  AS SOON AS we saw the familiar trees and undergrowth around us, I let out a sigh of relief and dropped to the ground, feeling like a million pounds had just sloughed off my shoulders. I glanced at my watch. It was a few minutes before noon. We had been with Blackthorn less than an hour but it had felt far longer.

  “That was an experience I never want to have again. What kind of freakshow creatures are the Ante-Fae?” I lowered my head between my knees, breathing deeply.

  “I told you, they’re cunning and deadly. I don’t care how pleasant they seem on the surface, and some can seem very charming. Whatever you do, do not make an enemy of the Ante-Fae.” Herne reached down, offering me his hand. I let him pull me back to my feet. He paused, looking deep into my eyes. “Ember, be cautious,” he murmured. “You caught Blackthorn’s attention, and that’s never a good thing.”

  As I was digesting his words, Viktor spoke up.

  “Do you think Blackthorn will blow up if we take out his son?”

  Herne shook his head. “Are you kidding? He as good as handed over the keys to the dungeon. What happened back there was that Blackthorn gave us permission to do what we needed to stop Straff. ”

  “Why won’t he do it?” I paused, then shook my head. “Never mind. I know. He doesn’t care about the mortals here. Human or SubCult.”

  “Ding! You win. Thank you for playing,” Herne said. “Seriously, the Ante-Fae don’t care whether mortals live or die. Blackthorn simply doesn’t want to be tied to this mess. So he severed ties with his son and sent him out into this realm for somebody else to deal with.”

  “I assume our next move is to pay a visit to Astrana and force the information out of her. She must be protecting him.” Viktor glanced at the side of the ravine. “It’s a long hike. Herne, you should turn into the stag again to take Ember to the top.”

  “Let’s save the rest of this discussion until we get back to the hotel. We need to check in with the others before we head over to the sheriff’s office.” Herne stood back, and once again, he shimmered as a great light surrounded him.

  As the stag appeared in his place, I felt the same sense of awe that I had the first time I’d seen him. He was so beautiful, so luminescent and shining. He knelt once again, waiting for me to take my place on his back, and as I did so, grabbing hold. Then we were away, racing toward the top of the ravine. I closed my eyes, trying not to think about the fact that I had caught Blackthorn’s attention. A moment later, we were through the ravines and back to the car. As Herne let me off his back and transformed back into himself, Viktor came panting behind.

  “You can sure put on the speed when you want to,” I said.

  “Being half-ogre doesn’t hurt.” He grinned, opening the door for me to climb in the car. As he took his place in the back, Herne slid into the driver’s seat.

  I leaned my head against the headrest, closing my eyes, trying not to think of Straff. If he was anything like his father, we had our work cut out for us. And right now, I had no doubt that he was walking among the people of Whidbey Island, planning his next kill.

  WHEN WE REACHED the hotel, Angel pulled me aside.

  “I wanted to get your opinion on the inspector I found.” She showed me the email. He had twenty years’ experience and a great rating on Lisa’s Listings—a referral site for professionals from all aspects of home repair and upkeep. An inspection business called Joseph’s Inspections had forty-five reviews, with all but one stellar. The one negative review sounded like a disgruntled rival and I discounted it for what it was.

  “Sounds good. Can you make an appointment? If he needs a retainer, have him call me for my credit card info.” I grinned at her. “I hope that everything checks out. I really want that house.”

  “I want to live there too, even with the…history. If he needs payment up front, I’ll do it. Let me put something into the house. I know I’m just renting from you, but I want to feel like I’m pulling my weight.” She emailed him back as I took a quick shower. We were all meeting up in twenty minutes to discuss our next move.

  “I feel like I’m covered in Blackthorn’s cobwebs. Seriously, his energy clings like static electricity and it’s creepy as fuck.” I was soaping myself in the shower as Angel sat on the toilet, talking to me. “Can you hand me the shampoo? I forgot to bring it in with me.”

  She thrust the bottle behind the shower curtain and I grabbed it, lathering my hair liberally. “Thanks.”

  “So let me get this straight. He’s not our murderer? His son is?”

  “Yeah, that seems to be the case. And if his son—Straff—is anything like his father, he’s going to be a piece of work. I wouldn’t put anything past Blackthorn, but he seems to have the sense to avoid tangling with mortals. I actually think he feels we’re all beneath his consideration. He seemed almost offended that his son was involved.”

