Artistic Vision tgc-3

by Dana Marie Bell

  He was pale and sweating when she was done, his head pounding and his heart racing. All he wanted in that moment was to curl up on the bed around his mate, but that comfort was denied him. Shane tried to shake off the effects, but only time would erase them. “What do you think?”

  “I think that soon the second piece will be complete.”

  Shit. That meant the event the child of Dunne was supposed to influence was closer than his visions had led him to believe. “And Robin’s?”

  “The Hob will find his heart before the Gray King does. Something must be lost in order to be found again. The damage that was done to the King’s soul will finally be healed.”

  “Vague as always.” He could almost picture her smile. “And the Malmaynes?” The vision he’d had in Leo’s office came back to him in all its gory detail. If things went the way he’d seen, Shane would be in a world of hurt.

  “Ruby is safe. It is your back you must watch.”

  A jolt of fear shot down his spine, chilling him. He’d been right. He’d become a target again. Shit. “What would they want with me?”

  “They know. Tell my daughter I said be careful.”

  She hung up before he could ask what she meant. The possible threat to Akane scared him more than any real threat to himself. He grabbed his coat and his car keys and headed out of the studio, his only thought to be with his fiancée.

  Akane watched through her inner sight as Jaden misted through the keyhole of the Malmayne’s front door. No one could perform a B&E like a vampire. Akane’s role was that of look-out, something she was infinitely suited for. She sat on the hood of her car, her senses wide open, following Jaden mentally through a house he was all too familiar with. She’d almost forgotten he’d broken into the Malmayne mansion twice before, once to collect information on Charles Malmayne, Duncan’s uncle, and once to exact justice on Charles for working with the Black. They’d gotten to the estate in fifteen minutes, Jaden driving like a bat out of hell in order to do it. Akane still wasn’t sure their wheels had been on the ground at any given time, but Jaden said he’d done this before and she believed him.

  Jaden whisked through the house, sometimes mist, sometimes a silent predator. Already Akane was seeing signs the Malmaynes were on the downward spiral to the Black. The estate seemed surrounded by a dark miasma. Sometimes she wished she had Shane’s talent for seeing the future. She wasn’t sure anymore how many of the Malmaynes could be saved.

  Jaden found Tristan still going through Henri’s things. He quickly subdued the White Court Sidhe, not giving him time to protest or even realize a vampire had snuck up on him. Akane couldn’t blame him. White Court Sidhe were notorious for attacking vampires on sight, not caring if they were Gray Court or Black. Tristan might know who Jaden was on an intellectual level, but she wasn’t willing to bet Jaden’s life on whether or not Tristan would react instinctively and try to kill Jaden.

  Jaden trussed up Tristan like a roped calf, arms and legs together. He then turned his attention to whatever had caught Tristan’s and grinned. “I’m calling Red.” He spoke out loud, knowing Akane would be able to hear him even if he couldn’t hear her. They’d never formed even a light blood bond; the vampire had shied away from the thought from the very beginning of their partnership five years ago. She’d never known if his bond with Duncan had anything to do with that, or the fact that she was a dragon and he didn’t know if she’d give him indigestion.

  Knowing Jaden, the answer could be both.

  “Okay. Red’s going through the files.” Robin’s pet Gremlin was a wizard at anything electronic, but he specialized in hacking and data retrieval. He’d managed to pull data off of drives that had been completely reformatted, something the humans still hadn’t figured out how to do. “He says this time Henri must have known we’d get a Gremlin in on the action because the computer is slightly better protected than last time.” He sat in Henri’s chair and put his feet up on the unconscious Sidhe. “In other words, the computer’s legs are halfway closed instead of wide open.”

  Akane snorted, amused. The running commentary was entertaining, but she’d rather be back in Shane’s nice warm studio.

  “Got it. And according to Red, Henri is just taking Charles’s plan and upping it a notch or two.”

