Harlequin Nocturne May 2016 Box Set

by Susan Krinard

  A chain clanked, and Vashti felt cold fury spike through her veins. They had dared to chain the King of the Faeries?

  “Vashti?” She followed the sound of Moncoya’s answering murmur. These cottages all had the same unimaginative layout. He was in the small bedroom. By the light of a candle, she could see him sitting on the narrow bed. His hands were tied behind his back and there was an iron shackle around his left ankle. This was attached to a short length of chain that had, in turn, been secured to the leg of the bed. Even in these circumstances and in spite of his swollen and bruised features, Moncoya managed to look broodingly handsome. A smile lit his eyes when he saw her. She pressed a finger to her lips and he kept his voice low. “It is good to know that one of my daughters, at least, still remembers her duty to me.”

  A wry smile lifted one corner of Vashti’s mouth. Even after everything he had done, his charm was irresistible. “You are fairly unforgettable.”

  “Your sister appears to think otherwise.”

  “To be fair, you have just attempted to marry her off to the devil. When that didn’t work, you tried to persuade her to give her unborn baby to Satan instead. She’s hardly likely to be thinking warm fuzzy thoughts toward you right about now.”

  Moncoya frowned. “If Tanzi had been dutiful, none of this would have happened.”

  Vashti shook her head. He would never change. He couldn’t accept his own faults. Would never admit he had a fault. It was that arrogance that was likely to get him executed in the near future. “Tanzi said you killed our mother.”

  His eyes narrowed. There was a beat while he considered her statement. Then Moncoya gave a regretful shake of his tousled head. “She said that?” He tried to squirm into a more upright position. “Will you do something for me? These bonds around my wrists are so tight they are cutting off the circulation. Can you loosen them?”

  Vashti regarded him suspiciously. Moncoya returned her stare without blinking. It couldn’t hurt to do as he asked, could it? As long as he was tied up, there was no reason why he had to be in pain. Moving around so that she was behind him, Vashti knelt on the floor beside the bed so that she could see the ropes that bound his wrists. It was difficult in the flickering candlelight. Moncoya didn’t help the situation by straining to look over his shoulder at what she was doing.

  “Whoever tied these knots knew what they were doing.” Vashti found it difficult to get a grip on the thick twine.

  “It was that bastard half-breed.”

  “I take it you are referring to your brother, Merlin Caledonius?” One of the knots was beginning to give and she worked determinedly at it.

  “In a moment of madness my father lay with a mortal woman. The sorcerer who is the result of that mania may call me brother, but it is not a connection to which I will ever own. Can’t you go faster?”

  “Almost done. There. Just hold still while I—” The words froze on her lips as, lightning fast, Moncoya freed his hands from the loosened restraints and caught hold of her, his hand encircling her upper arm. Vashti shook her head as he rose to his feet, hauling her with him. “No, letting you go was not part of the deal.”

  “Too late, my daughter.” His face was inches from hers, his smile mocking. “Are you going to fight me? Try to tie me up once more?”

  Vashti swallowed hard. “If I have to.”

  “I would advise against it.” Reaching into his belt with his free hand, Moncoya withdrew another slim-bladed knife similar to the one he had used to kill Ronab. Looking into the eyes she knew so well, Vashti knew for certain he wouldn’t hesitate to use it on her. He would slit my throat without hesitation or regret. He would kill me as easily as he did the imp...and our mother. Because she knew now what Tanzi had told her was true. If she had ever really doubted it. “Help me get free of this chain.”

  “I don’t have a key.” Vashti’s mind darted wildly through her options. She could cry out to the imp guard. But if he came running in here Moncoya would kill them both and still get away. If she called to Raimo to fetch Cal, her father would still have time to use the knife on her before escaping. Could she contact Tanzi telepathically? That would require all her concentration...

  “Lift the end of the bed so that I can slide the chain off.”

  “It will still be attached to your ankle.”

  “Stop arguing and do it! Once I am free of this cursed island I’ll worry about getting rid of the unfashionable ankle bracelet.”

