Shane shifted against her, and Akane held her peace, afraid she’d wake her sleeping mate.
Shane woke to the knowledge that his wife was no longer in bed with him. “Damn it.” He shifted, stretching before he opened his eyes. “Akane?”
Silence. His wife was gone, probably out hunting the ones who’d harmed him. He wasn’t surprised. She’d been ready to hunt last night, but his exhaustion and her need to protect had overwhelmed her need to hunt. Shane slipped out of bed and headed for the shower, eager to get the dirt of the day before off his skin. He turned on the bathroom light and reached for his toothbrush. His mouth tasted like an open sewer grate. He had the feeling if he lit a match and blew he’d breath flame like his lover.
His hand froze as he got his first good look at himself. “Son of a bitch.” Shane reached up and fingered his hair. He’d forgotten to slip his Seeming back on the night before, and now he was seeing the effects of the poison Klaussner had pumped into him.
“Akane’s going to freak.” His hair was definitely a shade or two darker than it had been, the gleaming copper tarnished. The gold dust of his skin had also darkened, shadowed by poison. He blew out a quick, shaky breath of relief when he realized his eyes had remained the same sapphire blue as always.
He started the shower, hoping against hope the last of the darkness would wash off, but no such luck. The water was disturbingly clear of fae grime. The only thing that washed away was the dirt of the circle he’d fried in and the blood that had seeped from his wound. Shane fingered the cut, grateful Akane had figured out the solution before it had been too late. If she hadn’t burned out the parasite he’d be heading straight for the Black Court and a life of horror as Bres’s bitch.
Still, the one thing he’d expected to happen hadn’t yet. He was glad the initial ordeal was over, but if his vision had been correct then something else still needed to occur. Something painful.
Shane was still marked, but it was faint, a hint of what could have been. If Akane had delayed at all he’d be forever tainted, yearning for darkness in his soul. A daily battle within himself he could eventually lose, giving the Dark Queen access to his visions and an edge given to no other court. Access to possible futures was something the Seer made sure was either withheld completely or given to all courts equally. If the Dark Queen could have a sane seer at her command it had the potential to take the animosity between the courts and force it into open warfare.
Shane shivered, a chill racing across his skin at the thought. He upped the hot water, hoping to drive the coolness back, but the shivers intensified. Something stabbed him behind his eyes, the vision painful, eager to be built of glass, metal…and blood.
Oh. Shit.
Another vision hit, this one even more violent than the first one. Shane’s back bowed, his head aching, his hands twitching. He had to bring the vision to life. He
The vision switched, changed into a new one, and Shane realized what was going on. It had finally hit, and now Shane would have to do his best to ride it out. If things went well, the prophecy would be fulfilled. He didn’t want to think about what would happen if it did not. The possibilities were endless, the visions of what could happen in the worst case scenario, torturous.
He reached out and turned off the water, knowing only one thing could warm him now. He stumbled out of the shower, the visions strong, grasping him in iron talons. He barely had the presence of mind to dry himself off before he staggered into the studio, naked and almost blind. He headed for the vault, seeing in sharp flashes what he had to create, the knowledge of what was to come etched in his mind and twitching through his body. His hands reached into bins over and over again until a pile lay on the worktable, the same table he’d first Claimed his mate on.
Shane’s hands and thoughts flew, piecing together something he hoped never came to pass, because if it did Shane would have more than his own blood on his hands.
Chapter Nine
Akane sipped her hot chocolate and grinned at Duncan. “How’s Jaden?”
Duncan glared at her, his gray eyes bloodshot. He shifted slightly on his seat, a look of discomfort crossing his face. “Enthusiastic.” His mouth twisted into a reluctant grin. “And Shane?”
She snickered. She could guess why Duncan was sitting uncomfortably that afternoon. “Excellent.”
Duncan shook his head. “You and Jaden are hunting tonight, aren’t you?”
She nodded, all humor fleeing at the reminder of what was coming next. “Constance and Hobart need to be taken care of.”
Duncan sighed. “At least Tristan agreed to feed us information.”
“He did?” She’d been a bit distracted, but she should have been informed of this. She hadn’t slept yet. Luckily she wouldn’t feel the effects for a few days, after which she’d be forced to rest whether she wanted to or not.
“Yes. It seems he wants to try and save some of the clan, but he’s not sure how many will be willing to follow him.” He toyed with his mug, his expression bleak. “I think he’s going to try and re-form the Clan within the White, with himself as the Clan leader.”
“That won’t work. Glorianna would never allow that.” Tristan was in no way strong enough to lead even the remnants of a clan as powerful as the Malmaynes. The loss of the clan was going to hurt the White.
“He thinks because he’s acting as her agent he’ll be able to persuade her. He may be right too.” Duncan smiled as Moira came into the room and dropped beside him. “Good morning.” He shared a sweet kiss with his wife. “How’s our Blade sleeping?”
“Like a baby.” Moira grinned over at Akane. “How’s our artist this morning?”
“Last I checked he was snoring.” Akane grimaced. “His coloring is off.”
Moira tilted her head and stole a sip of Duncan’s tea. “How so?”
“Everything’s…darker. His skin, his hair. Everything but his eyes.” His beautiful, sapphire eyes remained the same, thank the gods.
Duncan and Moira exchanged a worried look. “Maybe we should have a healer come in and look at him?” Duncan wasn’t asking Akane, but she didn’t mind. The bond between the Dunne siblings was strong, and Akane wouldn’t have it any other way. They were the ones who would protect Shane when she wasn’t there.
“Do you have one you trust?” Akane didn’t. Dragons healed fairly quickly, but were incapable of healing others. She’d never needed a healer, and the times when she’d worked with Jaden, the vampire had either been uninjured or waved off her concerns. She had no idea how quickly he healed.
“Oddly enough, yes, I think I do.” Duncan reached for his cell phone. “She might even be close by. Last I heard from her she was staying inland.”
“Inland?” That was an odd way to phrase it.
Duncan dialed and held the phone to his ear. “She’s a sea nymph.”
“You’re kidding. A sea nymph living
“She’s special.” Duncan smiled. “Hello, Cassie. It’s Duncan.”
Akane couldn’t hear Cassie’s side of the conversation, but she could hear Duncan’s. It didn’t take the Sidhe very long to convince the nymph to come to the Dunne farm and look at Shane. “Thanks, Cassie. I owe you one.” He hung up the phone and pocketed it. “She’ll be here by sunset.”
“She was close by, then?”
“Yeah. Last I checked she’s been roaming the Midwest for about a year now.”
Which mean the nymph had aged a year. Without the rejuvenating powers of the sea the nymph would slowly fade away and die like a mortal, forever cut off from her watery home. Akane could think of only one thing that would make a nymph leave the sea. “Is her mate human?”
Duncan shook his head. “It’s not my tale to tell, but I can say that she has no mate or bond that ties her to the land.”
Akane twitched. She could feel Shane stir inside her; he’d awakened. She opened her inner sight, startled to
