Through Quinlan, and subsequent conversations he’d had with Rosamunde during the month the queen had trained Lorelei, Seth knew that Lorelei had been the product of genetic manipulation, a test-tube fetus that had carried all four strains of DNA, each with the ability to present a significant face to the world, a complete anomaly in realm history.
She’d also been designed to be a weapon to be used for Margetta’s ambitions to one day rule their world.
But Margetta had kidnapped the wrong troll to raise Lorelei, because Genevieve’s excellent character had made Lorelei a woman of great worth.
As Davido and Lorelei stepped up on the broad porch of the main lodge, she glanced at him and smiled. She looked happy, and why wouldn’t she be since she still held Davido’s hand?
Jealous? Lorelei pierced his telepathic frequency, taunting him again.
His breath caught at the teasing smile on her lips. The woman seemed to enjoy baiting him and therefore deserved to be answered in kind. Yes. I want my hands on you, shifter-woman.
What returned to him was a sudden rush of apple blossom scent. Desire flowed quickly through his groin in response, hardening what shouldn’t be hard right now.
Davido also looked back at him and chuckled. “The two of you can flirt later. Right now, we need to stop the four packs from going to war.”
* * * * * * * * *
Lorelei stood back as Davido and Seth worked to build a fire in the massive, lodge fireplace. Because of her shifter qualities, she was perfectly warm despite the frigid air in the room. She sat down on the leather loveseat nearest the fire, resting her elbow on the arm, her chin in hand. She crossed her legs at the knee and waggled her furry boot up and down.
She felt edgy, in part because Seth’s mossy scent had about knocked her over and all she’d done was tease him a little. She’d been craving the man for two months now and all that the recent sex had done was make her want more of him, a lot more.
Davido directed the process of fire-building, which included telling Seth to take off his Guard coat and give it to Lorelei to keep warm. She almost told him it wasn’t necessary, but as soon as Seth started removing his coat, she clamped her lips shut. She wanted to look at him without all that leather covering up his powerful physique. His Guardsman shirt clung to his muscles in the nicest way.
He brought the coat to her and laid it over her lap, smiling down at her. His eyes, however, were at half-mast, a sure sign he was still thinking things he shouldn’t. When he turned away, she lifted the leather to her nose and sniffed. She barely repressed a groan because his scent clung to every bit of hide.
Walking away, he looked damn sexy in his thigh boots with studs down the sides. And because Davido kept telling Seth to hunt through the stack of logs to reach the exact size Davido required, Seth did a lot of bending, which in turn gave Lorelei the best view.
He’d performed this task several times when Davido cleared his throat. Reluctantly, Lorelei shifted her attention to the ancient troll, but found his blue eyes sparkling with amusement. He winked at her, clearly knowing full well she’d been enjoying the view. She realized he’d done this for her. What a wicked man! Warmth climbed her cheeks at having been caught, but she couldn’t help but smile.
When Davido turned around to face the fireplace, her gaze fell once more to Seth’s tight buttocks and muscular legs. She had the strangest desire to bite him, to shift to her wolf form and sink her teeth into the fleshy part of his bottom. Her mouth watered at the thought.
She’d always liked the male physique, from broad shoulders to narrow waist. And Seth, because he worked out as he did, was all firm, hard muscle. One more reason she wanted her teeth on him.
She bit her lip and just as the fire got going, Seth suddenly straightened and stood upright. He turned to stare at her for a long moment, then he laughed as he punched Davido lightly in the shoulder. “You old devil,” he said.
Davido shrugged and moved to join Lorelei, though on the far end of the full-size sofa. He used some loose throw-pillows to make a comfortable seat for himself. He was short at five-three, and given that most shifters hit the six-foot mark and above, the furniture had been built with larger frames in mind.
Though there was eight feet of couch remaining, Seth chose to sit beside her on the loveseat, much to her surprise.
He even took her hand in his, a small action that caused her heart to melt—silly woman that she was.
Davido smiled at them both in turn. “So, tell me what’s going on and how I can help.”
Seth rubbed his thumb over his forehead, a familiar gesture. “The alphas have called Lorelei the prime female and we need to know what that means.” He then gave a brief recounting of the events at Loperz Canyon.
“And you’re the regis male, correct?” Davido crossed his legs at the knee and looked elegant doing it, his hands resting loosely on his lap.
Seth shook his head. “None of the alphas said anything about a male regis.”
“They will. A prime female always has a regis.”
“But how can I be anything like that when I’m a vampire?”
“Historically, anytime a shifter marries a species outside his own, he or she automatically gains the complementary position. Were Ephyx, for instance, to take a troll wife, she would be the alpha female.”
“Well, there are a couple of problems with that, the first being that Lorelei and I aren’t married.”
Davido’s brows rose. “Marriage is the ceremony we’ve created over many thousands of years to confirm an already established bond and I’m catching a strong shifter-bonding scent coming from you, Seth. Remember that in the realm world, we’re all connected on a basic DNA level. Therefore, you would already have within your genetics a few shifter markers as part of your vampire nature. I’d say they’ve kicked in and the four packs will have no problem recognizing you as their regis.”
