Bound to Blackwood (36 page)

"That sounds about right," he replied taking a large gulp of lager. "Well, at least they didn't kill each other!" he said with an almost maniacal laugh.

Okay, this was just plain weird.

"What about Lena's injury?" Kaden asked.

"Lena thinks she's fine."

"Of course she does." Kaden continued to pace up and down the pool table.

"What are we going to do?"

Kaden came to a halt in front of him. "You were right; it's none of our business."

Whilst Ryver didn't want to get involved, he couldn't understand Kaden's U-turn. "You really believe that?"

"I need to see Thorn," he replied, ignoring Ryver's question.

"But…" Ryver's voice faded as realised he was talking to himself. Kaden had gone. Ryver moved Mercury's PlayStation controller and plonked himself on the sofa with a sigh.
Well that went well.
 

"You slept with her?" Kaden bellowed as he crashed through the door to Thorn's room.

Thorn leapt to his feet, his hands up in defence. "What are you talking about?"

Kaden flashed across the room in a blur. He pushed Thorn in the chest. "You know exactly what I'm talking about! Here I was worrying about you leaving her to her suffering, but I at least thought you were being a gentleman about it. How fucking stupid am I?" Kaden spat.

"Watch your tone, Kaden," Thorn warned.

"Watch your tone, Kaden," Kaden repeated, mimicking Thorn's authoritative tone perfectly. "Fuck off, Thorn. You're an arsehole."

Thorn stood there open-mouthed. In the back of Kaden's mind lay the knowledge that he had never spoken to Thorn with such venom or disrespect, but in that moment he really couldn't care less. If Thorn wasn't the King, Kaden was pretty sure he'd have killed him by now.

"Jesus Christ, Thorn, this isn't some Order groupie we're talking about; this is Lena! Our Lena. What were you thinking?"

Thorn didn't answer. Kaden narrowed his eyes at him. "Well?"

Sighing Thorn took a step back and sat down his wing-backed Queen Anne chair. He leant forward, elbows on knees and held his head in his hands. "It's complicated," he whispered.

Thorn's lack of fight-back took some of the wind from Kaden's sails and his voice came down a decibel or two. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Raking a hand through his hair, Thorn seemed at a loss as to what to say. When he finally spoke, it was the last thing Kaden expected him to say. "We've got bigger problems than me and Lena right now."

"Are you joking?"

Thorn gave a sad sounding chuckle. "I wish."

For a second, Kaden thought Thorn was trying to fob him off, but the longer he stared at the guy, the more he could feel his sincerity. Kaden slumped into the chair opposite Thorn on the opposite side of the fireplace. "Go on, amaze me."

"I'm glad you're sitting down for this. Lena killed three Fallen tonight."

"Yeah, so?"
Like that was news.
 

"So, one of them was Vance of House London."

Kaden's jaw went slack. "You must be mistaken."

"I've known Vance all my life, Kaden. Fallen or no, it was definitely him."

"Shit!" Kaden felt ill.

"I take it you haven't been to see Marin yet?"

Kaden shook his head. "No, and I really don't fancy being the one to tell him his baby brother is dead!"

"How is it a Guardian's brother
Fell
and we know nothing about it?" Thorn asked.

Kaden stared at his feet. If it had been any other Guardian he would have known immediately, but Marin was out of the loop. Had been for centuries. "This is a fucking disaster."

Thorn raked his hand through his already dishevelled hair. "Why does it feel like we're only just keeping our heads above water?"

"It's not that bad," Kaden replied automatically, though his voice held less conviction than he'd hoped for.

Thorn's golden eyes narrowed. "It is that bad, Kaden. When was the last time it felt like we were on the winning side?"

Thorn did have a point. The Order had been treading water for decades. Soraya seemed so sure that Thorn and Lena were the answer to everything. But, what if she was wrong?

Kaden watched Thorn staring into the distance, deep frown lines carved across his broad forehead. The secret Soraya entrusted him with danced on the tip of Kaden's tongue, desperate to be heard. The longer Kaden looked at Thorn, the more he wanted to tell him. The words almost choked him, but he couldn't voice them. He had given Soraya his word and his word was his honour.

He puffed out a frustrated sigh. A human priest once told him that God smiles on the righteous, but now and then he really could see why Falling seemed so appealing; no rules. He certainly didn't feel as though the Holy Mother of Fae was smiling on any of them right now. In fact, he couldn't remember the last time he'd felt any kind of connection with Faerie.

Kaden pulled himself out of the chair and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Thorn asked.

Kaden looked over his shoulder. "I need to go check on Lena."

Kaden had no intention of checking on Lena. Not yet at least. He did make a mental note to see whether anyone had written “Mating for Dummies.” If they had, he was going to slap Thorn round the head with it.

Instead, he headed for the west wing of House Blackwood, a place he rarely visited. Recently, he'd been avoiding it completely. Even at the bottom of the magnificent, twin-curved Georgian staircase, the fresh scent of peaches infused the air.

Whilst still in keeping with the rest of the house, the west-wing was distinctly more feminine. Floral motifs in fresh greens and muted pastels adorned the walls. The panelling and picture rails, whilst still prominent, were painted white and the floorboards varnished in a light honey.

