Behind her twin gasps sounded as Duncan and Moira arrived. She waved her hand behind her. “Stay back.”

A brief surge of relief crossed Shane’s face when he caught sight of Duncan, but within seconds he was muttering once more. Then, with a shriek, he swept his arm across the worktable and turned, running for the vault.

“Shit. If he locks himself in there we’ll never get him out.” Moira took off after her brother, her Seeming falling from her. She now bore the same dark copper hair Shane did, but her green eyes had darkened. Swirls of light brown decorated the leprechaun’s skin. “Shane! Get your ass back here!”

Duncan stepped carefully over the mess, his gaze glued to where his wife had disappeared. “He’s lost in his own mind. I’m going to try and calm the storm, keep him focused on one vision. When Cassie gets here, bring her to Shane’s vault.”

Akane opened her mouth to argue but the ex-lord of the Malmayne clan was already gone, following Moira into the vault after her crazed brother. She saw the calm of the Sidhe glamour ripple across Shane’s visions, forcing him to focus on one thing at a time.

Akane growled. She’d burned the poison from him the night before, hadn’t she? So what the fuck was going on?

Shane panted, sweat pouring from his skin in a stinking river. “You’ll weaken before she gets here.”

Duncan, eyes unfocused, his Seeming long since dropped, nodded. “I know. Can you put some pants on, please?”

Shane snorted and took the pants his sister held out to him. He blinked as another dark vision was violently shoved aside. “When the time comes you’ll need to strap me down.”

“What’s going on, Shane?” Moira, her hands on her hips, tapped her foot.

“We missed something during the purge, or it managed to hide from Akane’s flame.” He shivered, viciously cold in a way he’d never before experienced. “It’s in my mind, tapping into my visions. If it takes hold, you’ll have to kill me.”

Moira gasped. “Fuck no!”

“Fuck yes. I’ll turn on you and head straight for the Dark Queen.” He stared his sister down, ignoring the frown on her face. “Can you imagine what she’ll be able to do if she can see the future, Moira?”

“She won’t get you, love.” Akane smiled, the expression vicious. “Where do I need to tie you down?”

Shane sagged in relief. Akane understood what needed to be done, and his Blade mate wasn’t going to fight him on it. “My worktable.”

“That’s littered with glass! We can’t tie him there!” Moira turned to Akane, ready to plead his case. “He’ll be hurt if we bind him there.”

Akane nodded, but her gaze never left him. “I know.”

When she crooked her claw at him he stood, trusting Duncan to keep the nightmares at bay. “Trust my mate, Moira.”

Moira, jaw clenched, turned away.

“Come to me, love.” Akane crooned, her dragon song layered throughout her voice, a song he had no desire to resist. “Come and lie for me.”

“On a bed of diamonds and gold,” he whispered back, a vision of light pushing back the darkness for a brief second.

“Yes.” Akane smiled and helped him on the table. “You’re so taking me to Milan when this is over, you stubborn son of a bitch.”

He shivered as she tied him down. “I love you.”

She wiped sweat-dampened hair from his brow. “Is tú mo ghrá.”

He gasped. “Who taught you that phrase?” He hadn’t, that was certain.

“You did.” She leaned down and kissed him, sweet and strong.

“You are my love too.”

Akane winked down at him. “I know.”

Shane jerked as one of the visions took his breath away. All he could see was tarnished silver, darkened gray skies and a man shrieking in silent agony. His fingers twitched, tested his bonds as the urge to create tried to take hold.

A gentle silver warmth pushed the vision back and Shane’s eyes cleared. He focused on the most important person in the world, refusing to blink until those gorgeous golden eyes filled his vision. “Hurry.”

The dragoness nodded once, and Shane lost himself in visions once more.

Akane flew from the studio with only one thought in mind: find Constance and Hobart and kill them.

“Hey, Akane! Mind taking along a rider?”

Akane paused in her flight. “How are you out during the day?”

Jaden shrugged. “SPF three thousand, courtesy of the Hob.” That green light flared in his eyes. “Can we go? I’m kind of wigging out here.” He pointed toward the dipping sun. “I haven’t seen that in a hundred years, ya know.”

“I know.” Akane shifted to her full dragon form. “Hop aboard.”

“Damn. If only you’d extended that invitation before I was mated.” Jaden winced and gingerly climbed onto her back. “Do you have any idea how loudly a leprechaun can screech?”

“As loud as she needs to.” Akane took off once he was holding securely to her back.

“Who are we hunting?”

“I’m surprised Moira didn’t tell you.” Akane banked, following the line of the road toward the Malmayne estate. She wanted to start there but doubted she’d find the clan in residence. Constance had to know Akane was going to come after her.

“I’m surprised she knew I’d be able to come out in the admittedly fading sunlight.” Jaden shifted slightly. “So, tell Daddy who needs their ass whipped.”

Akane grinned. “Constance Malmayne and Hobart Klaussner.”

“One of those names is familiar, but who was mean enough to name their kid Hobart? And how many ass-kickings did the dude need to endure?”

Akane rolled her eyes. “He’s the son of the Hob and a pooka who was turned into a vampire while pregnant with him.”

Silence. She loved when she was able to shut Jaden up.

Of course it never lasted very long. “How did the Hob take his sudden fatherhood?”

“Haven’t told him yet.” Mostly because she figured he didn’t need to know about someone who was already dead.

“Ah. You don’t think he’ll react poorly to you killing one of his offspring?”

“I really don’t give a shit.”

“So when I get invited to his home for dragon burgers you’ll be okay with that? What am I saying, you’ll already be there.”

“Hobart’s the one who pumped Shane full of sludge.”

“Crap. And I mean that literally.” Jaden sighed. “Fine, but you’re taking the heat for this one. I’ve had my yearly helping of pissed Hob, thank you very much.”

She nodded and banked again, scenting the air. It was faint, but she could detect the scents of both Constance and Hobart. “They’re not here.”

“Duh. Smart people get out of the way of angry dragons, you know.”

She chuckled, reluctantly amused. “That explains a lot.”

He poked her left shoulder hard enough she grunted. “There. Turn left.”

Akane turned, her wings adjusting to a sudden updraft. “I see it.”

A dark sedan was heading down the road, the stench of the Malmaynes thick on it. Akane was tempted to just wipe out the entire clan, keep them from ever harming anyone else ever again, but Shane wouldn’t approve of such a draconian measure.

Damn it.

“I spy with my little eye something that begins with D,” Jaden hummed.

“Dragon food?”

“Congratulations, you win the kewpie doll.”

“I’ll take a pound of flesh instead.” Akane swooped down on the car. Inside she could smell two of the people she was hunting, two who she might let live if they gave up the real culprits to Akane’s claws and Jaden’s teeth. She landed on the roof of the sedan, digging in when it swerved in a useless attempt to shake her off.

Idiots. She began ripping into the roof, tearing it off in chunks. When she had almost the whole thing open she took off again, hovering easily over the speeding vehicle. They should have known that running around in a fiberglass can wasn’t going to save them from her wrath. “Where’s Constance?”

Cecelia Malmayne, face paler than normal, stared up at Akane in horror. Akane easily kept pace with the racing car. “Not here.”