Chapter Six
Though Rez’s vision faded in and out, he knew someone was coming.
But there wasn’t a thing he could do. He couldn’t see and he could hardly move. The continuum lethargy was on him hard.
He struggled to move his hand. Maybe if he could access his battle power, he could fight the intruder off.
Sweet Goddess, he couldn’t even keep his eyes open.
Holly?
Nothing returned. He sensed she was okay. Maybe she’d passed out. He was that close himself. But he had to try. He had to keep her safe. Can you take us back into the Continuum?
But there was no answer except her even, steady breathing. The woman was asleep.
A figure arrived to stand over him and blocked the light from the nearby streetlamp. Rez still couldn’t see, but the blurred image was Guardsman big.
Rez forced himself to speak, though he sounded hoarse and weak. “If you’re going to kill us, then get on with it. You’ll never get a chance like this again and that’s a promise.”
He heard a deep chuckle. “Thought I’d killed you the first time.”
The familiar voice sounded like he was hearing the man speak underwater. But he couldn’t place it.
“When was that, asshole? When did you … and I …ever tangle?”
“About two months ago.”
Rez had to protect Holly somehow. He struggled to get up on his elbow. The best he could do was extend his arm in front of Holly. Yeah, that would help.
The big shadow dropped to its haunches. He felt a hand on his shoulder, then healing flowed. “Ease down, Warrior. You’ve done good work here tonight. You’ve saved lives. The Guard will be here soon. I’ve got your back.”
Nothing could have felt better in that moment than the power flowing through him. But there was something he had to do.
He opened his eyes and blinked. He was feeling better by the second and his vision cleared. “I need to see the female vampires, if there were any. It’s important.” Only then did he realize he was staring at the ruling Mastyr of Tannisford, Stone himself.
“Sure, Rez. Whatever you need.” He kept his hand pinned. The healing continued to flow. All vampires could self-heal and in a pinch, they could share some of that healing with others. Of course, it was nothing like fae healing, like what Holly could do. But it was getting rid of his lethargy fast.
“I only saw one,” Stone said. “She’s close.”
“Only one?”
“That’s right.”
Rez struggled to sit up. He could see the female vampire. Her bare right arm was thrown wide. Isobel had a birth mark on the inside of the same arm. No mark.
Thank the Goddess.
He fell inside himself for a difficult moment. He’d been hunting for his daughter with all his might for two years now. He’d spent a fortune in bribes on the black market to try to track her down in case she’d ended up alive but enslaved. He never let his thoughts dwell for too long on what her life must be if she’d been used in the sex trade. He’d go mad if he did.
Every time he battled an Invictus pair, his first thought was for Isobel.
He’d never found a single trace of her.
Stone pierced his spiraling thoughts. “Feeling better?”
“Much. Thank you.”
Stone withdrew his hand. “Who’s this with you and what exactly happened here?”
Rez shifted to sit against the wall next to Holly. Her mouth was slightly agape. She was sound asleep, her long black hair draped over her arm.
“Holly McCrae.”
“The professor’s daughter?”
“Yes.” He stared up at Stone, at the man who’d beat him senseless two months ago. Rez hadn’t done anything except respond to Rosamunde’s clear invitation to take a draw.
Rez finally gained his feet. Stone was a couple inches taller than Rez or any of his Guardsman. He was big on all counts and had a short fuse.
Stone gestured with his thumb toward the Invictus. “What the hell is this?”
Rez could do little more than shake his head. “I don’t know what they’re doing or why there are so many of them. I thought your Guard had the last of the Invictus rounded up a week after Margetta’s defeat.”
Stone scowled. “We get the occasional pair on a feeding frenzy because they’ve been hiding out. But nothing like this.” He shook his head.
Rez glanced up the street then down. “Wait a minute. Why are you here? We contacted the Com Center requesting assistance.” What was the ruler of Tannisford doing in Boylbury. By himself. It didn’t make sense. “I didn’t expect you to show up.”
“You were never dimwitted. The fact is, Vojalie sent me.”
“Vojalie?” What the hell was going on?
“Yes, but I don’t know why, either.”
As he met Stone’s gaze once more he thought about the Wild Boar and Rosamunde.
Time to man-up. “I didn’t know she was your woman, Rosamunde I mean, when she came into the bar that night. I wouldn’t have touched her otherwise. I had no idea what the blood rose phenomenon could be like. I apologize, Stone.”
