Siren's Song: The Gray Court, Book 5 (7 page)

There were good reasons why he couldn’t even begin to think about how soft her hair would be if he ran his fingers through it, or the way her full lips might feel against his.

No. He’d been burned before by this kind of feeling, allowed himself to trust a woman who’d ultimately turned on him. There was no use in dwelling on what it would be like to make love to Cassie, to watch her writhing under him as he took her. He didn’t want to imagine her above him, rising and falling, her astonishing eyes closed in ecstasy.

He groaned as he began soaping his body, and tried desperately to remember why being attracted to Cassie was a bad idea.

Unfortunately, his only real memories of his past bondmate were fond ones. He knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Titannia had betrayed him somehow, but the memory of it was still missing, along with everything else.

The Black Queen. How had his loving mate gone from a laughing woman with flowers in her hair to the evil being feared by so many? What had caused the rift between them that drove her to accept a demon into her heart?

Oberon froze as memories washed over him.

Hazel eyes, but instead of joy and laughter, they were full of anger and hatred and jealousy. Those light brown curls were a tangled mess, the once rosy cheeks stained with tears of rage. Sharp white fangs filled her once sweet mouth as she spewed her loathing at him.

He almost collapsed as the memory overwhelmed him. Had she ever loved him? Had she bonded to him only because of the truebond, or had the affection been real, only to be corrupted by forces outside her control?

Oberon wasn’t sure. The memory was vague, barely there, yet undeniable. His bondmate had turned on him because of the power he wielded. Poison filled her ears, turning her against him.

Or had that jealousy always been present? He wished he could remember more, but he feared what the return of his past would show him.

Please, don’t let me have been the one who drove her to that.

He scrubbed himself clean, rinsing off and turning off the water. He needed to get the rest of his memories back. If anything in them could harm Cassie, he needed to know. If the same demon went after her, whispered poisoned lies in her ear, would she be able to resist? Or would she fall to the same jealousies that had hounded Titannia, taking a sweet woman and turning her into a nightmare?

Part of him believed Cassie would never turn. The gift she had would allow her to avoid the traps, see the disharmonies for what they were.

Part of him still believed anyone could be turned under the right circumstances.

He dried off, grimacing as he dressed once more in his dirty suit. Maybe he should have taken Ruby up on her offer of some clothing, but the thought of wearing anything other than gray or silver seemed oddly wrong. He shuddered at the idea of putting on blue jeans. It just wasn’t him.

He untangled his hair using the comb that Aileen had lent him before heading into the bedroom he’d been assigned. He stared out the window, unable to rest.

Everything hinged on getting his memories back. Saving Cassie, avoiding the fate Shane had shown him, getting his throne back…all of it. He was the only one who could keep it from happening. And he had to trust in Cassie in order to do it.

He sighed, staring across the gravel and dirt drive to the building that housed Shane’s workshop and the sculptures. If he didn’t allow himself to trust her, if he gave in to the coldness the thought of Titannia invoked, then they would both be doomed.

A knock on the door startled him. “Sire?”

“Come.”

He turned and faced the door, smiling slightly when Jaden walked through. “Dinner will be ready shortly.”

“Excellent.” His stomach rumbled, and he wondered when his last meal had been.

Probably the one that poisoned you and messed with your head.
He grimaced, his appetite waning.

“Can I speak freely?” Jaden settled uninvited on the end of Oberon’s bed.

“Of course.” Oberon clasped his hands behind his back, ready to listen to what the vampire had to say. Something about Jaden was familiar. A gleam in his eye, the flash of green that broke up the dark brown, or perhaps the way he sat, Oberon wasn’t sure. But he found himself relaxing in the man’s presence in a way he hadn’t with any of the other members of this odd family.

“I think I know why Shane doesn’t want you in Robin’s hands.” Jaden shivered. “I hate not telling him where you are, I
really
do. But…”

“But?”

Jaden looked toward the door. When he spoke, his voice was much quieter. “I think it has to do with your memory loss. If Robin knows where you are, he’ll be forced by the gods’ laws to put you back on the throne of the High King.”

“Where I’ll be vulnerable to whoever poisoned me.”

“Exactly. Right now, you know you can trust Robin and us, but who else had access to you? Who could have gotten close enough to do this to you? We might not figure it out until it’s too late if you’re back in the Gray Palace. But if you’re with Cassie, we’re free to investigate who the traitor might be, knowing you’re safe with her.” Jaden glanced toward the door once more. “What I
can
do, if you so order, is inform Robin and the rest of the Blades that you’ve been seen, but not where you
are
. I can make sure he’s aware that you’re in safe, trusted hands and that you’ll be returning as soon as possible.”

