Bound to Blackwood

by Sharon Lipman

  "We know all that. Get on with it!"

  "Sorry, Boss, Just bein' thorough."

  Kaden rolled his eyes.

  "Right, 'ere we go; Bannermen," Mercury continued. "London, Bowman, Ashby."

  "No great surprises there. What about the Squires?"

  "Bran, Ash, Sage, Lucine, Ray… Oh holy Fuck!"

  "What? What is it?" Kaden flashed to Mercury's side so he could see what had the guy so tongue-tied.

  "Rayne and Greene," Mercury whispered.

  Kaden felt sure he'd misheard, but it was there, written in beautiful, hand-scribed calligraphy.

  "They can't be the same Rayne and Greene, right?" Mercury asked.

  Kaden only knew one Rayne and Greene. He'd never met them. But he knew their daughter. He practically raised her.

  "It's gotta be a coincidence," Mercury said.

  "I highly doubt it."

  "Yeah but..."

  "There's no such thing as coincidences."

  Thorn stood under the freezing cold spray of his en-suite shower. He'd lost track of how long he'd been there, but he did know that his scalp hurt from the drumming, icy, darts of the water and he could no longer feel his shoulders. If only he could numb his sense of shame.

  He screwed his eyes shut, desperate to forget. It didn't work. All he saw was the look on Lena's face, that dark shadow that dulled her eyes.

  Fury at his actions wound its way through his body. "Fuck!" Thorn bellowed as he punched the tiled wall.

  The ceramic exploded, sending razor-sharp shards into his knuckles. He saw the blood well in the wounds then disappear in the water that still poured over him. The icy liquid stung, but Thorn really didn't care. He laid his head against the cold wall and watched his blood whirlpool down the drain.

  According to Vampire Lore, his blood, the King's blood, was the most precious of all. He was probably breaking all sorts of laws by wasting it and not seeking immediate medical attention. Which was completely ridiculous, his hand had already started to heal.

  Holy Mother of Fae, what a mess. He knew he only had one chance with Lena and he'd more than blown it. His blood-lust had won the battle over his sense of right and wrong. And he hated himself for it.

  "Thorn? You in here?" Kaden's voice penetrated his thoughts. The Keeper was right outside the bathroom door.

  He hadn't even heard the guy come in. And he knew full well Kaden was only asking out of politeness. Kaden always knew exactly where everyone was.

  Thorn sighed. He really didn't feel like talking to anyone, even his best friend. "What do you want?"

  "I need to talk to you."

  "Not now."

  "Trust me, you're gonna wanna hear this," Kaden replied.

  "I doubt it."

  "I'm serious."

  "Yeah? So am I. Go away." Thorn's self-control was disintegrating by the second. And whether he liked it or not, he knew Kaden could hear it in his voice.

  Sure enough, Kaden's tone changed, the joviality left the Keeper's voice. "What's going on?"

  "Nothing."

  "Look, I'm not talking to you through a door."

  "Good, 'cause I ain't talking."

  Thorn heard Kaden sigh. "This is important. Either you come out, or I'm coming in."

  "For fuck's sake, can't a man get any peace?" Thorn breathed as he turned off the shower. He stomped over to the door and damned near wrenched the thing off its hinges as he pulled it open. "What?"

  Kaden's brilliant blue eyes widened before he screwed them shut and held out a hand. "Fucking hell, Thorn! You could have put some bloody clothes on!"

  Thorn looked down. Shit, he completely forgot about that. He reached into the bathroom, grabbed a towel from the hook and wrapped it around his waist. He took advantage of Kaden's distraction to lock down his emotions. The Keeper of the Watch didn't miss a trick and Thorn just couldn't face an inquisition. "Happy now?"

  Kaden half opened one eye to check Thorn wasn't pulling his leg. To his relief, the King had covered the crown jewels with a fluffy, white towel. Okay, so it was a hand towel and barely covered everything, but at least Kaden no longer felt the need to bleach his eyeballs.

  Kaden finally took a proper look at Thorn. He had heard the anger in the guy's voice, but his emotions were firmly under lock and key. He hadn't seen the King this composed in a long time. Kaden felt relieved; there'd been far too much drama going on around this place. House Blackwood could star in its very own soap-opera.