Stone blew the air from his cheeks. “There’s no need. Besides, I was out of line and almost killed you. I’m the one who should be sorry. And I am.”
Rez palmed his jaw. “You broke it, you know.” Then he laughed. “But on some level, I deserved it. You weren’t the first unhappy boyfriend to come after my ass. Just the strongest.”
Stone jerked his head toward Holly. “I know she’s a fae with ability, but why is she asleep like that? And why were you in such a weak state? You’re not wounded. Nothing that I’m seeing here makes sense: Not your presence, hers or this large force of Invictus which apparently, you defeated. How? Rez, what’s going on?”
“I don’t know.”
In the distance, coming from the east, he saw the Guard patrol arrive. Stone saw them as well. “Let me take care of this. I’ll be back.”
Stone levitated in a whip-like fashion and handed out orders. The patrol immediately dispersed toward the various Invictus and started processing the battlefield.
While Stone was busy, Rez crossed to the female vampire. He wanted to make sure. But the dead eyes that stared back at him weren’t anything like his daughter’s.
He felt a new, but gentle presence arrive, another realm-person capable of teleporting. To his astonishment, he turned to find Vojalie next to him. She was tall with brown eyes and wore her long dark brown hair braided on top of her head. She was a real beauty. Vojalie presided over the Sidhe Council and was married to the ugliest, most charismatic troll in all the realms, Davido the Wise, sometimes the Ancient.
“Rez, it’s so good to see you again. Not under these circumstances, of course. Bernice misses you.”
Rez had known both Davido and Vojalie a long time. Decades, in fact. Their latest offspring, Bernice, was a favorite of his.
Vojalie glanced around then toward the darkened windows of the bakery. “I’ve been here a couple of times. That shop makes the best pies.”
“It does.” There was a gentleness to the woman and a calmness of spirit that invited trust.
Her gaze shifted toward the street and the Invictus. When she glanced at the female vampire, she asked, “She isn’t your daughter, is she?”
Vojalie knew about his hunt for Isobel. “No, she’s not.”
He glanced back at Holly. “Will she be okay?”
Vojalie turned to look at her as well. “She’s fine. Tougher than she looks. Smart as a whip. But I imagine you’ve discovered some of that for yourself tonight.”
He settled his gaze on Holly who appeared to be waking up. “She surprised me more than once. I couldn’t have done this tonight without her. Even toward the end, she shared her power with me.”
“Ah, yes. Her blood rose ability. It has many applications. And are you without pain, Mastyr?”
That Vojalie of the Nine Realms would use his title so respectfully meant a great deal to him. “I have no more pain.”
“Good.”
“What is it you know, Mistress?”
At that, she smiled. “Too much.”
He thought he understood. “It becomes burden.”
“You have a great deal of perception, Mastyr. But I fear you will need more of it in the coming hours and nights.” She drew a deep breath. “Stone would like to speak with you and Holly at his home. Rosamunde will be there. You haven’t seen her since the incident at the Wild Boar, have you?”
He shook his head.
“All will be well. I’m told she’s serving a hearty beef soup with pumpernickel bread and a castle-brewed beer, her own recipe. I hear it’s outstanding and would have won awards over the centuries had she been able to enter any of our realm fairs.”
Rosamunde had lived a hidden life until the last year when the existence of Ferrenden Peace, lost for a thousand years, was finally revealed. The cloistered queen now had a life with Stone in Tannisford.
“So, you’re able to time-path.”
Vojalie nodded once firmly. “Yes. Davido as well.”
Rez frowned. “Did you know this was coming?” He felt angry suddenly. Put upon. A warning and some instruction would have been useful. Holly could have died tonight.
Vojalie held his gaze, her expression solemn. “I don’t actively pursue the future. I did at one time, but it becomes almost unbearable to know what’s around every corner. I take great pains to hold the future at bay, to take the challenges as they come.
“As for tonight, my prescience told me Holly would need my support. I’ve spent time this evening meditating on her behalf. The vision that came to me was of you, oddly enough, hunting here for your daughter. I saw nothing specific, but I had an overwhelming sense that several elements had been put in motion tonight, including that Stone and Rosamunde would need to be involved in a peripheral manner. But that is all. I called Rosamunde and asked her to prepare a meal.”
