Dare to Believe

Chapter Nine

Using the directions Shane had provided, Leo made his way into Omaha. His blood was boiling with fury and guilt despite Moira’s weird assurances that somehow she knew Ruby was currently safe. When Leo asked her how she could be so sure, she’d blushed and refused to answer.

Something else the damn vampire would have to answer for. The wounds on his sister’s neck had healed quickly, but the fucking vamp had left a hickey.

Leo knew from his brother’s description that the Malmaynes had kept him on a plush property just outside the Omaha city limits. Apparently, they’d bought the property some time in the nineties and built a house with over twelve thousand square feet of living space on around twenty acres, most of which was heavily wooded. The only areas not wooded were the pool area and the formal garden the Malmaynes had insisted be put in and maintained.

Shane had also said the house, while structurally quite beautiful, lacked a soul.

Leo pulled the Navigator to the side of the road about a mile from the Malmayne’s mansion. Getting out, he grabbed his flashlight and Shane’s tire iron. Jogging into the night, he counted on his own magic to get him in the front door.

If even one hair on Ruby’s head was hurt, the vampire wouldn’t be the only one Leo went after with the tire iron.

Ruby opened her eyes to a white, sterile room. She tried to lift her head, but found she couldn’t. It felt like it weighed a ton. She could barely turn her head, but when she succeeded the wave of dizziness and nausea made her glad she hadn’t been able to lift it. She stared at the large mirror that graced one wall and barely restrained the urge to roll her eyes.

“I’ve either been abducted by aliens or the Feds.” Her speech was slurred. She vaguely remembered swallowing a pill a handsome, dark-haired man handed to her, but everything else was a blank.

A male voice chuckled softly from behind her. “How are you feeling?”

“Dizzy, weak, pissed off. You?”

The voice chuckled again, and then replied, “Fine, thanks.”

“Oh. Glad to hear it. Not.”

The vampire sighed and stepped into view. “I don’t have a great deal of time, so listen well, Ruby.

Kaitlynn’s insane.”

“Oh. Really?” Ruby licked her lips. It tasted like something had crawled into her mouth and died there some time ago. “Didn’t notice.”

“Hard to miss, actually. I’m going to drug you again.”

Ruby couldn’t quite hide her wince. “Why?”

“She can’t get inside your head if you’re drugged out of it.”

She thought about that briefly, about what an insane Sidhe could force her to do in her own mind. Her little dance with Cullen backed up the vampire’s words. “Drugs are good.”

The vampire smiled. “Thought you’d see it my way. Open wide, sweetheart.”

Ruby opened her mouth and allowed him to place the pill on her tongue. When he gave her a drink of water to swallow it down, she nearly choked.

“Careful.”

“Why are you helping me now?”

The vampire threw a quick glance at the door, and then leaned down over her body. With a start she realized that he really was incredibly handsome, something she hadn’t had a chance to notice before.

“Kaitlynn is a bitch. I work for Duncan, but he’s gone missing. Kaitlynn decided to appropriate my services in her brother’s absence, and holds something over my head to force my compliance. However, I don’t like what she’s doing here, so I’m going to do my best to stop her at every turn without getting myself killed in the process. Simple enough?”

“Did you help Shane escape?”

He nodded happily. “I knew you were a smart girl.”

Ruby blinked sleepily and yawned, her head beginning to spin. “Did you hurt Moira?”

His cheerful façade dropped away immediately. In its place was a ruthless predator. “The only people who are completely safe from me are Duncan Malmayne and Moira Dunne.”

“Kaitlynn might hurt her, to get to Leo.” Her speech was barely human. The medication began to take effect, making it nearly impossible to keep her eyes open.

Red flames danced in his eyes. “No. She won’t. I’ll kill her first.” Ruby felt a cool hand smooth her hair down as she drifted into unconsciousness. The last thing she heard was the vampire’s departure as he left the cell she lay in.

Jaden stood outside Ruby’s cell, watching her sleep. Duncan hadn’t contacted him yet; soon, he’d have no choice but to remove Kaitlynn permanently. He couldn’t risk Moira’s life, or Ruby’s, on the whim of the madwoman his bond-brother called sister.

Ruby slept peacefully, her heart rate normal, her blood flowing smoothly through her veins. Moira lay awake somewhere in her house, scared for her sister-in-law and…brother? Ah, Leo is on his way.

Surprise, surprise. He wondered how close the Sidhe was to the Malmayne estate. He did his best to send his feisty little blonde reassurances, but until he deepened the bond between them fleeting impressions was all he could send her.

He did his best to convey that Ruby slept peacefully. Unfortunately, not knowing where Leo was, he couldn’t help her there.

It was with real pleasure he felt his little leprechaun relax a little.

