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Lorelei tilted her head, because this didn’t feel the same as his concern about Margetta’s attack. What is it?
He straightened his shoulders, his gaze sweeping over the alphas. “I have good news, actually. Mastyr Jude will be in Walvashorr within the hour. He’ll meet up with us at Big Timber.”
Lorelei now understood what was bothering him. She was an un-bonded blood rose and another mastyr vampire would soon arrive. She knew how Seth had reacted to Batya before she’d bonded with Quinlan.
Her heart pounded harder, another indication that her own blood rose abilities wouldn’t discriminate right now between the two mastyrs. She would be equally drawn to Jude as she was to Seth, at least in terms of her need to satisfy a mastyr’s chronic blood-starvation.
She hoped like hell that she didn’t run into Jude alone.
* * * * * * * * *
Seth flew Lorelei slowly over Meriwin Stream in Emberith Gorge. T
he shifters were on the ground, traveling primarily in wolf-form in order to move swiftly from farm to hamlet.
He hadn’t quite realized just how prepared the shifter community was for war, but everywhere snow-oriented camouflage nets went up over houses and barns. Farm animals were herded inside the latter, and families moved to either cavern systems located in the steep, mountainous ridges of each gorge or extensive, manmade tunnels that had been built over the past century just for this purpose.
I’m amazed, Lorelei pathed.
Her arm around his neck soothed him. He was jumpy as hell, as much from knowing that in less than twenty-four hours his men would be engaged in battle, as from the fact that Jude had arrived and was working with Ephyx and his pack at the far western Bephotine Gorge.
Even Lorelei had made it clear that her body would fail to distinguish between the men and that she knew she’d be in trouble if she got anywhere near Jude.
And he knew damn well what it was like to be drawn instantly to a blood rose. Memories of having attacked Batya gave him the shakes all over again.
So Seth had created distance to ensure that Lorelei and Jude didn’t actually see each other during these exercises.
Dawn would arrive within the next couple of hours at which time he’d take Lorelei back to his home for the day and get as much sleep as he could manage.
Ephyx’s voice begged telepathic admittance.
What is it?
We have a problem at Big Timber, a conflict with Cohoet’s pack and Valgus’s
Is Mastyr Jude still at Bephotine Gorge?
Last I heard, he was.
I’ll head to Big Timber now.
Seth shifted course and flew east toward Big Timber, explaining to Lorelei that Ephyx needed him to resolve a conflict at the conference grounds.
You need to feed, Seth. I can really feel it now. My heart is pounding.
Soon enough. I’ll have to head to shelter in just over an hour as it is.
And you’re sure you can wait?
Yes, absolutely.
He dropped down just in front of the snow-trampled stairs that led into the lodge. “Why don’t you wait inside until I settle this thing.”
“That would be great, unless you think I’m needed here as the prime female.”
He glanced around, but shook his head. “The sense I have is that you would only be needed if all four packs were involved. Would you agree with that?”
“I would, actually.”