She then smiled. “Just a suggestion, but you and Holly would do well to eat frequently over the next night or so.”
He thought of the meal they’d shared at his home. But he knew the cost of battling. Food was good. So was tapping a vein.
“I’ll explain more at supper. I’ll be taking Holly with me and offering what healing I can. It’s very good to see you again. You were always a favorite of mine.”
He felt an odd flush on his neck as he watched her go. She’d offered him a profound compliment.
Stone approached. “She’s an incredible woman.”
“Yes, she is.”
“So, looks like you’re invited to dinner.”
He heard the hard note in Stone’s voice. Was he remembering? Didn’t matter. Rez had already made his apologies.
Stone changed the subject. “What do you make of this?” He waved a hand to encompass the battlefield.
“I think there’s a chance they were after me.”
Stone’s scowl returned. “Why do you say that?”
There was only one response that mattered. “Holly’s a blood rose.”
Stone muttered a string of invectives. Choice words. Fit for the moment.
“Exactly.”
~ ~ ~
Holly stood in the shower of her mountaintop home. She’d asked Vojalie to bring her here first and yes, teleporting rocked. She couldn’t have made use of the time-path again, not right away. So, she was grateful for the lift.
She was also extremely thankful to be away from Boylbury and the dead Invictus in the street. To a lesser degree, it also eased her to be away from Rez and her growing responsibilities toward her new blood rose abilities. Even now, her heart felt laden again.
But she wouldn’t think about that.
Nothing felt as good, after a prolonged time-path, as hot water beating on the back of her neck and across the tense muscles of her shoulders.
So much had happened in so short a time, she could barely process any of it.
She’d healed a man she’d been craving, then she’d sought him out because of pure sexual need and let him take her against an oak tree. And, she’d fed him.
But it was the experience later in the kitchen that came to mind, of meeting his mother and of hearing Marion speak of the future.
What was going on?
Her head still swam with time-path lethargy. Or maybe she’d entered a new phase in which time was becoming more and more relative.
The night wasn’t over, either.
By the time she left the shower, she was a little more relaxed, yet more confused than ever.
Knowing that Rosamunde, Stone and Rez were waiting for her, she dressed quickly in jeans and a violet silk blouse. Adjacent to the bathroom was a deep, built-in closet, which housed her treasure of over a hundred pairs of shoes.
Her heart beat rapidly as she entered her secret palace. She’d designed her closet with her shoes in mind and adored each pair.
She had something specific in mind. She chose black loafers, Italian, impeccably made, and which could not be purchased anywhere else. The black market was a true guilty pleasure.
As she slid her feet within, she thought the cushioning alone was worth the money. But it was the style she loved with the sweetest pair of tassels juxtaposed with studs across the heels. She wondered if Rez would like them, or if he was like most men and never noticed footwear. Probably the latter.
Her long, tangled locks required some work. She combed out her hair all the way to the ends until it was in a semblance of order. She donned a wide silver, hammered bracelet and amethyst studs. She’d never met a queen before, though technically Rosamunde had resigned her crown when she bonded with Mastyr Stone.
Rosamunde.
A new, disturbing thought arose. She was a blood rose and Rez had gone after her. That’s why Stone had beat him to a pulp.
She glanced down at her hands. They were once more in the shapes of claws.
Blinking several times, she realized she didn’t like the thought that Rez had been ready to feed from Rosamunde. She didn’t like it at all.
She forced herself to calm down. She put a hand to her chest and felt the extra supply she’d been building. She didn’t want this, yet from what Vojalie had told her, she was genetically pre-dispositioned to function in this way.
Terrific.
When she returned to the living room where she’d left Vojalie, the fae was on her phone, her color heightened. “I know, my love. Me, too, but I don’t know when I’ll be home. Oh, I didn’t know that. Excellent. I’ll see you soon.”
Vojalie stood facing the wall of windows overlooking a northern panoramic view of the Dauphaire Mountains. Holly had chosen the location for exactly this reason. The snow-capped peaks formed the opposite range to a forested valley that led to the Sterling River. Her view was nothing but distant forest and so beautiful it was breathtaking.
Vojalie smiled softly as Holly drew near. She lifted her phone. “Davido will be joining us as well.” She frowned suddenly. “Oh, dear.”