  "So," Thorn said as he barged past him and headed for the wing-backed armchair by the huge, stone fireplace. "What was so damned important you had to drag me out of the shower?"

  "We found the paperwork for House Clayden."

  "Tell me you found something interesting."

  "Oh yeah. We found something interesting alright."

  Lena splashed cold water on her face. Though a heart-breaking sadness still sat in her chest she had, for the moment at least, stopped crying. She washed away her blood-red tears and willed the icy water to make the puffiness around her eyes disappear. She wasn't a crier. At least she never used to be. What the hell had happened to her?

  She splashed more water on her face. It didn't help. Thoughts of Thorn kept creeping into her mind unbidden. And every time her eyes welled with yet more tears.

  Once her initial relief waned, she felt only pain. It confused her.

  The feel of those immense fangs scraping down her flesh replayed over and over in her mind. Something bothered her. Her own memory of that moment mixed with a view from another pair of eyes.

  Before her fear had descended, she remembered something else. It was just a tiny glimpse, all that she had allowed in before the fear and eventual resignation took over. She already knew about Thorn's need, but for the briefest of moments she felt something much more significant and unexpected.

  Love.

  Lena gasped as the realisation hit her. Thorn had been millimetres away from tapping into her life force, from taking her very soul, yet rather than the dark feelings she expected, Thorn's strongest emotion was love.

  Chapter 29

  "It's right there in black and white!" Kaden pointed to the list of House Clayden squires.

  "I had to see it for myself," Thorn replied, running a hand through his hair.

  "I know what you mean. I've looked at this chart a dozen times just to be sure."

  "Well, we can't very well question Rayne and Greene. Please tell me at least one of the other Squires is still alive."

  Kaden nodded. "Mercury and Ryver are on the case. There's a Lucine now squired to House Meadows."

  Thorn's dark eyebrows shot skyward. "House Meadows? Isn't that..."

  "Yeah, it's where Lena spent her formative years," Kaden finished for him.

  Thorn sank into Kaden's chair behind the beaten up desk. "Holy shit."

  "Yeah, that's pretty much what I said."

  Thorn stared at the chart. Like Kaden, he didn't believe in coincidences. He breathed out a heavy sigh. The Onærelen started off a near impossible task to fulfil. Now, it seemed all their hopes were pinned on one Squire, who may or may not actually know anything.

  Then there was that bastard, Vance. He Fell just after Eden disappeared. He and the rest of House London were Bannermen to House Clayden, and they knew Oscar Clayden had been instrumental in getting the young Eden to safety. Thorn would bet his fangs that Vance was involved in all of this.

  He just couldn't work out where in Faerie Rayne and Greene fit in. Or Lena… "Oh Gods!"

  "What?" Kaden asked.

  "Lena. Has anyone told her?"

  Kaden dropped his eyes and shook his head. "I went up there — after I saw you but I couldn't bring myself to knock on the door."

  “Yeah, I know the feeling." Thorn's heart ached as he thought of Lena. Shame followed quickly on pain's heels and it took all his strength to swallow it back down again.

  Kaden watched Thorn carefully. The guy had been emotionally closed off since Kaden had dragged him out of t
he shower. To begin with, Kaden was relieved, but now he wasn't so sure. Thorn had been a wreck since this thing with Lena started. Kaden couldn't believe all that turmoil had just gone away.

  As soon as Lena's name was mentioned, Thorn got lost in his thoughts for a moment and his iron-clad grip on his emotions faltered. Anguish and shame hit Kaden like a heavy-weight boxer had just punched him in the gut. He girded himself against another assault, but nothing came.

  He looked a Thorn again. The King's face showed no emotion at all, his eyes were their normal shade of amber on gold. He knew with absolute certainty, Thorn was hiding something.

  Without thinking, Kaden's mind went in search of Lena. He found her staring into the mirror of her en-suite, wiping tears from her face. Her emotions were so unguarded, he could feel the sadness and confusion as if he was in the room with her.

  Kaden felt his lip curl as his own anger rose to the surface. "What did you do?" Kaden asked.

  Thorn's golden eyes widened. "Huh?"

