Bloodline (3 page)

“Oberon the Seventh,” the guy snarled. “Your king.”

Oh shit
. The man turned to grab a towel, and Micah’s gaze automatically dropped to his butt.
Nice
. He glanced at Ellie and caught the guilty look on her face when he found her doing the same.

“How did you get into my bedroom?”

“Don’t you know who we are?” Ellie asked.

The king looked them up and down, his gaze lingering on Micah. Even beyond the man’s aggressive tone, there was something dangerous about him, an aura of menace that set Micah on edge.

“We’re Ellie and Micah Norwood,” he said.

“Our family was banished from Faerieland,” Ellie blurted. “We were held responsible for the disappearance of the Kewen, and now we’ve found it.” She tipped the jewels onto the bed, a sparkling mixture of rings, bracelets, and necklaces tumbling over the dark blue velvet cover.

Micah wished Ellie hadn’t spoken so fast, because he’d lost the chance to see if the king recognized their names. He
did
seem shocked to see the Kewen, though. No, not shocked. Pissed off? Worried? Alarmed? The one expression he didn’t have was pleasure.
Why not?

Concern for Ellie set every one of Micah’s senses on alert. If there had been any way he could have brought the Kewen to this side on his own, he would have, but the eldest sibling was charged with its return. There was no route to this side without Ellie, and he felt a pang of guilt that he’d not just come with her to bring the Kewen back. Once he’d told his boss, Roman, where he was going, Micah had been ordered to look for a missing shifter, the daughter of the alpha of the Westfield Pack who believed the girl to be in Faerieland. But his priority was protecting Ellie.

She handed the king a copy of the bill of sale. “We found this with the jewels. It turns out the Kewen was sold by Oberon the Fifth, your grandfather, in exchange for three mortal children. It was never stolen. Its disappearance had nothing to do with us.”

“This is false,” the king snapped.

Why the hell didn’t we think this through more carefully?
Well, Micah knew why. They’d been so excited the treasure had finally been found, plus worried someone would take it from them before they could return it, that they’d rushed to Faerieland. Micah’s hope of exploring this side of the Divide making careful inquiries about the missing shifter was falling apart faster than a dry sand castle. But if anyone was going down here, it had to be him, not Ellie.

“It explains why we entered Faerieland through a portal in the royal bedchamber,” Micah said. “Your grandfather didn’t want the Elders to know what he’d done. Once the mortal he’d traded with died, he thought the Kewen would never be found. Our family was made a scapegoat. But if the Kewen
was
found, and the bill of sale discovered with it, he needed to control what happened next. If he was still alive, I think we’d have been killed as intruders.”

Please don’t take that as a reason for you to kill us
. If he’d known how to get back, he’d have grabbed Ellie and jumped, but they’d landed on the bed so was the portal in the ceiling? He glanced up and saw plain stone. He assumed he could fly on this side, and there was no glass over the windows, but was he fast enough to get them out of there? And then where could they go? When his gaze returned to Oberon, the king was staring at him.

“I know nothing of this,” Oberon said in a firm voice. “It happened so long ago. I knew the Kewen had disappeared, but that was all.”

Why didn’t Micah believe him?

“What would your grandfather have wanted with mortal children? And why pay for them?” Ellie asked.

Shut up!
Micah poked her in the back, and she turned and glared. Why couldn’t she see there was something wrong? He could feel things slipping faster and faster through his fingers. Why wasn’t Oberon accusing them of lying? They could have forged the bill of sale. They could be banished faeries who’d found the treasure, stumbled across a portal, and come up with this as a way to bribe their way back into the kingdom.

Except no banished faerie would be this stupid. And it didn’t make sense. Oberon hadn’t even asked to see the original document. Micah’s stomach ached with nervous tension.

“My grandfather was sick for a long time,” the king said. “Perhaps he thought three mortal children would in some way keep him alive.”

How the hell could they do that?
The king had jumped very fast to belief, though what they were telling him was shocking. The reason? He already knew.