  “Wonderful.” Jaden might not be able to hear or see Akane, but she couldn’t stop herself from replying anyway. Charles had wanted both Moira and Jaden tossed to Duncan’s curb and Leo mated to either Cecelia or Constance, his daughters. The Malmayne’s blindness where it came to Sean Dunne’s children and the possibility one of them would fulfill the prophecy would have tickled her if she didn’t understand the dangers. More than one person over the years had heard her mother’s words but had refused to listen. It never ended well for the willfully blind.

  “On my way back. Warm up the car for me, will ya? It’s cold enough out here to freeze off the Black Queen’s tits.” He hefted the trussed up Tristan on his shoulder. “Oh, and I’m bringing you a present. You can thank me later.”

  “I’d prefer chocolates.” She’d have to figure out a way to get Tristan to work with them. If she didn’t, she’d have no choice but to take him out of the game and pray there were no other White Court agents running around on her case. Hopefully Tristan had lied about having a partner or their goose could be cooked.

  She withdrew her vision as soon as Jaden passed the Malmayne perimeter and began sprinting up the road toward her. She stretched, her ass half frozen from sitting on the hood of her car for so long.

  “So? How’d it go?”

  Akane shrieked and fell off the hood.

  “Sorry.”

  She would have believed Shane if he hadn’t been laughing so hard.

  “What the fuck are you doing here, Jethro?” Smoke poured out of her nose, her annoyance at an all-time high.

  “I missed you.” He held out his hand and pulled her to her feet. “You sure looked cold there, Miz Akane.”

  She knew he did it just to annoy the fuck out of her. It was the only explanation as to why he did that hick drawl thing, because Shane’s voice was normally smooth as silk and warmer than fur.

  “Hey, Shane.” Jaden jogged up to them, Tristan bouncing on his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. “Take this, will you?” He flung the unconscious Sidhe at Shane, who caught him with a surprised grunt. “Red called. He thinks Henri is planning on moving on Ruby sometime in the next few days. We need to step up the security around both Ruby and Leo.”

  Akane tilted her head like she was actually thinking about it. “What’s a step above Robin Goodfellow?”

  Jaden opened his mouth, but he wisely shut it again. He turned his attention instead to Shane. “Had any visions lately?”

  Shane shook his head and shoved Tristan in the back of his Corvette. He wasn’t exactly gentle about it either. “I can’t make the visions come to me. They show up when they show up.”

  Shane was hiding something from her. His expression was closed, but the glimpse of fear she’d seen before he’d turned away from them told her more than words could.

  Shane was never afraid, but today he was.

  “Think the Seer might be able to help you with that?”

  Shane stared at Jaden. “There’s always a price to pay when you consult the Seer.”

  Akane bit her lip. “What payment have you made?” When Shane didn’t answer, she paled. “Shane? Tell me I’m not part of the payment.”

  He glared at her. “You’re kidding me, right? You think even your mother could make me Claim you if fate hadn’t made you mine?”

  Her cheeks flushed. “It was a thought.” She shook her finger in his face. “But you are going to tell me what price she’s made you pay.”

  He nodded. “But not now.”

  “This is all very touching, but McAsshole is starting to wake up.” Jaden leaned in the door of the Corvette. “Hello, Sleeping Beauty.” He reared back and tsk’d as Tristan kicked out at him, tumbling himself to the floor
in the process as his feet were still tied to his wrists. “Now don’t you feel stupid? Guess who gets to sit on the corner stool after class?”

  Akane rolled her eyes. “Way to make friends and influence people, Jade.”

  “I try.” The vampire put his hand to his chest dramatically. “Why don’t we take him back to the Dunne farm and introduce him to Sean?”

  The wicked gleam in Shane’s eyes did not bode well for the Sidhe. “I like that plan.” He got into the driver’s seat before Akane could say a word. “Meet you there.”

  “Moira and Duncan will be there shortly.” Jaden got in the driver’s seat of her Boxster. “Call Leo. They should be there too. Maybe if all the Dunnes talk to Tristan he’ll be more easily persuaded to help.”

  “Fine.” She got in and let Jaden drive her baby once more and called Leo.

  He picked up on the first ring. “Hello?”

