Embrace the Passion (The Blood Rose Series) (16 page)

The alphas each turned to talk to their men.

Valgus addressed Seth first. “My troops were working the ridge between Inwether and Emberith, exactly as we’d all decided while laying out strategies in your office, when Alophi’s Guardsmen challenged them.”

Seth met Valgus’s incensed stare as the shifter continued, “My troops had jurisdiction twenty yards past the central line of demarcation. And you know that ridge drops off sharply to the west. We agreed on that.”

“Yes, we did.” Seth turned to Alophi. “What say you?”

“Valgus’s troops were well beyond the demarcation point.” Dark wolf fur sprouted along his jaw line, then quickly disappeared.

If Seth hadn’t been as schooled in shifter politics and structure as he was, he would have lost his temper for what seemed to be a trivial matter. But the truth went deeper, it always did.

Someone was lying.

But uncovering the lie wouldn’t help because the mastyr, lie or no lie, would have to back his troops, no matter the infraction. This was one reason creating a unified fighting force had proved so difficult.

“Will you submit to my decision here?”

Both mastyrs nodded, if reluctantly.

He could never address the lie outright, so he said, “Some mistake has occurred, that much is clear, but right now I don’t care whose it is. I want everyone back to their assigned ridges and back to work. The twenty yard demarcation line stands.” He slowly drifted his gaze over the assembled shifters, looking each in the eye. “I expect obedience here. If I find that one of you is stirring up trouble, I’ll have your lands impounded for the next decade.”

Nothing struck fear into the hearts of shifters more quickly than having territory, including lands each owned, messed with.

The alphas nodded their agreement and the troops grumbled their acquiescence. Both Valgus and Alophi ordered their shifters to return to their assigned gorges.

Just as Seth turned back to the lodge, however, a new vibration went through him, one that had nothing to do with shifters, and which caused his vampire brain to start unraveling. In addition, he could smell Lorelei’s arousal, her apple blossom scent, leaking from the lodge in heady quantities.

Oh, shit.

“Where’s Jude?” he shouted, turning toward the shifters. Several had already gone wolf and bounded like lightning into the forest. “Is Mastyr of Kellcasse here? At Big Timber?”

Valgus frowned. “Yes. He’ll be bedding down for the day in the lodge. I told him where he could find the whiskey.”

Seth roared.

* * * * * * * * *

Lorelei loved the feel of Jude’s massive body as he pressed her against the wall near the fireplace.

The moment she’d entered the lodge, she’d known another mastyr was nearby, and most of her ability to think had fled. He’d come from the kitchens carrying a bottle of amber liquid and a glass.

The moment she saw him, her heart had started pounding heavily in her chest. She’d already produced an extra supply for Seth and now here was Jude, another mastyr in need of what she could give in abundance.

Jude had long, black curly hair, some of which had escaped his woven clasp, giving him a wild dangerous appearance. He had gray eyes and was incredibly handsome.

He lifted the bottle high. “Need something to take the chill off?” But as soon as the words left his lips, he stopped dead in his tracks. “Holy, fuck, you’re Lorelei. You shouldn’t be here.”

But that had been as far as he’d gotten.

She watched his brain shut down and his instincts take over as his lips parted. His chin quivered, no doubt scenting her, and he dropped both the bottle and the tumbler on the floor, the sound of shattering glass loud in the otherwise empty, massive main room of the lodge.

He marched toward her and because of her ridiculous blood rose curse, she couldn’t move. All she could do was wish for him to hurry up.

She swept her hair away from her neck.

He grunted and lowered his chin, moving faster still, then levitating to catch her up in his arms until he had her pressed against the wall, which was how she’d ended up here.

He licked the length of her neck repeatedly, growling and grunting at the same time, getting ready to strike.

Somewhere in her mind, she knew this was wrong and she wanted Seth, but her brain wouldn’t work. This mastyr needed her help and needed her now.

The problem was, sex would follow. She could feel it and she didn’t think she could deny him because she was too far gone.

