The Hob (The Gray Court 4) (17 page)

“Interesting how?” This was bad. If Oberon knew about Michaela, he could order Robin to bring her here.

Wait a moment. That was actually a
good
idea. If Oberon was aware that Michaela was Robin’s truebond, he would protect her with his life.

“I know that the girl you had hidden in your library was the missing siren, Princess Cassandra Nerice.”

“Oh?” This was not good. Why did Shane have to give away his secret? Shane was the one who’d sent Cassie to Robin in the first place. He should have known, better than anyone, that Cassie wished her presence to remain quiet.

“
Hobgoblin.
”

Merde.
“Yes, my king?”

“‘Heart and soul return to thee when Oberon goes into the sea.’”

Robin tilted his head. “What does that mean?” He had a bad feeling about this.

Oberon leaned forward, and Robin shivered at the expression on the High King’s face. “It means that, according to the Seer, the woman I must mate in order to save the Gray Court was in your home.”

Oh, hell. “Was?” Had Cassie left without notifying him? If so, why?

“Shane told her to go. Why, I have no idea. He refused to explain it to me.”

That sounded like Shane. “If Shane told her to go, he had a very good reason for it.”

“You trust him, then.”

“I do.” Strangely enough, Robin did. The entire family was home to him. He missed them far more than he’d thought possible. He wanted to take Michaela to meet them, almost as much as he wanted Oberon to approve of her. Ruby was going to love her. Moira, Jaden and Duncan already did. And Aileen would mother her just as she did Akane and Ruby.

Oberon reluctantly nodded his head and straightened up. “So be it, then.”

“Just one thing, my king. If Shane tells you to do something or go somewhere, go.” If Oberon ignored Shane’s directive, the ending he was striving to avoid would come to pass, of that Robin had no doubt.

Oberon nodded again. “I will.”

“Is that all, my liege?”

Oberon frowned. “No.” He sighed and pushed his hair out of his face, the silver strands settling behind him, neat as a pin. The day Robin saw Oberon mussed and uncaring about it was the day the world as he knew it came to an end. “Shane saw something else as well.”

“What?” He didn’t like Oberon’s tone. He’d gone formal and cold, something he rarely was when speaking with Robin. He caught Kael shivering out of the corner of his eye and realized the pooka was reacting to his king.

Oberon’s eyes paled to almost white. “Jaden will not be enough to protect your mate.”

Robin’s claws and fangs descended. His eyes glowed. “Then I will protect her myself.”

Oberon sighed. “Hobgoblin—”

Robin refused to hear more. He’d left his bondmate, his
truebond
, behind to bring Kael here, and while he did not regret his actions, he needed to get back. If Jaden was not enough, then let the world face the Hob.

He was ready for it.

He grabbed Kael and, in a swirl of darkness, left the High King’s home.

“So? Still don’t want to go to a fairy convention?”

Oberon sighed again and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I hate you so much.”

“Aw, shucks.” Shane Dunne stepped into the room with a grin. “And I was going to ask Ma to adopt you.”

Oberon shuddered, and Shane laughed. Oberon found himself reluctantly returning the hybrid’s smile. “Where is Akane?”

“Cleaning out your fridge.”

“You realize this is the Gray Palace?” The odds of Akane eating the contents of his kitchen were miniscule.

Shane’s brows rose. “She’s a pregnant dragon.”

Oberon blinked. “I’d better order takeout.”

“You’d better head to Philadelphia.” The grin fell off Shane’s face. “Trust me, you
need
to be there.”

Oberon nodded. “Robin warned me to follow your directions.”

Shane winced. “Believe me, the consequences of ignoring my visions are worse than what happens if you obey them.”

“How bad will following them be?”

Shane grimaced. “Bad.”

Wonderful.

Chapter Fourteen

“Where to next?”

Michaela consulted the brochure. “Flower arranging?”

Moira snored.

“How to tell the magical properties of gemstones?”

Moira snored again.

“Fine.” Michaela sniffed and turned the page. “Oh, how about a discussion on the fae in
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
?”

Moira gagged.

“Hey, I like Puck in that.”

Moira giggled. “I bet he’d
love
to hear that.”

“Huh?” Michaela frowned at Moira, who’d gone pale. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine.” Moira’s wan smile didn’t fool Michaela for an instant.

“Are you sure? We could skip—”

“And what trouble are you two plotting, hmm?” The deep, purring voice of her fantasy man vibrated through Michaela, making her wish she could rub against him like a tabby cat.

Michaela turned to find the stunning redhead calling himself Robin Goodfellow standing just behind her, a wicked grin on his arresting face. She felt a blush stain her cheeks. “Hi.”

Robin bowed and took her hand. “Michaela.” He lifted his hand to her lips and kissed the tips of her fingers, his gaze never once leaving hers. “Always a pleasure.”

The way he purred that last had her shivering with want. She swallowed, hoping to get some moisture into her suddenly dry mouth. “You too.” Gah. She sounded like Minnie Mouse on helium. She cleared her throat and hoped the dogs in the neighborhood would forgive her someday for that assault on their ears, because she was pretty sure nothing human had heard her. “Ah, we were just discussing which workshop to sit in on.”

There. That sounded totally normal.

“Well, then.” Robin took her hand and placed it on his arm. “Why not consider—”

“Michaela. Fancy meeting you here. And in such…interesting company.” Raven swept her a bow and took hold of her free hand. “Would you like to accompany me to an artist’s panel?”

Michaela bit her lip. The chance to sit in on one of those was intriguing. She glanced at Moira to get her reaction. After all, she’d promised to spend the day with her.

Moira looked ready to pass out. She was so pale Michaela was ready to check her blood pressure. “What about
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
?”

“What about it?” Raven shot Moira a glare before turning a charming smile on Michaela. “I could draw whatever character you wish for you.”

