Underneath her, Duncan snored lightly.
"I told you he'd be asleep before you came for the second time."
She turned her head to glare at him. “That was only one."
He yawned. “True. I owe you one.” He snuggled closer, pulling her up so that she was sandwiched between him and Duncan. Duncan, oblivious, slumbered on.
Moira kissed Jaden's forehead, knowing he was fading fast. “Sleep, a ghra. You can pay me back later."
She waited until both men were breathing evenly before slipping out of the bed. She watched them for a moment before slipping into her clothes and gliding out the door.
No one would harm her men while she stood watch.
No one.
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Chapter Eight
Akane sat at the Dunne kitchen table and pondered how to get out of the trap she found herself in. She couldn't exactly chew her own arm off, but she was thinking about it. Maybe if she bled enough they'd try and take her to the hospital where she could make her escape.
The Dunnes had been everything hospitable, making her feel welcome, even giving her a room at Shane's insistence. He'd even arranged to have her car parked...somewhere. The bastard. He'd guessed she wouldn't leave without her baby.
If he hid it in some kind of pasture she'd kill him. She did not want her baby to smell of eau de cow patty.
She'd crawled into bed only after Shane made it clear she wasn't going anywhere. He'd locked the door on her, leaving her no option but to go out the window. When she had, he'd been waiting. Bastard. He'd given her that smug smile, escorted her back to her room and left her with a fucking pat on the head.
That was when she knew she was in hell.
Shane was watching her out of those damn sapphire eyes. His big body was relaxed, his scarred farmer's hands curled around his cup of coffee. He studied her like she was an exotic bug and he was just waiting to see which way she would crawl.
She hated it.
She was pretty sure she hated him. Never mind in the bright light of day he'd been even better looking than she'd first thought. His red-gold hair curled ever so slightly at the nape of his neck. She had the wicked urge to drag her nails through it. His kissable lips were quirked in a knowing smile. His big, booted feet were stretched out under the table, nearly reaching her chair. She bet he broke six foot two easily.
She especially hated that he was so much taller than she was. At five foot four she was shorter than average, but still.
"Shane, does your guest need more coffee?"
He didn't even look at the tiny Sidhe female. “No, Ma. She's fine."
"Well, then. I hope the room was to your liking, Miss Russo."
She couldn't bring herself to bite off Aileen Dunne's head. The woman had done nothing to deserve it other than give birth to the hulking ape across from her. She pasted a smile on her face for the poor woman. “It was fine, thank you."
Sean Dunne settled into the chair next to his son. He had a suspiciously blank look on his face. “When did they say they'd be here?"
"Moira wanted to wait until dusk.” Aileen glanced out the kitchen window. “I'd give them another ten minutes."
Moira Dunne? Shit, that meant Jaden was on his way. “Can I go now?"
The elder Dunnes lowered their heads, probably to hide their fucking laughter.
Shane shook his head. “Nope."
Nope? “That's all you can come up with, Jethro? Nope?"
His father got up from the table and stood at the back door. “They're here."
Shit. She couldn't let Jaden see her. She looked at Aileen, letting some of her desperation show through. Surely the woman would understand and let her sneak out somehow. “Can I use the bathroom?"
"I don't think so.” Shane took a sip of his coffee.
She kicked him. Hard.
"Ow."
Her head tilted in complete disbelief. The last guy she'd kicked that hard had to deal with a broken bone. This idiot sounded like he'd barely banged a knuckle. “I have to pee,” she gritted out through clenched teeth.
"Liar liar, pants on fire."
That was it. She was going to reach across that table and splatter Mrs. Dunne's baby boy all over her nice, clean kitchen.
"Good evening, Dad!” A tall man who bore a striking resemblance to Sean Dunne stepped into the kitchen. Behind him was a short redhead with big, smiling brown eyes. “Hello, Mom. What's the emergency?"
"Hello, Leo, Ruby.” Aileen kissed her tall son, then embraced her daughter-in-law. “The emergency is getting out of the blue sports car."
"Duncan's having problems?” Leo grabbed the coffeepot and poured himself a mug. He held it up. “Ruby?"
