Man, Duncan was going to kick his ass. The Sidhe as a whole did not share well. Toys, cars, lovers, it was all the same. They saw, they wanted, they claimed it as theirs and woe to he who wanted a little taste. Duncan was a powerful Sidhe, over five hundred years old and lord of his clan. He would not take kindly to the knowledge that Jaden had seen his wife naked and having hot, sweaty, grinding sex… Jaden shivered with want and swallowed hard. He had to stop thinking like that. One hint that Jaden had been in Duncan’s mind, riding his orgasm, watching Moira’s, and Jaden would be one unhappy vamp. Duncan would break out the rotating pineapple attachment for that one.
His asshole clenched just thinking about it.
He glanced toward the window with longing. Maybe he could make a quick getaway, call them from Reno. Or Monte Carlo.
Or Mars. Yeah. Mars might be far enough away. Breathing was highly overrated anyway.
“Jaden, glad you’re down early.”
Shit. Busted.
Duncan took a seat on the edge of the desk, right where Jaden had imagined the torrid encounter. “There are some things we need to discuss without Moira hearing them.”
Jaden blinked, his eyes glued to Duncan’s ass resting against the desk. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
Duncan’s voice had taken on a husky quality. He looked up to find Duncan staring at him, his lips curled in heated amusement.
Wait. Heated?
He decided to focus on something other than whatever was going through Duncan’s mind. Because unless he missed his guess it wasn’t Duncan’s big head that was running the show right now. Why that should be he had no clue, but hell. What did he know about the Sidhe other than what Duncan and the Insane Malmaynes had taught him? Maybe Duncan had some kind of exhibitionism fetish he’d never bothered to tell his best friend about, or he was reliving his afternoon delight with Moira. “Is Moira in danger?”
The heat died in Duncan’s eyes, to be replaced with that iron determination Jaden knew so well. It was that determination mixed with the man’s compassionate heart that had gotten Jaden out of that alleyway alive all those years ago. “So far there has been talk of discontent over my mating, but no real threats. Not yet, anyway.”
Compassionate Duncan might be, but no one had ever claimed he was stupid. “It’s a matter of time, then.”
“Yes.”
Jaden ran his hands through his hair. “There’s something you need to know.”
Duncan nodded, like he’d been expecting Jaden to say something like that.
“I’m a Blade.”
Duncan’s whole body tensed. Jaden could hear his heartbeat speed up. “What?”
“I’m one of Oberon’s Blades. I’ve been working some cases for The Hob for the last two months.” Longer than that, really, but what Duncan didn’t know couldn’t get Jaden’s ass kicked.
Duncan’s jaw was working again. He was going to owe his dentist a fortune if he kept that up. “And now?”
Jaden bit the bullet. If things were bad enough that Moira was on the verge of being threatened then Duncan needed to know. “I’m here on a case.”
Duncan’s eyes closed. “After the case is over? Will you stay?”
Jaden shrugged, faking a nonchalance he didn’t feel. The urge to run his hand over that stubbled jaw was almost irresistible. “Then I move on to the next one.” He smiled. “You always knew the baby bird would someday fly the nest, old man.”
The slow smile that crossed Duncan’s face sent a shiver of fear down his spine. The last time Duncan had smiled like that…well. The man he’d smiled like that over was finally walking again, wasn’t he? “We’ll see.” Duncan shifted, his expression easing. “The case?”
Jaden settled into his usual seat in front of Duncan’s desk. He wondered if Ian had set it back up or if Duncan had. “Rumor has it some of the Malmaynes are edging toward the Black.”
He shielded his eyes from the sudden burst of silver light that shone from the Malmayne lord. “Henri.”
“Care to tone that down? You’d give spotlights hissy fits.” Jaden blinked rapidly, trying to adjust his eyes. “I see spots before my eyes,” he muttered, ignoring Duncan’s chuckle. “Geez, old man. Calm down.” The name Henri finally registered. Henri was the worst sort of toady and firmly of the belief that a Sidhe’s shit didn’t stink. He was also a raging bigot. He bet Henri was horrified that even someone with Leo’s polluted blood almost married into the pure Malmayne bloodline.