  Conscious of the knife close to her throat, Vashti did as he ordered. Moncoya slid the chain off the leg of the bed. As she lowered the bed once more, the grin she knew of old lit his features. “So they thought they could tether the greatest leader Otherworld has ever known? Fools.” He gestured with the knife. “Lie facedown on the bed. Don’t look so nervous. I’m only going to tie you up.”

  Within minutes, Vashti was trussed up in his place, her hands secured behind her back. Moncoya removed the pillowcase and stuffed its corner into her mouth. Then with the loose end of the chain slung casually over his shoulder like a scarf, he made his way out of the bedroom. Vashti heard him climbing out through the same window she had used to enter.

  Tanzi! It was no good. Her thoughts were too panicky, her mind still focused on what Moncoya was doing and not on her sister. She pictured him sneaking through the outskirts of the village, taking the path down to the beach, wading out to the point where he had left his dinghy and looking back with a gloating smile as he sailed away. She tried wriggling her hands around to see if she could loosen the rope, but Moncoya had made sure there was no possibility of her getting free. Lie still. Concentrate on Tanzi. Just as she was trying to force herself to do that, a voice outside caught her attention.

  “All quiet in there?” It was Jethro. “Prisoner behaving himself?” She didn’t hear Raimo’s reply. “Really? That doesn’t sound like him. I think I’ll take a look just to be sure.”

  Vashti felt her cheeks flame with humiliation. Why did it have to be him? Why couldn’t Cal, or even Lorcan, have been the one to come along and find her in this position? She tensed, waiting for the outburst. Jethro’s footsteps approached the bedroom, the door opened and he paused on the threshold. She felt his gaze on her, even though she couldn’t see him.

  “I suppose this was to be expected.”

  “Mnnnf?” Vashti craned her head at a painful angle. All she could see was a pair of long, muscular thighs encased in black denim.

  “Daddy’s precious princess taking his place while he gets away. Quite a masquerade. We should have foreseen it and locked you both up together.”

  Vashti made a furious sound into her gag and struggled wildly against the restraints.

  “Sorry, I don’t have time for conversation. I’ve got a dangerous criminal to recapture.”

  Was he leaving her? Vashti couldn’t quite believe it was happening, but—sure enough—Jethro walked away. She heard his voice again, giving instructions to Raimo. Rage, pure and undiluted, flooded through her. How dare he treat her like this? And how dare he make assumptions about her? One thing was for sure... Jethro de Loix was going to be very, very sorry for tonight’s actions.

  Before long, there were signs of activity outside the cottage. Vashti heard voices and sounds of people running. It was evident a search was under way. Some minutes later, another footstep sounded inside the room and Vashti recognized Tanzi’s voice in the startled exclamation her sister gave. Tanzi hurried over and removed the gag from Vashti’s mouth before untying her hands.

  “What happened?”

  Unaccustomed tears pricked the backs of Vashti’s eyelids and she blinked them hurriedly away. “He tricked me.”

  “Jethro thought...” Tanzi trailed off at the blaze of fury that made Vashti bound up from the bed.

  “Jethro! Just wait until I get my hands on that slimy bastard. I’ll rip his heart out, stuff
it down his throat, then make him take back every judgmental word.”

  “To be fair, with his heart in his throat, he might find it difficult to talk.”

  “Don’t you dare laugh at me, Tanzi.” Vashti had started to pace the small room like an enraged wildcat, but she paused to glare at her sister.

  Tanzi held up her hands in a gesture of surrender. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

  Vashti bit her lip. “Did he get away?”

  Lorcan walked in at that moment. “Looks like it,” he said in answer to her question. “His boat is gone.”

  Vashti’s cheeks flamed. “Can you go after him?”

  “That’s what Cal and Jethro are debating. Jethro’s inclined to go for it, but Cal’s wary. We don’t know what firepower Moncoya’s craft has, how many sidhes are waiting close by or where Iago is. Igraine is fast, but she’s not equipped for a fight.” He cocked his head at the sound of approaching voices. “Looks like Cal prevailed.”