For that small amount of implied trust, he would ensure Ruby’s life with his own. For the first time in over a century, someone other than Duncan had a hold on his cynical heart.

Kaitlynn stepped into the room and he watched out of the corner of his eye, curious to see her reaction. She glided over to the one-way glass, her eyes glued to the sleeping figure of Ruby Dunne.

“When will she wake up?”

The sick anticipation in her voice made him shudder. “I don’t know.”

Kaitlynn took a step closer to the glass. “How much did you give her?”

“Only the one.”

Her eyes narrowed, her lips pouted, and in that moment her smooth loveliness turned hard and ugly.

“Wake her.”

Jaden turned to her, one brow lifted in disbelief. “And how would you like me to accomplish that, your highness? Intravenous caffeine?”

Her lips turned up sweetly, but did nothing to dispel the frost in her eyes. “You know, Jaden? Perhaps your usefulness is at an end.”

If he hadn’t been expecting treachery of some kind the rowan stake might have found its mark. Jaden screamed as the stake entered his back, the pain nearly crippling him. He fell to the floor, slowing his heart rate, nearly stopping his breathing as Kaitlynn laughed in delight.

Jaden closed his eyes and lost his hold on consciousness.

On the Dunne farm, Moira sat up from her bed, screaming in horror. Her back bore an ugly, bloody wound, and none of the family could figure out how it got there.

On a private runway just outside Omaha, a blond man with steel gray eyes gasped, his hand going to his back. When he pulled his hand away, it was covered in blood.

Those steel gray eyes glittered like twin stars as the man dashed towards the car waiting for him at the end of the runway.

“Home. Now. Hurry.”

Duncan Malmayne stared out the car window as his driver took off at top speed, his eyes haunted and full of regret as he heard Jaden’s brief mental scream.

“Jaden. Damn you, Kaitlynn.”

Leo knew the moment he stepped onto Malmayne land. Something in it cried out to him, the sound of earth that had been forced to absorb pain, degradation, even murder. The call was faint to his senses, but he knew any full-blooded earth sprite would avoid this place like the plague.

Leo clenched his hands, feeling savagely angry. He had no idea where on the estate Ruby was, but there was one way to find out.

He reached deep down inside himself, to the green pool of peace and tranquility that made up his leprechaun half. Using that energy, Leo extended his essence around the Malmayne property, defining what was his to his leprechaun senses. Cautious, he hoped that the earth would accept him.

His father had told him if the earth did take him in it would be the most incredible experience of his life. If it didn’t, it would be the most incredibly painful.

He felt a tentative caress, the questioning tendrils entering his mind, finding every nook and cranny, every memory, every experience he’d ever had. It lingered over things that confused him (getting drunk on spiked punch on New Year’s when he’d been twelve, throwing up in the bushes) and completely ignored others (most of the women he’d dated didn’t even rate a glance). It watched his memories of his family like video clips, fast forwarding then stopping to watch a clip that particularly interested it. It loved images of his father, lingered like a caress over his mother, and especially loved anything to do with Moira. It skipped a number of Shane memories, possibly because it already knew Shane.

When it hit Ruby, it drew back for a moment, and Leo feared he would be rejected. He felt the earth begin to watch as he purposely began playing his memories, from his first scent of vanilla and peaches, wandering the office to find that elusive scent, to finally meeting her. Those memories drew the earth in as he replayed tasting her. How she barely argued over being essentially kidnapped, all because he needed her to be with him. How she’d been curious, and cautious, but not once had she rejected him on any level, and how he cherished her for that. He knew the earth felt their love.

When the earth took back over, Leo eased off. It replayed his memories of how Ruby had been hurt by Cullen, and he felt its anger.

With a start, Leo realized he was starting to feel what the earth felt. Blood and pain were a distant nausea; he knew the vampire was down. Somehow, he also knew the vampire ( “Jaden” , the earth whispered with affection and regret) had tried his damnedest to help both Ruby and Shane. He saw how Jaden had been partially responsible for Shane’s getaway, and felt some remorse for the violent feelings he’d harbored towards the vampire. Like his own private movie show, he saw in fast forward everything Jaden had done, first to help Shane, then to help Ruby, and how the vampire had nearly paid with his life.

With a grin, Leo felt the bond of the leprechaun and his land snap into place like a lover’s first caress, shocking, intimate, and incredibly pleasurable.

He knew where everyone on his land was. What everyone on his land was. He knew Jaden was close to death. He knew Kaitlynn was staring at…

Ruby! He could feel the heavy, drugged sleep his bonded slept under, could feel Kaitlynn’s rage when they couldn’t rouse her. Felt her kick the downed vampire, and knew somehow that Ruby’s drugged state had been no part of Kaitlynn’s plan for her.