No, that wasn’t right. Henri had tried to get Leo to somehow mate into the Malmayne clan. Was almost insistent about it, in fact.
What the fuck was going on? At this rate he’d need a flowchart to keep track of the crazies and their plots.
“I still don’t know how they think they’re going to manage to get Leo to fulfill the marriage contract considering the man’s already true bonded to Ruby. Besides, the only female Malmayne candidate is dead unless we start looking at the cousins.”
“You’re true bonded to Moira. That should have been enough to fulfill the contract, even in their eyes, since you’re head of the clan and Moira is a direct descendant of Aileen.” Jaden rubbed his chin, thinking. He ignored the speculative gleam in Duncan’s eyes since, really? The man was acting fucking weird. Had he figured out that Jaden had taken a little joy ride through his sex life? “So, what? You think they might have another contender to bring forward?” Another Deranged Darling would just make his day. Give him something to sink his teeth into.
“I don’t see how. The contract was between the heads of both families. Aileen has no other descendants and I have no interest in Leo or Shane. Kaitlynn…well. Enough said there.”
Jaden waved his hand. “Of course you have no interest in them. They’re men.” Duncan’s body jerked, but Jaden ignored it, instead focusing on whatever the rest of the Malmayne clan was up to. “So, how often has Henri the Horrible been by?”
“Three visits so far.” Duncan leaned forward, his hands on the edge of the desk, his body bowed over Jaden’s form in the chair, an angry gleam in his eye. “How did the Hob find out that my clan might be leaning toward the Black?”
Jaden opened his mouth to reply, but found he couldn’t. Duncan smelled so good. “I have no idea. He comes to me, tells me to check things out. He’s never been wrong before.” He shrugged. “I know that the Blades aren’t just about muscle. It’s possible he’s using gremlins to track their online movements. He might have even gotten a pooka on the inside. I’m not sure, but from what you’ve told me since I came back his information seems to be right on the money.”
“So you go where he tells you and do what he tells you?”
Jaden eyed his bond brother with jaded eyes. “Sure. It’s not that different from my old job.”
Anger flitted across Duncan’s face before it settled into an expressionless mask. “I have not seen nor have I accepted your resignation.” His gaze darted behind Jaden to the door. “Have I?”
“Nope.” Moira joined her mate on the edge of the desk, the two of them staring down at him. Jaden bit back a grin. They had the audacity to double-team him, knowing he was a Blade? “Last I heard Jaden was still a Malmayne.”
Jaden snorted. Duncan might have accepted him all those years ago but none of the rest of the clan had. He was the furthest thing from a Malmayne it was possible to get. “I’m no more a Malmayne than Ian is.”
At that moment Ian chose to enter the office, pushing a tray of food. “Welcome home, Master Jaden.”
Jaden’s head thumped against the back of the chair. Ian treated him like he was one of the Malmaynes when no one else did. As far as Ian was concerned, Duncan’s blood bond with him superseded any other petty concerns such as DNA and Black Court taint. Duncan had declared him one of the clan; therefore, as far as Ian was concerned, Jaden was. “Hey, Ian. How’s it going?”
The man’s smile would light up anyone’s day. “Very well, sir, for the most part.”
“Ian, if you hear anythin
g about the rest of the clan being unhappy, or perhaps plotting something against Duncan or Moira, I want you to bring it straight to me.”
“Of course, sir. I remember your previous instructions.”
Jaden winced. Damn it. Now Duncan was going to ask him questions he really didn’t want to answer. “Yeah, thanks.”
Ian quickly changed the subject, showing the man realized his mistake. “I have some of your favorite dishes, Master Jaden. Mrs. Pagett was quite pleased to hear you had returned.”
Jaden laughed. “I’m sure she was.”
“Did she lock up the cookies?”
Jaden shared a look with Duncan, one full of fond memories. Jaden had a thing for homemade chocolate chip cookies. Mrs. Pagett had a thing for keeping his greedy paws out of her cookie jars. So far Jaden had won most of the battles but the feisty fairy had insisted that one day she would win the war.