  Suddenly, the room appeared even smaller as the other sorcerers entered. Cal and Lorcan were both tall and muscular, but the sheer rippling power of Jethro’s frame had a tendency to make Vashti’s breath catch slightly. It was a reaction that annoyed her. I refuse to be dazzled by him. Tonight, she was even less inclined to find him impressive. She stormed up to him, stopping with the point of her finger pressed deep enough into his chest to leave an indentation. “Apologize.”

  “Why? For believing you could be trusted?” His eyes, dark as midnight, but lit with flecks of lighter gold, gazed into hers briefly. It was a contemptuous expression that made her blood reach boiling point in an instant. “Yeah, that was dumb. I’m sorry we fell for it.”

  Vashti made a strangled sound in her throat and launched herself at him. She was prevented from attacking him by Cal, who caught her deftly by her upper arms. “Let’s just cool things down here, shall we? Moncoya would like nothing more than to see us at each other’s throats.”

  “Make him take it back.” Vashti could barely recognize the snarling, panting sounds her own voice made. No one had ever roused her to anger as quickly and easily as Jethro, and the fact that he managed to do it while staying calm himself infuriated her further.

  “Jethro?” Cal looked across at where the mercenary was now leaning his broad shoulders against the wall. His arms were folded across his chest, and he was regarding Vashti with a combination of amusement and scorn.

  “Oh, come on. Why would she come here in the middle of the night if not to help Daddy Dearest get away?”

  Every eye turned to Vashti. She felt the weight of their stares. Why had she come here? “I wanted to hear it from him...about our mother.” She looked directly at Tanzi.

  “And did you?”

  “Not exactly. But I know it’s the truth. I know he killed her.” Vashti swallowed hard. “He would have killed me tonight if I’d resisted.”

  Cal risked releasing his grip on her arms and she stood still, her frame trembling with a different sort of tension now. “Can we draw a line under these allegations?” Cal raised a brow in Jethro’s direction.

  Jethro shrugged. “You’re the boss.”

  “That’s not an apology.” Vashti felt some of her strength seeping back alongside her renewed indignation.

  “Best you’re going to get.” White teeth flashed in a grin. It was the one that made him look like a pirate. The one that made her want to smash her fist into his mouth. Over and over.

  “Subject closed.” No one did authoritative better than Cal. “I suggest we all try to make the most of what’s left of tonight by getting some sleep. In the morning, we can talk further about what needs to be done.” Cal stretched and yawned, before heading off in the direction of the other cottage.

  Lorcan slid an arm around Tanzi’s shoulders. “Play nice, guys.” He waved a hand at Jethro and Vashti before he and Tanzi drifted off into the darkness.

  Determined not to walk with Jethro, Vashti dawdled behind him in the moonlight. He reached the cottage just ahead of her and paused at the door, awaiting her approach.

  “Just so you know—” she felt his eyes scanning her face in the darkness “—no matter what Cal says, I don’t buy in to the innocent act. I think you colluded with Moncoya to let him get away. It’s not up to me, but if it was, I’d take you back to the palace in chains and make you stand trial in his place.” When she drew in an angry hiss of breath, he gave a soft laugh. “Sleep well, Princess.”

  * * *

  There was nothing they could do. That was the gist of the conversation over breakfast. They were back to where they started, with Moncoya returning to control his terrorist forces from his hiding place. Lorcan had been with Tanzi when she’d gone to Cal and told him where she had visited her father. Lorcan, aware of what it cost her, held her hand while she blurted out details of the location of Moncoya’s secret headquarters on the Silver Isle.

  Cal shook his head sadly. “I appreciate your loyalty to the Alliance, Tanzi, but we received intelligence some time ago from another source that he was there. The peacekeeping force went in, but he’d already moved on.”

  Tanzi let out a shaky breath. “I know it sounds strange, but I’m relieved. I want him captured. I just don’t want to be the reason.”

  Cal regarded her with curiosity. “He can still inspire that sort of loyalty, even after everything he’s done?”

  “It’s difficult to explain his magnetism. The closest I can come to explaining it is to call it faerie glamor.” She laughed. “Which my father would hate, since he despises the old ways.” She turned to Lorcan. “I will leave the two of you to say your farewells.”

