Leo nodded coldly. “Wish I could say the same, Cullen. Now give me back my brother.”
Cullen’s sneer warmed, his eyes roaming Ruby’s curves. “And who is this young lady? A friend of yours?”
Leo’s smile was smug. “She’s my mate.”
Cullen’s warm smile dropped into an icy glare. He studied Ruby coldly, with thinly veiled disgust. Behind him, Kaitlynn gasped. “The binding is incomplete.” He sniffed and turned back to Leo. “Fulfill the Joloun end of the agreement and I’ll see to it your brother is returned to you unharmed.”
“No.”
Cullen sighed and shook his head. “I don’t see that you have any choice, Leo. Without your cooperation the deal becomes null and void, and the Joloun family suffers. Is it your wish to see your mother suffer, or your sister? How about Shane, Leo? Do you wish to see him suffer any further?”
Leo’s expression turned into a shark’s grin that sent a shiver down Ruby’s spine. “First, I don’t believe there was a time limit to the contract, was there, Malmayne?” When Cullen didn’t respond beyond a rising of his eyebrows, Leo continued. “Second, it merely said that the partners be descendants of either you or Duncan, and my mother or her descendants. Since both my brother and sister are descendants of my mother, perhaps you’d care to approach one of them to fulfill your contract? I’m afraid I’m unavailable.”
Cullen shook his head almost sadly, his cold gaze firmly on Leo. “Unacceptable. Your sister’s and brother’s blood is too polluted to be of use to me. Yours, on the other hand, is nearly pure.”
Leo’s smile became sharper, harder at the insult to his family. “Yours, on the other hand, is pure liquid shit.”
Ruby heard the vague hint of an Irish brogue in Leo’s voice.
Cullen sighed.
All of Ruby’s most shameful nightmares came out of the corners of her mind and began to attack her. Her insecurities crowded around her in a kaleidoscope of pain and anguish that sent her straight to her knees with a whimper.
“Ruby is such a lousy fuck!” Bobby Pencil-Dick’s voice sneered in her ears as he told all of his friends about her. “Man, if that’s what doing a virgin is like I’ll stick with the bitches who know what a blowjob is.” But this time, she wasn’t able to fight back.
“She’s so fat she’s just jiggling in that dress. Watch it wiggle, see it jiggle…” The giggles of the cheerleaders surrounded her. They sang that hated jingle, pointing and laughing at Ruby. It had taken her years to get to the size she was now, but none of that mattered as it all came rushing back, the emotions as strong as they’d been at the time it had happened.
“You know, you’d be so much more attractive if you’d just lose ten pounds, sweetheart. Now, if you follow this diet I’ve laid out for you…” Her mother’s voice drifted away, her father’s taking its place. “Baby girl, if you don’t put that cake down you’re going to weigh more than an elephant!” The laughter of all of her cousins, uncles and aunts mingled with the giggles of the cheerleaders. What made it worse was her parents didn’t even realize how badly they’d hurt her. They’d thought they were helping.
“Don’t know what makes you think you can make it in college. It’s not like you have a brain in your head.” Cousin Trina’s voice made her cringe; her brain had been her only asset all through school. “Course, with hooters like yours, who needs brains?”
It’s not real, it’s not real, it’s not real. She chanted the mantra in her head, not that it did much good. This Malmayne-induced nightmare continued on and on until Ruby thought she’d begin screaming for real.
And then she saw it, the light at the end of the high school corridor. A figure stood there, vaguely familiar, strong and confident. He held out one hand to her, beckoning her to him. All she had to do was have the courage to go to him. But how could she walk that gauntlet with all of those eyes staring at her?
Besides, he was a young god, so good looking it made her heart hurt just to look at him. He couldn’t possibly be there for her.
But somehow she knew he was. Glowing peridot eyes pulled at her. His black hair hung to his shoulders, longer than she thought it was supposed to be, but she still couldn’t remember why he looked so familiar to her. He wore black leather pants that hugged his legs in a way that should be outlawed. His black T-shirt clung lovingly to every muscle, looking almost painted on. He wore a gold ring on the hand he held out to her, with some sort of dark stone in the center.
