Dare to Believe: Gray Court, Book One

by Bell, Dana Marie

  That disconcerting flash of green appeared in Robin’s eyes again, and for a moment Leo was frozen in place. For one blinding second he knew exactly how the Hob felt.

  Unbearable, unutterable, unending, envious. Alone.

  Then those eyes were shuttered once again by a fall of auburn lashes and Leo was freed. “Then fight.” A gust of wind blew by, blurring the edges of the Hob, blowing him away like a sand sculpture. “When the Malmaynes arrive, fight.”

  Chapter Five

  “Any word on your brother?”

  Ruby, half asleep, whispered those words as he crawled into bed. Leo winced. He’d hoped not to wake her. His kitten had been exhausted and needed her sleep. “Yeah. I’ll tell you about it in the morning.”

  “It is morning.” She sounded more alert, damn it. He was so tired. “Do they know yet who has your brother?”

  Leo took a deep breath, the events of the night before once again pushing to the forefront of his mind. He could feel his muscles tensing and tried his best to get himself to relax. “Yeah. We know who has him.”

  She sat up abruptly, holding the sheet demurely over her breasts. “That’s wonderful! Do the police know? Is he okay? Is he on his way home?”

  Leo pulled on her arm, yawning so hard it felt like his jaw would crack. “Down, kitten. It’s not that easy.”

  She resisted the pull of his arm and frowned down at him. “What isn’t that easy?”

  Leo sighed, and wondered how to explain to her the intricacies of the Seelie court system. “Shane was kidnapped by a…rival family.”

  She stared at him, her eyes blank with incomprehension. “Huh?”

  He sighed, rubbing his face tiredly. “Can I get some sleep first, please? I promise I’ll explain everything to you after we’ve eaten breakfast.” He allowed his weariness to show through the glamour he normally kept up, gratified when she frowned and traced the dark circles under his eyes. “Please?”

  Her frown deepened. “You’re hiding something from me, aren’t you?”

  The fact that she could already read him so easily was both encouraging and disturbing. “I promise I’ll explain everything, even the stuff I’m not sure you’ll understand, or believe. But I’d really like some sleep first, okay?”

  She huffed. “Well. Okay. But he’s okay, right? I mean, your family has at least that much assurance?”

  “Yes, Shane is okay.”

  She nodded, obviously reluctant to drop the subject. His curious kitten. He watched her slip back under the covers, the ridiculous slip of cream-colored silk sliding along her body. He held out his arms. When she turned trustingly to spoon him, he sighed in relief, burying his face in the fragrance of her hair.

  He was asleep with minutes, his overworked mind and body finally taking their toll on him.

  Ruby woke up alone, but she hadn’t forgotten the talk they’d had in the middle of the night. She got up and dressed quickly. She started down the stairs, eager to hear Leo’s news.

  She could hear the sounds of the Dunne family talking, their voices rising and falling in that weird Gaelic-sounding language. Ruby entered the kitchen to Aileen’s voice rising above the rest, full of outrage and authority.

  “Moira Eileen Dunne!” Aileen’s voice stopped her daughter in her tracks. Moira had decked Leo, punched him straight in the nose and landed him flat on his ass. The beautiful girl had been going after her brother for round two.

  He was stumbling to his feet when Moira growled, the sound barely human. “Shane’s gone, and it’s all your fault!”

  Leo flinched, his face stricken. He turned abruptly on his heel and walked out of the kitchen.

  Aileen sighed and rubbed her forehead.

  “Leo?” Moira made a move to go out the door, her expression just as stricken as her brother’s. Her mother grabbed her arm and began quietly talking to her, chastising her.

  Ruby ignored the other two women and followed Leo. She found him on the front porch, clutching at the railing with white knuckled fingers and staring up at the sky with haunted eyes. She didn’t know what to do or say. She didn’t know anything about his family or the way it worked. So she did the only thing she could think of. She walked up behind him, wrapped her arms around his waist, and held on for dear life.

