The Hob (The Gray Court 4) (25 page)

“Stop trying to scare me, asshole.”

He snarled. “You think McNeil gives you even two seconds to be scared? He’ll eviscerate you and feed on your entrails.” Raven began to stalk forward, but Michaela stood her ground. “He’ll strip the skin from your bones. He will make you suffer, if only because it will hurt Robin and me. There will be
nothing
you can do about it, because you’re frail.”

“I am
not
frail.”

“You are mortal. To us, you are like an easily broken pane of glass.” He cupped her cheek. “It would kill me if something happened to you.”

She took a deep breath. “I’m with Robin.”

He closed his eyes, the pain in his expression gone almost before it appeared. “I know.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “But it would still kill me.”

She debated whether or not to tell him about Shane Dunne’s warning, but before she could decide warm arms wrapped around her from behind. “What would kill you, hmm?”

Raven stepped back as Robin staked his claim on Michaela. “You should have been guarding her more closely. Do you know what she was doing? What the consequences could be?”

Robin nodded. “Yes, and I voiced my objections. However, she’s knocked hours, if not days, off of my gremlin’s research time.”

Raven grunted. “Your initial purpose in being here was to save Prince Evan. Why not concentrate on that?”

“We both know
she
is up to something more than the kidnapping of a White Court prince, Raven.”

“Who is
she?
”

Raven looked uncomfortable. “No one you will ever meet, if I have my say.” His gaze returned to Robin, his expression resolute. “She is, but I’m not sure what.” He glared at the arm around Michaela’s waist. “McNeil is here for some reason unknown to me. It’s possible it has to do with
her
orders, or it could be something else entirely. Either way, you should take Michaela to safety.”

“An excellent idea.”

Michaela found herself once more wrapped up in dark smoke. Only this time they landed in Kael’s living room.

Kael jumped with a startled shout, clutching his chest when he realized who was there. “Damn it, Robin. You almost gave me a heart attack.”

Robin laughed. “I think you will live.”

Kael stood and bowed extravagantly to Michaela, much to her amusement. “Nice to see you again, Lady Goodfellow.”

She snickered. “It’s the lavender Hello Kitty scrubs, isn’t it?”

Kael’s eyes twinkled. “What can I say? They’re very lady-like.” He flopped back down on the sofa with a grin.

“Wait. How did you know Robin and I had…?” She looked up at Robin. “What did you call it again?”

“Bonded, my dear. You are my truebond.”

She ignored Kael’s hissed-in breath. “So how
did
you know?”

“When Oberon welcomed you and declared you Lady Goodfellow, all the Gray Court felt it.”

“Oh.”

“Kael, we’ll be moving on Prince Evan soon. Also, the High King has declared McNeil’s life forfeit.”

Kael grimaced and shot Michaela a quick glance. “Um, Robin—”

“She knows at least part of it.”

Kael relaxed.

“I know you’re here to rescue a prince, and that McNeil is a cannibal. Anything else, feel free to explain it.” She flopped down next to Kael and went boneless. “I’m bushed.”

“Poor sweetie. Bondings can take a lot out of you, especially when you’re human. Or so I’ve heard.” Kael patted her arm sympathetically, ignoring Robin’s annoyed hiss.

Michaela laid her head on Kael’s shoulder. “I hope to God there is a
Fae for Dummies
book.”

Robin rolled his eyes as Kael shot him a smug look. “You’ll be fine.”

“Indeed, Ruby was out for days after Leo bound her.” Robin joined them on the sofa and pulled Michaela into his arms. She switched to Robin’s much more comfy shoulder.

The affection in Robin’s tone had her ears perking up. “Who is Ruby?”

“Someone dear to me.” Robin pressed a kiss to her forehead, instantly reassuring her. “She is family to me, much as Duncan, Moira and Jaden are.”

“And she is mortal, just like you. Only now, because she bonded with a Sidhe, she shares in his lifespan. She’ll live as long as her truebond, Leo Dunne, does.” Kael grinned. “It was a huge scandal in the White Court for a while. Everyone thought he’d be bonded to a Malmayne.”

“I don’t understand.”