Fine, the vampire lives. Leo used the earth to amplify his Sidhe powers, cloaking his presence from all prying eyes. He began cautiously making his way towards the house. Not being fully leprechaun, he couldn’t move with the preternatural speed his father could. However, there were other things being part Sidhe provided. Since he knew where each and every person on the estate was, it was child’s play to cloak their minds. Any sounds he made were automatically assumed to be something natural to whatever part of the estate they were on. With the very earth itself lending him its power, he found he could tamper with the senses of everyone on the estate, even Kaitlynn, without them feeling it.

He stopped abruptly as a new sense filtered in. The pain and death he’d felt hadn’t been Jaden. Jaden was still alive, down below the house.

The death had been Cullen’s. His body was buried on the estate, in the formal gardens he’d loved so much. Kaitlynn had poisoned him.

He felt someone new step onto the property.

“Duncan.” He could see the older man through the earth, sensed his deep well of power, and knew his rage and grief as if it were his own. Changing his plans, Leo moved to intercept him.

“Malmayne,” he whispered in the other man’s ear from ten feet away.

The blond man stopped, his expression wary. “Dunne.”

“You can’t stop me, Malmayne.”

“My sister took your wife, Dunne, and nearly killed my bond-brother. I have no intention of stopping you.”

Leo was startled. A Sidhe of Duncan Malmayne’s prominence would never claim to have a vampire as a bond-brother. The vampire must have done something extraordinary to have Duncan claim him as his own. “Jaden lives. The land is sustaining him.”

Duncan’s silver eyes widened in shock before carefully blanking. “You’ve claimed the land.”

Leo noted he didn’t sound surprised. “How else could I find my wife safely?”

Duncan nodded. “I will, of course, deed the property over to you as a wedding present.”

Leo moved in front of Duncan before removing the cloud from the other man’s senses. “Kaitlynn still needs to pay for what was done to my sister, my brother and Ruby.”

“Your sister?” Duncan frowned, showing no surprise at Leo sudden appearance before him.

“The vampire… Jaden fought her, knocked her unconscious and fed from her just before he took my mate.”

“Ah.” Duncan sighed his understanding. “Your sister is fine. If Jaden truly wished to hurt her, she would have died the moment she touched him. If he allowed her to fight him it was because he was protecting her as best he could.”

Leo raised a brow. “He has a strange way of protecting her.”

“And if your mate had gotten away from him he could have claimed it was because of the fight.”

“A lie without lying?” Duncan nodded, confirming Leo’s thought. “He’s kept Ruby drugged so that Kaitlynn can’t mess with her mind.”

“I’m not surprised. Despite evidence to the contrary Jaden is a good man.” Duncan looked towards the mansion. “Kaitlynn must know we’re here by now. We would be on the security cameras.”

Leo held up his hand as Duncan started to move towards the house. “I have the senses of every person on this estate clouded except yours, Jaden’s and Ruby’s. No one knows we’re here.”

Duncan stared towards the house, a scowl on his face. “I need to find my father. I need to know why he allowed things to go this far.”

Leo sighed. “Your father is no longer alive.”

Duncan turned back to him, his eyes icily blank. “Excuse me?”

Leo could no longer see Duncan as the earth fed him information rapidly. “Kaitlynn did something to his after-dinner brandy. Curare, I think, but the earth isn’t sure since it didn’t come from here.” Leo shuddered. Kaitlynn had buried her father before he was completely dead. “She buried him in the formal gardens. The earth still screams of his pain.”

The rage and grief coming off Duncan Malmayne increased tenfold. Leo could feel the man’s power radiating off him. Silver sparks danced in the air around him. In the coldest voice Leo had ever heard Duncan whispered, “Leave Kaitlynn to me.”

“Kaitlynn needs to pay for hurting my mate,” Leo growled, his own eyes glowing green.

Duncan smiled, and Leo tried to hide his shiver at the chill in it. “Jaden will be hungry when he wakes up.”

“Feeding a vampire is hardly fitting punishment for the crimes your sister has committed.”

“I never said she’d survive the feeding.” Duncan’s head tilted, as if listening to something only he could hear. “Jaden is…displeased with my sister.” His expression turned feral. “And he has a very vivid imagination.”

Leo moved silently through the front of the house. The few sounds he did make he was able to muffle in the minds of the guards. Duncan was moving around the back of the house, the other Sidhe having decided to use the kitchen entrance. He’d taken out the guards stationed there before heading to intercept Leo. Whether they were loyal to the Malmaynes in general or Kaitlynn in particular would be sorted out later.

He could feel Ruby beneath him, deep in the earth. She was beginning to wake up. Apparently the stimulants Kaitlynn had ordered administered were beginning to work. He could feel Jaden tensing himself, rousing from the half sleep that had kept his heartbeat slow. If Jaden moved to block Kaitlynn, odds were good he wouldn’t survive. The vampire had lost too much blood.