Seth
. She cried out his name telepathically, but dear Goddess what would happen if he found her like this? What would he do to Jude and worse, what would Jude, built on massive lines, do to him?

The door burst open and Seth stood there in profile, not seeing her at first. His clasp was gone, his long hair writhing in a very realm way about his head, his green eyes glowing with rage.

“Jude!” His resonant voice blasted the air in the lodge. “Where the fuck are you?”

“Seth,” she called out to him.

He turned in her direction and the moment he saw her, he became a blur of movement as he reached Jude, grabbed him by the shoulders, and flung him away from her.

Jude flew through the air, landing hard in the center of the space, but at the last moment, he righted himself, levitating at top speed back to Seth.

He, in turn, met Jude midair and the fight was on. Both men threw punches and roared.

At the same time, a couple of dozen fight-loving shifters poured into the room so that Lorelei remained in the shadows.

Several of the shifters punched at the air and shouted encouragement to both men. The shared shifter excitement moved like fire over her skin and jumpstarted her own shifter nature so that white fur sprouted on the backs of her hands and warmed up her throat.

Seth looked magnificent as he swung his fists and struck Jude repeatedly.

She rubbed her throat and fondled her fur ruff. She shouldn’t be so excited, but she couldn’t help it.

Her heart still pounded hard, but for more than one reason now. She’d been ready to feed first Seth, then Jude, which meant she had a super-abundant supply and needed to get rid of at least some of it. At the same time, her interest in Jude had disappeared. She only had eyes for Seth, full of lust and need and desire. Passion rose in a swell of sensation so profound that her breaths came in ragged pulls of air.

However, Seth started to bleed from cuts the punches made as did Jude and neither showed the smallest sign of letting up.

She had to do something or both vampires would end up in a bad state that would take hours to heal and possibly put their current plans in jeopardy.

She reached deep into her prime female power, and a new intense vibration flowed through her. One by one, the shifters in front of her began to settle down, turning in her direction and at the same time creating a path for her. Though the battle raged in the air just a few feet above the floor, and despite how revved up the shifters were, they still obeyed the directive she sent through her frequency.

As both alphas met her gaze, she cried out, “Break up this fight and bring them both down now. Now!”

The alphas summoned their biggest shifters, three each, and a moment later, the men launched at Seth and Jude, ripping them from the death grip they had on each other.

Both vampires were in full-fang, savage as hell, and worse, Lorelei loved it.

While the shifters brought them under control and as both Seth and Jude roared their rage, Lorelei directed Valgus’s men to take Seth outside. She wanted Jude to stay in the lodge, corralled by the shifters until he’d calmed down.

She left the lodge, following behind the three shifters who hauled Seth with them. He struggled and lashed out, making liberal use of his fangs and causing the men nearest him to yelp in pain. But they held tight.

She moved in front and led them forty yards away to the nearest tree line. “Drop him in the snow. It’s still fresh here, just a thin crust.”

The shifters threw him so that he sank about a foot. The freezing snow had the effect of finally getting through to Seth and he sat up slowly, his brows pulled together in a tight frown.

He glanced around as though uncertain where he was or what had put him there. He struggled to catch his breath. His lungs worked like bellows, but he remained sitting in the snow, recovering.

Even with his clothes torn, his face bruised, his lips bleeding, to Lorelei he looked hot as hell.

She stood over him. “You done, Mastyr?” But she smiled.

He looked around, then growled at the shifters, since many of them had started chuckling, a sound full of male appreciation for Seth’s predicament.

When he growled again, she lifted her hand, glancing over her shoulders. “Leave us.”

She felt the remaining shifters melt away and she was certain she heard a few more chuckles. Shifting followed and more wolves now darted into the forest heading back to their respective gorges.

Seth, on the other hand, looked up at her, his green eyes still half-lost in madness, a state she decided very quickly that she wanted him to stay in.

“That Jude sure has a lot of muscle. He’s one big man.”

Seth did exactly what she wanted him to do. He roared and levitated at the exact same time, then lunged for her. Catching her by the arms and without asking her permission, he took her straight up into the air. Only this time instead of heading south toward his Shauck Gorge home, he flew north.

