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  He nodded slowly, his brow furrowed as he digested what she’d told him. He glanced around once more. “So, where are we exactly?”

  “I brought you to Joseph’s lair. The forest gremlin I told you about.”

  “Oh, right. Given the short height of the usual gremlin, this place is much bigger than I would have expected. I don’t even have to duck.”

  “Apparently, Kaden is one of his good friends and he’s very tall.”

  He turned to look at her. “Who’s Kaden?”

  “The powerful elf who healed you.”

  “Right. But who is he? Does he live in Ferrenden Peace?”

  She slid off the table and grabbed her leathers and vest. “I’m really not sure. I think so, but I’ve only met him a couple of times and we’ve never talked at length. He’s a friend of Davido and Vojalie.”

  Dispensing with the towel, she stepped into her pants and pulled them up quickly. Now that she was off the marble slab she suddenly felt self-conscious. It also didn’t help that Stone was still completely naked. Desire for him was always a quick thought away as it was, but all his beautiful flesh kept hounding her.

  Stone grew very still. “Now that I think about it, I’ve felt Kaden’s power before. I know I have.” He turned to stare at her. “Actually, it reminds me of yours, what I sense when you teleport to me. It’s very different from anything else in the Nine Realms.”

  “I think you’re right. I think the power is very much the same.” He was getting way too close to the truth for comfort. She buttoned up her vest, but avoided meeting his gaze. At some point, she’d have to tell him about her true identity and that the power she made use of was essentially what was called elf-lord power. But she couldn’t, not right now.

  “So you don’t know Kaden very well?”

  She shook her head. “As I said, not really. But Joseph seems to like him and trust him.”

  Stone chuckled. “From what I remember of Kaden’s exchange with Joseph, the latter is a real piece of work.”

  Rosamunde laughed. “He actually would have stayed and watched us if Kaden hadn’t called him away.”

  Stone called out. “Master Joseph, where are my clothes?”

  Rosamunde remembered the scissors. “Kaden had me cut them off because of the poison, though the Guard coat and pants were already ruined because of the direct hit.”

  Joseph’s high, somewhat whiney voice called back. “Your duds were bloody ruined, Mastyr, but I have some you can buy. Hey, Ow. Knock it off, Kaden.” More muttering, then Joseph continued with. “I’ve got your boots. They’re fine. And I’ll see if I have some other Guard pieces that might fit.”

  “Anything will do.”

  “Look sharp!” Joseph called out.

  Rosamunde watched as in the next split-second, a large, pink bath towel hit Stone in the face. She chuckled.

  He glanced at her, grinning. “Yup, a real piece of work.” He wrapped the towel around his waist.

  Rosamunde was relieved that finally at least part of his body was covered up. But those arms. Those shoulders.

  She had to look away. Had she really just had sex with the Mastyr of Tannisford, one of the biggest hunks in all the Nine Realms?

  She stood up a little straighter. Yes, she had. She’d bagged a big one, maybe the biggest one of all.

  And it felt good.

  If her conscience prickled, she set aside those concerns. She had no doubt there’d be a reckoning for her lies, but it wouldn’t be this moment.

  ~ ~ ~

  Stone moved to the marble slab and leaned his ass against the edge. He wasn’t even sure what Joseph generally used the marble for. Although that was true of most everything Stone had seen in the lair so far. He’d never been in a forest gremlin’s home before. Or maybe this was a place of business, Stone wasn’t sure.

  Though he was underground, and there were no windows to give him a sense of distance, his vampire abilities allowed him to assess that he was at least a hundred feet or more from the front rooms but only fifteen feet below ground.

  Aralynn now stood by the far doorway behind him. “I’m seeing more small rooms. Though I’ve been here before, I haven’t been this far in. Joseph’s place seems to go on forever.”

  “Maybe it does.”

  “I wouldn’t be surprised. For a thieving bunch, forest gremlins are incredibly industrious.”

