Hels's Gauntlet [Forbidden Legacy 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (12 page)

“Got it, but you can control me if you put your mind to it.” It wasn’t a question.

“Not yet. But if we don’t set some boundaries, eventually.” Helcyon inclined his head, conceding the point. “Close the door. I am doing the same. We must both focus on it. We do not want to sever the connection, not yet. But I give you my word…if you decide that you want it broken, I will allow it.” The concession cost him. He could diminish again without the Wizard’s faith and loyalty, but he’d rather have his friendship.

They had to take this one step at a time.

As one they inhaled, and Helcyon focused his will. The connection shimmered, shivering under the force as they both closed the doors. The white noise muted further and then faded until only the knowledge that Jacob lay beyond that door remained, but his thoughts were his own. He sent the order for Jacob to look at him again, but the Wizard remained inwardly focused, perhaps struggling with his door or studying the roots of the connection holding them together.

The coffeepot made the long, slow sucking noise indicating it finished its task, and Jacob’s eyes opened. He ignored Helcyon while he fixed a cup of coffee. “She feels okay to me. Nothing’s changed.” He added the last over his shoulder.

“She is fine.” With the breath of the thought, he could sense her sleeping. Her mind rested deeply away from him, but she was safe and secure in his bed, exhausted from the pleasure and the worry.

“You want a cup?”

The revolting request carried a hint of amusement, and Helcyon relaxed, the stiffness retreating from his muscles. Jacob remained willing to listen.
A good thing.
They had discovered once that anger between them hurt Cassandra and succeeded in driving her into the arms of a madman. From that moment forward, they agreed to keep their disagreements private in order to minimize the fallout she experienced.

So far so good.

He could only hope Jacob felt the same after they were finished with the conversation.

“No coffee for me. Thank you.”

Blowing the steam off the surface of his coffee, Jacob leaned back against the counter and focused his gaze on Helcyon. The weight of it settled squarely somewhere to the side of his left eye. Despite the guarded attitude, he appeared willing to listen.

“I really have no idea where to begin.” Confessing his lack of knowledge was one thing, but he almost always had the answers to the harder questions they asked. This was honestly not one he expected even after their discussions of the old ways, of returning to how it used to be.

“Wizards were once loyal to the Fae. Not necessarily son to father, but often as vassal to lord-protector.”

“Seriously, feudalism?” Jacob’s coffee cup hovered in midrise.

“It is a weak explanation, Jacob, but I don’t really have another way to describe it. Wizards were hardly serfs. They were more likely to be men-at-arms, advisors, shield brothers, and caretakers. The Fae oversaw great tracts of land. Only a handful truly commanded below the Danae. They were the Dukes and the Earls to the King or Queen. Everyone else fell in between. It was the job of a Lord to protect his vassals, whether they were Wizard, human, or Fae.”

He went about this poorly, and he knew it. But the days of ruling thousands of acres of land, of being responsible for every soul born on that property, of leading great armies against those who would invade or, worse, destroy were long past. The Fae were not always united, and most often their monarch could be bribed to look the other way while the Lords battled it out.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, he ignored the arrogant voice whispering that he need not explain a damn thing. As Cassandra was his, so was Jacob. They were both sworn to him. Their lives were his and his to protect.

But the time of blind obeisance was long past. The Lord who ruled his land with a fair, but iron fist had been humbled by five centuries of serving under the Danae’s heel.

“My title is Helcyon, Lord of Sun and Sword. Does that name have any meaning for you?”

“No, I skipped Ancient Fae Bullshit when Elijah trained me.”

A chuckle slipped out before he could contain it, and Helcyon shook his head at Jacob’s brand of irreverent rudeness. He didn’t care that Helcyon was an Elf, not anymore. He didn’t even seem to much mind that he was of the Fae. They’d moved past that. But his long-held animosity toward other aspects of the Fae was not so easily abated.