Lorelei shook her head. “This is all so much to take in. But what I really don’t get is how I became the prime female?”
“It’s just something you are, which means you have the capacity to summon the entire shifter community of all nine Realms.”
“What?” Seth’s voice boomed around the room.
Lorelei shook her head, bewildered. “Seriously? All nine?”
“That’s right. If you’d been in any other realm, your summons would have brought the shifters in that realm, just as it did here in Walvashorr.”
“I can’t believe this.” Lorelei felt out of her depth in more ways than one. “Sweet Goddess and the Mother Earth combined. How is this possible?”
“You have more power than you know, which is why Margetta has tried so hard through the years to get to you. But how happy I am, my child, that you’ve escaped her. Just doing that much has saved the Nine Realms, at least for now, since she won’t be able to employ you as a weapon.
“But what’s happening here tonight is one more layer of the battle ahead of us. Vojalie has sent a message to you both, that together you must figure out how to forge the shifters into a single, powerful, fighting unit. In the coming year, they will become a critical part of the final battle that must take place in order to defeat Margetta forever.
“However, my wife also wishes you to know that working together will not be simple at first, that there is a huge obstacle between you, something of a deeper realm nature that will require great sacrifice on both parts to overcome.”
Lorelei’s heart started pounding. “And how are we supposed to do that? We barely know each other.”
Davido shook his head. “You must have faith and learn to trust one another. Much more easily said than done, I fear.”
Seth’s chest rose as he drew a deep breath. “And what about this present conundrum? All four packs are close to war because of a territorial issue that arose from Lorelei’s summons.”
“The only word I have for you from my most wise and most beloved wife is that you must do this together, join forces. Can you do that?”
> Lorelei looked up at Seth. Meeting her gaze, he looked as serious as she felt, his gray-green eyes pinched. “We can try,” he said.
“And my wise one has suggested something to which I’ve agreed. I can hold the shifters back for a while, for at least a couple of hours. During that time, I want you to commune, talk to each other, see if you can figure this out and take the next step.” He held Seth’s gaze. “I suggest you take Lorelei to the hot springs at Magnum Peak, but let her run the distance as a shifter.”
Seth turned to her. “Are you willing?”
She smiled suddenly. “Am I willing to run? Any day or night of the week.”
“You know that’s not what I meant.”
“I know.” And because he looked so serious, she squeezed his hand and added, “We have to go. We have to do this, explore what’s here, and make a decision.”
He nodded.
Davido smiled. “Be back in two hours, no longer.”
“Understood.”
Instead of going out the front door, Seth recommended they leave through the back entrance because if they showed themselves to the brigade at this point, their presence might remind the shifters of their unresolved dispute.
As she stepped into the cold once more, she could smell venison already cooking on the spits. The brigade would be well fed by the time she and Seth returned and hopefully this would serve to keep the shifters calm as well.
The moment her boots touched the snow, she shifted, then looked up at him through her wolf’s eyes. He’d put his coat back on, and even in her wolf form he looked so good to her.
Have you been to Magnum Peak?
She shook her muzzle.
He smiled. “It’s a quick ten mile jaunt due north.”
I’ll track you.
With that, he took to the skies. Her connection to him seemed to be growing stronger the more she was in his company. She knew where he was without having to glance skyward.
She also knew the moment he put on his speed.
She changed gears and began to run faster than a real wolf could run, her gaze charting the terrain ahead, up and up, past tree after tree.
She hit a gorge and found the nearest footbridge then raced across. The northern half of Walvashorr was a land of rivers, gorges, and steep mountains. Because of it, every gorge had dozens of footbridges created for realm-folk who couldn’t fly.
She stayed with him, noting that he always slowed near a gorge, giving her time to catch up.
She’d crossed her third one when he took his time flying up what she knew had to be the final peak. His voice entered her mind. Follow the path to the right of the footbridge. It’ll be steep.
Piece-a-cake.
She could hear him laugh even though he hovered thirty feet above her and glided over the snow covered tree tops.
She found the narrow rocky path and began the climb, zigzagging and working her muscles hard. She’d rarely spent time in her wolf form before serving as Seth’s bodyguard, so she hadn’t known what she was missing. But now, she doubted she could go back to her simple fae life on two legs.
She rarely transformed to her wraith-shape since only a handful of enlightened realm-folk would be able to tolerate her in that form. Her vampire DNA played a very small part and didn’t seem to have a role in her life, which was fine with her. Three identities were enough to manage. Even Margetta had told her that her father had always been disappointed that her vampire DNA held an entirely recessive place in her make-up.
But her shifter abilities had exploded. Rosamunde’s command that she go to Walvashorr had opened a new world to Lorelei, one she already treasured.
And now there was Seth, and the possibility of bonding with him as a blood rose and something more, something shifter-based as regis and prime female. She wasn’t sure exactly why Davido had sent them to the hot springs, but she valued the time she would have with Seth to get to know him better.
