She relayed the information to Seth.
Which emotion? Can you define it?
She focused again. Turmoil and ... rage. Yes. Rage, but it’s focused on some kind of territorial issue.
That wouldn’t be a surprise for shifters. Territory is extremely important as you probably already know. And you say there are four strands?
Yes, I’m experiencing four exactly.
Lorelei, our shifter population is made up of four packs. Do you think you’re somehow tapping into each pack’s signature frequency?
I have no idea. Maybe.
During this past month, have you spent much time with other shifters?
No, not at all. Rosamunde sent me to guard you.
Since you arrived, have you felt compelled to enter pack life? Your shifter heritage feels very powerful to me, almost as powerful as the part of you that’s fae.
She needed him to understand. The truth is that I haven’t really found it possible to be engaged in any community. The closest I came was when I lived in Lebanon and served as Batya’s assistant. Before that, I never stayed in one place longer than a year.
I can’t even imagine what that must have been like for you. I’ve lived here my entire life.
Yet you’re alone.
Not alone. I choose a solitary path to keep focused on the job.
So, he thought this was a choice. But she knew the truth even if Seth didn’t know that this was an old survival skill he’d learned early on and still employed, to go it alone, always alone.
And she wasn’t much different.
Is your Vampire Guard nearby?
Out patrolling. I’ve given Aaron and Charles a full update. They’ll be checking in soon. But whatever is going on here, I can’t take the risk of leaving the rest of the realm unprotected by bringing the Guard here.
Of course not.
We’re almost at Big Timber. How are the frequencies?
Easier to manage since I separated them. But the hostility is unbelievable.
One more ridge.
He rose high in the air, crossing the tallest mountain yet. The rugged peak was well above the timberline so that they passed over a smooth white expanse.
As they descended and the central, ancient conference grounds came into view, Lorelei drew in a long breath. “How beautiful.”
Big Timber was an expansive complex built of a variety of modern, log structures, including several massive outdoor platforms with enormous burning fire pits and huge torches circling the perimeter. As a famous realm conference center, all sorts of organizations used the complex throughout the year.
She saw at once, however, that in a large central area, male shifters, in t-shirts, leathers, and heavy boots, shouted at each other.
Seth slowed his flight, easing them toward the earth. I’ve never seen them like this. What the hell is going on?
With the packs all carefully aligned with their alphas, Lorelei could see that something very territorial in nature had set the packs against each other. But she couldn’t imagine what she could possibly do to relieve the horrendous tension of the situation.
Some of the shifters strained to do battle, held back by others. Shouting filled the space.
And deep within her shifter DNA, she wanted to join them.
Chapter Four
Seth landed in the very center of the turmoil knowing his shifter fighting force was a hair’s breadth away from a free-for-all. Centuries of working to unify the pack-loyal brigade had almost completely disintegrated. The male warriors behaved as they had long ago, tempers volatile, loyalty to the pack set far above the well-being of the realm, and the female shifters not far behind.
Lorelei stepped away from him, turning in a circle. He felt her distress, even her uncertainty, a mirror of his own response to the situation.
But he hadn’t been a leader of warriors for centuries without knowing where, at least, to begin.
In a loud voice, he commanded, “I want the alphas here with me right now. The rest of you, fall back into pack formations beyond the central communal area.” He then assigned what appeared to be the closest fire pit for each pack.
But the alphas didn’t move and each regiment stuck close to its leader. Even Ephyx, who always obeyed, stayed frozen in place, his eyes wild with shifter-rage.
Seth rarely employed his rank, but he did it now, adding a powerful vibration to his voice, as he shouted, “Do it, now!”
The tension in the ranks around him rose to a sharp, sudden peak but almost as quickly subsided. The alphas, responding to his authority, each gave a signal and their grumbling forces retreated. Pack organization relied heavily on chain-of-command.
And Seth was at the top of that chain.
