Noble Blood

while scowling up at him. “Please stop hitting me. You might hurt yourself.”

Moira lay naked on the bed, Jaden’s big hands roaming her body, when Duncan rejoined them. “How did it go?”

From the grimace crossing his face it didn’t look good. What looked better was how rapidly Duncan got naked. “She knows everything. When the others petition to remove me she’s going to grant it. She can’t allow a vampire mate in one of the Sidhe main houses.”

“What about the fact that the Sidhe house in question has had dealings with the Black?” Moira was outraged. How could the Queen do this to Duncan? He’d been nothing but loyal through all his years in her service.

“She plans on investigating the allegations herself.”

Jaden stilled. “Excuse me? She doesn’t have the trained investigators Robin has. Why isn’t she letting the Blades handle this?”

Duncan growled, his body quivering. He looked two seconds away from pacing again. “She says that the Blades are compromised on this and she can’t trust them.”

Moira began to laugh. “Oh, lord. Let Robin hear about that. Please let Robin hear that she actually said his Blades are ‘compromised’.”

The windows blew open with a fierce gust of wind.

“Oh, hell. I didn’t mean now.” Moira sat up and pulled the sheet over her. “Hello, Robin.”

Robin Goodfellow stood next to the bed, his blue eyes twinkling merrily. His long red hair was pulled back in a tail that reached the top of his ass. He wore a bright blue silk shirt that almost matched his eyes, and dark brown leather pants. The boots he wore had a slight heel to them, making him seem taller. His nails were painted jet black. “And hello to you too, Moira. Congratulations on your mating.” He bowed to her, full of mischief.

“Thank you.” She pushed her hair out of her eyes. “Glorianna thinks the Blades are compromised.”

“I heard.” Robin waved and one of the chairs glided forward, coming to rest just behind him. He sat, resting a booted foot over his knee, looking like the prince Moira secretly thought he was. “Why would Glorianna think that?”

Duncan bowed gracefully to the Hob, holding one edge of the comforter over his nakedness. “My lord.”

Robin smiled and bowed back from his “seat”. “Duncan. Always a pleasure. I understand my Blade has taken you as his bondmate. Congratulations to you as well.”

“Thank you.” Duncan swallowed hard. “Jaden means the world to both Moira and myself.”

“I know, else I might have put a stop to it.”

Jaden winced, but Moira shivered. If anyone could stop a mating, Robin would be the one. “Thank you for having faith in us.”

For a moment the Hob looked startled, but then he laughed. “Faith. True, one must have faith.” He leaned his chin on one fist, watching them. “So, tell me exactly what is going on.”

Moira decided she should begin. After all, Duncan was paler than she’d ever seen him, and Jaden looked like he’d swallowed a frog. She was getting used to dealing with the Hob since he visited her family. She got the feeling he did that because it was one of the few places where people treated him like just another fae. “It started when Henri began to visit Duncan. He kept telling him that he needed to make my brother Leo mate with either Constance or Cecelia. Turns out the Seer had told Charles Malmayne that the child of Dunne would do something that would change our world, and the Malmaynes wanted that child to be theirs to control. Charles firmly believed that Leo would be the father of that child, but I’m starting to think it will be my Dad who turns out to be the father.”

“Interesting.” Robin hadn’t moved or changed expression. How much of this did the Hob already know?

“We managed to uncover evidence that Charles was working with an Unseelie Sidhe, using redcaps to guard himself. He actually sent them against the farm, but we managed to win.”

Robin perked up at that. “He attacked the Dunne farm? How many of you were hurt?”

Moira shrugged. “None of us.” She wiggled. “Dad did that nifty thing where he sucks someone through a pinhole without leaving a trace, Akane fought the salamander—” Robin choked, “—and I pelted one with rocks.”

Robin frowned, green glittering in his blue eyes. Something about that green light looked alarmingly familiar. “How did you come to be unharmed?”

“I have two brothers. I know how to throw.” She shared an evil grin with the Hob. Moira heard both her men gulp. “We went to confront Charles, Duncan did his Vulcan mind-meld thing and pretty much got everything Charles knew out of him. He declared his life forfeit and Jaden…” She glanced over at her vampire. “He carried out Duncan’s death sentence.” She took hold of Jaden’s hand with the one that wasn’t clutching the sheet to her breast and squeezed.

“And now?” Robin rested his head back down on his fist, but Moira wasn’t fooled for a moment. Robin was more like a hawk, watching every nuance of their expressions, waiting for something.

Duncan picked up the tale. “Glorianna knows everything, but she’s going to grant the petition to remove me as head of the clan thanks to my mating with Jaden. I got the impression that I was no longer Lord Malmayne the moment I became Jaden’s bondmate.” Now he looked as furious as Moira knew he was. “But I still plan on investigating the clan. I’ll just have to do it from the outside.”

“How about the tribond? Are the three of you happy? Does Glorianna’s decree change anything for you?”

“Hell no.” Duncan rested his hand on Moira’s thigh. “Glorianna can’t dictate who I love.”

Jaden still seemed struck dumb, so she answered. “Other than the fact we have yet to speak the Vows and finish the Binding, yes, I’m happy.”

His head lifted from his fist, his expression arrested. “Meaning that all three of you are now Blackthorns?”

“Um. Yes?” Moira had no clue where he was going with this, but she bet it would be an interesting ride to get there.

“Well, then.” The Hob simply purred with satisfaction. “Come to the Gray Palace as soon as you can.” He rubbed his hands together, looking strangely satisfied. “We have plans to make.”

“But—”

“Uh-uh, Mrs. Blackthorn. That wasn’t a request, you see.” He stood and stretched before leaning down to pat her cheek. The warmth that spread through her at his touch was startling. “I expect you sooner rather than later.” The delight in his eyes was frightening. “And so will Oberon when he hears.”

“Yes, sir.” She nodded, knowing no other answer would satisfy him. She might be used to him, but that didn’t mean he didn’t frighten the ever-loving crap out of her sometimes.

“Good. I’ll see you there soon, hmm?” The wind blew the Hob back out the window, slamming it shut behind him.

“Well.” Jaden cleared his throat. “When’s the next flight to Colorado?”

Duncan, pale and wide-eyed, turned to leave the bedroom. “I’ll go find out.”

“A ghra?” Moira bit her lip to keep from laughing.

“What?”

“You forgot something.”

“I have?”

“Mm-hmm.”

Duncan looked around the room. “What did I forget? My cell phone.”

Jaden had his face buried in his pillow, his shoulders shaking.

“Your pants.”

Chapter Ten

Duncan stood on the steps of the Gray Palace and tried not to shiver. Gray was probably the wrong word for it. Oberon had built himself a palatial house, it was true, but he’d built it to match the surrounding terrain. Built of