Micah opened his mouth to speak again before Ellie could. He had to dig himself deeper to stop her doing it. “Mortal children will be long dead, but their ancestors might still be alive.” He knew one of them was, on the other side of the Divide. The groundskeeper of the property where the jewels were found. “They deserve to know the truth about the disappearances.”

He wasn’t sure this was the best tack to take, but now they were on it, there was little choice but to continue. Ellie was going to get herself into serious trouble if she wasn’t more submissive. Playing along with the king was the only way to keep the family safe.

“The longer the children remained on this side, the more faerie they would become,” Oberon said. “They couldn’t stay here and not absorb this world’s essence, just as you, despite being faeries, are more of the other world than this.”

“We’ve done what we were tasked to do,” Ellie said. “We found the treasure and returned it. We cleared our family’s name. Now we should be allowed to visit Faerieland to decide if we want to live here or on the mortal side.”

Micah bit his lip as she bargained with the king. She’d ignored his warning pinches and glares. This man was not to be trusted.

Ellie crossed her arms. “Our energy should be replenished in an easier way than trekking to the Bowland Fell.”

It was a harsh, yearly hike to the middle of a Lancashire bog to renew their faerie powers. They all hated doing it. Now Micah thought they’d have been better off sticking to that than confronting this king. He rapidly began to formulate another plan because he might end up having to bargain for Ellie’s freedom.

“In return,” Ellie babbled on, “we’ll say nothing about the exchange of the Kewen for the children so that your position isn’t threatened.”

Oh shit
. Had Ellie lost her fucking mind? The idea that Oberon would lose the throne if the truth got out had energy rolling from the guy in thick black waves to which Ellie seemed oblivious. Her joy at clearing the family name had blinded her to the danger here. Micah stepped between the king and his sister.

“Why should I lose the throne for something my ancestor did?” Oberon asked in a low voice.

“Why should we be punished for something our ancestors didn’t do?” Ellie retorted.

Micah opened his mouth, but Oberon beat him to it.

“I could kill you both and take the Kewen. No one would know.”

Micah clenched his fists behind his back. He was almost helpless against the king. Apart from the fact that Micah’s power would be far less than Oberon’s, one call from the king and the room would fill with guards. Maybe there was a chance to knock him out long enough to find the portal and push Ellie through it, even if
he
didn’t manage to get out, but what if Oberon sent faeries after her, after the family?

“Our father has the original bill of sale,” Ellie said. “If we don’t return, he’ll bring hell down on you by going public with the document.”

Shit, Ellie
. Instead of running ideas through his head, he should have gagged his sister. How was their father going to tell everyone about the bill of sale? Tweet it? Put it on Facebook? Micah had no idea how information was spread on this side.

Oberon held up the copy. “When can I have the original?”

“Not until I can trust you,” Ellie said, and Micah cringed. “Maybe not even then.” He cringed harder.

The king narrowed his eyes. “Remember who you’re talking to?”

“Remember how your grandfather lied?” Ellie asked. “What if you’re descended from one of those human children? Do you want that getting out?”

Fire blazed in the king’s eyes.
Oh fuck. Not the right thing to say, Ellie
. He had to shut her up
now.

“He is our king.” Micah put his hand on her arm and dug his fingers in—hard. “No threats.”

Oberon stopped pacing and stared at him for a moment before turning to Ellie.
Are we as good as dead?
Micah held his breath.
Should I have intervened earlier?
He’d been torn between a need to protect his sister and complete the assignment his boss had landed him with once he knew he had a way into Faerieland. His sister came first—always—but his job was to save someone else’s sister as well.

“Thank you for returning the Kewen.” Oberon’s voice had changed from threatening to calm, and he accompanied it with a smile, though the expression in his eyes chilled Micah. “As a token of my gratitude, please choose something from it.”

Micah exhaled noiselessly. No gift would be offered freely.
Don’t fall for it, Ellie.

“That’s kind but not a fair trade,” Ellie said.

Goddamn it
. “Ellie!” he snapped. “Do I have to tape your mouth?”

That earned him a scowl. But Ellie wouldn’t be silenced and repeated her request concerning power renewal and the opportunity for the family to visit Faerieland to decide where they wanted to live. Micah was certain it was a bad idea to strike bargains with a faerie king, though part of him couldn’t help but admire his sister for trying.