  “We need you and Ruby to head for your parents’ farm.” She explained their plan to Leo, who readily agreed. “Meet you there.”

  Akane smiled as they pulled onto Sean’s land. It seriously sucked, but damn if this wasn’t becoming home.

  Shane pulled the wriggling Sidhe out of the back of his car. “Hush. You don’t want to piss off my father, do you?”

  Tristan stopped wriggling. “You kill me and Glorianna will come down on you like the wrath of god.”

  Shane untied the Sidhe’s feet and set him down. “You honestly believe that?” When Tristan nodded, Shane whistled.

  The Sidhe’s eyes widened as fifty pounds of salamander landed in front of Shane, his fiery tail going a mile a minute. Happy flames danced up and down the salamander’s sides and legs. “Down, boy.”

  Sal toned down his inner fire, his Seeming covering his scales until a German Shepherd sat at his feet.

  Shane pointed to Tristan. “Guard.”

  Sal’s gaze locked on Tristan. His tail stopped wagging as the salamander went to work, obeying Shane’s command the way he’d obey Akane’s. The salamander was smarter than most gave it credit for. It had known from the beginning that Akane belonged to Shane and had treated him accordingly.

  Shane turned to the front of the house, ready to let his parents know what was about to happen, but he needn’t have bothered. Sean Dunne stood on the top step, his hands in the pockets of his thick jacket, his expression hard as he stared at Tristan. “Give me one good reason why someone should be able to find your body after today.”

  Tristan glared up at the leprechaun. “Glorianna will kill you.”

  Sean smiled, and Shane took a step toward him. “Da. We need him.”

  “He hurt my daughter-in-law.” Sean had adored Akane from the very beginning. Tristan wasn’t going to be forgiven easily, not by the leprechaun.

  “I thought it would knock her unconscious, not send her into heat.”

  “And you think that’s an adequate excuse? You effectively fed her a date-rape drug.”

  Tristan winced. “I’m sorry.”

  From the way the ground rumbled under their feet Sean was far from appeased. “What if the gold had been poison to her? She’s a hybrid. It could have killed her.” His father’s voice was rich with the lilt of Ireland and filled with anger. “What would you have told me then when my son pined away from mate sickness? When my wife broke from grief? Would you have told me ‘oops’?” Shane watched as his father descended the steps to stand before Tristan, one hand resting easily on the top of Sal’s head. Jaden pulled up behind the Corvette and got slowly out of Akane’s car, his gaze firmly on Sean.

  Akane hopped out and raced over to Shane. “Your brother-in-law drives like a freaking maniac.” She stopped in front of Sean and stood on her tip-toes to press a kiss to his cheek. “Aileen have any hot chocolate going? I’m freezing.”

  Sean spared her a soft smile. “Go on in, Akane. I’m sure Aileen will be more than happy to make you some.”

  “Sweet.” She started off up the stairs. Without pausing she yelled back, “Don’t kill him, Sean.” She glanced back over her shoulder and tossed Shane’s father a wicked grin. “I have plans for him.” She sauntered into the house, the sound of the screen door slamming shut loud in the cold air.

  Sean stepped back from Tristan. “One step wrong and you’ll be dead before you know what happened to you.” He shot Tristan one last glare before following Akane into the house without a backward glance.

  “I love that man.” Jaden sniffed and wiped away an imaginary tear.

  Shane nodded. “He’s the best.” He’d have to tell his father about his chat with the Seer. If what he suspected was right, Akane was in serious danger.

  Jaden took hold of Tristan’s arm. “Call off Sal. I’ll escort our guest inside.”

  “Sal. Heel.” Sal trotted to sit beside Shane, his tail once more going a mile a minute. Just as he got to the front door Leo and Ruby pulled up in their Land Rover. Behind the wheel was, of all people, the Hob. Somehow, Shane wasn’t surprised. “C’mon in. I think Ma’s making hot chocolate.”

  The Hob lifted Ruby out of the SUV, much to her husband’s obvious annoyance. Leo had been just a hair slower than Robin. “Hey, Shane!” Ruby waved, nearly knocking the Hob over. “Sorry, Robin.”

