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“And I’ll try not to expect the impossible.”
With that, there was nothing more to be said.
Chapter Seven
Lorelei held onto Seth’s neck, nuzzling his throat. He flew her through the dense forest in what amounted to a series of almost acrobatic moves as he squeezed through thickets of branches and jumbles of snow covered deadfall.
She was happy, that was what she knew as he carried her in the direction of his house once more.
As the chill air swept over her, she held him close, her free arm slung around his opposite shoulder. She sniffed his scent, which smelled of the forest he loved. How well he seemed suited to her because his shifter community dominated the Shauck Mountains where he lived.
She felt at home for perhaps the first time in her life, at least from the time she’d left Genevieve behind.
She knew she rode the perilous cliffs of unrequited love. Her heart, maybe she could even say her blood rose heart, had been given from the moment she’d first seen Seth, even though she knew his preference for going it alone.
She’d never been this close to a man and yes she understood the dangers of engaging sexually, that women bonded so damn easily with men because of it, but right now she didn’t care.
This was Seth, and though she could sense his uneasiness because of his past, she knew him. She understood his most basic nature, even if he didn’t yet know himself. He’d served the Nine Realms as mastyr longer than any of the others and had essentially set aside his personal happiness to make sure that his fellow realm-folk thrived in their land.
As each mastyr did, he watched over a million souls. A million lives all intent on the same thing, on earning a decent living and raising a happy family, staying alive and, in her world, avoiding the deadly Invictus pairs.
The ambitions of the average family didn’t extend much beyond that, except perhaps to limited community and religious involvement. Even the Vampire Guard had many married warriors in its ranks and the Shifter Brigade was all about pairing up and making wolf pups.
Maybe the latter was the reason that she hugged him now, because she was part shifter. Or maybe it was simpler, and he was just a gorgeous man and she got to be with him for this stretch of time.
She’d never lived longer than two years in any one place, moving from city-to-city, realm-to-realm. In most places, her mother had found her within the first twelve months. Margetta had hunted for her relentlessly, yet somehow, Lorelei had always been able to stay just a little bit ahead of her.
Now she was here in Walvashorr, holding Seth as he flew her back to his home, safe behind layers of enthrallment that woul
d keep Margetta at bay forever.
When they arrived, she dropped to her feet just outside the door and walked in. She was always surprised at how much Seth’s home smelled like him, which made her smile all over again.
“You’re smiling. Why?”
She shook her head and a strong warmth crept up her cheeks. “Nothing. It’s nothing.”
“What?” He caught her arm and turned her to face him. “I want to know. You smile a lot.”
“Seth, I’m happy here and when we walked in, well, you don’t know how much your home carries your scent. It’s almost like being in your arms.”
* * * * * * * * *
Seth stared at her for a long moment, caught once more by the warm light in her eye. That’s what he loved the best, that she was such a caring, selfless person. Despite her rough life, she’d somehow kept herself pure of entangled bitterness and hatred. She never even spoke of her mother in harsh, angry terms, only with a hope that she would never be like her.
He loved that about her, that something innocent had survived her childhood, another testament to the work of the troll, Genevieve.
He leaned close. He wanted his lips on hers again, despite an equal desire to keep his distance, that dichotomy again, his rational, boxed up mind and his passionate need to be with this woman.
But at that moment, a loud banging sounded on his front door.
He levitated past Lorelei, ordering her to remain hidden until he knew what was going on. His home had a wall of windows overlooking the gorge so he could easily see that all four alphas ranged his deck. Two looked down into the gorge. One paced, while Ephyx stood behind the front, glass door itself.
Ephyx scowled as he waited, the unacknowledged leader of the Shifter Brigade, the one Seth would put in charge in a heartbeat if it wouldn’t infuriate the others. In true ironic form, Ephyx proved his leadership repeatedly, not by bellowing but rather by deferring to Cohoet in any situation that didn’t involve multiple pack engagement. Cohoet might think himself top dog, but his self-awareness had always been blocked by his ego.
Ephyx was Seth’s go-to.
Of all four shifters, Valgus had the greatest eye to his own pack and held the reins more tightly than even Seth thought necessary. On the other hand, nothing could go volatile more quickly than one of the packs.