  "I said, What. Did. You. Do?"

  Thorn swallowed. "I…um…"

  He never finished. The metal door to the Command Centre swung open and Mercury and Ryver strode in. Kaden narrowed his eyes as he continued to stare at Thorn. The guy wouldn't meet his eyes.

  "You hear what I said, Boss?" Mercury said.

  "What?" Kaden replied as he finally stopped looking at Thorn and turned to face the two Guardians.

  "You're never gonna believe this," Ryver chimed in.

  "Surprise me," Kaden said.

  "Well, we found Lucine at House Meadows," Mercury said.

  "The same Lucine?" Thorn asked.

  "The very same," Ryver replied.

  "And?" Kaden asked exasperated.

  "And, she wouldn't tell us shit," Mercury said.

  "What do you mean?" Kaden said.

  "I mean she wouldn't tell us shit, except to confirm who she was. We pulled the House Blackwood, in the name of the King, Guardian of the Order, the whole kit and caboodle. She wouldn't say nothin'."

  "Why the hell not?" Kaden shouted.

  "She swore an honour oath," Mercury replied.

  Kaden rolled his eyes. "Just brilliant." He looked at Ryver. "Tell me you got something."

  Ryver shook his head. "Nope. Whatever secrets she's hiding are old and well hidden. She's one of the most honourable women I've ever met; I couldn't hear anything."

  "You're kidding?" Thorn asked.

  "I wish I were, but don't worry, there is a silver lining. She'll talk to you," Ryver nodded at Thorn, "and Lena"

  "Yeah, she said you two were the only two beings left on earth who could release her from her oath," Mercury said.

  "Well, My Lord, looks like you and the Steward are going on a trip." Kaden stared at Thorn. The King's grip on his emotions slipped again, a flash of platinum seeping into those golden eyes, yet he didn't reply. "You hear what I said, Thorn?"

  Thorn stood up so fast Kaden's old chair clattered into the wall behind the desk. The King was across the room with his hand on the door handle in less than a blink of the eye. "I heard you."

  Then he was gone.

  "Well, what the hell was that all about?" Mercury asked.

  "Damned if I know," Kaden lied.

  Thorn took the stairs three at a time. He needed answers and since the guy clearly wanted to rip his head off, there was no way in Faerie he was about to ask Kaden. That left only one option; Soraya.

  He didn't bother knocking, instead barging into her suite. His sister sat on the sofa one knee bent up under her chin, cotton wool between her toes. She finished the last of the candy-floss-pink nail varnish before smiling up at him. "What took you so long, brother?"

  "You knew I was coming?"

  Soraya looked at him as he'd just asked whether the grass was green. "Of course I knew, Thorn."

  Thorn gave a small smile. When it worked, Soraya's ability to know still freaked him out a little. She once compared her gift to a mis-tuned wireless, a broken radio that could only pick up snippets of news, a few words of a song. What she did know she knew beyond all doubt.

  He sat in an arm-chair whilst Soraya packed up her nail varnish. Now he was here, he had no idea where to begin.

  "So, what's up?" Soraya asked.

  "Why should anything be up?"

  Soraya chuckled. "You forget how well I know you, brother. Besides, I heard you running up the stairs, in the middle of the night, when you should be in the Command Centre. With Kaden."

  Thorn couldn't help but wince at the mention of his friend.

  "Thorn? What has happened?"

  He breathed a heavy sigh. "Lena."

  "Ah."

  "It's complicated."

  "In my experience it usually is where Lena is concerned, but I can't help you if you don't tell me."

  Thorn felt ill. There were some things you just didn't talk to your sister about.

  "I'm a big girl, Thorn. Just tell me."

  Well, here goes nothing.

  Kaden's' jaw clenched so tight his teeth protested against the pressure.

  "So, who's gonna tell Lena?" Mercury asked.

  "Well you can count me out," Ryver said.

  "I thought you and her were bffs."

  "Fuck off, Mercury."

  Mercury held up his hands in surrender. "Whoa! Sorry."

  "Lena doesn't need any help from me."

  "Don't be daft! Who told you that?" Mercury asked.

  "She did," Ryver replied.

  "Ouch."

  "Yep."

