by Keri Arthur
“I’m not. I just think it’s a possibility we have to remain open to.”
I rubbed my forehead wearily, as much to scrub away the thought of my brother having a kid for nefarious purposes as to ease the still thunderous ache in my head.
“If it is true, then I guess the next natural question is, why didn’t he tell us about her?”
“There’s only one person who can answer that question, Gwen.”
“And he’s the one person we can’t ask. Not yet. Not until we’re absolutely sure she’s his.”
But surely we hadn’t grown so distant that he was afraid to tell me he’d fathered a child via a surrogate? Did he think we’d in any way judge him for that?
Maybe, an inner voice whispered. He’s not the person you grew up with. Not anymore.
And the flashes of emotion I’d seen under the bridge certainly underscored that.
“You can’t keep making excuses for him, Gwen.”
“I’m not, but he is my brother. My twin. I have to believe him incapable of working with Darkside. At least until there’s indisputable proof saying otherwise.” God, if they could turn my brother onto the dark path, who couldn’t they get to?
“This kid might give you that proof,” Luc said.
“A DNA test will only prove whether she’s his or not. It doesn’t prove a connection to Darkside.” I hesitated. “And the very fact the Aranea killed her mother but left her alive means they might have been intending to use her as a hostage against him.”
It also meant that Darkside knew a whole lot more about my family than either Mo or I did—and that was damn scary.
“That’s also possible, especially if the new Witch King is intent on killing off the remaining heirs.”
“So why are they still coming after me?” Or, at least, the demons were. I didn’t want to think about the dark elves’ intentions. “If they were aware of this girl’s existence, wouldn’t she make the better hostage?”
“It appears they might have come to that conclusion today. As to why they’re still targeting you—maybe it’s got something to do with the sword’s reaction to you on the morning of the blessing.”
“Why? It’s not like I moved it or anything.”
But even as I said that, an echo of the power that had raced across my fingertips when I’d gripped the sword’s hilt rose, and I frowned at my hand. Was the storm that had roared through me this afternoon somehow connected to the sword? Perhaps the sword’s reaction to my touch had somehow broken whatever barrier had prevented me accessing the full power of both Nex and Vita up until that point. Perhaps that was the reason they’d finally ‘accepted’ me.
It was undoubtedly another of those questions Mo would know the answer to and wouldn’t share.
“It’s still an indicator that Aquitaine blood runs in both you and Max,” Luc commented.
I rubbed my forehead again. Thinking about all this was making the ache worse. “I really wish we had the De Montfort bible. I’ve a feeling it would provide more than a few answers.”
The phone rang before he could answer. I glanced at the screen, saw it was Mo, and picked it up. “How’d you do?”
“Ginny’s come through for us—she’s arranged the use of a safe house in Wigan.”
“Is that wise? She’d have to get permission from her bosses, and that probably means all sorts of forms and permissions—”
“If it was being done on the books. This isn’t.”
My frown grew. “I don’t want Ginny getting in trouble or putting her job on the line—”
“She assures me she isn’t.”
Knowing my cousin as well as I did, that didn’t reassure me one little bit.
“She hasn’t volunteered to look after her as well—has she?”
“It wouldn’t be practical, given her day job. Jackie and Ron—another old friend of mine—are coming in, but they won’t get there until tomorrow morning. You and Luc will have to hold the fort until then.”
“Is it safe to involve Jackie? She’s been attacked once already, and she seemed convinced they’d try again.”
“Which is why she went to ground days ago. They don’t know where she is, and she’s taken all precautions to ensure it remains that way.”
I hoped she was right, because Jackie had already suffered enough at Darkside’s hands.
“Stop worrying, Gwen,” Mo added. “Everything will work out fine.”
“It hasn’t so far, so I’ve every right to worry.”
She chuckled softly. “That is an inclination you got from your father. I’ll send the address through when I hang up. Ginny will meet you there with a DNA kit. She’ll prioritize the samples, so we should have the results back within twenty-four hours.”
I wasn’t surprised Mo had organized all this even though she hadn’t been part of the conversation between Luc and I. We really did think the same way on most things. “I take it you’ve already given her some of Max’s DNA?”
“His hair and toothbrush, yes. She said the two should provide enough to get a match—if there is one.”
I really hoped there wasn’t. Really hoped that if there was, then this little girl was nothing more than another of his rash ‘wouldn’t it be fun’ schemes that he later came to regret. It might be a harsh desire, given there was a life involved, but better she be a mistake than part of a scheme involving Darkside.
“Will you be there?”
“I think it’d be safer if I wasn’t.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”
I hung up, and a second later, her text came through. Luc immediately programmed the address into the GPS, and the gentle hum of the engine soon had my eyes drifting shut.
I woke with a start sometime later to the realization that we’d stopped. I rolled my neck to ease the ache of resting my head awkwardly against the window, and then looked around. We were at the end of an unremarkable street filled with crisp, modern-looking two-story terraces. Each front yard was small but tidy, and there were at least a dozen children playing out in the street. Not the sort of area I’d expected a safe house to be in, and that was no doubt the whole point.