  Absently, Stone touched his abdomen where he’d gotten hit. Nothing remained of the original injury, no scar of any kind. He was fully healed.

  In fact, it dawned on him that he had no pain, as in no pain, not even a single stomach cramp.

  He frowned and pressed his hand higher to encompass where he normally would have experienced intense cramping. Even after being fed by Aralynn, he should have been hurting. Apparently, he’d received some miraculous healing from Kaden.

  He knew the man wasn’t a typical realm-person. While being healed, Stone had felt the quality of the man’s power. Whoever Kaden was, he was extraordinary.

  Yet even Kaden hadn’t leached Margetta’s poison from his system. Only Aralynn’s blood had been able to perform that service.

  He turned slowly in Aralynn’s direction. She was attempting to reorder the mass of her frizzy red hair, her arms raised as she worked the errant curls into the woven Guardsman clip.

  His mind suddenly felt full of static.

  Her blood had cleansed his body of Margetta’s poison. What kind of blood could even do that?

  What had he been thinking about?

  Right. He needed clothes.

  He pushed away from the edge of the marble slab, then tightened the towel once more around his hips.

  Yet, he returned his hand to his stomach and actually looked down as though trying to comprehend. He felt as though he knew something that his mind refused to take in.

  He waited for the pain to return, for that slicing ache that had dogged him since he’d become a mastyr vampire.

  But there was nothing there.

  Nothing.

  Not even a faint warning twinge.

  That’s when the truth dawned.

  Aralynn drew close, her eyes pinched. She grabbed his arm. “Stone, what’s wrong? You look really upset. Are you in pain? Did the poison return? Do you need more of my blood?”

  He met her gaze. “More of your blood?”

  “Yes, do you need me to donate again?”

  He shook his head.

  “Then, why so distressed?”

  “Aralynn, I think you might be a blood rose.”

  She laughed outright. “No, that’s not possible.” When he didn’t respond with an answering form of amusement, her cheeks took on a sudden drawn look. “You’re serious?”

  “I am.” He leaned close and sniffed her. “From the time I met you, I could smell you, your skin and your blood. You have a profound scent that I’d say is somewhere between the richness of these woodlands and an herb I can’t place. I’ve never known another woman to smell as you do, to give up such a rich erotic scent. Every time I smell it, my groin heats up and there’s only one experience in the Nine Realms that corresponds to all of this: to my lack of pain after feeding from you, my craving to be near you, my intense dislike when you look at other men, and the way you smell. You’re a Goddess-be-damned blood rose.”

  Aralynn’s lips parted and her eyes widened. She shook her head repeatedly. “No. That’s not possible, Stone. It would be the worst joke on me and on you. I can’t be a blood rose and especially not to you. Oh, no wonder our mating frequencies played against each other the way they did and the ecstasy that followed was unreal. Oh, no.” She put a hand on her cheek.

  To Stone’s horror, Aralynn, the tough wolf warrior that she was, burst into tears.

  Like any man, he had no idea what to do. He wanted to pat her shoulder but was afraid she’d freak out if he touched her.

  She moved in a circle, both hands swiping at her face, her eyes pinched. She was murmuring something unintelligible.
r />   He still couldn’t believe it himself. Yet even beyond how her blood had magically dispelled the residual poison in his system, he simply had no more pain.

  From the time he’d become a mastyr so long ago, he’d lived with a terrible agony in his gut, unceasing and unending. The blood he received from his doneuses did little to allay the problem. He required a nightly supply, without which he would have died. But the pain in his abdomen had been with him from the time he’d risen to mastyr status.

  Like most mastyrs, he’d trained himself to function as though nothing was the matter. Ever. Yet, sometimes the pain was so bad, it was like knives cutting him from within.

  But right now, he had no cramps, no sharp slicing sensations, just … nothing.

  And it felt like heaven.