“One visit to decide,” Oberon said. “And I’ll restore the Norwood name.”

Ellie’s brow furrowed as if she searched for a trick. Micah didn’t furrow his brow. He already knew there had to be a trick.

“Do you wish to stay?” Oberon asked. “Look through the window and see your home.”

Micah walked over with Ellie. An endlessly blue sky stretched in all directions, the color more intense than any sky he’d seen on the other side of the Divide. A river rolled lazily over the plains and down to a calm sea. Fields were a patchwork of colors, every shade of green and yellow, corn gleaming in the sunshine. In the town below, he could see people in the streets, children playing.

At first glance the land looked beautiful, yet it wasn’t. This world was…wrong. A little too much beauty? A sky too blue? A sea too tranquil? He spotted one child strike another, and no one did anything to stop the ensuing fight. Faeries moved slowly, heads down, not talking. Was it usually like that?

“This…is your one visit,” Oberon said, sweeping his gaze over Micah, lingering on the bulge in his jeans.

His heart sank. So that was the trick. They could leave now but never come back. Except Micah couldn’t leave until he’d found what he’d come for, and staying was more complicated than it might have been. Maybe the king just wanted to fuck him before he killed him.

“What do you see?” Ellie asked him.

“Beauty, darkness, pain.”

He saw the confusion on her face and was struck with horror at the thought of her falling for Oberon’s tricks. She’d found true love with Jago, owner of Sharwood Hall where the Kewen had lain undisturbed for years. Micah wouldn’t let her give that up.

She put her hand in his and squeezed his fingers. “I want to go back,” she said. “But I have to be allowed to return to say good-bye to Micah if he decides to stay.”

His heart swelled with love. He wanted none of his family to come here, because if they did, he suspected the king would have them killed to maintain the secret of the Kewen being sold for mortal children. At least Ellie hadn’t understood that one of them had to stay to keep the others safe.

“Make your choice.” Oberon gestured toward the jewels strewn on the bed.

Micah didn’t like the way Oberon grinned, or the offer to choose something from the Kewen. He mentally begged her to refuse or at least pick something small, and was relieved she selected the ring she’d bought at auction that had set everything in motion.

“You too,” Oberon said to him.

He didn’t want anything, but his fingers moved over the jewels as if his hand had been seized by an outside force, or more likely Oberon’s magic. He felt the danger as strongly as if he’d reached into a snake’s nest, and yanked his arm back. “No, thank you.”

Oberon’s mouth twitched, and Micah caught the hint of surprise in his eyes. “If your family wishes to retain their powers, they must never reveal the contents of this bill of sale. If they need more power, a circle can be made anywhere, not just on the Bowland Fell. A circle of five.”

“There are six of us,” Ellie said.

“He’s staying.” Oberon turned to him.

Micah chewed his cheeks as Ellie protested and wrapped her arms around him. “No, Micah.”

“It’s okay, Ellie.” He stroked her hair.

“No, it’s not. If he wants a hostage, I’ll stay.”

Micah’s heart almost burst at the love he felt for his older sister, but giving up her life on earth wasn’t going to happen while he had breath in his lungs.

“Don’t worry.” Micah pulled out of her hold. “I never fit in over there. Maybe I will here. Jago can keep my car, but you’re not to drive it.”

Oberon ran his thumb down Micah’s chin, and Micah forced himself to turn into the caress though his heart pounded hard enough to shatter his ribs.
Is this what I have to do? How far must I fall?

“Darkness, pain, and beauty,” Oberon whispered. “How perfect you are.”

No, I’m not, but I need you to think so.

“I need to know what happened to those three children,” Oberon said. “Will you search Faerieland for them? Not hide the truth no matter how unpalatable? Be loyal to me and only me?”

Interesting. Was that purely for Ellie’s benefit?
Micah stared straight at him. “I’ll search, but maybe the truth is best left hidden. I don’t yet know what sort of man you are, whether you deserve my loyalty.”

Saying that was a big risk, but everything shouted at Micah not to look too accommodating.