Robin snuggled her like an overgrown, half-asleep puppy. He was a cuddler, it seemed, though from the shocked look on Kael’s face that wasn’t always true.

She could live with that.

“An arranged marriage was set up between the Jolouns and the Malmaynes, one that would have benefited both sides had it come to fruition. It was arranged by Armand Joloun, the father of Aileen Joloun-Dunne, making it near impossible for the Jolouns to back away from the deal without losing face with the Court.” Robin ran his hand down her arm with a contented purr. “Which is part of why, when Aileen Joloun met her truebond, Sean Dunne, everything became, as they say, screwed up.”

“Like I said. Totally scandalous. A high court Sidhe female, promised to another, ran off with some low–born Irish leprechaun. It was the talk of the Court for years. Totally eclipsed my aunt’s marriage to the queen’s brother.”

“Did it?” Michaela’s head was starting to hurt. She had a lot to learn, it seemed.

“Oh yeah. Uncle Edmond was the talk of the court for almost a century. Then Aileen Joloun defied her parent’s wishes to marry some low-born fae without a drop of noble blood. At least Aunt Trisha had
some
noble blood, even if she was a pooka.” Kael made a face. “And they still treat them both like dirt at court functions.”

“Things will be better for them once they join the Gray.”

Kael nodded at Robin’s words, but he didn’t look convinced.

Robin began toying with the ends of Michaela’s hair. “At first, Aileen had no real objection. After all, Duncan Malmayne is a fairly attractive man, wealthy and powerful.”

Michaela twisted in Robin’s arms until she was staring up at him. “Wait,
the
Duncan? Our Duncan?” Robin nodded, looking pleased for some reason. “The blond who’s mated to Moira and Jaden?” Now she was definitely getting confused.

“Yes. Duncan is five hundred years old, and at the time of the contract was well under his father’s rule. He was not a clan lord, merely the heir, and thus subject to the whims of his lord.” Robin settled her back down, stroking her back.

“Oh.”

Apparently she looked as confused as she felt, because Kael muffled a laugh. “When Aileen broke the contract and ran off with her leprechaun, the Malmaynes were furious. Duncan didn’t care one way or the other; in fact, I hear he wished them well.”

“But a contract was in place, and had to be honored.” Robin gave an elegant shrug. “So it was the children of Aileen and Sean Dunne who would eventually be forced to fulfill it, whether they wished it so or not.”

“Which they did, as Duncan and Moira are also truebonded. Now that ceremony, I hear, was quite the sight.”

“What about Jaden?”

“He is truebonded to both, and as he was the first to bond the three of them together, they took his name, Blackthorn.” Robin grinned. “And their Sidhe bonding ceremony was, indeed, a sight to behold.”

“So Duncan and Moira married into Jaden’s family. Got it.” She didn’t, not really, but she figured she could get more out of Moira later.

“However, before all that happened, the Malmaynes demanded that Leo be the one to bond with one of their females and fulfill the marriage contract. Leo refused, because by then he’d already met Ruby, and knew she was his truebond.” Kael sighed. “The women of the Court were shocked when he refused to enter a tribond and fulfill the contract. ‘After all, my dears, his mate is
human
.’” Kael sniffed disdainfully. She had the feeling he was mimicking someone specific, someone he had little respect for.

“So Aileen called in a favor I owed her. She demanded my help in rescuing her son, and that is how I met the Dunnes.” Robin’s smile was full of affection. “I did as they asked, and in return, they accepted me as none other ever had. To me, they are family, though we do not share blood.”

Kael made a buzzing noise. “Wrong. I hear you share blood with Jaden, which really does make them family. Isn’t that how the vampire became a clan lord?”

Robin froze. “True enough, but not something I discuss willingly.”

Kael shrugged. “Anyway, Ruby is a human who truebonded with a Sidhe. She’ll be able to tell you all about being a mortal married to a fae, and how to deal with the dangers that are sometimes attached to that.”

“But will she understand the dangers of being married to Robin Goodfellow?”

Robin pressed his chin to the top of her head and breathed deep. She felt him relax, and wondered if perhaps her scent calmed him somehow. “Considering all that she has been through, she may have an idea, as will the rest of her family. The fae world has not been kind to the Dunnes.”