* * * * * * * * *
Seth hovered at the edge of the cliff watching Lorelei work her way up a horrendously steep path. If she started to slide, he fully intended to race straight down through the trees and catch her. He felt intensely protective of her. He could no longer deny that so much about her made him content, as though on a deep level her realm vibration soothed him, like building a fire that warmed an icy room.
The last few yards were the worst and he waited, poised to fly as she scrambled up, creating small rockslides behind her as bits and pieces of the unstable path gave way.
But she made it, tongue lolling, sides working like bellows.
She looked up at him and if wolfs could smile, she smiled. He could feel how happy she was, that running filled her with euphoria.
He turned and flew slowly, guiding her in the direction of a small, shallow valley where mist curled from a depression in the snow.
When he reached the hot spring, he turned, surprised to find Lorelei had already shifted back to her fae form, her fur hat in hand. The amethysts along the ridge of her ear glinted in the night, calling to him once more.
“Do you come here often?” She smiled, teasing him.
He laughed at her joke, but added, “Not as often as I’d like. You interested in taking a dip? Although with your shifter metabolism it might be too warm.”
“After that run, I could use a bath.”
Moving to the edge, she reached down, and with her fingers, tested the water. He was going to be polite, wait a few minutes to see whether she really did want to jump into the hot spring. But the next moment she started stripping off her jacket and before he’d blinked twice, she’d lost her shirt and her bra.
She’d already removed her boots and was working at her pants, when his brain finally figured things out, that he had to hurry to catch up. But he had a fine view of her naked back and buttocks before she dropped into the steaming water and sank below the surface.
His Guard uniform, while perfect for battling Invictus wraith-pairs, took some work to divest. He eased out of his boots and snug battle leathers. His coat and shirt came next, then his briefs. She didn’t hide her frank interest in his body, so he hovered above the water and sank slowly, letting her get a good look.
“Sorry,” she said, blushing. “It’s the shifter part of me. I love your body, Seth. You’re so perfectly muscled and lean, which leads me to say that before we go any further, I have a small confession to make.”
Chapter Five
Lorelei floated in the warm water. Steam rose all around her, then disappeared quickly as the water vapor hit the frigid air.
Her realm night vision warmed up so that she saw Seth as though a soft light poured over his features. He finally disappeared below the waterline, then surfaced quickly, the water beading and rolling off him. He had long eyelashes and the water gathered them into star-like clumps.
He was so handsome, she could hardly bear it.
She felt as she had that first day at the castle, butterflies teasing her stomach, excitement rolling through her veins, heating up her entire body. She wanted Seth with every dominant fae-shifter fiber of her being.
He smiled ruefully. “We’re supposed to talk. That was Davido’s purpose here. But if you keep sending me such strong drifts of apple blossom scent, I won’t answer for how we spend the next two hours. Besides, I’m waiting to hear your confession.”
She nodded, her heart thumping. She drew in a deep breath as she moved her hands through the water and kept herself floating, knees up.
Finally, she made the leap. “I saw you at the castle, two months ago.”
He was so tall that even standing on the bedrock of the spring, the water came up just below his pecs. “You did? But I don’t remember seeing you there.”
She told him the entire shameful incident, not sparing a single detail about how she’d used her enthrallment shield and spied on him while he worked out and afterward on the balcony.
He watched her closely, his gaze never wavering until she finished.
Putting
a hand to his arm, he frowned. “Did you touch me, here I mean?” He tapped his fingers against the dip of his shoulder.
“Not exactly. I got close, but then I could tell you felt something, so I stopped.”
“I remember. It was a strange sensation, like a zap of electricity.”
“I’m sorry, Seth. I shouldn’t have done it.”
He narrowed his gaze, but his lips curved. “So, you spied on me.”
“I couldn’t seem to help myself. Even then, I was drawn to you almost uncontrollably as I am now. But I do apologize for invading your privacy.”
He shook his head, and gently slapped at the surface of the water. “You’re forgiven.” He even sighed. “I suspect that had the situation been reversed, and knowing how I feel just looking at you, I probably would have done the same thing.”
“You really shouldn’t let me off the hook so easily.”
“Hey, we’re both trying to understand what’s happening here, to make the best decisions.” He leaned over and splashed water on his face, then huffed a sigh. “Let’s give Davido’s suggestion a try. Maybe knowing each other better would help. So, go ahead, ask me anything you’d like to know and I’ll do my best to answer honestly and openly.”
She pushed away from the side of the spring, floating toward him just a little. “Okay. I know you’re old, but how old?”
“Eleven-hundred-and-one, to be exact.”
She shook her head. “I can’t even imagine what that would be like, living that long, seeing so much. Can you tell me about it, especially your early years?”
* * * * * * * * *
Seth stared into large, warm brown eyes, the amethysts sparkling along the curve of her ear. He wondered if she knew that her sympathetic manner had chipped away at his need to keep her at bay.
On some level, he trusted her. He understood that now as she continued to hold his gaze. She watched and waited, letting him move at his own pace.
Finally, he began to speak about his first century in Walvashorr. “I had two lives really. The first occurred before I was mastyr and I didn’t rise to that level for a hundred years. But when I did gain mastyr status, the Sidhe Council voted me ruler the same year.”