There was another in the room with them, someone the earth found repulsive ( “Jeremy West”, the earth whispered). Another vampire, he was tall, with dark hair and eyes, cold in a way Jaden wasn’t. He ignored most of what Kaitlynn was doing, only smiling when Ruby moaned.

That look on West’s face nearly had Leo losing control. The man’s eyes glowed red, and his teeth had dropped.

“He hungers.”

Leo decided enough was enough. To hell with skulking. It was time to see exactly how well a leprechaun and his land worked together.

Ruby opened her eyes, wondering what in the hell she’d been drinking the night before. There was a horrible taste in her mouth. “Wha’ the hell you been feeding me? Road kill?” She moaned.

“Welcome to your new home, human,” a feminine, familiar voice said.

Ruby shut her eyes with a groan. “I’m going back to sleep. Wake me when Leo kills you.” The sharp slap stung even through the drug haze. “Ow.”

“Go back to sleep and I’ll cut off your finger and pour a glass of your blood for the vampire.”

Ruby cautiously peeked, not happy to see Kaitlynn smiling sweetly down at her. “You have spinach stuck in your teeth.”

The blonde reared back, one hand covering her mouth, her eyes horrified. Ruby snickered.

Kaitlynn removed her hand and stood tall and proud. “Allow me to introduce you to a friend of mine.”

She waved languidly. A tall, dark-haired man stepped into view. His eyes glowed red and his teeth were pointed. “Jeremy West.” She simpered up at the vampire. “Jeremy, meet your dinner.”

“Swell.” Ruby desperately tried not to tremble at the anticipation she saw in West’s face. The vampire was staring down at her like she was coated in melted Godiva and he was a confirmed chocoholic.

West licked his lips. “Mmm. She’s going to taste sweet.”

Ruby found herself fighting a hysterical laugh. “You have a great future in porno movies.”

His arm snapped up, ready to strike down at her, and she flinched. There was no expression on his face at all. Damn. No sense of humor.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

Huh? I thought Ms. Schizo would adore having me battered.

“Too many bruises and I won’t get Leo’s cooperation.”

Oh. That explains that.

“Besides, I’d prefer to hurt her myself.”

Everything around her went dark.

Leo watched from the shadows as Duncan signaled his readiness to enter the… dungeon, was the only word he could think of to describe it, below the Malmayne estate. He nodded, prepared to move—

The terrified screams ripped into his soul and nearly tore it apart. Gone was any thought of moving silently. He rushed into the room, determined to save Ruby no matter the cost.

She was in some sort of glass and concrete cage. He could see Kaitlynn and Jeremy West standing over her. Her body arched off the slab she was lying on, every muscle straining against invisible shackles.

The only breaths she took were to keep screaming.

Kaitlynn smiled, and Leo lost it. The earth trembled beneath his feet. His eyes fell on the electronic lock on the door, and he wondered if he could manipulate it open. It was made of metal, which was of the earth, and was on his land. If that didn’t work he would bring the entire house down to save his mate if he had to.

But before he could move, Jaden was there, ripping the door off its hinges and throwing it away, almost hitting Duncan in the process. Leo flew through the opening, barely catching a glimpse of Jaden collapsing to the floor again with a groan.

“I wouldn’t come any closer, if I were you.”

Leo didn’t even hesitate. The power of the earth surged through him. He rushed forward and backhanded Kaitlynn with all his strength, grimly satisfied when he heard a bone crack. She staggered back, stunned and howling in pain.

Ruby’s screams abruptly cut off.

“Step back, Sidhe.”

He turned to see Ruby held by West. One of West’s hands was wrapped around her throat, the other around her waist. Her feet dangled above the floor, her sweat-drenched hair hanging limp around her pale face. She looked terrified.

“I can snap her neck like a twig.” The tips of West’s fangs poked out to caress his bottom lip obscenely. “Or you can cooperate.”

Leo felt the earth tremble again in response to his rage.

“It’s simple, really.” Kaitlynn caressed her cheek, her expression once again cloyingly sweet. “You take me to mate, and your…Ruby…doesn’t get hurt any more than she’s already been.”

“Choose not to cooperate, and she becomes my lunch.”

“That’s quite enough, Mr. West.” Kaitlynn smoothed out her skirt with shaking hands. “Well, Leo?”

“Do it and you’ll never get any again in your entire long existence.”

Leo’s mouth quirked up at Ruby’s growled order. That was all he’d needed to ensure that Kaitlynn’s plans were destroyed. He shrugged. “I told you my mate doesn’t like to share.” He looked over at West.

“And neither do I.”