“Some of it has.” Michaela snuggled into her new husband.

She felt his smile against her hair. “Indeed. Some of it has.”

Chapter Twenty

“You don’t give me the small jobs, do you, Robin?”

“I require the best, and you are the best.”

“Too true.”

Robin grinned. The gremlin was very good at the work he did for Robin and was loyal to a fault, both things that Robin valued highly. “Besides, you love every moment of it.”

“Also true.” Red cracked his knuckles with an evil grin. “Sit back and watch, my friend, while I work my magic.”

Robin leaned against Red’s desk and hoped his truebond was sleeping peacefully. He’d left Michaela at Kael’s home after extracting a promise from her to stay put. Last he’d seen, she’d been curled up on Kael’s guest bed, half-asleep and looking oh so tempting. He’d left Kael strict orders to watch over her, much to her amused disgust. “Work away.”

“Congratulations on your bondmate, by the way.” Red’s fingers began to fly over the keyboard. Data flew across the screen at a speed that would give any but another gremlin a massive headache. “She’s an eleven.”

That she was. “She has a good and fierce heart, as well.”

“The best kind of woman.” Red grinned, but his fingers never stopped flying. “She got a sister?”

Robin shook his head, amused. “I’m not certain. I could ask, if you wish.” It hadn’t come up, but Robin would find out soon enough. Red was a pretty man under all that hair, but scruffy. Even if Michaela had a sister, the gremlin would need a fashion intervention before Robin would allow him out to meet her.

Red pushed his unruly, dark brown hair out of his face with an impatient grunt. The light of the computer screen shone off his red-framed glasses. “McNeil has been a very naughty boy.” The love of the hunt was in Red’s voice as he chased the threads Michaela had given him. “He’s been looking for snacks in all the wrong places.”

“What have you found?” Robin leaned over Red’s chair, staring at the incomprehensible flow of data.

“Bodies have been appearing near the
SS United States
since the first day McNeil arrived in Philadelphia.” Red glanced at a different screen off to his right before turning his attention back to the one Robin considered his main one. “Which was the same day Prince Evan went missing.”

“Damnation.” That could mean more than fourteen women dead, as the prince had been missing for over two weeks.

Red glanced at yet another screen, this one above him and to his left. “By the way, Gloriana didn’t ask the Gray Court for help until a week after the boy disappeared. Her brother and his family were asking for help from her the moment they realized he was gone. Going by their private emails, they’re furious and heading for the Gray Court as we speak.” He tsk’d. “Seems they liked the fact that Oberon jumped to help where their own relative didn’t. Cold bitch, Gloriana.”

Robin took a deep breath. “Did they have trouble leaving the White Court?”

“Yes, but I smoothed their way. They’ll get to the Gray Palace safely, don’t you worry.” Red’s grin was pure evil. “Man, she is
pissed
. She’s talking about—oh shit.”

“What?”

“She’s putting a hit out on them.” Red scowled. “They won’t be safe until they give Oberon their oaths, and even then they might not be.”

“I will deal with it.” He’d assign them a Blade or two until the crisis passed. Gloriana was taking things too far with this stunt. What was she thinking? Prince Edmond was her
brother
.

Red nodded once in acknowledgement, already moving on now that the information had been passed along. “Take a look at this.” Red pointed to the lower, left-hand screen.

The data froze, and Robin found himself staring at several tabbed coroner’s reports. It was more than he’d feared, if the number of tabs spoke truly. “How many has he killed?”

“More than Philadelphia authorities want to let out, that’s for sure. They’ve got this info locked down tighter than Trump’s hair.”

Robin counted the reports. “Six so far.”

“Six they’ve
found
. I’ve got some missing persons’ reports that match the MO.” More tabs appeared, making twenty in all. Robin cursed under his breath. “Small problem, by the way. All the victims looked remarkably alike.” Pictures flashed into existence over the tabbed reports. “Dark-haired, young, pretty girls, out hitting the clubs. They go missing, the families call frantic, and boom! The police are all, ‘Holy shit, serial killer!’ except the so-called shark bitten bodies are throwing them off. Now they don’t know what to think.”