Some shoulder bumping went on, as well as heavy, bass growls. Many of the shifters showed fur on their hands, and some around the neck, a typical reaction of strong emotion. But for the most part, the retreat rolled out the way he needed it to.
Ephyx spoke in a loud voice. “Territories were violated during the prime call.”
Seth stared at him for a long moment. “What do you mean, ‘prime call’? I’ve never heard that before.”
“The summoning call that only a prime female can issue.” He lowered his chin and held Seth’s gaze. “The call your prime female issued, calling all four packs to Loperz Canyon.”
He glanced at Lorelei as a new layer of horror descended on him.
Prime female?
He pathed to her. Is that your take on this? Prime female? And if she did hold this position, what did that make him?
Lorelei’s eyes went wide. I don’t know what that means. Remember, I’ve never been part of a shifter pack, so I don’t know all the ranks or the terminology. I take it you don’t, either.
He shook his head. No, I don’t. At least, I’ve never heard this term before.
The alpha Cohoet spoke, his tone acerbic. “She doesn’t even know what she is, or what she’s doing here. This is fucking bullshit.” His voice rose as he leveled his gaze at her. “You don’t deserve this rank, Mistress Lorelei. Who the hell do you think you are, anyway, entering Walvashorr without deferring to me, or to one of the other alphas? You should have done that first before choosing a mate.”
Seth held Cohoet’s gaze, trying to grasp all that he was saying. What did he mean that Lorelei had already chosen a mate?
Glancing at her, the horrified expression in her eyes told him she wasn’t aware that she’d done any such thing.
There were so many issues at work that Seth couldn’t quite process what exactly was going on. But as he began analyzing and dissecting the situation, he realized that a new problem had risen, one closely associated with Lorelei’s shifter DNA. Cohoet had demeaned her and no wolf of character could let such a challenge go unanswered. He felt her anger kick into high gear, matching the same level of rage that ruled all of Big Timber right now.
He turned toward her, intending to calm her down, but she’d already launched into the air at Cohoet. In turn, the alpha braced himself with a smile, ready to do battle, even with a female in her weaker fae form.
Acting on instinct, however, Seth flew toward her, catching her around the waist midair. He swung her in a circle and though she fought against him, he brought her back to the snow-covered platform.
She panted hard, her muscles twitching, as she shoved against him trying to get free of his hold. She even showed a soft white ruff circling her throat, which sharpened the appearance of her now ruddy cheeks. Her fur hat had come slightly askew as well.
Lorelei, ease down. He held her tight. Her brown eyes wild as she glared at the alpha that had challenged her. I need you to come back to me. Look at me!
The command worked.
Lorelei turned her attention to him, blinking several times as she mentally shouted, What?
Get hold of your shifter-self right now.
She appeared startled, maybe by the stern tone of his telepathic voice.
Still, she ar
gued, But who the hell does Cohoet think he is, Seth? And what does he mean that I’m your prime female and that I’ve chosen you? That’s the bullshit here.
But as he stared into her eyes, as he thought about the reality that she was a blood rose as well as an anomaly in his world because of her unusual DNA, he wondered. What if you have chosen me? What if you are a prime female?
She finally ceased struggling against him, and he let her go. This is insane. She tugged at her hat, turning it slightly, straightening it out. Fur had even sprouted on her hands.
At least her temper had settled down, though now she paced back and forth. The white ruff around her neck spoke of her emotions as well as her shifter nature. The random thought streaked through his mind that he liked her show of fur at her wrists, hands and throat. He liked that she had a dominant shifter temper, earthy and wild. In this way, she balanced his stoic analytical nature.
Cohoet addressed Seth, nodding several times. “I approve that the mastyr can control his female. This is a good thing.”
Seth groaned his dismay, then quickly caught Lorelei around her waist as she once more leaped in Cohoet’s direction. Seth held her tight against him as she let loose verbally with her views on Cohoet’s attitudes and character.