He only meant to throw the man off balance, Raising a tiny section of the floor a few feet off the ground would have accomplished that nicely, and hopefully startle the other man into letting go of Ruby.

Instead, a full circular foot of concrete, gravel and dirt pushed upward at an alarming rate, smashing West against the ceiling so fast he had no time to react, or even yell. Ruby screamed. Blood and tissue spurted out of the flattened body of the man who’d been holding her, drenching her in the disgusting fluids.

The concrete and dirt circle pushed up until the vampire’s arms were severed, dropping a shrieking Ruby to the ground. When she hit the ground he could see that her shirt and jeans had been torn through in spots, revealing a mass of cuts and scraps that would have to be tended to and soon.

“Oh, God. I’m gonna…”

He watched helplessly as Ruby vomited. He was stunned by what he’d done to West. Bits of the vampire were still dripping down the new column of earth.

At least I’m pretty sure the son of a bitch is dead. Too bad his stomach was threatening to join Ruby’s in the old heave-ho.

“Wash her off, quickly.” Leo turned to find Jaden leaning against the doorjamb, a scowl on his face.

“Hurry! His blood is in those wounds! ”

“Fuck!” He picked up Ruby and sprinted for the stairs, moving faster than he’d ever done before. He had to wash the vampire blood off of her before it was too late.

He was fairly certain his still heaving mate had no desire to become a vampire.

Duncan glided into the dungeon room, beautiful and dangerous. Jaden watched him with bleary eyes, knowing he didn’t have long before he collapsed again. It would be worth it, though, to see Duncan give his sister the smack-down she deserved.

“Hello, Kaitlynn.”

The Deranged Darling flinched at the sight of her big brother, the livid bruise on her face in stark contrast to the pallor of her skin. “Duncan.” Her voice was slurred, no doubt due to the hit Dunne had landed.

Duncan was staring at Kaitlynn in a very scary way. Jaden watched and wondered what the Sidhe was up to. He doubted it would go the way he hoped. The woman was Duncan’s sister, unfortunately. “Blood debt is owed, and you’re going to pay it.”

“On whose authority?” One brow tried to rise, but then she winced, the action pulling at her bruised cheek.

“On mine, as Lord of Clan Malmayne.” The authority in Duncan’s voice sent shivers down Jaden’s spine. He allowed his teeth to drop, determined to back Duncan with his last drop of blood if need be. If his bond-brother was actually going to make Kaitlynn pay for her crimes then Jaden wanted in on the action, even if he only got to be a spectator.

“Father is lord, not you.” Her chin rose. She almost managed a sneer, but her broken cheek prevented it.

“Father is dead, buried in the formal gardens.” Jaden’s jaw dropped. How in hell had he missed that?

It was damn near impossible to hide death from a vampire.

He glanced at the column that pinned Jeremy West to the ceiling. Perhaps the other vamp had somehow managed to hide the tell-tale signs?

Kaitlynn’s skin had gone pale, her expression filled with trepidation.

“Dead by your hand, I believe.” Duncan circled his sister, his eyes cold and without mercy. “For your crime of murder, the sentence is death.”

Kaitlynn gasped.

Goodbye, bitch. Jaden laughed internally, delighted at this turn of events.

“For the crime of kidnapping and torture: also death.”

She whimpered.

“For the crime of the attempted murder of my bondmate: death.”

Wait, bondmate? Jaden nearly chortled. Duncan was breaking out a truly archaic definition of the bond they shared, if he was calling Jaden his bondmate. By using that term, he increased the level of Kaitlynn’s crime from attempted murder to cardinal sin.

“Sentence to be carried out immediately.” Duncan turned to Jaden with a grim look. “She’s all yours.”

Jaden bowed, as best he could in his wounded state, to the man he’d pledged his allegiance and part of his heart to almost a century ago.

Then he turned to Kaitlynn and smiled sweetly. The pain subsided at his lord’s permission to feed.

He was very, very hungry.

He let the predator in him surface, using everything he was to ensure the Deranged Darling paid her debt in full.

Not one drop of Kaitlynn’s blood tainted the floor. Jaden made sure of it.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” Leo chanted. He pulled Ruby under the warm water, desperate to get the tainted blood off of her. He didn’t bother removing her ruined clothes first, just dunked her under the shower and rinsed her as fast as he could. He completely ignored his own clothes, not caring that he was now soaked along with her. He was pretty sure Duncan could spare them some new ones.

“Leo?”

Her quavering, weepy voice nearly did him in. “It’s okay, kitten. I’m here.”

She collapsed into his arms, sobbing, and he nearly sobbed with her. He held her and rocked her, making nonsense noises in her ear just to let her know he was there.