She shook her head and took a seat at the Dunne table. “Hi. I'm Ruby Dunne. You are?"
Akane stared at the hand held out to her. “Out of here.” She stood up, ready to bolt out the door.
"Too late.” His voice whispered across her senses, so low she doubted that any of the others had heard him.
"Ma, we're home!” A fiery little redhead the spitting image of Aileen Dunne bounced through the back door and straight into Aileen's waiting arms. Behind her came two men, one dark as sin, the other fair as the sun.
"Aw, shit.” Her shoulders slumped.
Jaden looked startled for only a moment before his brows drew down. “Akane? What the hell are you doing here?"
Now she'd have to explain why Robin had sent her, and what she was doing on the Dunne farm.
Could things get any worse?
Jaden glared at the dragoness. Robin had to have sent her to keep an eye on him, and he didn't like it one little bit. “Well?"
She turned to face him, delicate hands on tiny little hips. If he didn't know better he'd think she was fragile. “This wasn't my idea.” She pointed at Shane, one foot tapping impatiently. “He made me stay."
He glanced over at the eldest Dunne child. “Are you causing trouble again?"
Shane pointed at himself, his eyes wide. Probably the only person falling for the man's innocent act was his mother, who patted him on the shoulder and handed him a cookie. “There, dear. I'm sure there's no trouble.” The Sidhe female glared at Jaden like it was all somehow his fault.
Jaden had a hard time not laughing in his mother-in-law's face. Gods, he liked the hybrid. He had a dragon female corralled on his farm, growling in aggravation. It was the most emotion he'd ever seen in Akane, and he'd known her for years. He had a high Sidhe lady up in arms, and...yup, a leprechaun hiding in his den, having a laughing fit.
Damn, that man can move fast.
A stinging slap landed on his arm. “Ow."
"Who's that?” Moira had her arms crossed over her chest. She stared at Akane, her green eyes glittering like emeralds.
Uh-oh. “That's Akane."
"And?” Moira drawled.
"Get your mind out of the gutter, darling." “She's a Blade."
Now Akane was glaring at him. “Thanks a lot."
He returned her glare with interest. “If you think I'm the only one getting run over by that particular bus you are sadly mistaken."
"So? I mean, why is she here?” Moira was still glaring at Akane, who could probably eat Moira in one dainty bite.
"She's sometimes my partner.” "Before you ask, no, we've never slept together."
Arms reached around, plucking Moira from his side. “Down, girl.” Duncan's soothing tones took the fight right out of his little leprechaun. “I've met Akane once or twice. Trust me when I say she's never been Jaden's type."
Now Akane looked offended. Great. Jaden pinched the bridge of his nose and wondered if he'd be considered a coward if he ducked into the den with Sean.
Then again, did he really want to face his new father-in-law by himself?
Hmm. Pissed off dragon, pissed off leprechaun. He mentally shrugged. Might as well piss off the Sidhe lady. I wouldn't want to miss anybody. He pressed a kiss to Moira's forehead. “You know you're one
of my onlys, sweetheart."
He risked a quick glance at the Dunne family. Shane looked amused, Leo looked outraged, and Aileen looked...smug?
It's official. This whole family is freaky.
"I heard that." Moira turned to look over Duncan's shoulder at her family. She had to stand on tip-toe to do it. “Didn't Mom tell you about the tribond?"
Shane continued to sit there, looking amused. He was beginning to understand why Akane was so pissed off. Leo, on the other hand, did as predicted. “What tribond?” The Sidhe's eyes had narrowed dangerously, little golden sparks dancing along his skin.
"Leo.” Ruby took hold of her husband's arm. “Down boy. Jaden's one of the good guys, remember?"
Leo's hand covered Ruby's, holding her to him. Jaden didn't know if it was out of affection for the woman or to protect his mate from the big bad vampire. “I'm trying to."
"Where do you think you're going?"
Jaden blinked. Shane was standing, ambling through the kitchen toward Akane, who was a lot closer to the dining room now.
"I'm leaving."
Shane shook his head. “I'm still not sure why. You'll only fly back and eavesdrop anyway, so why not sit, be comfortable and have some of Ma's apple pie?"