She grinned. She knew just what character she’d love to hang on her apartment walls. “Can you draw Robin Goodfellow?”

Robin threw his head back and laughed. “Yes, MacSweeney, why don’t you run off and draw Robin Goodfellow. In the meantime, I will escort Michaela and Moira to the talk on
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
.”

“Do you want me to show her the true face of the Hob?” Raven’s voice was so full of soft menace Michaela was stunned. “Do you think she will still want you after the truth is revealed?”

What the hell were they talking about? The true face of the Hob? Who on earth was the Hob? The man beside her, calling himself Robin Goodfellow? And why was that supposed to frighten her off?

Something hinky was going on.

Robin’s glare should have worried Michaela. The way his eyes went from brilliant blue to a startling green was even scarier, but she wasn’t afraid the way she should have been.

Robin, like Ringo, would never harm her.

Robin tugged Michaela close and placed his arm around her shoulders. The warm scent of his skin filled her senses.
God, he even smells the same.
“Michaela is already mine.”

“Then say you are mine.”

The words her dream Robin had spoken came back to her. He’d used that same tone of voice then as well. He’d had no doubt what her answer would be, and had demanded it as his due.

Michaela blinked. She was acting as if everything in that dream had been real, but that was impossible. Right? She stared up at Robin, her heart pounding.

He looked
exactly
like her Robin. Right down to the teeny tiny beauty mark on his chin.

Right?

Moira grimaced, her gaze darting between the three of them. “Um. Aren’t we meeting Ringo for lunch right after the next workshop?”

Ringo. Aw, crap. What the hell was she thinking? None of it was possible. Her Robin was just a dream. He couldn’t be real.

Could he?

Michaela tried to tug herself free of Robin’s grasp, but his grip firmed. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, sending more delightful shivers down her spine. “It will be all right, Michaela. Ringo will not object to you being with me.”

She nearly choked on her own drool at a sudden vision of how she wanted to
be
with him. Oh boy, did she want to
be
with him.

“What a delightful imagination you have, my dear.” Robin’s breath tickled her ear and she shuddered. “We’ll have to explore that later.”

She was in such deep doo-doo. She looked up at Robin and smiled weakly. “I think Moira and I need to go.” She needed to get her head examined. Why was she so attracted to two men? Why couldn’t she be like normal people, and have one guy, one love?

Then she looked at Moira and wondered if maybe she was more like her newfound friend than she thought. The idea of being the meat in a Robin-Ringo sandwich was incredibly seductive. But then she thought about how high-maintenance such a relationship would be. Two guys to cook for, to clean for. To do laundry for. Two guys to argue over the remote with, to hog all the computer time, to pick up socks for.

Two guys who would make her every sexual desire come true. And hey, they could do the kitty litter, if she ever broke down and finally got a cat.

Ugh. Yup. It was time to find a nice, quiet loony bin and stare at some pretty white walls for a while.

“Then I will speak with you soon.” And before she could react Robin swooped down, cradled her in his arms, and claimed her mouth, kissing her with a raw passion that turned her insides to jelly.

He tastes just like he did in the dream. Just…maple syrupy too.

She soon forgot about the sweet taste in Robin’s mouth as the kiss stole her breath, her wits and her knees. She damn near collapsed, only held up by Robin’s strong arm around her waist.

I’d better pack my bikini, ’cause I’m going to hell
. Michaela returned Robin’s kiss with fervor, burying her hands in his rich, fiery hair. It had a different texture from Ringo’s, throwing her off, but his kiss…

Dear God, they kiss the same.
Robin’s kiss was nearly identical to Ringo’s. So what the hell did that mean? Unless…

Nah. No way was Robin Goodfellow real. Things like that just didn’t happen to a boring nurse from Philadelphia. No way, no how.

Robin broke the kiss and stroked her cheek, his expression full of the same longing she’d seen on Ringo’s face not two hours before.

But oh, how she wished they did.

Robin watched Michaela and Moira head off, Michaela’s steps wobbly and uncertain, Jaden barely visible in their wake. The vampire’s powers were growing fast if he could pull such a trick off. Perhaps that was why fate had seen fit to give him two mates. Jaden would need to feed more than other vampires if he used his powers so often.

Raven was glaring at him, but Robin did not care. He’d staked his claim before the Fear Dearc, and now there was but one more thing more to take care of. “On the roof. Now.”

Robin stepped into a doorway and disappeared, reappearing on the roof of the hotel.

The Raven Lord appeared soon after. He placed his hands on his hips, but he eyed Robin warily.

Good. The boy should fear him. He’d seen the way Raven tensed when he’d taken Michaela’s mouth in front of him, how he’d held back a growl when Michaela, stunned, her lips swollen and her cheeks flushed, had stumbled in Moira’s wake.

“Now what?”

Robin examined his nails. “Now you leave Michaela alone.”

Raven snorted, amused. “No.”

Robin glared at him through his lashes, allowing his eyes to glow so brightly they rivaled the noonday sun. “Yes.” If Raven were the threat to his truebond, he would soon be a threat no more.
 

Something flashed through Raven’s eyes, something startlingly familiar. He’d seen something similar recently, that flash of green that marked the children of the Hob. Raven’s eyes had looked eerily similar to Jaden’s. Robin tilted his head, studying Raven.

Now that he allowed himself to look at him, Raven had Robin’s look about him. He, too, was slender, as was the Hob. His blue eyes were a close match to his, as well. His black nails tapped impatiently against his black leather belt, but his hair blew around him
against
the breeze.

The boy had sylph blood in him, then. That would explain his connection to ravens. Robin himself had a way with the creatures of the earth. Earth sprites were by turns drawn to him and terrified of him, something that had served him well. Even Moira, who cared for him, was wary of him.