Artistic Vision

“Ruby is safe. It is your back you must watch.”

A jolt of fear shot down his spine, chilling him. He’d been right. He’d become a target again. Shit. “What would they want with me?”

“They know. Tell my daughter I said be careful.”

She hung up before he could ask what she meant. The possible threat to Akane scared him more than any real threat to himself. He grabbed his coat and his car keys and headed out of the studio, his only thought to be with his fiancee.

Akane watched through her inner sight as Jaden misted through the keyhole of the Malmayne’s front door. No one could perform a B&E like a vampire. Akane’s role was that of look-out, something she was infinitely suited for. She sat on the hood of her car, her senses wide open, following Jaden mentally through a house he was all too familiar with. She’d almost forgotten he’d broken into the Malmayne mansion twice before, once to collect information on Charles Malmayne, Duncan’s uncle, and once to exact justice on Charles for working with the Black. They’d gotten to the estate in fifteen minutes, Jaden driving like a bat out of hell in order to do it. Akane still wasn’t sure their wheels had been on the ground at any given time, but Jaden said he’d done this before and she believed him.

Jaden whisked through the house, sometimes mist, sometimes a silent predator. Already Akane was seeing signs the Malmaynes were on the downward spiral to the Black. The estate seemed surrounded by a dark miasma. Sometimes she wished she had Shane’s talent for seeing the future. She wasn’t sure anymore how many of the Malmaynes could be saved.

Jaden found Tristan still going through Henri’s things. He quickly subdued the White Court Sidhe, not giving him time to protest or even realize a vampire had snuck up on him. Akane couldn’t blame him. White Court Sidhe were notorious for attacking vampires on sight, not caring if they were Gray Court or Black. Tristan might know who Jaden was on an intellectual level, but she wasn’t willing to bet Jaden’s life on whether or not Tristan would react instinctively and try to kill Jaden.

Jaden trussed up Tristan like a roped calf, arms and legs together. He then turned his attention to whatever had caught Tristan’s and grinned. “I’m calling Red.” He spoke out loud, knowing Akane would be able to hear him even if he couldn’t hear her. They’d never formed even a light blood bond; the vampire had shied away from the thought from the very beginning of their partnership five years ago. She’d never known if his bond with Duncan had anything to do with that, or the fact that she was a dragon and he didn’t know if she’d give him indigestion.

Knowing Jaden, the answer could be both.

“Okay. Red’s going through the files.” Robin’s pet Gremlin was a wizard at anything electronic, but he specialized in hacking and data retrieval. He’d managed to pull data off of drives that had been completely reformatted, something the humans still hadn’t figured out how to do. “He says this time Henri must have known we’d get a Gremlin in on the action because the computer is slightly better protected than last time.” He sat in Henri’s chair and put his feet up on the unconscious Sidhe. “In other words, the computer’s legs are halfway closed instead of wide open.”

Akane snorted, amused. The running commentary was entertaining, but she’d rather be back in Shane’s nice warm studio.

“Got it. And according to Red, Henri is just taking Charles’s plan and upping it a notch or two.”

“Wonderful.” Jaden might not be able to hear or see Akane, but she couldn’t stop herself from replying anyway. Charles had wanted both Moira and Jaden tossed to Duncan’s curb and Leo mated to either Cecelia or Constance, his daughters. The Malmayne’s blindness where it came to Sean Dunne’s children and the possibility one of them would fulfill the prophecy would have tickled her if she didn’t understand the dangers. More than one person over the years had heard her mother’s words but had refused to listen. It never ended well for the willfully blind.

“On my way back. Warm up the car for me, will ya? It’s cold enough out here to freeze off the Black Queen’s tits.” He hefted the trussed up Tristan on his shoulder. “Oh, and I’m bringing you a present. You can thank me later.”

“I’d prefer chocolates.” She’d have to figure out a way to get Tristan to work with them. If she didn’t, she’d have no choice but to take him out of the game and pray there were no other White Court agents running around on her case. Hopefully Tristan had lied about having a partner or their goose could be cooked.

She withdrew her vision as soon as Jaden passed the Malmayne perimeter and began sprinting up the road toward her. She stretched, her ass half frozen from sitting on the hood of her car for so long.

“So? How’d it go?”

Akane shrieked and fell off the hood.

“Sorry.”

She would have believed Shane if he hadn’t been laughing so hard.

“What the fuck are you doing here, Jethro?” Smoke poured out of her nose, her annoyance at an all-time high.

“I missed you.” He held out his hand and pulled her to her feet. “You sure looked cold there, Miz Akane.”

She knew he did it just to annoy the fuck out of her. It was the only explanation as to why he did that hick drawl thing, because Shane’s voice was normally smooth as silk and warmer than fur.

“Hey, Shane.” Jaden jogged up to them, Tristan bouncing on his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. “Take this, will you?” He flung the unconscious Sidhe at Shane, who caught him with a surprised grunt. “Red called. He thinks Henri is planning on moving on Ruby sometime in the next few days. We need to step up the security around both Ruby and Leo.”

Akane tilted her head like she was actually thinking about it. “What’s a step above Robin Goodfellow?”

Jaden opened his mouth, but he wisely shut it again. He turned his attention instead to Shane. “Had any visions lately?”

Shane shook his head and shoved Tristan in the back of his Corvette. He wasn’t exactly gentle about it either. “I can’t make the visions come to me. They show up when they show up.”

Shane was hiding something from her. His expression was closed, but the glimpse of fear she’d seen before he’d turned away from them told her more than words could.

Shane was never afraid, but today he was.

“Think the Seer might be able to help you with that?”

Shane stared at Jaden. “There’s always a price to pay when you consult the Seer.”

Akane bit her lip. “What payment have you made?” When Shane didn’t answer, she paled. “Shane? Tell me I’m not part of the payment.”

He glared at her. “You’re kidding me, right? You think even your mother could make me Claim you if fate hadn’t made you mine?”

Her cheeks flushed. “It was a thought.” She shook her finger in his face. “But you are going to tell me what price she’s made you pay.”

He nodded. “But not now.”

“This is all very touching, but McAsshole is starting to wake up.” Jaden leaned in the door of the Corvette. “Hello, Sleeping Beauty.” He reared back and tsk’d as Tristan kicked out at him, tumbling himself to the floor in the process as his feet were still tied to his wrists. “Now don’t you feel stupid? Guess who gets to sit on the corner stool after class?”

Akane rolled her eyes. “Way to make friends and influence people, Jade.”

“I try.” The vampire put his hand to his chest dramatically. “Why don’t we take him back to the Dunne farm and introduce him to Sean?”

The wicked gleam in Shane’s eyes did not bode well for the Sidhe. “I like that plan.” He got into the driver’s seat before Akane could say a word. “Meet you there.”

“Moira and Duncan will be there shortly.” Jaden got in the driver’s seat of her Boxster. “Call Leo. They should be there too. Maybe if all the Dunnes talk to Tristan he’ll be more easily persuaded to help.”

“Fine.” She got in and let Jaden drive her baby once more and called Leo.

He picked up on the first ring. “Hello?”

“We need you and Ruby to head for your parents’ farm.” She explained their plan to Leo, who readily agreed.