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He slipped his phone from the pocket of his jeans and cancelled his doneuse. Beyond that, he didn’t know what the hell he was supposed to do.
* * * * * * * * *
With full-dark having finally arrived, Lorelei emerg
ed from her den.
She gave herself a good stretch and an even better shake. The snow still fell, though gently. Sustaining her enthrallment shields, she lifted her head to stare through the thick fir branches, all the way to the dense snow clouds above.
She watched for even the smallest sign of Margetta, who often patrolled the air during the first couple of hours of the night. But for the most part, Lorelei no longer feared discovery by her parent. Rosamunde had helped break the spell, or whatever it was, that had once given Margetta an upper hand over Lorelei.
Keeping her layered shield tight, she listened to the forest. Snow kept the mountains incredibly quiet, which meant she could hear sounds from a long distance away. What surprised her wasn’t what she heard, but rather that not one sound came back to her.
At this time of night, the Shifter Brigade patrols would be all over the mountains, moving at lightning speed on all fours as only wolf-shifters could do. And she’d be able to hear this movement, however muffled by a layer of fresh snow.
Instead, she heard nothing, no running, no movement of wind, no howls as the patrols called to each other.
Her heart-rate increased. Something was wrong.
Was it Seth?
She’d been so overwhelmed by her recent experience with the Mastyr of Walvashorr that she’d forgotten that her first job was to guard him.
She set her paws in motion and within seconds arrived at the backdoor of his house. She listened intently and heard his phone ringing.
A moment later, his voice hit the airwaves. “Ephyx. Where are your men? I haven’t seen one patrol since full-dark.”
Lorelei shifted to her fae self. She’d changed in her den earlier, putting on a fresh pair of jeans, furry snow boots, a long-sleeved t-shirt and a thin, but well-padded jacket. She knocked, then entered the kitchen.
Seth appeared in the doorway, a phone to his ear. He frowned as he met her gaze, but dipped his chin, then waved her forward.
She felt his distress, which put all her senses on high alert as she walked swiftly toward him. He turned in the direction he’d come, a frown forcing his brows low on his forehead.
As he moved into the living room, she followed.
“I can’t believe what you’re telling me.”
“What is it?” Lorelei asked quietly.
He covered the phone with his hand. “The Shifter Brigade.”
“They’re gone, aren’t they?”
He glanced toward the window as though straining to hear them himself. “How did you know?”
“The forest is silent.”
He nodded, uncovering the phone. “Ephyx, let me call you right back.”
Her gaze took him in as he put his phone away. He wore his Guardsman uniform, the long black leather, sleeveless coat over a thick, black long-sleeved winter shirt. His hip boots rose to mid-thigh and covered his battle leathers. A single line of small silver studs ran down the outer side of each boot. He looked amazing, especially with his hair slicked back and secured by the typical woven clasp.
He had an extraordinary physique to begin with, but the layered design at the shoulders enhanced what nature had already given him.
Familiar sensations pummeled her of loving how he looked and how he smelled. Her heart had started laboring again, a heavy pull which she now knew meant she was a blood rose. She couldn’t believe she was the unique kind of donor that from now on would produce all the nourishment a mastyr vampire would need.
Knowing she’d relieved him of his painful blood-starvation, eased something inside Lorelei. She watched a warrior vampire who had sacrificed for centuries to serve his realm, who would gladly die for Walvashorr and the Nine Realms, and she’d helped him. For that, and despite whatever may come in the next few hours or days, she was grateful.
“What did Ephyx say?”