Luc walked around the back of the car and opened my door. “You want me to take her?”
I shook my head, undid our seat belts, then picked her up and climbed out. She woke but didn’t say anything; she simply looked around, her expression showing interest but no fear. I couldn’t help wondering why, given her mom had just been killed and two utter strangers had taken her away from her home.
The front door opened as we approached, and Ginny appeared. She was typical Okoro in looks, with long dark hair kept back in a plait and dark brown eyes. She was also barely five feet one and petite in build, but woe betide any criminal who thought either made her a pushover—as many crims now behind bars would no doubt attest.
“Are you sure you’re not going to get into trouble for this?” I asked as she stepped to one side and motioned us through.
“Yes. I told the chief inspector I’m working on a witch kidnapping case in conjunction with the council. He’s aware it has to be off books until we’ve collected enough incriminating evidence.”
“I didn’t think that sort of thing was allowed.” I stepped inside. To the right of the small entrance hall was a living area, and directly ahead were the stairs leading up to the next floor. A hallway ran down to what appeared to be a kitchen diner. I headed down, my footsteps echoing.
“When it comes to dealing with anything human related, it isn’t,” Ginny replied. “Every operation has to be checked and re-checked, and then signed off by the higher-ups. But the rules when dealing with witches are more flexible simply because we’re often dealing with magic that can alter perceptions and situations.”
I glanced over my shoulder. “That’s not very well advertised.”
Her grin flashed. “Well, no. It’d hardly make our job easy if witch crims were aware they came under a very different set of rules.”
The s
mell of fresh bread permeated the room, and my stomach rumbled a reminder that it’d missed the promised lasagna at Barney’s.
“I bought food staples on the way here,” she continued. “But there’s a ton of tinned stuff in the cupboard and plenty in the freezer. It should tide whoever Mo’s arranged to babysit over for a week or so.”
“Are the neighbors aware of what this house is used for?” Luc stopped in the doorway, which was probably just as well. The kitchen was on the small side, and his big frame wouldn’t leave a whole lot of room for the rest of us.
“I’m sure they probably suspect.” She shrugged and walked over to the small bag sitting at the end of the kitchen counter. “Mo asked me to collect some DNA samples, if I can.”
“How long do you think it’ll take to get the results?”
“Items marked urgent normally take somewhere between eight and twenty-four hours.”
“And you’re sure you’re not going to get into trouble for this?”
She flashed me a smile over her shoulder. “Quite. Barney’s already discussed the ‘operation’ with my boss, so we’re good.”
She pulled out some gloves and a plastic-wrapped tube that held several long-looking cotton buds, and then motioned me over to one of the two stools tucked under the overhanging section of the counter.
“Do we know her name?” she asked.
“My name is Riona,” came the soft, almost melodic reply.
Surprise rippled through me, but it was accompanied by an odd sense of dread. Riona—which wasn’t a commonly used name these days—had been my mother’s middle name.
Coincidence?
I wanted to think so. I really did.
“And how old are you, Riona?” Luc said.
“Five,” she said, looking at him. “Not a kid.”
“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Riona.” Ginny pulled on a pair of gloves, amusement twitching her lips. “I need to collect some of your mouth juices on this little swap. Will that be okay?”
The little girl fidgeted, her uncertainty momentarily staining the air. It smelled electric, like a storm on a distant horizon. “Will it hurt?”
“No, I promise you.”
“Eat after? I want a sandwich.”
“And you can have one.”
Riona studied Ginny a bit longer, and then nodded, her expression solemn.
“Right,” Ginny said. “All you have to do is open your mouth wide. I’m just going to run this cotton bud around the inside of your cheek a few times—okay?”
She nodded once again and opened her mouth. Ginny peeled the plastic away from the tube and the swabs, and then gently collected the DNA sample she needed.
“Right,” she repeated, carefully placing the sample into the tube and then sealing it in a bag. “I’ll get these to the lab straight away and give you a call as soon as I get the results.”
“Thanks, Ginny.”
She nodded and headed out. Luc followed, no doubt to lock the door after her. I introduced myself to Riona and then asked, “What sort of sandwich would you like?”
“Cheese and Marmite.”
A combination that sent a shudder through me; I was no fan of Marmite. “I’m sure we can manage that—do you want to sit on the stool while I go make it?”
“Yes.”
Once she’d clambered over, I investigated the fridge and then the pantry. When Ginny had said it was well stocked, she wasn’t kidding. I pulled everything I needed out, not just to make her sandwich but also a couple for Luc and me.
“There’re only two bedrooms,” Luc said, as he came back into the room. “But the sofa looks comfortable—”
“Luc, I’m quite capable of sharing a bed with someone without …” I hesitated and waved a hand. “You know.”
“You may be,” he said, voice dry. “But I’m not sure I am.”
I tsked. “And here I was thinking Blackbirds were all about self-control.”
“There’s self-control, and then there’s utter lunacy.” He pulled out the stool I’d vacated, then sat down and offered his big hand to Riona. “I’m Luc. It’s very nice to meet you.”