“Do it.”

“Yes, sire.” The relief on Jaden’s face was telling. The man
really
didn’t like hiding things from Robin Goodfellow. “I’ll send him the message as soon as you’re gone.”

“Will it be secure? For all we know, it could have been a Blade who did this to me.”

“The only person other than Robin who even stands a chance of seeing it is Big Red, and he’s completely loyal to Robin. Rumor has it Robin saved Red from some horrible fate when he was just a kid, and Red swore his allegiance to Robin as soon as he became an adult. He’s been working as the Blade’s tech man and hacker supreme ever since. If anyone can get into Robin’s email, it will be him.”

“And the rest of the Blades? Can I trust them?”

“I would have said yes a week ago. Now?” Jaden sighed. “Trust me. Trust Akane. Trust Robin and Red, hell, trust Raven. Anyone else claiming to be a Blade?” Jaden’s eyes flashed brilliant green. “Run.”

Chapter Six

“We need to pick you up some clothes and toiletries.” Cassie pulled into the shopping mall’s parking lot and began searching for a spot that wasn’t three stores down from the big-box store. God, this place was insane. It was like all the other drivers were playing bumper cars while all she wanted to do was park. “Maybe a piece of luggage to put it in. If we’re going to be travelling together longer than it takes to get where we’re going, you’ll need some things.” She managed to find a spot not too far away, but they would still be in the open longer than she was comfortable with.

“How long do you think it will take to get my memories back?” They got out of the car, watching carefully for any signs that they’d been followed. Cassie was so used to checking for any of her parent’s soldiers that it had become second nature to her in the year since she ran away from home.

“I’m not sure. I’m hoping no more than a week.” The spell hadn’t had time to take a true hold of him. The disharmonies hadn’t blended in with his song yet. If they acted quickly, the damage should be minimal. She entered the store and quickly grabbed a cart. “Let’s get this done so we can go.”

“Agreed.” He was looking around the store, his expression puzzled. “Where do we start?”

“You’ve never been in here before?” She’d become well acquainted with it recently. She did odd jobs for fae, healing here and there for money. She didn’t dare access her funds from her family lest they figure out where she was.

“I don’t believe I have.” He seemed fascinated, touching the bags of Oreos on display and smiling at a young girl begging her mother for some candy.

“Don’t do your own underwear shopping, huh?” She smiled at him as his brows rose.

“Next you’ll be asking me about boxers or briefs.” He walked beside her, his hands clasped behind him, his stride loose. Women turned to stare at him as he went by, his long hair bound in a braid that hung nearly to his waist. His suit was wrinkled, his shoes scuffed, but both were still obviously top quality. Even with his human Seeming he held an otherworldly beauty that drew the eye.

“I will, as soon as we hit that aisle.” The faint smile he gave her was worth the blush she felt creeping into her cheeks. She’d soon know very well what Oberon had on under his slacks, and that fact had her biting back a groan.

“Hmm.” They hit the shampoo aisle first. It was fascinating, watching him open the bottles and sniff the contents. Some got a wrinkled nose, some he simply put back on the shelf. When he made his selection he placed it in the cart. He did the same thing with deodorant and body wash, placing his selections in the cart one by one. The scents he picked were masculine but mild and wouldn’t overwhelm the senses.

Cassie added a few things of her own to the basket before taking him to the clothing aisles. “Let’s get you some clean clothes and a jacket.” The weather was still nasty for spring, one moment sunny and cool, the next snowy and windy and blech. She’d have to check the sales racks for a jacket that would be warm enough for him.

“Some shoes as well.” He stared mournfully at his feet.

“We might have some walking to do at some point. We should probably get you sneakers.”

He shuddered dramatically.

Cassie laughed. “You looked just like Robin for a moment. You couldn’t force sneakers on his feet.”

That slight smile crossed his face again. “Robin does enjoy his clothes.” He stopped dead. “How do I know that?”

Cassie grinned, pleased. “Your harmonies are realigning on their own. It’s a good sign.”

He took a deep breath, and only then did she realize how tense he’d been. His whole body seemed to relax, his features easing, the tightness around his eyes disappearing. “That is excellent news.”

“Almost as good as this twenty percent off sale.” She picked up a pair of jeans and held them out. “What do you think?”

He tilted his head. “Do they have anything in gray?”

“It wouldn’t kill you to wear colors, you know. You’d look stunning in blue.”