“‘Lords’ among the Fae are not a gifted title. They are earned. We take the power from the one who held it before. My gift was the spring and the summer, strongest always in the heat of my seasons, though my sword remained evergreen and powerful enough to deal with challenges in the winter. I drew a great many Wizards to my side, and they swore their fealty. I gave them gifts of land and asked only for their loyalty and defense of the people. It was a fair and equitable relationship, in some respects.”

“And in others?” Jacob sipped the coffee, his expression carefully neutral.

“And they made me stronger because they were loyal. Their magic fed mine. Replenished my reserves when they were low, and they were stronger than they would have been alone. But while they benefited from my strength, I benefitted from all of theirs.”

“My men.” He grasped the concept quickly and continued to drink the coffee with utter deliberateness. He controlled his reactions by focusing on that mundane task.

“I think so. I think it began that night at the lakeside. You turned away from Michael to help me. Later, we worked in concert, blending magic and—”

“And those two nights with Cassie.”

“Yes, I think the first one was useful, but after Michael nearly killed you, we found our footing with each other. We let go of the last of our disagreements. We forged our own alliance.”

“The world changed. It got sharper…clearer…son of a bitch.” Jacob exhaled a long hard breath and set the cup down. “I fucking swore an oath.”

“If it helps you feel any better, it took both of us to swear it. It wouldn’t have worked only one way.” Clearly, that thought didn’t help, but Helcyon didn’t regret the bond. He couldn’t.

“We can sever it.” But even without regret, he had to make the offer. Jacob was his family, his friend. He took the weight of his gaze away from the Wizard to look out over the land of sunshine and warmth encapsulated by their shields.

Sun and sword.

All the clues were there, everything he needed to know his ancient power reawakened. It explained so much. The Danae’s fierce determination to take Cassandra away from him. Kyrian’s betrayal and attempt on his life. Power shifts in the world affected the Fae, and Kyrian said it himself.

The Lords are waking.

Unfortunately for him, the Lord of Sun and Sword was awake now. His brother would answer for his crimes soon enough, but Helcyon wanted his house in order.

He needed it.

“What will it do to you if I want to cut it off?” Practical, pragmatic Jacob pushed past his irritations to focus on what he needed to know.

“I may diminish again. I will definitely lose some of the power that is waking, but not all. Cassandra’s faith in me is a powerful thing, and she roused the slumbering giant. Eventually, it would grow. We will make other alliances.” He would not force Jacob. “We managed well enough without it, and we can keep her safe without it.”

“And if I decide that it can stand? Am I on bended knee to you?”

“No.” Helcyon straightened from his slouch and shook his head. “Absolutely not. Jacob, no matter whether we keep the connection or we sever it, you are my friend. My brother. You are the Wizard our mate loves, and we are sworn to her. That trumps all else. I cannot promise you that you will not be affected, but if we work together, we can minimize any lingering ‘control’ issues.”

“And my men?”

“You will have to tell them. Based on Jude and Paul’s reactions, their oaths to you are translating to me through our oaths.”

The Wizard frowned and pushed away from the counter. “Vanagan started to swear in blood to me yesterday.”

“Why?” Vanagan was far older than Jacob, with his own motivations and goals. It didn’t make sense.

“That’s not really important. At least not at the moment, but when he cut his hand and began the oath, Cassie suddenly knew you were in danger. I knew it, too. It rippled through the room…”

“Vanagan completed the circuit. He is blood of my blood. Jude is blood of my blood and…”

“And Cassie’s carrying your child. Guess that means all roads lead back to you, your lordship.” A reluctant smile pulled at the corners of his mouth.

“It was not my intention.”

“No, but you’re not sorry, either.”

Helcyon shrugged. It would be a lie to say otherwise. He was stronger and more powerful. The Danae could exert her influence over him as a member of her guard, loyal or not. The Lords were different, held different power.

He was more a threat to her than ever.

“It is your choice, Jacob, I will not take it from you.”