“You sexist pig. Mastyr Seth wasn’t controlling me, he was speaking sense, but what the hell would you know about that? You treat your men like slaves and haven’t allowed a single woman to serve in your forces. You’re the least evolved shifter I’ve ever met.”
Cohoet was the only alpha who refused to allow women to join his regiment. The rest of the packs had nearly twenty percent inclusion of female shifter warriors in their ranks. But not Cohoet.
He heard some of the females from all over Big Timber shouting their encouragement to Lorelei as she continued her rant.
“And let me tell you something else, when I think of you as an alpha, I think of another word that begins with A that fits a lot better, and you know exactly what that is.” She continued on in this vein with Cohoet appearing almost bored, arms crossed over his massive chest. He had no use for women except in bed, to cook his meals, or to clean up after him.
Seth, however, now found himself in a ridiculous quandary. He needed her to calm the hell down, but her writhing body as she tried to pull away from him, sent desire for her rocketing through him once more.
The uncivilized part of him loved that she was out-of-control and saying things to Cohoet that most of the men present, and all of the women, had wanted to say to the bastard at some time or another.
He let her say what she wanted and settled into enjoying the soft curves of her body. He sniffed the ruff at her neck, savoring the erotic apple blossom scent as she continued her tirade.
The beautiful white fur on the backs of her hands called to him as well. He was pretty sure her scent would be strong there as well, and he wanted more of it.
Suddenly, Lorelei whirled abruptly in his arms, landing on her feet and staring at him with horrified eyes once more. Why the hell have you gone all mossy on me?
He thought about lying to her, but he didn’t see the point. His scent clearly had given him away. Because I like you like this, all worked up and shouting at Cohoet.
He hadn’t planned on his arousal being the reason that her rage burnt itself out, but it was as good a tool as any and rather fitting for the circumstances. Of all the realm species, shifters had a real wild side when it came to sex, liking it earthy and rough.
And he understood very clearly that some part of his controlled vampire-self wanted to thoroughly explore this side of Lorelei.
She breathed hard as she slowly recovered her temper.
Another of the alphas, Valgus, spoke up. “Mastyr Seth, I confess I’ve enjoyed listening to the prime female enumerate my fellow alpha’s considerable flaws.” He paused, nodding to Cohoet, and a chuckle ran through the crowd. “But to return to the issue at hand, Lorelei’s summoning of all four packs has created a huge territorial conflict. Our customs demand that we settle the dispute by our usual methods.”
In the shifter world, the ‘usual methods’ referred to physical combat.
Part of ruling an entire realm, with so many varied species, involved allowing individual species the latitude to self-govern as each saw fit. Battling mano-a-mano worked for the shifter packs.
But the current situation left all of Walvashorr vulnerable. “I can’t let you do that, Valgus. The ancient fae has a presence in Walvashorr right now and has been bringing in dozens of Invictus wraith-pairs to harm our families. Which means that I need all of you serving your territories as you have been for the past several decades. Right now most of the Shauck Mountains is unprotected.”
Alophi, closer in attitude to Cohoet than the others, added his piece. “You know we take care of our own first. That’s pack law. And decisions must be made.”
Seth frowned. “What decisions?”
Ephyx stepped forward. “The prime female has upset the balance among the packs. Crossing territories, as many of us did in order to answer her call to Loperz Canyon, has left scent trails and the women of those territories are now free to pursue the men of other packs.”
Okay, that was a real problem. “I see.”
Even Lorelei grew quiet. She could hardly argue against territoriality when, not even an hour ago, they’d both established a need for exclusivity.
Lorelei pathed, Seth, I have no idea what to do here? I don’t even known what it means to be a prime female.
Seth turned toward her. If you’re the prime female and your call caused this problem, maybe you have the answer as well.
That might be true, but I still don’t know what I’m doing.
Seth once more turned his attention toward the packs, acutely aware of the hostility that ran through the brigade. He tried to quickly size up what needed to be done, but the truth was he didn’t have sufficient information to make a proper assessment. We need an expert here, someone to help us figure this out. I’m thinking we should bring Davido in.