That stone sent a flash of memory through her. She knew the initials RH were carved in the face of the stone. Her initials.
He was hers.
Without thinking about it, she reached up to feel the collar that should encircle her own neck. With a satisfied smile she felt it, the relief that it was there, branding her, almost overwhelming. The mocking, sometimes painfully loving, voices of everyone else faded away until she could only hear his voice.
“Come to me, kitten.” When she hesitated, he growled, “You know you’re meant to ride off with me. You belong to me.”
Ruby looked down, not surprised to see the leather halter top and leather pants. She smiled, feeling warm and sexy, no longer aware of anything but him. Leo. She worked her way down the corridor, showing off her own leathers to the best of her ability, but it wasn’t for those who had once caused her so much pain.
It was all for him.
Then she slipped her hand into his and stepped into the sunshine. She blinked dazedly as she realized she was back on the Dunne farm.
She gasped as her hand was yanked viciously out of Leo’s, her body tugged away from him. “I don’t think so, human.” Cullen Malmayne pulled her behind him, away from Leo, totally ignoring her struggles.
Apparently Sidhe lords are really friggin’ strong, she thought, tugging harder on her hand. No matter how hard she pulled she didn’t even slow Cullen down. He barely even moved, just barreled forward, her struggles barely registering to him.
She heard a strange roaring sound behind her. The ground beneath her feet began to tremble. Turning in Cullen’s suddenly lax grasp, she saw Leo in his full, furious glory.
Multicolored strands of light whipped around his body in a strangely erotic, lethal dance. Ruby suspected that if anyone attempted to touch Leo in that moment they would die a grisly death. He glared at Cullen Malmayne, his human seeming gone. His eyes glowed even brighter in his fury, his hair blowing about in a nonexistent breeze. Leo looked furious at the sight of her in Malmayne’s hands.
“Ruby is my mate and no one will take her from me!”
Ruby gasped at the power in Leo’s voice. The earth bucked up between her and Cullen, forcing Cullen to release her arm as they fought for balance.
Leo began stalking towards her, his light reaching out to encircle her, pushing Cullen and the others away from her in a possessive, protective display that dazzled her. She backed up, her eyes wide as he kept pace with her, his glowing gaze never leaving her face.
“I vow that from this day forward you shall not walk alone.”
“NO, Leo!” Cullen’s voice cut across the wind, surprisingly clear. “Kaitlynn—”
“My strength is your protection, my heart is your shelter, and my arms are your home.” Leo ignored the Malmayne patriarch, his eyes only for his mate, the hint of Irish brogue telling her exactly how upset he was. “I shall serve you in all of those ways that you require. I pledge to you my living and my dying, each equally in your care.” Ruby could feel his power wrapping around her, leaving her breathless. The warm caress of it was like sunlight on a summer’s day. He reached out with one hand to cup her cheek, his power wrapping around her like a familiar, comforting blanket. That was when she realized it wouldn’t hurt her. “Yours is the name I whisper at the close of each day and the eyes into which I stare each morning.”
“Stop it, Leo!” Ruby looked to see who had yelled and saw Kaitlynn, her big gray eyes swimming with tears. “You are promised to me!”
Leo ignored the other woman, his gaze
never leaving Ruby’s face. “I give you all that is mine to give. My heart and my soul I pledge to you.” He lifted his other hand to cradle her face between them. “You are my Chosen One.” Kaitlynn cried out, the sound full of despair. “You are my Mate, and you are bound to me for eternity.”
The bands of light surrounding Leo reared back, then speared into Ruby’s body in a rush so dizzying she felt faint. She could feel the joining of their souls as Leo’s magic filled every cell in her body. The rush of power tingled along every part of her, pushing her into one of the most intense orgasms of her life. She shuddered in his arms, too breathless to scream. When he kissed her it merely added another dimension to the already painful pleasure coursing through her. Darkness washed over her in a rippling tide, pulling her under. The magic gradually left her body, and with it, consciousness.
Leo caught her before she fell very far, scooping her limp form up into his arms with a worried frown. “Mom!”