“I’m not bowing or kissing your ass.”

“I do not expect you to.” A glimmer of hope reached for the sun in Helcyon’s chest.

“It’s up to the others what they want to do. If they break ties with us both and walk away, they’re clean. They go.
Even
Jude.” Jacob’s tone brooked no argument.

Jude was his blood, the son of Kyrian, and they were both shielding him from that knowledge. Or they had, so far. “Agreed. But Jude needs to know the truth now. Because I know what Kyrian is doing and has been all these years.”

“He’s trying to gather enough power to be a lord.” Jacob tapped his forehead. “I’m already there. That attempt on you…he wanted Sun and Sword.”

Helcyon inclined his head. “He said as much, if I had not been caught up or distracted…it matters little why I missed it. After the Danae’s threats, I should have known she sensed it as well. It’s why she wants Cassandra taken from us, by force if necessary.”

“Seriously, she’s a bitch.”

“Agreed, but Kyrian is twisting power. He’s garnered forces loyal to him, and we know he’s used Vanagan and may yet still…”

“No.” Jacob shook his head as the morning sun stretched from the sky to flood the kitchen with its light. “Whatever your brother’s plan is, Vanagan allied with us during that battle. I’ve been able to sense him, and he’s not lying. He wants to protect Cassie. He wants to protect your baby because that baby is his blood. I don’t think he has any idea, and if he does, I’m damn certain he chose our side.”

Relief eased the knots in Helcyon’s shoulders. “Our side. You will stay bound?”

“Yeah, what the hell. In for a penny, in for a pound. At least this way I might know what the hell you’re thinking before you do.” Jacob’s smile remained tight, but they were agreed. It would take time to find the right balance, but that could be managed.

“But Jude must know.”

“Yeah.”

“Jude needs to know what?” Jude stood in the doorway, his normally open and exuberant expression guarded.

“Hey, have a seat.” Jacob straightened and nodded toward the table. “We have some information to share with you.”

The younger Wizard cocked his head to the side, eyes narrowed. He shifted his attention back and forth between Jacob and Helcyon. Fortunately, the Elf held his tongue. Granted, he was the diplomat and his gift with words helped more than it hindered. This news, however, needed to come from Jacob.

He’d been the one to order it a secret when he found out. He owed Jude an explanation.

“This isn’t the ‘Jude, I am your father’ speech is it?” Instead of sitting, Jude folded his arms across his chest. “That didn’t end well for Luke, at least not initially.”

Jacob sighed. Jude watched way too many movies. Scratching at his jaw, he searched for the right way to say it. The mental knock arrived right on cue, not unexpected, but not entirely welcome either. He cracked the mental doorway.

Just tell him the truth, Jacob. He’s a good man and a stronger one than we give him credit for.
The unvarnished thought eased his conscience, but only fractionally.

“Wow. Okay this must be bad.” Jude’s irreverent tone sobered, his guarded expression grew more shuttered.

“It’s not as bad as all that.” Warmth and sunshine flooded the cold places in his soul at Cassie’s voice. So intent on keeping Helcyon out of his head, he missed when she woke. But she’d come down to find them. Dressed and freshly showered, her gold eyes glowed as they met his along with her smile. Instead of coming on into the kitchen, however, she put a hand on Jude’s arm.

“Come, sit down. I am supposed to eat or Paul will scold me. We can talk better in here.”
Was there ever a more beautiful woman in the world?
She wore one of his T-shirts. She’d stolen more than a few from his closet. The FBI logo looked downright provocative against her swollen and pregnant form.

Jude let her push him to the table, but he pulled out a chair for her. Helcyon leaned back against the counter, and Jacob mirrored his posture. Cassie understood politics and tact far better than the two of them put together.

Her genuine affection for Jude would help. Helcyon’s wordless pulse of agreement left him grappling with annoyance and confidence. That was so going to take some getting used to, but he pushed aside his troubled feelings.