Davido, of course. Lorelei’s eyes brightened. He’s as old as the hills. If anyone will have answers about what’s going on, he will.
I agree.
Aloud, he addressed the alphas. “We need realm support and I’m calling Davido to help us sort this out. Any objections?” He glared as he spoke, his chin lowered, letting them know that he wasn’t in the mood for argument.
The alphas took turns nodding their acquiescence. When he had the full support of each, he suggested a hunt for fresh venison, while he contacted the old troll. Empty stomachs would not help the general volatility of the packs.
When the orders were issued, several shifters from each pack transformed into wolves and took off in four different directions. The rest set up tall tripods for dressing the meat and built fire pits for spit-roasting.
Seth remained with Lorelei in the center of the expansive compound.
She slipped her arm around his, then pathed, That was brilliant, sending them out to hunt. Shifters prefer to be doing.
He met her gaze. Sweet Goddess, a prime female?
Don’t remind me. I’m freaking out.
He drew his phone from the pocket of his battle leathers. Time to bring in the big guns.
Just as he pulled up Davido’s number, the troll’s voice sounded from behind him. “Were you about to call me, my good Mastyr Seth? I hope so, because my most beloved one sent me, or have I come too soon?”
“Davido,” Lorelei cried, turning as she spoke. This time when she launched, Seth didn’t stop her. He had no fear of Davido, despite his famous charisma.
Davido opened his arms and embraced Lorelei. She had to bend over to reach him given David’s short stature, which gave Seth an improper view of her bottom encased in tight jeans. Like the male he was, he took full advantage of the sight.
Davido rubbed Lorelei’s back and cleared his throat, finally drawing Seth’s gaze away from her.
Davido winked.
&n
bsp; Seth chuckled. He’d always liked Davido, one of the ugliest trolls, and finest men, he’d ever known. He was married to perhaps the most beautiful woman in the Nine Realms, Vojalie of Merhaine Realm, a very powerful fae, the one who had sent Davido to Big Timber.
The mystery of Davido’s age prompted all kinds of curiosity. Seth had known him his entire life which placed him beyond eleven-hundred years, yet his ancient background remained a great secret. But the realm-folk loved the kind and very wise, ancient troll and his wife’s adoration set an example for everyone.
He also had incredible powers, well beyond even the most gifted in their world. Seth still didn’t know how he actually travelled. Though he had the capacity for flight, more often than not, he did his appear-disappear act.
When he finally released Lorelei, he shivered. “Is there some place warmer we can go to talk?”
Seth glanced around. The main lodge would warm up quickly once he got a fire going. “Follow me.”
Davido immediately took Lorelei’s hand. “And how is everything, my dear? Did Rosamunde teach you what you needed to know?”
Seth watched them, his gaze dropping more than once to Davido’s hand clasping Lorelei’s. His heart seized. He wanted to feel that at ease with her, that he could take her hand and hold it in his.
He felt as though he’d lived a lifetime with her over the past twenty-four hours, carrying her in his arms while she’d been in wolf-form, fearing she would die. He’d even taken from her throat and had sex with her. Yet, the thought of holding her hand unsettled him, another sign that he hardly knew her.
She chatted with Davido asking about baby Bernice, their recent addition to what was a large family.
He knew Lorelei had worked in Davido’s household a long time ago and that Davido had helped Quinlan and Batya get Lorelei to Ferrenden Peace just two months past. The two of them had a connection, something he hadn’t experienced in a long time.
Centuries ago, he’d cared deeply for Kristen, a woman he’d thought to marry. But from the time he’d lost her through her betrayal and subsequent death, he hadn’t allowed any woman to get close.
He marveled at the blood rose phenomenon that kept moving in waves through the mastyrs of the Nine Realms. And now Lorelei, who had come into his life, was capable of creating an endless supply of blood for him.