He began to sing softly, a lullaby in the Sidhe tongue. Eventually her weeping slowed. When she began ripping her clothes from her body, he didn’t question, just helped. And when she picked them up and threw them as hard as she could out the shower door, he helped with that, too.

Finally, her crying stopped completely. She drowsed in his arms, only the occasional sniffle letting him know she was still awake. He picked her up and carried her into the adjoining bedroom, laying her wet body down on top of the coverlet. He went back into the bathroom and turned off the water. He grabbed a towel and returned to her. He didn’t want her out of his sight.

“You’re okay, kitten. Nobody’s ever going to hurt you again.”

He winced as the gentle swipes of the towel against her abraded back drew a hiss of pain from her.

When he was done, he rapidly stripped himself down, dried himself off, and slipped between the sheets. He really didn’t give a fuck if Duncan was offended or not. Ruby needed to rest, so she was going to rest. He wasn’t even sure whose bedroom they were in, other than it wasn’t Kaitlynn’s. The stench of the other woman would have driven him from the room once Ruby was cleaned off.

Ruby cuddled up against his chest, hiding her face in his shoulder. The occasional shudder still wracked her body.

If I hadn’t left her in the driveway none of this would have happened. Guilt ate at him like acid, but he just couldn’t deal with that right now. Ruby needed him.

“Show me what she did to you, kitten.” He hoped if he could get inside her mind, he’d be able to fix whatever it was Kaitlynn had done to terrify her.

She shook her head. “Nope. Not going there ever again.”

He nodded. He’d get to see it when she was ready, he was determined on that, but there was no point in traumatizing her further. “Then tell me.”

She drew a deep breath. “Have you ever seen those horror movies where someone’s strapped down to a table, a bit is put in their mouth, some weird contraption is strapped to their head, and then someone else throws the switch?”

Leo stiffened. “Electrocution?”

Ruby nodded, never moving her face from his shoulder.

Oh, the bitch died way too easy. He’d felt Kaitlynn’s death while they’d been in the shower, but he’d been too focused on Ruby to pay it much attention. He was going to ask Duncan and Jaden to bury her body somewhere far, far away, where her evil would no longer poison his land.

He felt Ruby moving against him and looked down. She was rubbing her head. “Headache?”

“Throw some volts through your brain and see what happens.”

He stroked her damp hair away from her face. “I have an idea.”

“What?”

“Do you trust me, kitten?”

She looked up with a frown as he constructed the fantasy in his mind, projecting it into hers before she could form a protest.

“Oh, hell yeah.” Ruby moaned. Those talented, strong fingers she loved worked their oily way up from her calves to the backs of her thighs. “That’s what I’m talking about.”

“Glad you like it.”

She opened one sleepy eye to see Leo grinning down at her, his shoulders moving as he expertly massaged her legs. “What are you really doing to me?”

Leo shrugged but kept going. “Antibiotic cream. Luckily none of the scrapes are bad. You won’t scar.”

She snorted. “Glad I can’t feel that.”

“I should never have left you alone.”

The condemnation in his voice made her sigh. “I’m alive. You’re alive. Kaitlynn is…?”

She looked over her shoulder to see a grim, satisfied smile on Leo’s lips. “Dead.”

“Good. Did it hurt?”

“A lot.”

She laid her head back down on the pillow with a relieved sigh. “Good.” She relaxed into his hands, moaning when they moved up to the backs of her thighs. “By the way, could you, um, not do the squish thing again?”

“The squish…oh.”

“Yeah.” She shuddered, swallowing against a fresh wave of nausea.

“I was angry.”

She picked her head back up off the pillow and stared at him. “Remind me not to get you mad at me.”

His face turned red. He moved up to massage the cheeks of her ass. “I’ve never tapped into my leprechaun half before. I didn’t realize I would do that, let alone could do that.”

She nodded and put her head back down, closing her eyes, enjoying the feel of his wonderful hands gliding in soothing strokes over her waist. “I think lessons from Daddy are in order, don’t you?”

“Not a bad idea, especially since we’ll be so close.”

His absent tone said he wasn’t really paying attention. She was, however. “Oh? How close are we going to be, Leo?”

His hands stopped. “Um. Yes. About that.”

Ruby groaned. “Keep massaging, pretty boy. It sounds like you’ve got some explaining to do.”

“I claimed the land.”

His hands found a particularly sore spot. “Oh. That’s nice.”

“It is?”

“What happened, Leo?”

“I claimed the land, obfuscated everyone’s senses but yours, Jaden’s and Duncan’s, got into the house, and saved the day.”

“Oh. Is that all?”

He choked on a laugh. “Yeah. That’s all.”

“Your brother and sister are safe?”

“Yes, they’re fine.”

He began massaging her shoulders. She sank into the mattress, her muscles releasing even more tension under his expert hands. “Ohhhh…good.”

