One red brow lifted in thought. “Possibly. Until you complete the bonding the two of you are vulnerable. Sidhe like the Malmaynes won’t care that your bond is a True one, only that she stands in the way of their ambitions.” Robin shrugged. “No offence, but if your mother had followed through on her own contract instead of falling for the leprechaun none of this would have happened.”
“And Shane, Moira and I wouldn’t exist, and Mom would have been miserable.”
“So fighting for love is worth it, then?”
Leo glared at Robin. “If my mother feels for my father half of what I feel for Ruby, then yes. It’s more than worth it.”
That disconcerting flash of green appeared in Robin’s eyes again, and for a moment Leo was frozen in place. For one blinding second he knew exactly how the Hob felt.
Unbearable, unutterable, unending, envious. Alone.
Then those eyes were shuttered once again by a fall of auburn lashes and Leo was freed. “Then fight.”
A gust of wind blew by, blurring the edges of the Hob, blowing him away like a sand sculpture. “When the Malmaynes arrive, fight.”
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47
Chapter Five
“Any word on your brother?”
Ruby, half asleep, whispered those words as he crawled into bed. Leo winced. He’d hoped not to wake her. His kitten had been exhausted and needed her sleep. “Yeah. I’ll tell you about it in the morning.”
“It is morning.” She sounded more alert, damn it. He was so tired. “Do they know yet who has your brother?”
Leo took a deep breath, the events of the night before once again pushing to the forefront of his mind.
He could feel his muscles tensing and tried his best to get himself to relax. “Yeah. We know who has him.”
She sat up abruptly, holding the sheet demurely over her breasts. “That’s wonderful! Do the police know? Is he okay? Is he on his way home?”
Leo pulled on her arm, yawning so hard it felt like his jaw would crack. “Down, kitten. It’s not that easy.”
She resisted the pull of his arm and frowned down at him. “What isn’t that easy?”
Leo sighed, and wondered how to explain to her the intricacies of the Seelie court system. “Shane was kidnapped by a…rival family.”
She stared at him, her eyes blank with incomprehension. “Huh?”
He sighed, rubbing his face tiredly. “Can I get some sleep first, please? I promise I’ll explain everything to you after we’ve eaten breakfast.” He allowed his weariness to show through the glamour he normally kept up, gratified when she frowned and traced the dark circles under his eyes. “Please?”
Her frown deepened. “You’re hiding something from me, aren’t you?”
The fact that she could already read him so easily was both encouraging and disturbing. “I promise I’ll explain everything, even the stuff I’m not sure you’ll understand, or believe. But I’d really like some sleep first, okay?”
She huffed. “Well. Okay. But he’s okay, right? I mean, your family has at least that much assurance?”
“Yes, Shane is okay.”
She nodded, obviously reluctant to drop the subject. His curious kitten. He watched her slip back under the covers, the ridiculous slip of cream-colored silk sliding along her body. He held out his arms.
When she turned trustingly to spoon him, he sighed in relief, burying his face in the fragrance of her hair.
He was asleep with minutes, his overworked mind and body finally taking their toll on him.
Dare to Believe
Ruby woke up alone, but she hadn’t forgotten the talk they’d had in the middle of the night. She got up and dressed quickly. She started down the stairs, eager to hear Leo’s news.
She could hear the sounds of the Dunne family talking, their voices rising and falling in that weird Gaelic-sounding language. Ruby entered the kitchen to Aileen’s voice rising above the rest, full of outrage and authority.
“Moira Eileen Dunne!” Aileen’s voice stopped her daughter in her tracks. Moira had decked Leo, punched him straight in the nose and landed him flat on his ass. The beautiful girl had been going after her brother for round two.
He was stumbling to his feet when Moira growled, the sound barely human. “Shane’s gone, and it’s all your fault!”
Leo flinched, his face stricken. He turned abruptly on his heel and walked out of the kitchen.
Aileen sighed and rubbed her forehead.
“Leo?” Moira made a move to go out the door, her expression just as stricken as her brother’s. Her mother grabbed her arm and began quietly talking to her, chastising her.
Ruby ignored the other two women and followed Leo. She found him on the front porch, clutching at the railing with white knuckled fingers and staring up at the sky with haunted eyes. She didn’t know what to do or say. She didn’t know anything about his family or the way it worked. So she did the only thing she could think of. She walked up behind him, wrapped her arms around his waist, and held on for dear life.