  Kaden closed his eyes. Great. Just great. "I'll do it."

  "You sure?" Mercury said.

  "You see any other volunteers?" Kaden asked with a growl.

  "Volunteers for what?" Lena asked from the doorway.

  Holy shit! Kaden was so busy being angry at Thorn he hadn't seen Lena making her way to the Command Centre. Ryver and Mercury busied themselves staring at their boots. Thanks for the help, guys. "Take a seat, Lena."

  Lena made her way over to the desk and the closer she got, the more Kaden fought the urge to flee. The nausea got worse the closer she came.

  "What's going on?" she asked.

  "Um, Boss?" Mercury said as he backed towards the door, his face a sickly shade of green. "I gotta go, you know, do that thing."

  "Yeah, me too. I gotta help him," Ryver said as he all but ran out of the room.

  Mercury gave a sarcastic salute as Kaden glowered at him. And then the fucking cowards disappeared. Jesus Christ, this was going to be awful.

  "Kaden, you look you're about to throw up. What the hell is going on?" Lena demanded.

  He just might throw up if she got any closer. "Why don't you sit down?"

  "Why do I need to sit down?"

  "Trust me."

  "Okay," she drew the word out, huffing as she sat down in one of the wheelie executive chairs. "I'm sitting."

  "So, what is it you're really asking?"

  "Pardon?"

  "What do you really want to know?"

  Thorn frowned at his sister. He'd just poured his heart out to her, told her the whole sorry story. Well not all the details, obviously, but still. "What do you mean?" Thorn asked. "I need to know what to do!"

  Soraya's eyebrows shot skyward. "Only you know the answer to that, brother mine."

  "But that's just it, Soraya. I haven't got a bloody clue what to do."

  "Do you love her?"

  "What?"

  "Do you love her?" Soraya asked again.

  "Yes." The word flew out of his mouth before he even had time to think about it. "I mean…"

  Soraya held a hand up to stop him. "Don't take it back, Thorn. Our first answer is usually our most honest one."

  Thorn ran a hand through his dishevelled hair. Bloody hell. He loved her. Yet… "What about the law? And even then, yielding is just a step too far for Lena."

  Soraya sighed like she was talking to a clueless child. "You really don't know her very well do you."

  "Of cou
rse I do!"

  "No, you don't. You know her as a warrior, you know her as a lover."

  "But?"

  "But you don't know her as a woman, Thorn."

  "Don't be ridiculous."

  "Am I being ridiculous?"

  Of course she was. He knew Lena; he did. When he was with her, he felt her emotions, felt her soul. Didn't he? Shit. As soon as that grain of doubt dented his consciousness, his conviction started to unravel.

  Soraya stared at him. "You men are all the same. It's easy to have sex. People do it all the time," she said. Thorn had to look away, he really didn't want to know how Soraya knew that. "But opening your soul, letting someone into your spirit, thoughts, fears, hopes, dreams, that is what it means to be truly naked. You want Lena to yield to you, to share her soul, yet you've shared nothing of yourself. Why would she even think of yielding to you?"

  Lena blinked several times whilst Kaden braced himself for her reaction. The calmness in her voice when she eventually spoke surprised and worried him in equal measures.

  "So, House Clayden definitely took responsibility for Eden?"

  "As far as we can work out, yeah."

  "And my parents were squired there."

  "Yeah."

  "And, you know, just for shits and giggles, I might not actually be insane because apparently Vance paid particular attention to me as a youngling, so my nightmares are very likely memories."

  Kaden winced. "Looks like it, yeah."

  Still no violent outbursts, just a slight nod of her head. "Okay. What else?"

  Kaden swallowed hard. "Do you remember the Squire, Lucine?"

  "Yes, she was my mother's best friend, why?"

  "She was also squired to House Clayden."

  He saw Lena's brow knit into a tight frown. "I didn't know."

  "It seems nobody did. Everyone went to great lengths to keep their connection to House Clayden secret."

  Lena stood up. "So let's go and talk to her! She's the only lead we have."

  Kaden's mouth felt dry. "Ryver and Mercury have already talked to her."

  Lena's blue eyes widened. "And?"

  "And she'll only talk to you…and Thorn."