“If you weren’t injured I’d make you feel very, very good.”

She smiled. “I believe you would.”

He pressed a soft kiss to the back of her neck and settled down next to her. “Once those scrapes heal, I’ll show you exactly how good I can make you feel.”

She stared into his face, the loving expression he wore not fooling her for a moment. “You’re going to make me live in Nebraska, aren’t you?”

He winced.

“Don’t think I didn’t catch that whole ‘I claimed the land’ stuff you said before. You’re good, but you’re not that good.”

His eyes narrowed. “Was that a challenge?”

She grinned and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. “Double-dog dare you.”

He leaned over her and took her mouth with savage possession. “You’re on.”

“Oh, boy.”

He laughed and the world swirled in mist around her.

Red satin sheets, a black metal headboard, chains and leather cuffs met her gaze. “Uh, Leo?” She pulled on one cuffed wrist, grateful he was blocking the pain of her scrapes. “How is this supposed to work?”

She was on her stomach, a pillow under her hips, canting them upwards. Her legs were also tied, but there was more length to the chain, enabling her to move them a bit more freely.

She couldn’t see him, only hear him as he prowled around at the foot of the bed. “Oh, from where I am, it works perfectly.” The bed dipped beneath her. He crawled up her body, barely touching her. She felt him caress her ass, cupping it in both hands. “What a beautiful ass.”

She would have laughed at his satisfied sigh, but he chose that moment to begin circling her clit. “Oh, God.”

“Mmm. You’re already getting wet for me.” She felt his warm, wet tongue lap between her pussy lips.

“So sweet.”

Her knees jerked, trying to pull herself up so that she knelt, but the bonds prevented it. “Leo.”

He didn’t answer. He continued to nibble and suck between her legs while his fingers kept a steady rhythm on her clit. When he leaned back she moaned in denial, her hands straining against her bonds.

“Shh. It’s okay, kitten.” She heard a buzzing noise, and shivered. “I know what to do to make you purr.”

The vibrator worked its way into her pussy. She felt something brush her clit, rabbit ears she thought he’d called them. The vibrator slipped out, taking the rabbit ears off her aching clit. “Do that again.”

His dark chuckle was followed by another thrust of the vibrator. “Do you like that?”

“Yes.” She thrust back, trying to get that one piece of the vibrator against her clit again, loving the fullness of the fake cock.

His tongue swiped across her hip. “Want more?” He withdrew the vibrator again.

“Yes!” She was practically hissing at him. He was teasing her with that damn vibrator. She’d have to think of a suitable way to get back at him. Later. Much later.

“I don’t know.” Once again he pushed the vibrator into her. He twisted it, causing the attachment to brush back and forth, back and forth against her throbbing clit. “This is merely good.” He leaned over her body until they were eye to eye, his chest to her back, his head resting next to hers on the pillow. His rock hard cock was nestled in the crack of her ass. “Wasn’t the dare to make it very good?”

She shuddered, an orgasm rippling through her. She was really beginning to like those rabbit ears. He kissed her, his tongue fucking into her mouth. His hips began moving, stroking that hard, hot flesh against her ass.

He twisted the vibrator again, and she nearly jumped off the bed. “Fuck.”

“I guess you do like that.” He nipped at her neck, sucking hard. She knew he’d left a mark by the way he stared at her, his expression hot and possessive. “Do you know what I’m going to do to you now?”

She felt the head of his cock brush against the entrance to her ass, but she didn’t care. The vibrator was beginning to work its magic again. Her fingers curled around the chains tying her to the bed. “Fuck me, Leo.”

He shivered. “My pleasure.”

If she hadn’t been on the verge of orgasm, the feral heat in his tone would have scared the shit out of her.

She felt something cool and wet against her ass, and knew where he was going to fuck her. The lube eased the way for his fingers thrusting in and out, stretching her. The feeling got tighter, wider, the pleasure darkly delicious. His fingers were scissoring her open in preparation for his cock. Between his fingers and the vibrator, she felt stuffed full.

She turned her head when his fingers left her ass. She watched as he greased his cock, his hot gaze glued to her ass. His other hand continued to stroke the vibrator in and out, the occasional twist of his wrist making her shake and moan.

“I’m going to fuck your ass now.” He leaned over her again as his thick erection slid between her ass cheeks, the head invading her. He gave the dildo a last violent spin, sending her screaming into orgasm again. His cock sank deep into her ass and she pushed out against him, easing his way. She barely felt the sting, the pleasure drowning out the faint pain of his invasion.

He was peppering her neck and back with tiny kisses. “So tight.”

“Leo.” She was gasping, the fullness of his cock and the vibrator almost too much to bear.