She studied him shyly for a second and placed her tiny hand in his and solemnly shook it. “What happened to Naya?”
“Is that the name of the lady who was with you? The one the man hurt?”
She nodded.
“She’s been taken to the hospital.” He hesitated. “Was Naya your mother?”
She shook her head. “Mommy went out. Naya was minding me.”
Holy fuck … My gaze shot to Luc’s. “We need to find her—ASAP.”
He nodded but didn’t immediately move or get his phone out. “Do you know where your mommy went?”
“She had to take Reign to the doctor.”
“And who’s Reign?” he asked softly.
“My brother,” she said. “My twin brother.”
Twins run in families. It was the first thought that popped into my head, but didn’t really make all that much sense given twins ran through the maternal line not paternal. Max might well be their father, but his genetics wouldn’t have played into the whole twin factor. It was a coincidence, nothing more.
I placed Riona’s quartered sandwich in front of her. “Do you know what time it was when your mom left for the doctors?”
She shrugged. “It was in the morning. I was eating Coco Pops. I love Coco Pops.”
“So do I,” Luc said with a smile.
She frowned at him. “Pops are for kids.”
“Maybe I’m just a big kid.”
She appeared to consider this for a moment and then nodded, as if in acceptance. She picked up one bit of the sandwich and took a bite. “Reign never liked them. He used to pick on me because I did.”
I smiled. “My brother picks on me, too. His name is Max—have you met him?”
She shook her head, but the denial didn’t lessen the inner uncertainty. It would have been easy enough for him to be introduced under a different name.
“I don’t suppose you can tell us your mommy’s name, can you?” Luc asked. “It’ll help us find her.”
“Mommy’s not lost. She went to the doctor.”
The smile twitching my lips was echoed on Luc’s. “Yes, but knowing her name will make it easier to find her at the doctors.”
“Oh.” Riona took another bite of her sandwich. “Her name is Gianna.”
“Gianna Aquitaine?” Luc immediately said.
She shook her head. “Not anymore.”
“What is it now?”
“Same as mine, of course.”
“You didn’t tell us your surname,” he said, with the patience that came with having little sisters of his own.
“It’s O’Brian.”
“And your daddy’s name?”
She shrugged. “I never met him. Only Reign did.”
I blinked. “He never came to your house?”
She shook her head, her gaze rising to mine. There was a very old soul shining out from her blue eyes. “Reign is the important one.”
I instinctively reached out and covered her hand with mine. “You’re just as important as he is.”
“Not to Daddy. Only to Mommy.”
It was said so matter-of-factly that it was obviously something she’d grown up knowing and accepting.
“Are you going to bring Mommy and Reign here?” she added.
“Depends on how sick your brother is. He might have to go to hospital.”
“He didn’t look that sick.”
And maybe he wasn’t. Maybe Gianna had somehow gotten wind of the Aranea’s mission and decided to get her son out of there.
But if that were true, why not take Riona as well? Why abandon her daughter? Was it a case of believing—given Reign was the ‘important’ one—Riona would be safe with her minder?
I shook my head and wished the cosmos would start providing some answers rather than throwing us yet more questions. I glanced at Luc. “Do you know her mother?”
> “Not personally. She’s the older sister of an heir and went off the radar about five years ago.” He rose. “I’ll go ring Jason. The sooner he can find her, the better it will be.”
‘Better’ meaning safer. I returned my attention to Riona and talked to her about all manner of things, from her favorite TV show to what she did at school and the play date she’d had with her best friend last weekend. Considering she was in a strange house with two people she didn’t know, Riona was amazingly calm. But maybe that was a trauma response.
When Luc returned, he took up distraction duties. Several cups of tea did little to ease the ache in my head, so once we’d settled Riona down for the night, I grabbed a couple of Panadol from the bottle the medic had given me and then headed back into the living room.
“I’m calling it a night.”
Luc rose from the sofa and walked over. He didn’t touch me, didn’t kiss me, but he nevertheless stopped close enough that his body heat flowed across my senses, warming me in so many ways. The desire to press my body into his, to feel all that strength and muscle against my skin, rose, and it took every ounce of willpower to remain exactly where I was.
If he wasn’t willing to risk falling in love, then I had to resist the pull of desire, no matter how strong it was. No matter how alluring the man.
“I’m glad.” His deep, sexy voice had my pulse rate skittering. “Because you look like crap.”
I laughed. “You really do know how to boost a woman’s ego, don’t you?”
He smiled and tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ears, his fingers so warm and gentle against my skin. “I meant it in a concerned way, not derogative.”
“Which makes me feel so much better.” I rose up on tippy-toes and brushed my lips across his. “Sleep well on your lonely little sofa, Blackbird.”
I turned and quickly walked away before the temptation to do more than tease him with a kiss became too strong to ignore. His gaze followed me, a heat that burned into my back long after I’d stripped to my knickers and climbed under the blankets.
I woke many hours later to the realization I was no longer alone. An arm was draped across my waist and a big warm body pressed against mine. Unfortunately, there was also at least one layer of blankets separating us.
But he was awake … and in more ways than one.