“What?”
“Sometimes, I can be so dense. I always think romance first, that he’s coming to dinner to see me. Now, I know it’s because of what’s going on with you and Rez, what it all means.”
Holly once more touched her chest. Her heart wasn’t laboring yet, but it would be soon. “What is going on?”
Vojalie slid her phone into the pocket of her long blue tunic. She wore a pair of black silk pants beneath and her hair was in an intricate crown of braids. She was a mother again of a troll baby named Bernice. “Well that’s just it, Holly. I don’t have an answer to that kind of question. Do you?”
“Me? No.” She snorted. “I mean I’m caught up in events I don’t understand involving strange Invictus wraith-pairs and I’m a blood rose. Beyond that, I’m at a loss.”
Holly was somehow relieved by Vojalie’s somber expression. She released a long difficult sigh. She was still feeling time-lethargic.
“Can I help a little more with that?”
Holly nodded and closed her eyes. Vojalie had done this several times before when she’d been too long in the continuum.
As the powerful fae touched her and healing cascaded through Holly’s mind, she swore nothing felt better. Not even the soothing hot water from the shower matched the peace she felt as Vojalie shared her healing waves.
Holly began to breathe more easily and a lot of the night’s tension dissipated.
When Vojalie withdrew her hands and the powerful healing energy ceased, the remnants of her lethargy were gone. Her mind felt clearer as well.
“Better?”
“Yes, thank you. Did you know I fell asleep against the bakery wall at Boylbury?”
Vojalie chuckled. “When I was first learning to time-path, I did that more than once myself. I couldn’t have stayed awake for anything.”
She smiled then realized there was one thing she wanted to discuss with Vojalie. “I had sex with him, with Rez.”
Vojalie’s brows rose. “So soon?”
“I know. I know. I know.” She put a hand to her cheek.
“What a foolish thing to do.” But her eyes danced.
“You’re laughing at me.”
Vojalie smiled. “A little.”
“I’ve never done anything like that before. Been so reckless …”
“So out of control?”
“Completely.”
“Not once in your life?”
She felt defensive. “I think we women need to be careful. More than we realize.”
“There is much truth to that. So, then you must really trust Mastyr Rez.”
Holly opened her mouth to speak, but her thoughts got jammed up. Did she trust him? On some level, she believed she did. “The problem is, Rez isn’t my type, not even close. He’s, well, he’s a Neanderthal, if I have the earth-term correct.”
“You do, but are you sure about that?”
Holly shook her head. She recalled Rez’s study and the inscription in her father’s book. “No. I’m not sure at all. He’s a conundrum.”
“Holly, I say this with kind but firm intentions. You must open your mind. Your thinking is too rigidly generally. Too many boxes and everything and everyone stuffed inside them.”
“You think I judge people too severely then?”
“That’s just it. You shouldn’t be judging them at all. We’re realm-kind. None of us is all good or all bad. We make mistakes, then we strive to do better as we are able. We’re each shaped by the trials of our lives and sometimes what afflicts us is more than anyone can bear and not come out the other side unscathed.”
“You’re talking about Rez. You think I should be more compassionate toward him because he lost his family.”
“I was talking about you.”
“What do you mean? I’m fine.”
“You are two different people, the woman you were before your brother, Scott, died and the woman you became after.”
Holly looked away, her gaze shifting to the distant peaks. Had his death affected her so much? Altered her view of life, of people, of her understanding?
“I loved Scott so much. He was my best friend.”
“I know.”
“But I’ll think about what you’ve said.”
“Good.”
~ ~ ~
At least Rez was all cleaned up when he arrived at Stone’s home on the outskirts of Sandismare. Stone had given him time to shower again. He’d put on slacks and a long-sleeved shirt. He was presentable.
He hadn’t seen Rosamunde since that terrible night. When she brought him a single malt, Stone moved in close to stand next to her. She was a beautiful fae woman, but with strong wolf shifter genetics. She was tall, had unusual dark violet eyes, and wore her red hair hanging loose round her shoulders and down her back.
She greeted him warmly and handed him the tumbler. “I thought you’d like this. Or you might even need it. Stone filled me in on the details. Difficult night?”
“You might say that.” Before he could take his first sip, however, he needed to extend his apology to Rosamunde. “I’m sorry about what happened two months ago.”