His teeth sank into her shoulder, just where it joined her neck, his mouth sucking forcefully. He pulled his cock almost all the way out of her. Her back arched, her neck tilting to the side, trying desperately to get him closer. His tongue stroked over the mark he’d left.

He began to move, fucking her with smooth, steady strokes, the vibrator once again brushing against her clit. She found herself rocking back into him, moaning in time to his thrusts.

“So good. So damn good.” His words were slurred as he picked up speed, his cock slamming into her.

He sat up, both hands on her hips, pummeling her, pulling her ass back to meet him. The vibrator began moving again, somehow obeying his mental commands, driving in and out in counterpoint to his thrusts.

The vibrations were driving her insane.

Leo began fucking her hard, the wet slap of flesh against flesh loud in the room. The vibrator was pressed up firmly against her clit, increasing in intensity. Golden sparkles dazzled her eyes, Leo’s magic slipping from his grasp to color the air around them.

She could barely breathe as the orgasm washed over her. It burst inside her, devouring her, all of her muscles clenching against the dark pleasure of two cocks. It was almost more than her body could take.

“Ruby! Ah, God!” Leo ground against her ass with a harsh groan and came, the wet warmth sliding into her ass. They shook together, his power blinding them with pleasure so intense Ruby damn near passed out.

He caught himself on his hands as the last of her spasms washed over her. He pulled out, careful not to hurt her. The room drifted away in white mist.

She was back in the Malmayne house. Her ass hurt, her back hurt, her legs and arms hurt, but damn if she didn’t care. “I need to double-dog dare you more often.” She was still panting, a silly grin on her face.

“Did I hurt you?”

She snuggled down into the pillow, content, and answered him the best way she knew how. She wasn’t surprised when he started laughing. After all, he did promise to make her purr.

“Have you found your father?” Leo stared out the window of the library, hoping Duncan wasn’t going to ask him to pinpoint the gravesite. He would, if necessary, but he’d had enough of death for one day.

“He’s been found.”

Leo turned to see Duncan staring into a whiskey glass. The new Lord of the Malmayne clan swirled the amber liquid around in his glass, his gaze sad and thoughtful. “If I had been here none of this would have happened.”

“No offence, but why weren’t you?”

Duncan put the drink down carefully on one of the cherry wood tables. His fingers played with the edges of the glass. “My father was still my lord. He sent me to France to deal with some issues we were having with one of our businesses there. It turns out it was nothing more than some members of the clan taking more tithe than they were due. I straightened it out and came back as soon as possible.”

“Why didn’t any of my calls get through?”

Duncan turned to Jaden. The vampire was currently sprawled on the sofa, his long legs splayed wide, his hands behind his head as he contemplated the ceiling. “I’m not sure, but my cell didn’t work the entire time I was in France. As soon as I left for England it suddenly started working again.”

“Gremlins?”

“I’m not sure. There are other reasons it might not have worked. I wasn’t all that close to Paris, after all. It might have simply been poor signal strength.”

“And it might have been the Deranged Darling’s hirelings.”

The two men shared a look Leo couldn’t quite interpret. It was as if they were communicating silently. “It’s possible you’re right.” Duncan picked up his whiskey glass and saluted Leo. “I’m glad we were able to help you rescue your lady.”

“Although he didn’t need all that much help.” Jaden shuddered. “How long is it going to take you to get West out of your ceiling, anyway?”

Leo grimaced. “Please don’t mention that again.”

“You could just leave him there. Have the column tricked out in concrete. Paint pictures on it. Raise a toast every year in my name. You know, ding, dong, the asshole’s dead.”

Leo shook his head at the happily humming vampire. He turned to Duncan, who was smiling down at his bond brother. “Is he always like that?”

“Frequently.” Duncan took a drink of his whiskey. “What are your plans now?”

“Now? Learn how to control my leprechaun side, apparently.” He glanced up and saw Ruby step cautiously into the library, her gaze going warily back and forth between Duncan and Jaden. She was dressed in one of his shirts. Luckily it was long enough on her to hit just above her knees. He moved forward, eager to take his mate into his arms. “And plan a wedding.”

Even as she nestled into his arms, she was arguing. “You’re planning the wedding? Try we’re planning the wedding. And no getting freaky in front of my relatives.” She looked around Leo’s shoulder to glare at Jaden. “I’m talking to you especially, fang boy.”

“Fang boy? Fist you call me Bunnicula, and now fang boy?”

Bunnicula? Leo laughed. “You invited the Hob to the wedding, and you’re worried about a vampire?”

He could hear Duncan choking on his whiskey even as Jaden sputtered. “The Hob? She invited the Hob to your wedding? With humans?” The vampire doubled over in laughter, gasping. “Oh, man, I am so there.”

And all Leo could do was agree and kiss his wife.

He was so there.