The Hob (The Gray Court 4) (28 page)

“You don’t know that for certain.”

Raven shook his head. “You don’t know
her
. She does not take kindly to failure. You are alive, and the boy is free. Therefore, my mother is dead. Anything else is irrelevant. Even if her main objective succeeds, I failed.”

“I do know her. She was my king’s bride for centuries.” Robin moved until he stood shoulder to shoulder with his son. The boy was taller and broader than he, but not so much that Robin felt dwarfed. “If you are sure—”

“I am.”

Robin nodded. “Then is it vengeance you wish to seek?”

“Against
her
?” Raven’s lips twisted in a mocking parody of a smile. “I want to watch as her pet demon feasts on her entrails.”

“So. Vengeance it is.” One that Robin would be more than happy to mete out.

They were silent for a few moments before Raven quietly spoke. “Take care of her, or I will take her from you.”

Robin smiled. The boy was stubborn. He reminded Robin of someone. “You will try, but you will fail.”

Raven’s twisted smile eased a fraction. “You wish.”

“I know.”

Raven’s shoulder brushed against his. “The Black Queen will call us back soon.”

“And the punishment?”

“Has more than likely already fallen upon me.”

Robin clenched his hands. He very much doubted that was the only punishment Titannia would hand down. Raven would pay in more ways than one. “Stay.”

Raven smirked. “And watch you make love to the only other woman I’ve ever given a damn about?”

Robin arched his brow. “I didn’t ask you into my bedchamber, dear boy. Just into my life.”

“Same difference.” Raven brushed his shoulder once more against Robin’s. “You’d trust me near your precious king?”

Robin took a deep breath, scenting the air around his son. Titannia’s stench was fading, leaving behind only the scent of clean, fresh air and the Hob himself. His aroma was not the purest Robin had ever taken in, but the boy had no real ties to the Black beyond that of his forced coupling with Titannia. “Yes.”

“You’re joking.”

The shock in Raven’s voice shouldn’t have surprised him. What else had the boy learned but mistrust firmly planted upon betrayal? “Do you truly think a dedicated agent of the Black could fool the Hob?” Robin turned and tapped his dark nail against his son’s cheek, drawing blood. He licked the droplet off the edge of his claw.

Robin nearly sagged in relief. The boy was clean. There was no taint in his blood, no foulness to mar the salty taste. “It would take a greater one than you to fool me, Raven. You are no true agent of the Black the way your brother was.”

“Hobart was
not
my brother.”

Robin begged to differ, but he understood the sentiment. “As you say.”

“Do you love her?”

Robin blinked. “Love who?”

Raven shook his head. “When I asked her, she didn’t even hesitate.” He glared at Robin. “Are you worthy of her?”

Robin tilted his head. What was the boy talking about? “I assume you mean Michaela.”

Raven nodded once, sharply.

“She is mine, and I hers.” His private thoughts and feelings were his own, and as such not up for debate. Not even with his child. Only with Michaela would he share his innermost feelings.

Raven turned back to the skyline. “She loves you.” He snorted in disgust even as Robin’s heart leapt for joy. “Why, I don’t know.” He brushed his hair back from his face. “She seemed to like the artistic type at first.”

Robin didn’t miss the sideways glance, nor the teasing tone. It was weak, but there. Raven was hurt by Michaela’s confession, but cared enough for her to abide by her decision. “I—”

The mirror in his pocket quivered. Robin stepped back from his child and pulled it from his pocket. Oberon’s face immediately appeared.

“I think you need to get down to Kael’s apartment.”

“Michaela?” Robin was ready to mist away, mirror or no mirror, if his bondmate were threatened.

Oberon’s gaze darted to the side. “We have a visitor.”

Robin exchanged a quick glance with Raven, and, of one accord, the two men disappeared, both intent on protecting the woman they loved.