“It wasn’t your fault, Mastyr. And it wasn’t really mine either. Or Stone’s. None of us knew what was going on or how dire the ramifications could be. If I’d had that kind of understanding, I would never have gone after you as I did.”
“You went after me? What do you mean?”
“I went to the Wild Boar specifically to find you.”
“You did?” He’d never been more surprised.
“Yes. So, I hope that relieves your mind a little. I wasn’t there by chance. I found myself in a difficult situation. I’d only been a blood rose for a short while and,” here she glanced up at Stone, “my man and I weren’t on the same page yet. So, I remembered you were a mastyr and I’d always liked your looks.”
Stone cleared his throat and slid his arm around her waist. “I’m right here, Sweetheart. I can hear what you’re saying and I’m not sure I like it.”
Rosamunde’s eyes sparkled as she looked up at her bonded mate. “I’m not sparing your feelings right now, Darling, because Rez should have as much comprehension of Holly as he can right now. He’ll need to protect her.”
Stone frowned slightly. “I’m remembering.” He shifted to look at Rez. “I turned Rosamunde away when she needed me. Don’t make that mistake. It’ll backfire like you wouldn’t believe.” For a moment, Stone looked solemn. “Nothing dimmed my rational brain so thoroughly as Rosamunde offering her throat to another man.” He appeared to work to calm himself.
“Hey,” Rosamunde called softly to Stone. He turned to her with a quick intake of breath. He nodded several times. Maybe she was pathing with him as well, offering a few soothing thoughts.
Rez felt the need to give them some space and stepped several feet away to take in the backyard. Stone’s house was surrounded by trees. It was fully landscaped with big boulders and an extensive lawn, a large back patio and a lit-up pool.
He’d heard Rosamunde was pregnant, a sort of good-luck omen for fae women when they married. Stone had a wife now.
A blood rose and a wife.
He tightened his grip on his glass as he stared out at the pool. He took another sip of whisky. A nice line of profanity ran through his head.
Without warning, the memories returned like a knife straight to his heart. He was in the home he’d built for his wife on their acreage not far from the smithy house in Boylbury. It was a perfect place for a small family with a good-sized vegetable garden, fruit trees and a pasture for sheep, goats and horses. It was a great place to raise his children.
He could smell the pies baking. His wife had loved to bake. He could hear the laughter of his children.
He’d served in the Guard at the time. He’d loved serving. He’d loved his family. He’d had security measures in place since they’d lived in a relatively remote area. But his electronic security had failed that night because of storms coming out of the north.
He tried hard not to think about what followed. But he couldn’t help himself. The memories rained down on him, forcing him to look, to feel, to watch as they died.
The Invictus had killed all the animals on the farm as well.
He’d built the pyres himself.
His grief had been … still was … profound, beyond bearing.
Something had happened to his mind that night. He’d gone to a very dark place. He’d drunk too much and awakened sweating and shaking from nightmares.
Making his way back to a functioning state had been a slow process and had involved hunting Invictus, on his own, at night. He wanted information about his daughter and he wanted revenge.
The only thing that kept him moderately sane was knowing that his daughter hadn’t died. He’d lived with the hope he could find her.
He’d refused to return to the Guard. Where had they been when his family needed saving? Too far away as they were from all the remote villages of the realm. Calls had been made to the Communication Center, at least six sightings from Boylbury alone. But the nearest patrol had gotten to his home twenty minutes after the attack.
Twenty minutes too late.
All of which drew him back to the present and to Holly. He had to continue hunting for his daughter no matter what. He also knew he could never return to family life, which left him in a serious quandary where Holly was concerned.
He hated the idea of another mastyr going after her. But they would. She would reciprocate as well. Just as Rosamunde had said, if she built an extra supply of blood, she would need to donate.
Only one solution came to mind that seemed even halfway tolerable to him. He would need to find an appropriate mastyr vampire for Holly himself.
Rosamunde called to him. “Need a refill, yet?”
He turned back to her and saw that Stone didn’t look quite so distressed. Rez shook his head. “I’m good.”
Rosamunde moved in his direction. Stone tagged along. “Stone tells me that you and Holly defeated ten Invictus, five pairs, out at Boylbury. He also said that Holly engaged time-pathing. Stone and I know a little because of a few things Mastyr Devyn shared with him a couple of weeks ago.”