  He was tense in her arms for the first few moments, almost rejecting the comfort of her touch. Finally he turned and gathered her close, his face buried in her hair, his arms wrapped around her so tightly it hurt. She wanted to kill Moira. She’d never wanted to kill someone before, but if she had Moira Dunne alone in that moment, Leo would be minus a sister. She held him, stroked his hair, and resolved that she would get to the bottom of whatever had caused Moira to hurt the man in her arms so badly that he shook with it.

  When Moira stepped out on the porch, looking both sheepish and penitent, Ruby couldn’t find it in her to forgive her. Yet.

  Ruby shook her head slightly, trying to get the other woman to go away. She didn’t think Leo would want his sister seeing him so vulnerable. With a slight nod, the girl went back inside, and Ruby went back to trying to soothe the slowly calming man.

  Jaden stared through the one-way glass at the unique man on the other side. Shane Joloun Dunne lay sprawled on his back, his dark blue eyes glued to the ceiling, a look of total concentration on his face. He was completely naked, not that Jaden was looking.

  Okay, yes, he was. The man had a hell of a physique.

  “Why the hell is he naked?” Jaden asked, turning to Malmayne the elder. Other than for my viewing pleasure, that is.

  Cullen Malmayne looked at him blankly. “In case he tries to escape, of course.”

  Jaden nodded, and then shook his head. “What kind of spy movies have you been watching?”

  Cullen’s snort of aggravation was music to Jaden’s ears. “Shane will be too embarrassed to run through the streets of, may the gods help us, Omaha, completely nude.”

  Jaden blinked, his dark eyes glittering with amusement. If it were him behind that glass wall, you bet your ass he’d be running around Omaha stark naked if he had to. But from what he’d seen, when the time came Shane wouldn’t have that problem.

  “Any clue as to what he’s doing?” Cullen’s voice was mildly curious, like a man wondering what his dog was doing and why.

  Making himself clothes, Jaden thought. He was pretty sure the hybrid had some secreted around his cell, not that Jaden would tell. Jaden shook his head, turning once again to stare at Shane and hoping like hell the man would be ready soon. Jaden hated working for Malmayne the Elder and the Deranged Darling.

  “Any word from the Dunne’s?” Jaden waited for the answer he knew would be coming.

  “No.”

  He nodded, not really surprised, when the door behind them opened.

  “Has Leo called?”

  Jaden shuddered at the saccharin sound of Kaitlynn’s voice, his eyes never leaving the two-way glass. Much better view, anyway.

  “No, my dear, he hasn’t. He should contact us soon, however.” Jaden kept watch on Cullen and Kaitlynn out of the corner of his eye. Cullen moved towards his daughter, his voice soothing and mild. Crazy bitch, he thought, watching a slight movement of Shane’s hand. A shimmer of dark blue silk appeared in his hand and was swiftly thrust under the mattress. The hybrid’s eyes shut wearily, his task complete. For the moment.

  Jaden grinned, careful to hide his teeth. It was only a matter of time before both his and the hybrid’s plans could be set in motion.

  “You want to tell me what that was all about?”

  The quiet question didn’t surprise him. The calm acceptance did. He figured she deserved some answers, starting with who, and what, he was, and why he needed her with him.

  They were sitting in the barn, in the hayloft, staring up at the sky. He hadn’t wanted to go back into the house just yet, hadn’t wanted to face Moira’s accusations or his mother’s understanding. So he’d taken his kitten to the barn and up into the hayloft, his favorite spot, and
settled her down on the hay.

  He felt her patient gaze on him, but had no idea how to explain to her everything that was going on without revealing the family’s secrets. He didn’t know if she was ready for that. Unfortunately, he didn’t think he had a choice in the matter.

  “Just spit it out, Leo.”

  That faint hint of impatience pulled a reluctant grin from him. He settled back with a sigh, his eyes fixed on the sky out the barn doors. It was a beautiful day, the sky bright and blue, with what few clouds there were only adding to the overall picture. The Dunne lands were extremely fertile; his father’s magic saw to that. He could see him in the distance, working his lands, talking to some of the other people who helped to run the huge amount of acreage Sean owned.