  Robin shook his head and placed her on the ground. “You are a dangerous woman, Ruby Halloway Dunne.”

  She reached up and patted his cheek. “And don’t you forget it.” She took hold of her husband’s arm and walked with him to the house. The grin on Leo’s face was wicked. He was getting used to Ruby’s ways and must have finally figured out Robin wouldn’t hurt a hair on her head.

  The Hob, however, looked delightedly shocked. Shane paused, wondering that such a simple gesture put such a look of yearning on Robin’s face before it was hastily wiped away. “So.” Robin cleared his throat and sauntered to the house. Again, he was dressed way too lightly for the weather. A simple black coat with silver buttons reached his knees, but it was in no way thick enough to keep the cold air from reaching his skin. Black jeans were tucked into high black boots. Shane would bet anything another silk shirt lay under that jacket. Perched on his head was a black cowboy hat with a silver band. His red hair blew about in the cold air, unconfined by anything except that hat. “You have Tristan. What do you plan on doing with him?”

  “If my father has his way, feed him to the cat.”

  “That hardly seems like a fitting punishment for hurting your fiancée.”

  “You haven’t seen the cat.”

  Robin hopped up the steps and quickly entered the house, but not before rolling his eyes. “Come along, Shane.”

  “Yes, sir.” He patted Sal one last time on the head and set the salamander to guarding the house. He didn’t want another surprise attack from the Malmaynes during a family meeting. The last one had blown up Akane’s car and lost them the barn, but gained them Sal.

  This time they might not be so lucky.

  He stepped into the house and headed for the kitchen, the heart of his parents’ home. He accepted the hot chocolate his mother handed him and settled in next to Akane who, for the first time, did not growl or glare at him. She put her head against his shoulder wearily, like it was the most natural thing in the world, and not something that stopped the conversation dead in its tracks.

  “What?” Akane yawned. “I’m tired.”

  Moira relaxed. He hadn’t even realized how tense his sister was around his bondmate until that moment. “We have to figure out the best way to protect Leo and Ruby.”

  Robin coughed.

  “When Robin is busy elsewhere.”

  Everyone chuckled, even Robin.

  Shane took a deep breath. “I have a message from the Seer.”

  Akane lifted her head. “What did my mother say?”

  “First, she said to tell you hello.”

  Akane nodded impatiently. “And?”

  “‘Ruby is safe. It is your back you must watch.’”

  “Mine?” Akane pointed to herself.


  Shane shook his head. “No. Mine.”

  “What?” Akane jumped out of her seat, flames dancing in her eyes. Her golden horns appeared on her head.

  “She also said they know and to tell you to be careful.”

  Akane stilled. “They know what?”

  “I’m not sure. That you broke into their house?”

  “That Shane has visions?” Robin examined his fingernails. “If they have such a gift in their hands they might be able to interpret, or even interrupt, prophecy.”

  Aileen’s fist clenched on the table. “They are not taking my child from me again.” Golden sparks danced across her skin as the full-blood Sidhe’s fear took over.

  “We’ll protect him, Ma.” Moira gestured to her mates. “Jaden can watch over him when Akane’s asleep.”

  Jaden nodded. “It won’t be a problem.”

  Leo sighed. “I feel kind of useless. I’m surrounded by Blades. Sit. Stay. Good boy. Woof.”

  “You’re still their primary target. Don’t forget that.” Akane patted his shoulder. “If they can get you to agree to a mating they think they’ve succeeded. If Shane has become a target it’s because they know about the visions.”

  “Which means they’re willing to hurt him where they aren’t willing to hurt Leo.” Sean sighed. “We need this over with. I’m tired of my family being in danger.”

  Tristan watched everything silently. Shane had no idea what was going through the Sidhe’s head. Tristan’s expression was carefully closed off, giving no clue to what he was thinking.

  Ruby bit her lip. “If we stay on our land, Leo should be able to keep us both safe, right? He’s bonded there the way Sean is here. He could use the land itself to stop someone.”

  “Only if he knows they’re coming,” Akane pointed out.