  He took a series of strong deep breaths, pulling his shoulders back and lifting his chest at the same time to further test what had happened to him. It took him a moment to realize that what he felt was what he remembered as normal before he’d risen to mastyr level.

  He might be stunned that the Goddess had sent him a blood rose, just as she’d provided a like woman for each of the eight ruling mastyrs. But he wasn’t horrified, which Aralynn seemed to be. He couldn’t understand the strength of her reaction or why she would consider being a blood rose and servicing him some kind of ‘cruel joke’.

  She wasn’t making sense.

  “I can see this is upsetting for you.” He didn’t know what else to say.

  She nodded in stiff jerks of her chin. “It is, though I think I should leave. I need time to think.”

  He drew close and caught her arm gently in hand. Of course this simple touch alerted his mating frequency and he had to release her almost as quickly.

  But he stayed close and held her gaze. “You don’t have to be my blood rose, Aralynn. You’re not obligated to me. This is an amazing feeling, to be free of pain after so long. But your life is your own.”

  She shook her head. “I’ve read the blogs and the newspaper accounts. I’ve talked to Lorelei at length. I just can’t believe it. And I apologize for losing it.”

  “But why did you call it a ‘cruel joke’? I don’t get that.”

  Her brows rose. “Is that what I said? I think I was just so shocked. That’s all. Please just ignore it.”

  He nodded. “Of course. We both need time to figure this out.”

  “And…and I’d like to talk this over with Queen Rosamunde. She was the one who encouraged me to follow my first mission vision and help you with the troll children on the bus. But I’m sure she had no idea I was a blood rose.”

  He couldn’t help but snort. “Of course.” He bit his tongue.

  Despite the fact that he’d kept his opinion to himself, fire flashed in Aralynn’s brown eyes. “She’s a good woman, Stone, no matter what you say. She’s beloved here in Ferrenden Peace and others actually admire her for her commitment to protecting the Nine Realms from Margetta.”

  He lifted his chin. “We’d better not engage in a discussion about your protector. My opinion of her will never change.”

  A sad light entered her eye and her shoulders slumped. “Of that I’m certain.”

  Chapter Four

  Rosamunde reached the living room where Kaden had just taken a sip of brandy. “I thought Davido would be here. I was hoping to speak with him.” She’d known the old troll her entire life, Davido being the oldest person in the Nine Realms.

  Joseph’s eyes widened oddly and Kaden turned to look at her with a funny expression. He choked on the brandy and begged pardon.

  When Kaden wiped his mouth, he said, “Davido had to return home for a bit, something about Bernice. But don’t worry. He, uh, taught me how to support the mist.”

  She looked away from him, chewing on her lower lip. “Fine. That’s fine.” She sensed Kaden was as good as his word. “When Davido returns, please tell him I must speak with him.”

  “I will.” Kaden frowned. “Can I help?”

  At that, her brows rose. She hardly knew the powerful elf. “No. I don’t think so. But thank you anyway. And now, I have to go.”

  She thanked Kaden for his help in healing Stone and bid good-bye to her diminutive host. The pair watched her curiously, but said nothing more except that each hoped to see her again soon.

  When she was in the woods once more, she breathed in the sweet, rich air which helped ease her sadness. She could have teleported back to the castle, but she thought a walk would answer much better.

  She couldn’t believe her new reality. She was a blood rose. Sweet Goddess, could this get more difficult?

  The moment Stone had spoken the words, Rosamunde had known it was true. It explained so much, just as he’d said, point-by-point.

  But being a blood rose complicated her situation about a hundred-fold. She’d always envisioned that she’d continue to serve beside Stone, as Aralynn, until Margetta was defeated. Then, she’d return to Ferrenden Peace for good and never see him again.

  Worse, however, was that she couldn’t just walk away, otherwise she’d do it right now, without the smallest hesitation. He’d never accept her as Rosamunde.

