Font Size:  

Margetta found her and enthralled her young mind, working to trick her to show her the path into Ferrenden Peace. Fortunately, Evelyn got wind of Margetta’s doings and left the kingdom to battle Margetta and to save her daughter’s life. In the process, Margetta killed a queen who was supposed to reign for a thousand years.

Stone frowned yet again. Not Rosamunde.

That’s right. Ferrenden Peace never had hereditary queens. They were chosen by the Sidhe Council as a result of fae visions. Rosamunde has been a place holder all this time until Quinlan’s daughter, Viola, is old enough to take her place.

Quinlan’s daughter? The one who’s just a few months old?

That’s right.

This was all such new information that Stone didn’t know what to think. He’d never understood Rosamunde, but from the few things she’d revealed and these new insights from Davido, it seemed her life had been one misadventure after another. And this is why the elf-lord power has caused her such disabling pain?

That’s what I believe. She was never the right vessel to serve Ferrenden.

Yet she’s done so for a thousand years.

Davido continued, She laid down her life, Stone, just as you have. She deserves both your respect and your trust.

So, you’re saying I’ve misjudged her.

Badly.

A few expletives rolled through his head, to which Davido cried out. Calm that damn battle energy of yours, Mastyr. You’ve practically destroyed my last working brain cell.

Apologies. But he laughed. Davido, so far as Stone knew, was the most power-laden realm-person in the Nine Realms. If he’d been a vampire or a shifter, he would have been a formidable Guardsman in their world and at the very least a ruling mastyr. Despite Davido’s protests, a little pathed profanity wasn’t going to harm his head.

Still, he didn’t know what the hell to think except that it would be a long time before he could forgive Rosamunde’s deception, even if he had misjudged the woman.

~ ~ ~

Rosamunde sat quietly as her maids bound her hair once more in the intricate arrangement she’d worn since she could remember. Tears kept flowing and she kept wiping them away. Her maids eyed one another in the mirror but said nothing to Rosamunde, for which she was grateful.

She finally offered, “I had an argument with Mastyr Stone. That’s all.”

The maids nodded but otherwise remained quiet.

Her chest felt caved in except for her heart which was swollen with an excess supply of blood. She’d need to donate at some point tonight or she was pretty sure the small organ would simply explode from having to work so hard.

Though thoughts of Stone kept intruding, she chose to focus on her most immediate problem: Finding a vampire to take the surplus. There were several lesser mastyr vampires in Tannisford Realm and one in particular came to mind.

His name was Rez and he was a tough, powerful man, which gave her pause. If she fed him, would he expect more? She’d heard that the drive to feed mastyrs was almost overwhelming and in response those she fed would feel a need to bond with her. And do other things.

She remembered all over again what had happened between Mastyr Seth and Mastyr Quinlan. Seth had come across Lorelei in the castle and because Lorelei had been unbonded at the time, Seth went berserk with his sudden need for her. In response, Lorelei had actually engaged with him. Quinlan found them before events got too far along, but the ensuing violent encounter between the men had reverberated through the entire castle.

Using the elf-lord power, she’d intervened, putting both mastyrs in stasis.

So, the question remained, if she sought out Rez in order to get relief from carrying too much blood, what would happen? Would she suddenly desire Rez the way she did Mastyr Stone?

Once her braids were intact, she sent her maids away in order to deal with her problem. She decided that to be on the safe side, she would offer herself first to Stone. She didn’t hesitate to tap on his pathway.

His response was less than hopeful. What do you want? Even telepathically he sounded hostile.

Pacing her private parlor, Rosamunde pressed a hand to her chest. His curt attitude did not help her faltering peace of mind at all. I won’t keep you long. Probably because of the things we did last night, I’ve built a blood supply that needs … sharing. Is there any way you can help me out here?

A long silence returned. I need you to leave me alone for a while until I sort this out. But you should know I doubt I’ll ever be able to trust you again.

I know. But Stone, I don’t want to donate to another mastyr. She let the words hang, hoping he would intuit the larger issue.

Instead, he shot back. Hey, at this point that’s your problem, not mine.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
Articles you may like