Drawing a deep breath, Kaden started up the winding staircase towards Soraya's suite. The aroma of peaches became more heady as he climbed, so much so that as he reached the first-floor landing he had to steady himself on the handrail. Shaking it off, he made his way down the wide corridor to the lounge. He knocked, purely out of politeness, knowing full-well Soraya was sitting cross-legged on the plush sofa, reading.

"Come in, Keeper of the Watch," her gentle voice called out.

Kaden smiled as he pushed open the heavy double doors, Soraya's soothing voice helping to calm his troubled mind. She looked up as he made his way over to her, laying the heavy book aside. Narrowing her eyes, she studied his face. Intuitive as ever, she knew there was something wrong.

"What has happened?" she asked.

"May I?" Kaden motioned towards the easy chair opposite her.

"Please." She nodded.

Kaden sat with a heavy sigh, trying to gather his thoughts. No easy task when Soraya's scent still permeated the air. The more time he spent in her company, the more difficulty he had concentrating on anything other than her. He looked over at her, her golden eyes full of concern as she waited for him to answer.

Kaden shook his head; he didn't know where to start. He watched open-mouthed as she rose, walked around the barrel-legged coffee table and knelt in front of him. As she took his hand in hers, an unexpected thirst curled through him. Kaden could see her delicate lips moving as she spoke, but her actions unsettled him so much that he couldn't hear a word she said.

Soraya gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "Kaden?" she whispered.

Kaden shook his head, desperate to regain command of his own thoughts. Clearing his throat, he finally replied. "The situation is getting worse, Soraya."

"Which situation?"

It was a valid question; there were plenty to choose from. Kaden drew a deep breath. "Tell me this, Princess. Are you sure they must do this alone?"

Soraya gave him a small smile. "I couldn't be more so."

Kaden's brow furrowed. "Where do you find your faith?" he asked.

"Do you not have faith, Keeper?"

He shook his head. "I lost my faith a long time ago. I cannot believe as you do without hard evidence."

Soraya leant back, but she didn't release his hand. She looked him in the eye when she replied, sending shivers down Kaden's spine. "What makes you think I have no proof?"

"What do you mean?" What possible proof could she have?

"You are older than I, Kaden. Surely you remember the old ways?"

Remember them? He'd done his best to forget them. "No good can come of mourning that which has been lost, Soraya. There is no point in dwelling on the past; we can't change it. What matters is here and now."

Soraya shook her head, sending her raven locks tumbling around her exquisite face. "You're not often wrong, Keeper, but on this you could not be more so. We
are
the past. It is what moulds us. Without the past, there is no present. And there is no future.
 

"Lena is Thorn's key; she alone can unlock his true potential." She stared at him and Kaden hissed as a glimmer of silver flashed through her amber eyes.

He'd always thought Soraya an old soul. But that was just something folk said when someone seemed older than their years. He never expected to actually see the truth of it in her eyes.

Kaden swallowed hard as she stroked his hand with her thumb. "You really believe?" he asked with a shaky voice. He stopped breathing when she laid her other hand on his cheek.

"I believe in many things, Kaden, but this is something I know beyond doubt," she whispered.

The honesty in her voice overwhelmed him, like she'd laid him open with truth. Kaden closed his eyes, desperate to stop the assault on his senses.

"Kaden?"

He opened his eyes to see her pale-gold eyes searching his face. He had to clear his throat before he could speak, and when he did, his voice came out as little more than a rasping whisper. "Sorry, what?"

"Did you hear what I said?"

"I did, your highness." He had no idea why he believed her, but there it was. That flicker he'd seen in her eyes awoke memories of a time, long forgotten; a time when their strength as a race went unquestioned. A time when magic flowed through them all.

He had so many questions for her, he wanted to ask more, and he
needed
to know where her wisdom came from. Just as he opened his mouth to voice his concerns, he stopped himself. Alarm bells sounding in his mind told him Thorn was on his way and he knew the King well enough to know he shouldn't linger in Soraya's private quarters too long. Kaden rose and gave Soraya a nod of his head before he took his leave.
 

Chapter 24

Lena felt stuck in an ever revolving state of deja-vu. She'd wrecked her dresser this time, since the wardrobe had only just been repaired, but the result was beginning to feel very familiar. Her overnight bag lay on the huge double bed, her clothes strewn all over the floor. Slivers of mahogany and an entire drawer-front lay on the Georgian rug, evidence that her temper had, once again, got the better of her.

Angry with herself for being so weak and furious at Thorn for making her feel that way, she paced the room. She honestly had no idea what to do. Confused, she sank into the armchair in the corner. Her body and mind warred with each other.

Searing heat kindled at the sight of Thorn in her mind's eye, only to be doused by memories of the need for possession she saw in his sparkling, golden eyes. For a brief moment her heart soared as she remembered that kiss they shared in Soho Square. The power and gentleness of it touched her soul. But that's what worried her.

She had held a torch for Thorn since she first came to House Blackwood. Since before he took the throne, when his rank matched hers. Two Guardians, that's all they were then.

Lena laughed at herself. Thorn had never really been just another Guardian. The strength and power within him shone through even then, as if Nature knew that Jett would never be the king they needed. Thorn only grew more powerful with the responsibility the race bestowed upon him when Jett passed.

Lena sighed. Thorn had never been stronger than he was now and though she would never admit it to anyone, the flame he ignited within her had never burned brighter. Holy Mother of Fae, she was so screwed!