Chapter Twenty-Two

“Really. It’s okay. I know this guy.” Michaela tried to move past the immovable brick wall High King Oberon was turning out to be.

“You’re acquainted with a redcap?”

A what? “He’s Snod.” She wiggled her fingers in hello around Oberon’s back. “Hi, Snod.”

Snod bowed to her, his massive shoulders filling the doorway. “My lady.”

“How did you find me?” Did she have her address stamped on her aura or something? Sort of a psychic
Eat at Joe’s
?

“The oath bound me to you. My life for yours.” Oberon started at Snod’s words. Michaela hadn’t thought anything could surprise the stoic king. “Loyalty and protection I give to thee. I am your man, and you my liege. By this oath I am bound to thee, by the law of three times three.”

“I…see.” Oberon stepped aside and waved elegantly. “Then by all means, enter.”

Kael gulped. “I’m sorry I called you, sire, but I couldn’t get hold of Robin and I didn’t know what else to do.”

“You did exactly right, young Kael.” Oberon gave Kael a small, reassuring smile. “And when we get back to the Court I will be glad to have you as one of my Blades. You kept your head and dealt with a situation that could have proven volatile and, ultimately, deadly, with poise.”

“Not all battles are won with fists.” Robin materialized right next to Michaela, Raven just in front of them, blocking Snod from her view once more.

“Really, people. He won’t hurt me.”

“How do you know for certain?” Oberon was eyeing her with all the interest one would show a new species of lizard.

She shrugged. “I sense it, just like I knew from the beginning Raven would never hurt me.”

“Your trust in strangers and your power to ‘sense’ if they mean you harm is long due for a discussion, my dear.” Robin pulled her into his arms and cocked a brow. “Miss me?”

“You weren’t even gone long enough for me to pee.”

Raven choked on a laugh.

“You are bonded.” Michaela turned to find Snod smiling at them. It was horrifying, yet cute at the same time. “This is good. Now I don’t have to try and hurt the Hob. He will help protect my lady.”

“Yes, I will.” Robin addressed Snod firmly. He studied Snod through slightly narrowed eyes, a flash of green running through the merry blue until they glowed. “McNeil may be after your lady.”

Snod straightened to his full height. “I will make sure he does not harm her.”

“I know you will.” Robin turned to Oberon. “He’s hers, and therefore mine.”

Oberon shook his head. “You have the strangest family, my Hob.”

Robin grinned. There was a joy in him that hadn’t been there before. “As you should know, my king.”

“Speaking of which, introduce me to your son.”

The command was unmistakable. Robin released Michaela and bowed before his king. “My liege, allow me to introduce Lord Raven MacSweeney, soon to be late of the Black Court.”

Raven was pale, but he bowed to Oberon. “My king.”

Oberon blinked. “I’ve been expecting you.”

Raven winced. “Yes, about that…”

Oberon laughed lightly. “Your father vouches for you.” He glanced at Robin. “At least, I assume he does.”

“He does. His heart is clean. He is my son, by blood and soul.”

Michaela bit her lip. She had no fucking clue what was going on, but she’d be able to grill Robin like a cheeseburger later. For now, she’d sit back, watch and enjoy the show.

Raven inhaled sharply at his father’s words. “I— Do you smell that?” He scowled, turning in place and lifting his face. He inhaled deeply again. “Something smells wrong.”

Robin looked at his face and sniffed, reminded Michaela of a bloodhound. “I don’t smell anything unusual.”

Raven scowled. “No. There’s something wrong. I smell sea water.” He grabbed hold of Robin’s arm. “You have to believe me. Get the king and Michaela out of he—”

The last thing Michaela heard was a sound like a gunshot.

Robin shook shattered glass out of his hair. The impact of the blast had knocked him off his feet, but had done no real damage. He feared, however, that his bondmate had not fared so well. He couldn’t feel her in his heart any longer. “Michaela?”

Raven, his back to the damaged wall, groaned and rolled to his feet.