  Leo didn’t often brag about his father, but the man had just as much talent for making money as he did for growing corn and potatoes. His parents chose to live in the house they did rather than something more elaborate, keeping a low profile and enjoying the benefit of having their neighbors feel free with them.

  “Leo. You’re stalling.”

  He sighed. “I’m not stalling, kitten. I’m trying to figure out how to explain the unexplainable.”

  He looked down into her face and felt his heart roll over. The patient sympathy in there, the warmth and trust he could see, nearly unmanned him. He resolved then and there to answer any question truthfully, even if it drove her from him.

  Not that he would let her get very far. “Where do you want me to start?”

  “Why haven’t you called the police?”

  Leo nodded, his eyes once more on the horizon. He didn’t even see it, being too busy trying to gather his thoughts. Time to come clean. “Two reasons. One, because there’s not a damn thing the police could do to help us, and two, it’s forbidden to involve them in affairs such as this.”

  She stared up at him, puzzled. “I…don’t understand.”

  She dropped her gaze down to their joined hands, feeling his tremble slightly in hers, and knew he was working up his courage to tell her something he was pretty sure she didn’t want to hear. “Leo?” She could hear the uncertainty in her own voice and winced. “What’s going on?” A horrible thought struck her, and she blurted it out without thinking. “Shane was kidnapped, right?”

  Leo grimaced, his expression rueful. He looked down at her, and something about his expression told her that this was about more than just his brother’s kidnapping. “Yes, Shane was kidnapped, and Moira’s right. It’s my fault. Partly.”

  “Why, because of your money? Did they think you’d pay a huge ransom or something?”

  Leo huffed out a laugh. “I wish. It would be a lot less complicated if it were that simple.”

  “Tell me why, Leo.”

  The forced way he blew out his breath let her know it would be bad. Very bad. “It has to do with a marriage contract.”

  “A what?” Confused, Ruby stared up at him.

  “A marriage contract. An arranged marriage was set up by my mother’s father, Armand Joloun, and a man named Cullen Malmayne. Both sides thought to benefit from a marriage of power between Cullen’s son and my mother, but my grandfather is the one who approached the Malmaynes. Which is part of why this whole thing is so screwed up.”

  “Your grandfather’s name sounds French, but your mom is Irish. Isn’t she?”

  “Half Irish. Moira’s named for our grandmother, and Mom was raised in Ireland with her.”

  Ruby thought about that, absorbing it, and let it go. It had no real relevance. “Okay, so your grandfather and this Malmayne dude wrote out a contract, swearing to wed their children to each other. I gather Aileen wasn’t so thrilled with the idea?”

  “Oh, at first she had no real objection. It isn’t all that unusual, and from what I understand Duncan Malmayne is a fairly attractive man, wealthy and powerful. But Mom met Dad, and that was pretty much the end of that.”

  “So, what, the Malmaynes sued for breach of contract?”

  Leo sighed. “Here’s where it gets tricky. Mom and Dad share a unique bond, something that should have nullified the contract, but apparently there was an escape clause written in by my grandfather. In the event that either Duncan or my mother was unable to fulfill the terms, it would devolve to the next generation of both families. In other words, any one of their children could make an arranged marriage.”

  “And they want Shane to fulfill this clause in the contract?”

  Leo looked at her, and Ruby felt her heart sink. “No. They want me.”

  They can’t have you! Ruby shivered with the force of that denial. “Why you?”

  Leo opened his mouth, but nothing came out at first. “I’m not quite certain how to explain this.” He rubbed his hand over the back of his neck nervously. The other hand picked up hers and clasped it warmly, his thumb moving in soothing strokes over the back of her fingers.

  “Open mouth, spit out words. C’mon, Leo, it can’t be that bad.”

  “There’s something you need to know first.” His eyes were glued to their joined hands.

  “Okay, what?”

  “I will never, ever, do anything to harm you. You mean more to me than you could possibly understand yet. And if I have my way you and the Malmaynes will never cross paths.” He clasped both of her hands in between his, his expression more serious than any she’d seen on his face yet. She could practically feel him willing her to believe in him. “Do you understand what I’m saying?”

  She shook her head. She was starting to get scared. “Leo, what is going on?”