  She walked away and the friends regarded each other. “So it’s a life among the fishing nets for you?”

  “Ah, don’t be telling me you’re not jealous as hell.”

  Cal laughed. “I am. I told you I’ve no wish to be a politician. Just promise me the wedding won’t coincide with an Alliance meeting.”

  “You have my word. Although you do have other things to worry about, big feller.”

  Cal wrinkled his brow. “You mean how to stop Jethro and Vashti from killing each other on the journey home?”

  “I’m not going to bet against that, although my money would be on Vashti. No, this is worse. Has Prince Tibor ever discussed his plans for a luxury vampire resort in the mortal realm with you? Apparently, he wants to show the earth-born that vampires can be nice guys.”

  Cal’s expression was a picture of incredulity. “You have got to be kidding me.”

  “Does this look like the face of a man who is joking?”

  “How the hell am I going to police that?” Cal draped an arm around Lorcan’s shoulders. “Especially without my right-hand man.”

  “I can recommend another right-hand man to you. A young faerie by the name of Aydan. He currently works for the resistance, and he’s loyal, hardworking and—as an added bonus—he hates Moncoya.” Lorcan looked across at the group who had gathered on the beach. “I can also let you have Raimo for a small price. Ah, what the hell. For you, I’ll part with him for nothing.”

  Cal started to laugh. “I’ll look up Aydan when I get back, but you can keep your imp.”

  Lorcan became serious. “This may be a long shot, but something occurred to me when Tanzi and I saw Avalon. You know more about the Arthurian legends than anyone, but it was the one that states, ‘On Avalon will be found the last bright hope, a memory of what once was before the darkness snuffed the flame.’ For centuries we’ve all believed it meant King Arthur would rise up and come to the rescue of the mortal realm when he was needed. What if that’s not what it means?”

  Cal frowned. “Go on.”

  “What if the last bright hope in the legend of Avalon is not Arthur, but the faerie challenger? And the darkness that snuffed the flame is Moncoya, not Mordred?” L
orcan looked at Cal’s stunned face. “You think I’m mad.”

  “I think that regularly, but I also think there’s even more reason to send someone to Avalon to find out.”

  “Jethro?” Lorcan looked at the mercenary, who was hauling the dinghy to the water’s edge.

  “He’s fearless enough, but who goes will be a decision for the council.” Tanzi was walking back toward them, and Cal nodded in her direction. “This is everything you’ve ever wanted.”

  Lorcan smiled. “I just never knew it until I met her. All this time, I thought I was a wanderer and a renegade. Turns out, I was just searching for the right person and a place to call home.” As Tanzi drew level with him, he slid an arm around her shoulders. “From now on, I’m not alone. It’s the two of us.”

  “Soon to be three,” she reminded him. “Or four.”

  “Whoa. Twins?”

  “I was thinking of my inner cat. The one you’ve become so fond of.”

  “Four it is then.”

  “Five if you count Raimo.” Tanzi ran a coaxing hand down his chest.

  “The cat can stay, but I draw the line at the imp who beat you up in a back alley.”

  “He did also fight Iago for you, and he’s lost his best friend.”

  Lorcan waved a hand in the direction of Cal and Jethro, who had come to say goodbye. “Make sure you get yourselves back here for the wedding.”

  Lorcan scooped Tanzi up into his arms, preparing to continue the conversation about Raimo as they made their way home. Jethro’s bemused voice followed him.

  “He didn’t even notice us. How are the mighty fallen.”

  Cal laughed in reply. “Falling is a good way to describe it. But it’s very pleasant. As you’ll find out when it happens to you.”

  Jethro snorted. “Not me. No way. Never...” His protests faded from Lorcan’s hearing as he made his way up the path to the village.

  “About Raimo.” Tanzi drew his attention back to her.

  He sighed. “You win. The imp can stay, but he gets his own cottage. Is there anyone else you want me to adopt? Perhaps you’d like Lisbet to come and brighten up our lives with her sunny personality, or Tibor to add a touch of aristocratic class to the village? I know, maybe we should get ourselves a Loup Garou and take it for walkies along the beach.”