“Give her to me, son.” Sean held his arms out and Leo handed his truebond over, knowing his father would die himself before allowing his daughter-in-law to come to harm. He watched his father carry Ruby into the house, ignoring the Malmaynes until the door shut behind them.
With the remnants of the Bonding power still whipping around him he turned to face the Malmaynes. His slow smile of satisfaction was cold as he and Cullen faced one another. “The ritual is complete, and it’s True. Not even Oberon himself could set it aside.”
He watched Cullen take a deep, shaken breath. Such a powerful bonding was impossible for the other Sidhe lord to deny. “So it would seem.” Cullen turned to Kaitlynn, who hadn’t moved since her aborted attempt to halt Leo’s bonding. “My dear, perhaps you should reconsider Shane.”
Her damp blue eyes turned to her father. “I want Leo.”
Cullen sighed. “Kaitlynn, I’m afraid that’s no longer possible.”
“But I want Leo.”
Leo frowned at the quiet desperation in her voice. Though he didn’t know Kaitlynn well, he did know her. Did she harbor feelings for him he was unaware of? If so, he pitied her. His body, heart, and soul were currently in his parents’ house being tended to by his father.
“Leo is unavailable, obviously.” Cullen ran his hand down her arm, trying to soothe his daughter. “Shane is not unattractive.”
She yanked her arm away from him. “Shane is a freak. I don’t want Shane. I want Leo.”
Leo bristled at hearing his brother labeled a freak. “Then perhaps you’d be so kind as to return him to us?” He could still hear the brogue in his voice and deliberately coarsened it, thickened it until it rivaled his father’s.
Kaitlynn looked at him, her expression turning to sly calculation. “There are situations in which a truebond and an alliance marriage have been co-arranged. Perhaps we should consider that.”
“No.”
Kaitlynn flinched at the hard finality of his tone. “Why not? It would solve the problem of the marriage contract and give us both what we want.”
“I am bonded already, Kaitlynn. Even if I wished to, my body is bound to Ruby’s. I couldn’t even if I wanted to.”
“Unless she wanted you to.”
Leo stared at her, wondering what in hell was going through her mind now. Ruby would never be willing to share him, even if he was willing to allow it.
“Think about it, Leo. You could have both of us, legally, and satisfy the terms of the agreement. Ruby and I could fulfill every fantasy you’ve ever had. And she wouldn’t need much persuasion, human that she is. All it would take is a little magic.” Kaitlynn tried to lay a hand on his arm, no doubt to entice him. Enough of the binding energy still surrounded him, however, that her hand got no closer than an inch before she pulled it back with a cry of pain. “Damn it to hell!” Angry red spots appeared on her fingertips as she hunched over her hand.
Leo shrugged. “I told you. My bondmate doesn’t like to share.” Leo stepped back, putting some distance between him and the seething woman before him. “And neither do I.”
“We’ll see about that.” Cullen totally forgotten, Leo stared at the woman he was rapidly coming to realize was his true adversary. She straightened up, a slow, sleepy smile crossed her face. “Perhaps I can change your mind.”
“I don’t think so.” Leo’s gaze was steady. He watched her smooth the skirt of her dress, her poise once more in place.
“We’ll see.” She turned to Cullen, her eyes once again serene. “Father?”
Cullen moved towards his daughter and assisted her into the limousine. “Leo. A pity we won’t be adding you to our family roster.”
“Pardon me if I find myself grateful for the reprieve.”
Cullen’s sour smile was his only answer. The Malmaynes drove away from the farm, leaving him with a new problem. How was he going to explain what had happened to Ruby? Bonding her had been instinct, the sight of Cullen dragging Ruby away, hurting her, more than he could bear. He turned back to the house, the sight of his mother in the doorway bringing him up short.
“Damn it.” Leo sighed as he realized they hadn’t promised to return Shane.
It wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.
Chapter Seven
Jaden Blackthorn was having one of the best nights of his life. He watched the security monitor, nearly cackling with glee. This was better than Buffy reruns. Better than sex!
Scratch that. Even Kaitlynn’s failure and ultimate humiliation isn’t…
Never mind. This is better than sex.