Rez explained about Holly having been apprenticed to Vojalie for the past two years.
“I’ve heard rumors a few times over the years about the continuum, but I never thought it was possible.” She chuckled and shook her head. “You know, in the same way the blood rose phenomenon wasn’t real.”
Stone looked as grave as ever. Rez decided he wanted two of the most powerful people in the Nine Realms to know what the experience had been like and how he and Holly together had approached the difficult situation.
He took his time and relayed the battle point by point. Both Stone and Rosamunde listened intently, each expression growing more serious by the second.
Rosamunde’s brows were pulled tight together. “Time-lethargy sounds like a dangerous condition.”
“It is. It was. If another Invictus had attacked, we both would have died. Stone saw the state I was in and, hell, Holly fell asleep sitting up.”
Rosamunde glanced at Stone. “Is that true?”
“Sound asleep.” He then lowered his head and shook it back and forth a couple of times. He looked like a bull ready to paw the earth. “I thought we were done with this. Dammit, we finished Margetta off out at Tannisford Plains. My Guardsmen have scoured Tannisford. I thought we’d captured what was left of Margetta’s army. But five Invictus pairs. Only they weren’t really Invictus since there were no wraiths.”
Rez stared at him for a hard moment. “Exactly. So, what are we looking at, because even while I was battling, I could see that the wraith-like mates all had yellowed eyes and dark lips. They’d cry out as well, not exactly a wraith-shriek, but similar.”
Rosamunde looked from one to the other. “I don’t understand. I thought Invictus pairs had to include a wraith each time.”
Stone shook his head again. “Looks like we’re dealing with something new here.”
A quiet disturbance in the air had them all turning toward the foyer. But even before he saw the arrivals, he knew Holly and Vojalie had joined them.
As his gaze landed on Holly, his hand went to his stomach. He experienced two powerful, overwhelming reactions simultaneously. First, he became acutely aware once more that her blood had taken away all his pain, decades of agony. Second, she looked beautiful beyond words in a violet top, snug dark blue jeans and black shoes.
Just like that, he wanted her all over again.
The sensation was profound and sudden. What he couldn’t wrap his head around was how on earth he would ever be able to turn her over to another mastyr vampire.
~ ~ ~
Holly couldn’t do anything except stare at Rez. All she was as a newly-formed blood rose craved him. Yet, she still had strong reservations about the man. It didn’t seem fair to want him this much, when her rational mind wasn’t willing to follow.
Vojalie’s words rang in her ears once more, that she was too harsh, too judgmental and put everything in her life into neat, tidy boxes.
But she’d never seen it that way.
A woman should have her standards and Rez had dropped out of the Guard when his family was killed. Maybe Scott would still be alive if Rez had done his duty.
She’d heard he had a connection to the black market, the one run by forest gremlins and other outlaw realm-folk. Her conscience tugged with her next thought. She, too, made liberal use of the black market which made her a terrible hypocrite.
Stone stepped forward and greeted Vojalie with a kiss on her cheek. Rosamunde did the same.
Despite Holly’s concerns, she drew close to Rez. Not only did it seem appropriate since they’d just fought a major battle together, but she couldn’t have stopped her feet from moving in his direction if she’d tried.
When he took her hand, she didn’t pull away. If anything, the warmth of his skin against hers calmed her down.
“Rez and I were talking,” Stone said. “It seems there weren’t any wraiths present among the five pairs you and Rez battled.”
“That’s right.”
Vojalie shook her head. “But what does it mean? I don’t understand.”
Stone huffed a sigh. “That’s what we were trying to figure out.”
Rez said, “The pairs you’re referring to behaved as though mated.” He then described how one of each pair had yellow eyes and dark lips, both of which were wraith-like qualities when Invictus bonded.
“They did,” Holly added.
Everyone fell silent, each no doubt trying to puzzle it out.
Vojalie finally said, “Margetta wasn’t the only fae who could forge the Invictus bond. She’d taught many of her underlings how to go about the business. But as far as I know, a wraith was always part of the bonding process. That doesn’t mean other dark fae haven’t experimented and found another way around the problem. Wraiths, on some level, however, would have to be involved. Their genetics or their blood is critical to achieving the bond.”
Rez shook his head. “So, we could be looking at another scourge.”
