Then the scent hit her, that acrid, horrible stench of the thing that had filled Shane’s veins. Akane’s flame swirled around her, her wings glowing with it. That thing needed to die before it could touch any other living being.
She blew, burning the room to ash in the blink of an eye. She didn’t have to worry about someone caught in the flames. From the looks of things Robin was already gone, his job done, his erstwhile son either dead or close to it.
When she was sure none of the sludge had survived her fire, Akane took off, Jaden cradled in her arms. There was still no sign of Constance, but Akane couldn’t worry about the Sidhe now. If Constance had survived, she wouldn’t stay alive for long. If the Dark Queen didn’t take her out for her failure to capture Leo, Akane would see to it that she died a long, lingering death by fire.
Akane headed home, already aware that Shane had been saved.
Shane blinked. The visions before him weren’t swirling, twirling, puking, hurling or otherwise doing something that would make him want to do any of the above. Moira was staring down at him, her eyes red from crying. Duncan, pale and trembling, held a hand to his head.
“Hello.”
Shane looked up into a face too long to be pretty, too interesting to be called plain. Her full, bow-shaped lips were curved in a smile. Her nose was slightly crooked, as if she’d broken it at some point and it hadn’t quite healed right. Her eyes were absolutely huge even in her human Seeming, a turquoise so bright Shane blinked to see if they were real. Their most dazzling aspect was the intelligence and humor that lit them from within. Her forehead was really a fivehead, further elongating her face. She’d made an attempt to hide it with bangs, but then she’d pushed half of those bangs back with a headband. The ends stuck out of the back of the headband, giving her an odd, rooster-like look. She had a sharp, pointed chin and quirked, full eyebrows. Her hair in her Seeming was brown, but it would be sea green in her true form.
Shane smiled. “Hello.” There she was. He’d been wondering when she would show up.
“My name’s Cassie.” Long fingers brushed back his hair. In the background Sal barked happily. “You gave us quite a scare.”
“It was a lot less pleasant on my end.” Shane’s throat ached. His voice sounded weak and scratchy, like he’d been screaming. He probably had been, but he didn’t remember it.
“Those were some mighty powerful visions you were having.” Duncan sat wearily beside Shane’s bed. His gray gaze was full of speculation. “How many of them will come to pass?”
Shane shrugged. “I have no idea.”
“Well. That just sucks.” Duncan ran a hand through his hair wearily. “Some of them involved Jaden and Moira.”
“I know.” And Shane was now on the path to ensure they never came to pass, but there were still forces out there that would try and make them come true. “Jaden’s hurt.”
Duncan stared at him in disbelief before sighing. “I agree with Jaden. You are a freaky-ass dude.” He stood, his head shaking. “But you’re our freaky-ass dude. Get some rest, okay?”
Shane nodded even though Duncan wasn’t looking. “Would you look at him? He took a powerful blow to the head.”
Cassie nodded. “What race is he?”
“Part vampire, part Robin Goodfellow, all pain in the ass.”
She blinked, amusement once more lighting her face and turning it from plain to riveting. “Ah. That should be interesting.”
Shane chuckled. “Understatement of the century. Jaden’s something else.” He tried to sit up, startled to find how weak he was. He could barely get his head off the pillow. “Akane will be here soon too.”
Long, slender hands pushed him back down with ease. “I’ll send her in as soon as she gets here, I promise.”
A fragment of a vision floated before him and Shane gasped. “Who’s after you?”
She froze just long enough to confirm his vision. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” But the warmth that had been so much a part of her was closed off now, her bearing chilly and stand-offish. She’d closed down on him, and Shane would have to be careful what he said from here on out.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry. Your business is your own.” He made sure to get just the right amount of sincerity and regret in his voice. Eventually he’d see exactly what he needed to see. It would come to him in time.
His part in this was almost over.
She thawed a bit, smiling at him once more. “Thank you. Now rest! Or you’ll undo all the hard work I just did.”
Shane allowed himself to do just that, drifting off to the sound of a softly sung lullaby.
Akane landed in front of the Dunne house. She took just enough time to hand over the still-unconscious Jaden to his two mates before rushing off to Shane’s studio. She didn’t care that she could feel him deep inside, knew he was all right. She had to see it with her own eyes.
She slammed into the studio at full tilt, only stopping long enough to shut the door to the cold. She raced into his small bedroom and sagged in relief.
Her big man was curled up on his side, one hand under his cheek. The other clutched the puzzle box he’d given her for her birthday. Akane smiled at the sight. She opened her inner vision to check him with that, just in case they’d missed anything again.
Something inside the puzzle box gleamed, glittering like a gem. Akane narrowed her eyes and did her best to ignore it, but the damn thing kept calling to her sight. “What the hell. Why not.”
She went to the bed and gently lowered herself onto it. She took the puzzle box from his hand, glad her action hadn’t awakened him. She studied the golden box once more.
Damn, her mate did fine work. She recognized several of the symbols he’d carved into the box, like the…wait. Wasn’t that the tattoo that had appeared on her arm? She glared at him for a split second before realizing exactly how futile it was to be pissed over it. The man had a good idea she was eventually going to accept the mating. Her dragon half and his Sidhe half would have ensured it no matter how desperately she tried to get away.
Still. There were times when he was a seriously freaky dude. “We are going to have the weirdest children.” She brushed her hand against his back, smiling at the warm strength of him.
Akane turned her attention back to the puzzle box. It wouldn’t take her long to figure out how to open it. How difficult could it be?
Epilogue
Three weeks later…
Robin stared at the completed statue of Oberon. A female figure rose from the waves, her upper body the only part of her visible. She reached for Oberon, their fingertips touching, a look of such pure yearning on her face that even Robin was moved.
Shane had completed Oberon’s art piece. What had Robin missed? He shook his head, once more amazed at the talent that seemed to run rampant in the Dunne family. Turning, ready to leave the studio, he paused. Under the pedestal was something draped in black cloth. Curious, he lifted the cloth off the figure.
Robin hissed. There, done in nearly black glass, was Oberon’s face. His fanged face.
He dropped the cloth back over his king’s head and left the studio. Something was going on, and Robin needed to find out what. First thing to do would be talk to Shane, find out what the hybrid had seen and, more importantly, which vision would come to pass.
“I hate you! What is this thing, a portal to Hell?” A golden puzzle box went flying past Robin’s head, followed swiftly by one fast-moving hybrid with bright reddish-gold hair and laughing blue eyes. “Oberon’s crown should be this well guarded, you, you—JETHRO! Get your ass back in here!”