  I wasn’t sure if that was true or not, but I had gotten the impression that Blackthorn was more offended by his son interacting with mortals than he was by the murders.

  I toweled off and accepted the clean jeans and top that Angel had pulled out for me. As I slid into my underwear and bra, I bumped my wrist against the side of the counter. “Damn it, that still hurts, even though I’m using the salve as Ferosyn told me. It’s healing up, but it aches.”

  “Are we meeting for lunch?” Angel asked, heading back into the bedroom.

  “I don’t think so, so why don’t you run down and grab us something to eat? Unless you happen to have any protein bars on you, or candy.” I wasn’t picky.

  She laughed. “I have a couple of breakfast bars, but that won’t hold your appetite. I’ll meet you in the lobby—that’s where we’re gathering, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah. Herne wants to take this discussion outside to make certain that nobody overhears us. What…well, I’ll wait till then. I know Yutani checked our rooms again for bugs, but…” I trailed off. Just because he had the latest-greatest gadget didn’t mean something better hadn’t just been built to thwart it.

  Angel headed out of the room as I finished dressing. I zipped up my jeans and pulled on my top—it was a corset top, lacing in the front instead of the back, and I quickly cinched it and tied off the bow. As I stopped to fix my makeup—most of which had washed away in the shower—my personal cell phone rang. I was careful to strictly follow company guidelines and not use my work phone for any personal business. Frowning, I glanced at the Caller ID. The only people I usually got calls from were Angel and Herne, and I didn’t recognize the number on the screen.

  “Hello?” I asked, holding the phone to my shoulder as I sat on the bed and zipped up my ankle boots.

  “Is this Ember Kearney?” The voice was male, low and gruff.

  “This is she. Who’s this?” I didn’t have the patience to play guessing games.

  “You’ve never met me, but my name is Farthing. I’m calling you because…I’m your grandfather—your father’s father. Your grandmother and I want to meet you.”

  MY GRANDPARENTS?

  As the words reverberated through me, I almost dropped the phone. Slowly, I lowered my foot to the floor and cleared my throat. I found myself at a loss for words, unable to form a coherent answer.

  “I realize you’re probably in shock, but I assure you, this is no joke.” He paused, waiting. As I still remained silent, he added, “Ember? Are you there?”

  Scrambling to say something—anything—I nodded. Then I realized he couldn’t see my head bobbing. “Yes. Yeah, I’m here.”

  “I know you never thought you’d hear from us, given the situation, but I expect you to give us the courtesy of a meeting.” My grandfather’s voice took on a tone that reminded me all too much of Blackthorn—he expected respect, and he expected obedience. I decided to be bluntly honest.

  “I have no clue how I feel
about this. And right now, I’m late for a meeting. Is this your number that you called me from? If so, I’ll call you back when I’ve got more time, and when I’ve had time to think about this. And when I do call, I’d like to know…why? Why do you want to meet me, and why now?”

  He was silent for a moment, and I realized he hadn’t expected my response.

  “I’ve got to go,” I pressed.

  “We’ll expect your call. Don’t wait too long. We have a great deal to discuss.” And with that, he hung up.

  I let out a long breath, thinking that the day couldn’t get any weirder. As I grabbed my jacket and slung my purse over my shoulder, I tried to push thoughts of my grandparents out of my head.

  ANGEL WAS WAITING in the lobby with Talia. She handed me a quad-shot mocha and I gratefully accepted it, along with the sandwich she had picked up at the coffee shop.

  “You look like you’ve seen a ghost. What could possibly have happened in the past ten minutes?” She scooted over, making room for me on the ottoman as she pulled one of the side tables closer for me to rest my drink on.

  “I think I would have rather seen a ghost.” The call had shaken me more than I thought it had. I realized that my voice was trembling and I took a sip of the drink to steady my nerves. “I got a call from somebody claiming to be my paternal grandfather.”

  “What?” Talia swung around, staring at me. “You’re kidding.”

  “What the hell? They call you now? After all this time?” Angel sounded as outraged as I felt.

  “No shit, Sherlock. I’m more shocked than you are. He called me to ask if I would meet with him and my grandmother. No, he didn’t ask me. He informed me that they expect me to meet with them. Just like that. I’ve never met either side of my family. I’m not even sure if they weren’t in on my parents’ deaths. And now, all of a sudden, they want to meet me?” The more I thought about it, the more agitated I became. “Cripes on a shingle, why the hell would they assume I’d even want to hear from them?”