Just where the hell was he taking her so close to dawn?

Chapter Eight

With Lorelei held tight in his arms, Seth flew toward his fortified, treetop dwelling, but the whole time, a red angry hue colored his vision. The air grew colder, yet didn’t serve to diminish his rage that he’d found his woman ready to service Mastyr Jude with both her body and her blood. He needed to get Lorelei beneath him as quickly as possible, and he definitely required a hit of her powerful blood.

His destination wasn’t far, about twelve miles, so that within a few minutes, he saw the timberline of Redheart Peak. A strong instinct had driven him north, instead of south to his Shauck Gorge home. He needed to be with Lorelei here, in a small but very complex treehouse that a clever troll had built for him about two hundred years ago.

Three fir trees, the inner branches trimmed close, anchored the two-story structure, that overlooked at least a dozen ridges below. At this distance, when he adjusted his vision, he’d be able to watch the shifters while they ran drills during the daylight hours.

A few seconds later, he landed on the deck that traveled in a complete circle around the house.

His heart had become a loud drum pounding in his chest as he carried Lorelei inside. He could smell the abundance of her blood and that she needed him to take from her.

Turning her in his arms, he kissed her fiercely. When her lips parted, he drove his tongue deep into her mouth which brought desire rushing forward once more, hardening him all over again. He’d done some healing while he flew so a lot of the damage Jude had inflicted was now gone, but he wasn’t sure it would have mattered. He needed Lorelei and he needed her now.

Her body arched and she moaned, then her voice tore through his mind.
Seth, take me now before I break into a thousand pieces. I need you.

Still holding her tight, he levitated up and over the railing between floors so that he dropped easily down to his bedroom below.

“I want you to feed first,” she said, pulling out of his arms. “My heart is laboring with each beat.”

“I know. I can tell. And we both need this.” Though he no longer suffered with excruciating stomach cramps, he felt light-headed, desperate for her blood.

Her familiar smile appeared as she moved to the side of the bed. “Come here and sit down. I have an idea.” She patted the comforter.

He loved the shifter-like glint in her eye and though he wasn’t completely certain what she had in mind, he planted his ass exactly where she told him to.

She moved in between his legs and shoved her hair away from the side of her neck. He reacted with a full-body shiver, took hold of her arms, and drew her against him. Though he sat, his height still made the position perfect as she angled her head and exposed her pale throat. He licked a line over the vein and felt her shudder as well. Her delicate white ruff appeared and his desire for her rose another notch.

He buried his nose in her fur, kissing along the line of the ruff. He could feel her pulse speed up as the sweet apple blossom scent of her sex rose all around him.

Maybe because of the recent encounter with Jude, but suddenly his mating frequency shot to life.

She gripped his shoulders and cried out. “Sweet Goddess! Seth, what is that?”

“My mating frequency. I need you now. Clothes. Off.” His voice carried weight and resonance.

Her eyes widened, but as he started to strip out of his leathers in vampire speed, she followed suit.

As soon as he was free of his Guardsman uniform, he sat back down on the bed. He was very firm by the time she stood naked in front of him. He caressed her breasts in turn, once more nuzzling her ruff.

“More,” she murmured against his cheek. “More of that.”

He savored the feel of her tight buds against the palms of his hands, adding pressure as he worked her breasts in circles.

She kissed the line of his cheek all the way to his ear then frenched him deep. His cock loved the feel of her tongue swirling inside his ear. His hips rocked and his hands found her bottom. He squeezed and fondled her. He turned his head and found her lips, kissing her hard.

She wrapped her arms around his neck as he drove his tongue into her mouth once more.

Mount me while I take from you.
Again, he commanded her.

Yes. That’s exactly what I want. Lift me up.

Good idea.

Holding her bottom in his hands, he lifted her so that she was able to wrap her legs around his waist. He was so damn hard, and the moment he touched her entrance and felt how wet she was for him, how ready, he groaned against her mouth.

He guided her down as he slid inside, her body writhing with need.