  He took a deep breath, and her world exploded in light. She was forced to close her eyes against the blinding brilliance. When she opened them again, she was shocked speechless.

  The hay bales and farming equipment had disappeared. Instead she found herself inside a huge sapphire tent, the edges and “windows” detailed in delicate gold Arabic scrollwork. The floor was completely covered in brightly colored silk pillows of every hue imaginable. A small gold table had been set up against one wall. On it sat a carafe of wine and a plate of candied dates. Fragrant oil lamps hung from the three poles holding the tent up, sending the delicious scent of vanilla into the air.

  Wide-eyed she turned to look at what was behind her. It was only then that she realized that she could feel the soft caress of silk against her bare flesh. She looked down.

  “Holy crap!” The scanty harem costume, consisting of two barely-there red scarves over her breasts and long, sheer red skirt held at her waist by a gold belt, left absolutely nothing to the imagination.

  “Hmmm, I do like you in red, kitten.”

  She stared, her eyes wide as saucers, towards the front of the tent.

  There, in all his half-naked, white-garbed splendor, was Leo. His white pants were gathered at the ankles and waist with gold ties and his chest and feet were bare. Golden armbands encircled both of his biceps. His expression held a glimmer of amusement mixed with a healthy dose of lust.

  He entered the tent, moving with the grace of a panther. Any other man of Ruby’s acquaintance would have slipped and fallen on the silk pillows. Leo glided over them, his feet barely making an impression. Her nipples tightened in anticipation at his predatory expression. His gaze roved over her body with unmistakable possession.

  Ruby gulped and bit her lip. “Leo?”

  “Don’t be afraid, kitten. Remember, I’ll never, ever hurt you.”

  “What’s going on?”

  “Trust me.”

  “Toto, I’ve got a feeling we’re not in Nebraska anymore,” Ruby whispered.

  Leo stopped. His lips twitched. “You’re about to be ravished by a Seelie Sidhe lord and you’re misquoting The Wizard of Oz at me? I think I may be insulted.”

  Ruby blinked, her rampant sense of humor once again threatening to get her into trouble. “First off, a Sealy is a mattress—”

  “You’re welcome to lie on me anytime.”

  “Second, you are so not a she.”

&nb
sp; “Shtheee. It’s pronounced Shthee.”

  “Uh-huh. Lord? That I believe. Hell, you’re the absolute King of Bullshit.”

  Leo sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Somehow, this isn’t going quite the way I expected.”

  Ruby could practically feel the light bulb settling over her head. She sat up carefully. “Seelie Sidhe lord.”

  Leo eyed her warily and nodded.

  “You’re an elf?”

  Leo frowned. “Sidhe.”

  “Like Legolas?”

  “Ruby!”

  “Oh! Galadriel! Can you do the glowy pond thing, too?”

  Leo flopped down on the pillows next to her, his breath huffing out in an exasperated laugh. “No, Frodo, I can’t.”

  “Hey!” She sniffed. “I at least get to be Arwen. Hell, I’ll take Éowyn.” She waved a hand regally. “You can be Gimli.”

  She dissolved into helpless giggles. Leo rolled over and pulled her under him, one dark brow rising arrogantly. “Ruby, I really am a Seelie Sidhe lord.”

  She was laughing too hard to answer. He sighed, and pushed his hair back over his ears, allowing their delicately tapered points to show. “Ruby, I have no glamour on me now. Look at me. Really look at me.”

  He had to wait until her giggles died down, and that took a bit of time. They had a slightly hysterical twinge to them that even she could hear. Once they did, she really took a good, hard look at him.

  The differences were subtle. His ears were slightly tapered into delicate points. His eyes had an otherworldly glow to them that made them gleam brightly in the lamplight. His skin glittered with sparkles of gold, the effect when he moved erotic. The most exotic change, however, were his pupils. Human pupils were round. His pupils were oval. Not much of a change, and easily disguised, but obviously not human.

  Ruby caressed his ear with a wondering hand. Her fingertips gently brushed over the tapered points. He shuddered, his eyes closing in exquisite pain.

  “Do you know how long it’s been since someone’s done that for me?”