“Yes, she did, my lord. And she swore this time Master Jaden would not get the better of her.” Ian finished laying out the plates on the coffee table in front of the large leather sofa. “If you require anything else, my lord, please ring.”
“Thank you, Ian, that looks wonderful. Thank Mrs. Pagett for me, will you?”
“Of course, my lord. I’ll make sure you aren’t disturbed.”
Duncan shook his head as the fae wheeled the now empty cart back out of the office, shutting the door behind him. “How the hell does he do that?”
“What?” Moira looked confused.
“Know that I want privacy.”
Jaden smirked. “He’s a brownie, a house sprite. How can he not? Their very nature is to serve their master’s needs.”
“Hmph.” Duncan turned his attention back to Jaden. “What previous instructions had you given him?”
Jaden leaned back in his chair. “I’m in charge of your personal security, remember? If anything and I mean anything, looks like it might cause you to get a paper cut I want to know about it.” He gestured toward Moira. “Those orders now include Lady Malmayne.”
Moira was watching him through narrowed eyes. “All right. You’re here to investigate the Malmaynes. They’re making a pain of themselves but so far the only thing they’ve done is try to set aside Duncan’s Claim on me and Leo’s true bond. What are our options?”
Jaden blinked. Claim? He sat up straight, both feet planting themselves on the floor. “You two haven’t finished bonding yet?”
They shared a look that confused the hell out of him. Moira answered him first. “No, not yet.”
He was stunned. “Why not? If you two complete the bonding then Henri and his friends don’t have a leg to stand on! What’s left to do?”
“The Claiming is complete, but we still need to do the Vow and the Binding.” Moira’s expression was mischievous, but Duncan looked deadly serious.
“We can’t complete the ritual.” Duncan held up his hand, forestalling Jaden’s instant protest. “There are things you don’t understand yet. We’ll get into them later. But for now, completing the bond isn’t possible.”
Jaden was now fiercely worried. He didn’t understand why they hadn’t completed a ceremony they were both eager for.
Unless…
He stood, suddenly terrified. Duncan’s weary face suddenly took on ominous meaning. His eyes drifted automatically to the new silver in Duncan’s golden hair. “Is one of you ill?” He gestured toward those fine, terrifying silver hairs. “Duncan?” If there was something wrong with Duncan or Moira not even the Hob would be able to get him away from them. He’d fight Oberon himself to stay until Duncan was well.
A knock sounded on the office door. “I’m sorry, my lord, but there’s a visitor out front. He’s being very insistent that he be let in. I’m afraid I won’t be able to hold him off much longer.”
Moira put her hand on Duncan’s shoulder. “Why don’t you let me try and explain things to Jaden while you go and deal with the latest crisis. Okay?”
He kissed the top of her head. “Fine. Be gentle with him, though.” Duncan smiled and laid his hand on Jaden’s shoulder. “Welcome home.” He exited the office, his shoulders straight, his head held high. Whoever was waiting for the Malmayne lord was going to find the Malmayne lord, illness be damned.
You had to admire the man even while you wanted to knock some sense into him. If Duncan was ill he didn’t need to be worrying about anything but getting better. Moira should be tucking his ass into bed, not sending him out to deal with assholes.
“Jaden?”
“Hmm?”
“We need to talk.”
Jaden winced. Hell. It was never a good thing when a woman said that.
Moira wanted to kick Jaden and Duncan’s collective butts. How could they have danced around each other for so long? The heat between the two of them was burning her up! But the worry and fear in Jaden was reaching critical mass. She needed to diffuse it fast. “Duncan is suffering from mate sickness.”
Jaden turned on her so fast her head spun. He was quick, but she’d forgotten exactly how quick. “Why? Why won’t you complete the mating?” He stalked toward her, black bleeding out to the whites of his eyes. “C’mon, sweet. You can tell me.”
She shivered, the deep purr in his voice calling to her, a siren’s song she longed to answer. Where she found the strength to keep from responding to his vampiric lure she didn’t know. She took a deep breath, drawing in his coppery scent. “We couldn’t. Neither one of us could work ourselves up to it.”