“It’s a possibility.” Stone’s deep voice, edged with his temper, hit Holly square in the chest. “I was sure my Guard had gotten rid of all the Invictus in Tannisford. I mean we scoured every square mile.”
Rez added. “More than anything, we need to find out where these Invictus are coming from.”
Rosamunde gave the subject a turn. “I don’t mean to disrupt the conversation, but I have a lovely soup waiting, chilled wine and a fabulous bread my former housekeeper sent over from Ferrenden. You’re in for a treat. Anyone hungry?”
The men responded immediately in the affirmative.
Holly was grateful for Rosamunde’s interruption. Both Stone and Rez were powerful men of war and the more they focused on the recent battle, the more their energy kept ramping up.
Rosamunde took Vojalie’s arm and led her toward a formal dining area beyond the living room. The table was set with a unique collection of stones alternating with small vases of lavender rose buds.
Vojalie said, “My husband will be here in another minute. He had some emergency in his garden shed.” All the Nine Realms knew of the troll’s love of horticulture.
As the ladies took their seats, Davido arrived. He greeted everyone, then went straight to Vojalie, caressed her shoulders and kissed her on the cheek. Holly thought it a beautiful, smart thing for the man to do. Vojalie caught his hand and gave it a squeeze.
The dinner eased Holly. She hadn’t even known how hungry she was until the aromatic soup was placed in front of her. “This smells wonderful.”
“Thank you. I hope you enjoy it.”
Throughout dinner, Rosamunde kept the table talk from turning to the night’s difficulties. But once coffee was served, the critical subject resumed about the apparent new strain of Invictus.
The entire conversation had turned Holly’s mind back to the main street in Boylbury. She could picture the dead and dying Invictus and now recalled each part of the battle as though her mind was trying to tell her something important.
She finally excused herself and went into the living room. She made her way to stand overlooking a well-manicured backyard that included a pool. Beyond the pool, was a confer wood, the treetops forming a beautiful skyline against the dark starry night sky.
Her realm vision warmed everything up, of course, though right now she preferred looking out at the night. Somehow, it seemed fitting.
She could hear quiet chatter from the dining area and softly spoken words. Maybe they were trying to protect her.
But what was it Rez had said: They needed to find out why the Invictus had come to Boylbury. As surely as night followed day, she knew what would be required of her. Rez and Stone, the women as well, would want her to use the time-path to locate the origin of these Invictus.
She wasn’t a warrior. She was a teacher and she’d built her home from scratch, one nail at a time. She liked to buy shoes and in her off-hours, she spent a lot of time in her artist’s studio at the back of her house.
Artist. Teacher. Builder. Herbalist. Time-pather.
Did any of these occupations suggest a woman who would enjoy going to war?
Now Rez was in her life and she would need to feed him soon. The thought of it, and what it had been like to service him last time, caused shivers to travel down her neck and over her abdomen. Even from several feet away, she could smell his eucalyptus and thyme mating scent and it aroused her even more. She was humiliated by how out of control she felt.
She began to tremble. Through no fault, or desire, or will of her own she was being forced down this path. She didn’t want to be a blood rose. She didn’t want to desire Rez as much as she did. And she sure as hell didn’t want to be battling Invictus monsters.
As though all the stress of the night fell on her at once, she eased her way to the nearby sofa, sat down then promptly burst into tears.
Through her quiet sobs, she felt a lot of movement and heard the sliding glass door to the backyard open then close.
Vojalie sat down beside her and squeezed her shoulders. “This is a perfectly natural reaction. Don’t think it isn’t.”
Rosamunde sat down on the ottoman opposite Holly. “It’s very unsettling, isn’t it?”
Holly lifted her gaze to Rosamunde. “What do you mean?”
“Not wanting to care about a man while at the same time feeling this desperate need to jump his bones one minute out of every two. Then having to feed him because you’re so close all the time? The whole thing is deeply unsettling. It’s too much. What was the Goddess thinking creating something like being a blood rose? She’ll have some questions of mine to answer when I pass from our world.
“I mean, I might have been lonely in the castle, but I confess I miss it, at least sometimes.”
The way she expressed her frustration, even though it was clear she was madly in love with Mastyr Stone, made Holly’s tears dry up. If nothing else, at least one person in the room understood her dilemma.