Akane snorted. “God, Farm Boy. Why not offer to let me milk the cows, because that would be so much fun."
Shane took hold of her arm and began leading her back to the kitchen table. Akane pulled on his hold, but to Jaden's shock she didn't get free. “As you wish.” He set Akane down in a chair and handed her a plate. “Enjoy your pie."
What the fuck? Jaden had taken the hybrid with difficulty, true, but the fact that he'd just manhandled a dragon? That took strong to a whole new level.
Did that crazy hybrid let me kidnap him?
The small jump Moira gave, the speculative gleam in her eyes as she stared at her brother, let him know she'd heard his thoughts loud and clear. If Moira thought Shane had allowed Jaden to take him, then maybe Jaden was on the right track.
Akane ate her pie, her body tense. Jaden bet she was ready to bolt at the first sign that Shane's vigilance had waned.
"Shane, be nice to the girl. She's not used to us yet.” Aileen Dunne smiled at Akane, and the dragon suddenly looked terrified. “But I'm thinking she will be."
"Not in this lifetime.” Akane shoveled another piece of pie in her mouth. “Thanks for the pie, though."
Jaden almost laughed. Akane was brutally honest when cornered, and it looked like Shane had managed to push all her freak-out buttons. “All right. Let me hazard a guess. Akane, Robin sent you here to make sure I didn't fuck up—"
"Jaden Blackthorn! Language!"
Jaden pretended to wince. It had been a very long time since he'd been scolded by a mother. “Sorry. Shane caught you and made you come inside. Did he threaten the car?"
The dragon snarled, the sound low and inhuman.
"I'll take that as a yes.” He turned to Leo. “The rest of us are here for a family meeting about the Malmaynes."
"Kaitlynn and Cullen are dead. I thought it was over.” Leo sat, pulling a blushing Ruby into his lap. Those two were so cute together it made his fangs ache. “How wrong was I?"
"Completely.” Duncan sat, placing Moira next to him. He gestured for Jaden to take the empty chair to her left, bracketing her between them. Duncan was making a statement, but it put him dangerously close to Leo, who still didn't look happy about how close Jaden was to his baby sister. The Sidhe was giving him some serious stink-eye. “Charles is set to try and take over the clan. If he does, he'll begin pressuring Leo to mate with one of his daughters."
Leo winced. “Ugh. Not those two. Constance and Cecelia are almost as bad as Kaitlynn was."
"Not quite.” Jaden leaned forward, folding his hands on the table top. “They aren't bat-shit crazy. They're just mean."
"True.” Leo glanced at Duncan, his cheeks turning pink. “No offense."
"None taken. My sister was bat-shit crazy.” Duncan held Moira's hand. “They're also trying to set aside my bond with Moira and Jaden."
There was silence around the Dunne table. “Both of them?” Leo leaned forward, staring at Duncan. “You've declared them both your mates?"
Duncan opened his mouth to respond when an explosion rocked the house. Jaden had Moira on the ground so fast he didn't know if she even understood what had happened. He pulled Duncan down next, forcing the Sidhe over Moira. “Protect her. I'll find out what's going on."
Duncan nodded, his Seeming falling away, silver stars dancing around him. “Be careful, amoureaux."
"I will.” He stood and gestured toward Akane to join him. “Let's go."
"I've got the front, you get the back.” That freaky eye of hers was glowing. Golden horns peeked out of her hair. She was moments from changing into her dragon form, ready to do battle and defend the Dunnes.
He nodded and misted through the door, rematerializing on the roof of the porch. Lucky for him night had fallen while sitting in the Dunne kitchen.
That luck was offset by the blast radius around what used to be the Dunne barn. “Fuck me."
"No thanks, your mates might not appreciate it.” That hissing voice had him smiling. Akane had joined him, her wings flapping silently beside him, her amber gaze narrowed on the barn. “Smell anything funny?"
He sniffed, sorting through the various scents. “Redcaps."
"Headed this way. Guess what else is out there?"
He sniffed again. “Shit. Someone is using a salamander?” The creatures were animals, trainable but not very bright. Salamanders were one of the few things that could kill a vampire before he knew what hit him.