Robin took in the remnants of Kael’s apartment, barely acknowledging the damage the bomb had done. Kael’s apartment was…shattered. The furniture looked as if it had been shredded. The mirror lay broken beside Raven. The windows had blown out, the curtains now billowing both inside and outside the room. The walls were covered in black soot, tiny embers glowing here and there.

He didn’t care about any of it. He had to find his truebond, his love. “Michaela!”

“Here. She’s here.”

Robin turned. Oberon was kneeling on the floor, a broken and bleeding body in his arms. Robin shook his head, unable to believe the evidence of his eyes.

“No.”

Robin didn’t realize he’d spoken until he saw the sympathy, the pity, in his king’s eyes. “I was too late. I moved too slowly. I am sorry, my Hob.”

“No!” He knelt by Oberon, his hands touching, lingering in her dark, blood soaked hair. Her body was riddled with cuts, but the wound that had broken her, killed her, was the piece of bomb that had somehow landed in her throat.

Where was that odd sound coming from? That odd, rushing silence that…

That…

Oh. Oh gods. The void in his heart, the one she’d filled. That sound was the loss of his soul. How was he supposed to survive when his heart lay broken in the arms of his king?

“Robin.” He tore his gaze away from the sluggishly bleeding wound in her precious neck and looked into the pale eyes of his king. It was bad, he knew it was, that it wasn’t bleeding worse.

It shouldn’t be, but it was.

Her brown eyes were open, staring. He touched her silken hair, that rushing silence growing still within him.

He hadn’t told her he loved her yet.

“Robin, listen to me.” Something touched him, something cold, but Oberon hissed and flinched. Now he, too, was bleeding, and Robin didn’t know why. “I need you to stop.”

Listen. Yes. He should have. This was his fault, and he would pay for it for eternity.

Had he listened to his son, he would have had Michaela out of there before the bomb went off.

He would have…

Her empty eyes stared up at nothing, all the warmth, all the laughter, gone.

He would…

Her lips were parted, blood trickling down bruised cheeks.
 

Had she tried to call for him? Had she known that he’d failed her?

Robin threw his head back and screamed. Every ounce of what some would call humanity that had lived in him was gone, snuffed out with her life.

They would pay for taking his truebond. They would all
pay
.

Robin let loose the creature within him, his true self, the one he’d locked away when Oberon first found him, writhing and formless and full of rage. Only the glowing, hate-filled green eyes within showed that there was any thought behind the pure malice he had become.

“Hobgoblin!”

No. Not even that beloved voice could stop him. Robin would find the one who had taken love from him, taken laughter from him, and inflict pain upon them for all of eternity.

“Damn it, Hobgoblin. Listen to me.”

The king’s power rolled over him, but the madness riding him would not allow it to take hold. Robin swirled toward the broken window, forgetting everything but the need to make the killer hurt.

“I’ll go with you.” Raven, his eyes the same flaming green as his own, stood by his side. The air swirled around him, growing in intensity as he watched, his sylph heritage coming to the fore in his grief and rage. Robin allowed the boy to come with him, knowing he could not stop him without grievous harm. He would not kill his child to get to his enemy. There was enough left of Robin’s sanity for that, at least.

Together, they moved to the open window and flew out it, invisible to all but fae eyes. Robin Goodfellow, aka the Hob, left behind the woman who had once stolen his soul.

He would grieve someday. He would eventually die without her. But before he did, he would find her murderer and shred him.

“It was McNeil. I know it. It had his brackish scent all over it.”

Robin’s voice was tinny. “Is that so?” McNeil would die slowly, screaming, breathing out his last as Robin watched.

“I want a piece of him, Father. I want to inflict my own pain.”

If he could have Robin would have nodded. Raven had loved her too, and this last gift he would grant his son. “Yes.”

Raven nodded and began flying toward the waterfront. “The water. He’ll be hiding there.”