“Oh, I think it goes beyond being a blood rose,” Vojalie said. “I think it’s hard being in love with a man, period. I mean, there are times when all I want is a bubble bath, just a little alone time. I’ve poured myself a glass of my favorite sweet imported German wine, and I have Vivaldi playing softly on my cd player. I’ve climbed in and I’m just sinking into the soothing, floral scented warmth, then Davido comes in. The moment a man catches sight of your bare breasts, well, he starts doing things to you, the water starts sloshing and there goes your peace and quiet.”
Rosamunde laughed and Vojalie joined her.
Holly looked from one to the other and she got it or at least part of it. Love was knocking and she kept opening the door part way, feeling how wonderful it was, then trying to slam it shut.
The trouble was, the current circumstances of a new Invictus threat and her ability to help, weren’t giving her space to even breathe. “I’m very independent. Dammit, I built my house by myself. I mean I contracted the plumbing out and had a carpenter help me install the cabinets. I had roofer. But I was in charge, I hammered most of the nails myself, and it was my house. I just don’t know how to get through this or what to do or even what this is. And I really don’t want to love this man.”
Both women turned to stare at her. Rosamunde spoke first. “Stone has a short temper that still troubles me.”
Vojalie sighed heavily. “Davido has more secrets than forest gremlins have orgasms.”
Holly was shocked. Rosamunde covered her mouth with her hand but squealed her laughter. “Oh, my gosh, have you been around Joseph? He talks about his wife and sex all the time. He’s hopeless.” Joseph was a thieving forest gremlin who had helped save Stone’s life a couple of months ago. Holly remembered reading about it recently in one of the Tannisford blogs.
“What about Oregis? He’s a gremlin friend of Rez’s.” Vojalie lowered her voice. “He and his wife do it three times a day. No. I am not kidding. Davido told me. He arrived at Oregis’s office one day, and she was there, doing him, in the bathroom. Davido kept chuckling as he told me the story. Apparently, she’s a real squeaker.”
The images were too powerful to do anything but make Holly laugh and forget her troubles, at least for half-a-second. Holly knew Oregis well, herself, though with her he’d been more discreet. He was her black market contact. He’d helped her line up cheap labor while working on her house and he always let her know about new shipments of shoes.
What she hadn’t known was that Rez considered him a friend.
Rosamunde patted Holly’s knee. “Let me get a you a drink. Whisky okay?”
“Whisky’s perfect.”
She watched Rosamunde rise from her seat. Except for looking a little bluish beneath her eyes, she was glowing and beautiful.
She was also the woman who’d been so desperate to get rid of a built up extra blood supply that she’d sought Rez out at the Wild Boar. Holly at least understood this much, since she was now building a supply for Rez. She was sure it would cause her injury if she didn’t donate in a timely manner.
When Rosamunde returned, Holly said, “There’s something I need to know.”
Holly took the glass Rosamunde handed her. “Sure. Anything.” Rosamunde resumed her seat on the ottoman.
“That night, two months ago, when Stone beat up Rez, if Stone hadn’t come when he did, would you have had sex with Rez? I mean I know you would have fed him, but would sex have followed?”
Rosamunde’s eyes went wide and her fingers touched her lips. Tears brimmed and Holly instantly wished the question unasked. “I’m sorry. It’s too personal. I shouldn’t have brought it up.”
But Rosamunde reached out and as she had before, she patted Holly knee. “No. No. You’re right. It’s the exact question you should ask.
“The truth is, I’m beyond grateful Stone arrived when he did. I was so lost in my blood rose need to donate that once I’d set my sights on Rez, I won’t deny I was thinking sex, too. It’s as though they’re a package deal and it’s frightening when I look back. So, the answer is yes, I would have had sex with Rez. And if that isn’t bad enough, I swear I would have climbed on his lap, right there in the middle of the bar and done him without thinking twice. How awful is that?”
“So, it’s not just me? What I’m feeling?”
“I’m afraid not. You’re a blood rose and this is your new normal. But this craving? It will not discriminate. You will feel the same powerful drive toward every unbonded mastyr you meet. You will want to feed him and the sex will follow.”
Rosamunde sat up suddenly. She was known to have visions.
“What is it?” Vojalie asked. “Invictus?”
Rosamunde shook her head, but her eyes were wide. “Worse. The men are close to fighting again. And this time, I think they’ll kill each other.”