Red flames danced in his eyes. “Why is that, Moira?” He stroked his finger down her cheek. “I can tell you that if I had you waiting in my bed there’s no way I’d hold off on making you mine.”
She smiled. He was trying to intimidate her. She shook her head, amused. You’d think he’d know better than that. She had to make him understand why they hadn’t been able to recite the Vow and complete the Binding. “How can you bond to your heart when your soul is missing?” He frowned, confused. Did he even understand what a true bond really meant? “Do you know what each step of the bond entails?”
He huffed out an irritated breath. “There’s the Claiming, which begins with a kiss and ends with a fuck.” She winced. He was being deliberately crude. “Then there’s the Vow and the Binding. The Sidhe recites the Vow, magic swirls, and the Binding takes place. Voila, you are married for eternity, life forces bound together.” He tilted his head to the side. “I hear Leo’s Binding with Ruby was quite the light show.” He smiled, the expression full of evil pleasure. “Kaitlynn was so pissed.”
She nodded. She’d been there. She’d known that if anyone had laid a hand on Ruby at that moment, Leo’s power would have destroyed them. It was never a good idea to get between a Sidhe lord and something he wanted. “It was. Do you know what was missing from my Claiming with Duncan?”
“No, but I’m sure you’ll tell me.” For the first time since Duncan left the room Jaden looked truly worried again.
She reached up and stroked his cheek, pleased beyond belief when he nuzzled into her touch. “You, Jaden. You’re the other third of our bond.”
He started to laugh. “Oh, that’s a good one. Try and sell me a bridge. C’mon. You know you want to.”
She kicked him in the shins.
He leaned down and clutched his leg. “Ow!” The surprise in his face would have been amusing if the situation wasn’t so serious.
“I’m not joking. You left, and Duncan and I both went into mate sickness. We were pining for you and didn’t even know it.” She figured the only reason she hadn’t been even more sick was her leprechaun blood. It must have shielded her. Duncan had taken the full brunt of it, the mark of his anguish left on his body for all to see.
“Uh-huh. Sure.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “So how come after all this time I’m not bound to him? I’d think in the hundred years we’ve been together he would have popped wood over me at some point.”
Oh, he was going to be a pain in the ass about this. “My mother thinks—�
�
“You talked to your mother about Duncan’s erectile dysfunction?” He glared down at her. “Has he considered taking your TV away?”
She rubbed the bridge of her nose with a weary sigh. “Jaden.”
“Hey, it’s not like we were together for a hundred years or anything.” He tapped his fingernail against his teeth and sucked in a breath. “No, wait.”
“If you don’t knock it off I’m going to kick your ass so hard you’ll fart everything you say.”
He barked out a startled laugh. “God, I love vicious women.”
She smirked up at him. “Listen. We think the reason Duncan didn’t feel the pull toward you was because of your blood bond. We think it masked the need to Claim you. When you went away and cut off all contact the mating sickness set in.”
Jaden was shaking his head. “Duncan isn’t gay.”
“No, he’s not.” Jaden’s expression turned cynical. “He’s bi, just like you.”
Jaden frowned. “Honey, Duncan has never shown an interest in men. Believe me, I would have known.”
“Of course not. He had you.”
Jaden’s eyes rolled, which looked really weird. They were still vampiric, black with red hot flames in the center. “If Duncan was ever into men then he’s been so far in the closet he’s been living in Narnia.” Jaden turned his back on her. “Are you sure some other funky Sidhe sickness isn’t holding him back?”
“I’m positive.” She put her hand on the small of his back, smiling when he jumped. “He finally Claimed me today.”
“Good for you.”
God, the pain underlying that cheerful façade would drop a stronger man to his knees. She could feel it roiling within him. “Jaden, he couldn’t Claim me until you were here. Frankly, I think it was what you were doing in the shower that tipped him over the edge.”
His face turned bright red, his eyes leeching back to normal in shock. “Oh God.”
“Jaden, it’s all right.”
“No it’s not. He’s going to kill me.”
“Why?”
He shot her a disbelieving look. “I saw you naked. I rode, uninvited, in his head while he…” He gestured toward her body. “On the desk, no less!”
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