He took the jeans from her hands and put them back on the rack. He walked over to the next rack and picked up a pair of skinny gray pants. “These will do.”

“Check the size, make sure they’re correct.”

He checked, surprising her, before putting them in the basket, along with four identical pairs. “Shirts, shirts… Ah.” She followed him toward, of course, gray shirts. He grabbed a couple of long sleeved T-shirts, a button down and a polo shirt. He even found gray sleep pants, turning down the black Batman ones she held up.

She shook her head as she led the way to men’s underwear. “I don’t think they sell gray underwear here.”

He actually smirked at her as he put the gray boxer briefs and gray socks in the cart.

“Hmph.” She pushed the cart toward shoes, trying her best to ignore his quiet laughter.

He picked up a pair of dark gray oxfords and gray canvas slip-ons before declaring himself satisfied. Cassie pushed the cart to the groceries, picking up a few snacks and drinks for the drive to the coast. “Anything you want?” She held up a finger. “And I don’t want to even think about gray food.”

“I think you’re making fun of me.” He picked up a packet of peanuts.

“I think you might be right.” She took the peanuts and put them back, grabbing the trail mix with the chocolate in it instead. “Take this one, it’s better.”

“How so?”

She blinked at him, confused. “It has chocolate in it.”

“And?”

“Heathen.” She put it in the cart, swatting his hand when he tried to remove it.

“Maybe I don’t like chocolate.” He snagged some yogurt-covered raisins, his expression daring her to take them away from him.

“Maybe you do.”

“And I’ve just forgotten?” He stared at the raisins before carefully putting them in the cart. “You’re right. I might like it.”

She sighed. “I didn’t mean to—”

“I know.” He tugged the hairband off her head, causing her bangs to fall in her eyes. “Keep it off. I like your hair better this way.”

She blew her bangs out of her face as he grabbed some bottled water. “You are a very strange man.”

He glanced over at her, his expression somber. “Am I?”

He turned again to walk away, and Cassie couldn’t resist. “I will save you.”

Oberon stopped. “With luck, we’ll save each other.”

She couldn’t stop the wide smile that crossed her face in that moment. Maybe, just maybe, he was finally beginning to trust her a little.

Cassie could only pray that was right, or their truebond didn’t stand a chance of ever forming.

“You want me to go where?” Raven slid behind the wheel of his car and wondered if his father had lost his damn mind.

“Nebraska.”

Nebraska. “Why?”

Robin laughed, the sound full of wicked delight. “Don’t whine, child. You may find Nebraska suits you far more than you expected. I know I did.”

Raven sighed. “Fine. What’s in Nebraska other than cow shit and soybeans?”

“The High King.”

Raven sat back, his car keys in his hand. “And how the hell do you know that?” Raven had barely begun his investigation. There was no way Robin, still at the Gray Palace, could have found Oberon so quickly. Not even the Hob was
that
good.

Or maybe he was. Who knew what the Hob was capable of?

“I got an anonymous email from one of my Blades who forgot his lord has a pet gremlin.” Robin’s tone had gone silky smooth, almost lethal. Gremlins were fae who could manipulate machines, and the one Robin spoke of was their leader, Big Red. “Head to the Dunne farm. I’ll send you the address to plug into your GPS. Ask Jaden Blackthorn why he didn’t send the High King directly home, if you please.”

Blackthorn? And here Raven had thought the vampire completely loyal to the Hob. He’d certainly seemed close to Robin when they’d met in Philadelphia. “Yes, sir.”

“Don’t hurt him.” Robin’s tone changed, relaxed. “He’s done this sort of thing before in order to protect someone else. If my suspicions are correct, he’s working under either Oberon’s orders or the direction of a seer named Shane Joloun Dunne. If that’s so, discover exactly what they think they’re doing.”

“Do I go in the front door? Blackthorn and I don’t exactly get along.” Raven started the car, eager to get on the road now that he had a direction.

“Yes. Don’t bother hiding from them. The Dunnes can be trusted. And Jaden is…family.”

It was true, then, what Raven had seen in Blackthorn’s eyes when he’d sworn himself to the Gray. “So you have children the Black Queen doesn’t know about?” Raven whistled. “That’s going to piss her off.”

“He is mine, my blood, but not in the way you are. It’s complicated.”

“It still makes him a target.” Anyone with the Hob’s blood was desirable as far as the Black Queen was concerned. A vampire with Robin’s power flowing in his veins would be damn near irresistible.

“It’s known he’s mine. And he would not be easily swayed by Black Court blandishments. You will find that Jaden Blackthorn is surprisingly strong despite the fact that he has barely breached his first century.”