Shane Joloun was making a break for it, and fairly successfully, too. The reason it was so successful was the two guards who were supposed to be monitoring Shane’s cell, weren’t.
Shane had managed to conjure up a tire iron and wasn’t afraid to use it. Cold iron in a Sidhe household could be a real bitch. Oddly, the hybrid didn’t seem to be affected by it at all. He was dressed in the dark blue silk Jaden had seen him summon. With leather-soled shoes on his feet he made barely a sound. The hybrid ghosted through the corridors of Malmayne House, taking out anyone who made the mistake of getting in his way.
He winced with faux sympathy as Shane cold-cocked another guard, turning the poor man’s already muddy brains to pure mush.
Cullen and Kaitlynn were going to be so pissed when they got home. And Jaden hadn’t had to do a thing other than be quiet. And make sure the power went out on the whole block. Oh, and knock the stupid security guards in the control room out with a tire iron after kicking the door in. Funny, that; using cold iron really didn’t bother vampires. Something the Deranged Darling should keep in mind for the next time she threatened him, if he let her have a next time.
Hell, by the time the emergency generator had kicked in, Shane was halfway out of the house.
Jaden kept his thoughts, and his eyes, glued to the monitor and nearly crowed with glee. Beating the two guards and watching the hybrid work had been pure pleasure. Listening to Kaitlynn’s frustrated screams would be icing on the cake.
He stayed long enough to make sure Shane got off the grounds before leaving the security area the way he’d come. He made it back to his room unnoticed by any of the surviving guards. Settling back down on his bed, he finally allowed the laughter he’d been holding back free rein.
Then, hungry, he went out for a bite to eat. He decided on a blonde, finding a lovely little piece of ass just wandering, slightly drunk, out of a bar. He followed her down the street, ready to pull her into a dark alley…
The knife at his throat didn’t scare him. The voice, however, did. “Hello, Jaden.”
He swallowed, terrified, as the slender man pulled him into the alleyway. He knew better than to fight. “Hob.”
He bit back a cry as he was slammed, hard, to the ground. Tendrils of…something, broke the concrete pavement to wrap around his body, piercing his skin and pinning him in place through the arms, legs, and abdomen. The pain was excruciating. They pinned him to the ground and he screamed, but he made no sound. The Hob had muff
led it.
He looked up through tear-drenched eyes to see the Hob smiling down at him. “Where’s Shane Joloun Dunne?” The Hob asked Jaden the question in the same tone of voice someone would ask where the bathroom was.
“Gone.”
Slender fingers, tipped in black claws, gripped his chin. “Don’t lie to me, Jaden. Not to me. I don’t like it when people do that.”
“He’s gone!”
One slender black claw began tapping against his cheek. “Really?”
He sobbed as the tendrils in his body pulsed, pouring poison into his system, ratcheting the pain up to nearly unbearable levels.
“I’m going to ask you again. Where is Shane Dunne?”
“Gone!”
The Hob shook his head, his eyes closing. “Oh, Jaden. And you were one of my best.” He tsk’d before opening his eyes to reveal Hell.
By the time the screaming died down to low whimpers the Hob had all the answers he needed.
Robin stared down at the sweaty and blood-soaked vampire on the ground. He actually felt some remorse for what he’d done to the man, but he had to be sure Jaden was telling the truth.
He hadn’t lied, and now Robin owed him. And the Hob always paid his debts.
He started by removing all of Jaden’s memories from the point he’d taken him. No need for him to remember what had been done to him. The wounds would heal on their own. Given enough time, the poisons would pass, the fractures would mend, the cuts and bruises disappearing after a good feeding. But time wasn’t something Jaden had at the moment. If Kaitlynn got her hands on him in this condition, the vampire didn’t stand a chance. And that would be Robin’s fault.
With a sigh the Hob slit his wrist and held it, dripping, to the vampire’s mouth. “Debt repaid.”
He deemed it enough when Jaden’s body began to glow. He was gone in a swirl of dust and wind before Jaden even had a chance to regain consciousness.
Leo stared down at Ruby, sleeping so peacefully in his bed. She was curled up on her side, her breathing deep and even.
Dare to Believe: Gray Court, Book One Page 10