  But her powerful fae senses told her that the safety of the Nine Realms depended almost exclusively on Stone staying alive and leading the way to victory. He was the commander of the newly created Combined Forces. He’d spent the past several months, since Mastyr Ian had found his blood rose in Regan, training the troops in all the realms. He’d also worked on improving communications realm-to-realm and keeping the war against Margetta focused on one night facing her in battle.

  Even if her fae senses hadn’t told her how critical Stone was to the war effort, his leadership over the past few months had made it obvious.

  Right now, though, she needed time to think, to prepare herself for the trials of being with him and being a blood rose, yet restraining the cravings to go to bed with him again.

  When she thought back at how their mating frequencies had been so thoroughly in tune with each other, she knew they’d come dangerously close to forging a bond that would have quickly become a nightmare. She bore too many secrets to ever be that close to Stone.

  No. Her relationship with him had a beginning and it must have an end. She must help him stay alive until the defeat of the Ancient Fae, then she would break with him permanently.

  Until then, she needed some kind of guidance on how to manage this latest fiasco.

  When she didn’t hear from Davido, she decided to contact him directly. Opening her pathing frequency, she focused on him and let the vibration fly.

  And how may I serve you this fine night, my lovely queen.

  She heard the ever-present amusement in his voice and something inside her chest eased in quick stages. To be honest, I’m frightened out of my wits right now. But I don’t want to bother you if you need to be with Vojalie and Bernice right now. Kaden said you were called away because of your daughter.

  Don’t be troubled. I spoke with Kaden and I was just about to reach out to you myself. I’m perfectly able to have a conversation with you.

  Oh, good. She told him everything beginning with the attack at Charborne.

  And so you actually created a violet wind more powerful than Margetta’s gold cyclone?

  Yes, but it wasn’t me alone. It was the elf-lord power and I think Mastyr Stone might have had something to do with it as well.

  Ah. I think you may be right.

  Davido, I’m overwhelmed with all these new powers of mine and all because you showed me I could transform into Aralynn. And … there’s something else.

  What, my child?

  She had a sense he already knew, but it came pouring out of her perhaps as a result of his troll charisma. Davido truly could get blood from a stone.

  She told him about Joseph and Kaden, the latter’s healing ability, and about the poison Margetta used. But Stone was desperate for my blood and when I fed him it turns out all his pain disappeared.

  You mean
his stomach ailments.

  Yes. They were all gone.

  Then you must be a blood rose.

  That’s what we both think. And when we were engaged, so to speak, our mating frequencies lit up like you wouldn’t believe. We could have bonded so easily.

  She heard Davido sigh. Yet, he doesn’t know who you are.

  Exactly. Or the other terrible secrets I keep, one of them belonging to you.

  I know, he said quickly. And in due course, I promise I will relieve you of that particular burden.

  But what am I supposed to do in the meantime? Stone speaks of ‘Rosamunde’ in the harshest terms. He will despise me when he learns the truth.

  Davido was quiet for a long moment. She suspected he’d reached inward for the right words. My dear, just try to be brave. Vojalie has told me that you will face many challenges in the very near future. Try, if you can, to trust in this process. It’s not an accident that you’ve been given the blood rose gift or that you, as Aralynn, are so compatible with Stone. But sometimes life must unfold in ways that disturb and mystify us. But if you have courage, and stay the course, all will be well. Can you lean on that for the time being, even if you can’t see the future?

  For a moment, she felt as though everything about her life was veiled; her identity, what she knew about others, and about the guilt she bore. Only Davido and Vojalie knew everything. They were loving and kind and completely non-judgmental. They’d both, at different times helped her to make peace with her jumbled life.

  Yes, I can lean on that.

  Just remember, you must protect Stone at all costs. Watch your visions carefully over the next two nights and if you feel the smallest call to be by his side, ignore his anger, and stick close. I can’t impress this upon you enough. The entire future of the Nine Realms depends on Stone fulfilling his destiny and he won’t be able to do that without you, as both the queen and as Aralynn. Do you understand?