“Hmm.” The pride in Robin’s voice when he spoke of the vampire had Raven almost snarling with jealousy. He’d just gotten his father in his life, and now he found himself sharing the man’s affections with someone who wasn’t even a sibling.

Robin laughed again. “Ease your heart, my son, and go to the Dunne farm. Trust me.”

“I already do, or I wouldn’t have come to the Gray.” Raven hung up the phone and punched in the address.

He was going to Nebraska.

Lovely.

“You were right. I do like chocolate.” Oberon munched on the trail mix, ignoring the way Cassie tried to snatch some from the container for herself.

The urge to give her some—hell, to give her whatever she wished—was so strong he had to fight to keep the trail mix in his lap.

“You are so greedy.” She laughed, the music of it sliding through him.

“I am.” Greedy for more of that laughter, of those smiles. He would do almost anything to bring them out. And that urge frightened him almost as much as his lack of memory.

She blew her hair out of her eyes again. “Have some yucky yogurt raisins instead.”

He bit back a smile. “But I’m enjoying the trail mix.” To prove it, he took a big handful and poured it into his mouth.

She reached into the container just as he did, their hands tangling together. The car swerved as she jerked her hand free. “Sorry.”

Even in the dimming light he could see the dark red blush staining her cheeks. “Don’t be.” Perhaps this attraction he felt wasn’t one-sided. He still wasn’t sure if he wanted to act on it or not, but the fact that it might not be just him who was wanting was tantalizing.

She cleared her throat. “Have you remembered anything else?”

“Not a great deal.” He wasn’t about to inform Cassie that he was certain now it was a demon who’d taken Titannia away from him. Not yet, anyway. Not until he was certain he could trust her a hundred percent.

No matter what Shane and Jaden told him, Oberon trusted no one. Not until they had proven themselves to Oberon’s satisfaction and no one else’s.

“When we stop for the night I’m going to try and heal you some more.” She bit her lip. “I think that’s one of the reasons Shane wants us near water. My powers will be stronger the closer we are to the ocean.”

“So if we were to actually go into the ocean you might be able to bring all my memories back?”

“Maybe.” Her tone was bland, but her reluctance was obvious. For some reason, the mermaid did not want to go swimming.

“Cassie.” The danger to her obviously came from the sea, mermen who would turn on her. Was she a wanted criminal? Or was something else going on? “I can’t help you if I don’t know what’s going on.”

The sideways glance she shot him was full of irony. “Funny, that should be my line.”

At this rate neither of them would survive this. “I’m trusting you with my life, Cassie. I’m asking you to give me something in return.”

“You have no idea what you’re asking for.” Cassie pulled off the highway. It seemed they were stopping for the night earlier than planned. “Besides, once your memories return, you’ll know it all anyway.” Her face fell. “And then I’ll have to leave.”

No.

Everything in him screamed in denial at the thought of never seeing Cassie again. Already her presence was becoming essential to him. The idea that she could be out there, hurt, hunted, unable to make her way back to him…

He took a deep breath, trying to control the rage filling him as dark clouds raced across the sky. Whatever was after her would not take her from him.

Nothing would.

First he needed to determine what the threat was. And if she wasn’t willing to tell him on her own, he’d work even harder on getting his memories back.

She pulled into a motel with a sigh. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” Even he could hear how cool his tone had become.

She put her hand on his knee. “I don’t think you understand. Until your memories are returned and your harmonies realigned, you’re highly suggestible.”

“Meaning?” A chill ran down his spine.

“If those men had captured you, you would have believed most of what they told you, if not all. The only reason you’ve begun to remember your true self at all is because—”

“You sang to me.” He had no doubts that Cassie had saved him from a fate worse than any he’d faced before. The black glass sculpture and the men they’d fought off proved that.

Those men had known to look for him on that road. He was beginning to wonder if he’d truly gotten out of the Gray Palace on his own, or if he’d been sent out. Another thread of memory he would have to pursue when Cassie sang to him again.

She nodded. “I don’t want to influence you in any way. You need to be
you
again, not what I, or anyone else, thinks you should be. If I tell you too much, I’m afraid I might alter those harmonies. I want you to be
Oberon
, not my version of Oberon.”

He relaxed, some of his coolness warming at her reasoning. He could hardly fault it. “Then why did you bring me to Shane?”

She pulled her hand off his leg. “Shane sees things others don’t. His powers are…unique, and he told me the only way to truly save you was to bring you to him. I don’t know what he showed you, other than the one statue.”