"Let me deal with the salamander. You take on the redcaps."
"My pleasure.” Jaden allowed his Seeming to drop.
"There. Go."
He saw where her claw was pointing. Three figures stalked across the ground. He recognized one of them as the redcap he'd drunk from earlier. “They're Charles's pets."
"Great. We now have proof positive he's working with the Black, if not a card-carrying member himself. We'll deal with him later."
Jaden nodded, not taking the time to fill her in. He already had proof positive, but this wasn't the time and place to give out the deets on Charles's bad boy ways. He flowed along the roof, eager for the coming fight. He waited until they were almost to the house before dropping into the middle of them, startling them all.
Once again he found himself thanking the gods that redcaps were dumber than a box of rocks. He got hold of the first redcap, determined to take him out quickly. Jaden grabbed the redcap's head and twisted, snapping his neck. He let the redcap fall and raced toward the next one. He couldn't afford to let them into the house.
The ground under him trembled. The redcap on his left let out a horrified screech as he was sucked into the earth through a hole the size of a pin. There should have been a fountain of blood and gore flying through the air as the redcap was essentially strung through that hole, but the immense gravity just sucked everything in until there was nothing left, not even a drop.
Sean Dunne stood on the porch, the light of battle in his eyes. He grinned down at the last redcap. “Do you want to be joining your friend?” The strong lilt of Ireland was in the leprechaun's voice. His black hair gleamed like the richest earth, his skin showing the faintest whorls common among those whose element was the earth itself. His green eyes had darkened to the color of summer leaves.
And he looked pissed.
Jaden damn near did a happy dance. These idiots had confronted a leprechaun on his own fucking land, threatened his family. He bowed to Sean Dunne, according him the respect he deserved. “Allow me."
Sean, never taking his eyes from the redcap, nodded.
"Da! More on the south side!” Leo came running, golden sparks trailing behind him.
"Where's your brother?” Sean followed his middle child around the house and out of Jaden's sight.
Jaden pointed toward t
he redcap. “I know you! Didn't I feed from you?” He licked his lips. “God, I hope you bathed today. Last time you left a nasty aftertaste."
The redcap's hand went to his neck, his eyes wide. “NO!” The idiot turned and ran, hand still over his neck.
I haven't had this much fun in weeks! Jaden pounced, bringing his prey to the ground and biting into the side of his neck with little finesse. After all, the redcap wasn't going to survive what Jaden did to him.
When he was done, it looked like he'd be paying a little visit to Charles Malmayne's house. It was time for Charles to die.
Duncan pulled Moira to her feet. “Come on.” He raced for the opposite side of the house, knowing the explosion had to be a diversion.
"Wait! What about Jaden?"
Duncan sidestepped her father. The fury on Sean Dunne's face would frighten a lesser man. Duncan had faced leprechauns before, but he'd never been stupid enough to do it on their own land. What in hell was Charles thinking? He had to know this was a very bad idea. As Jaden would say, it was a move worthy of a Darwin Award.
He sped out the front door, knowing Moira could move much faster than he. “Jaden has the back. Unless I miss my guess, there will be more out front."
She stopped struggling and joined him. “Ma!"
"I'm heading upstairs with Ruby. I'll keep her safe.” The two women pounded up the stairs, much to Duncan's relief. While the little human was feisty, she was no match for a redcap.
He barreled through the front door and skidded to a halt. There in front of him were three redcaps. They'd dropped their Seeming, much to his dismay.
"Oh, ew.” Moira wriggled her nose. “Those guys are hideous."
The redcaps had thick, muscle-bound bodies and limbs both skinnier and longer than they should be. Their skin was the color of fresh toadstools and wrinkled like that of extremely old men. Gray beards partially hid their fang-filled mouths. Red eyes glared at them, filled with hate. Steely claws tipped the fingers of each hand, razor sharp and lethal. All of their teeth were sharp, their eyes too big for their faces and their noses long and pointy. On their feet were iron boots, and on their heads they wore caps dripping with fresh blood. They weren't carrying their traditional pikes; instead, each redcap carried a gun.
Noble Blood [The Gray Court, Book 2] Page 13
