* * * * * * * * *
There were so many things wrong with this situation, that Brianna didn’t know where to begin to put it right. Her heart had leaped at the sight of Yolen, but an equal reaction had her mad as fire that he would finally show up but only because another man had stepped on his perceived territory.
Just like a man!
But she wasn’t his territory anymore and he needed to get that figured out fast
On the other hand, Yolen had spoken accurately about dawn being way too close for either vampire. They both needed to leave. She might be ready to start dating other men, but she didn’t want Keynes in her house all day.
And she really didn’t want the men doing battle in her studio.
She slid off her stool. “I need you both to go.”
Keynes turned to her, setting his mug on the table. “But I’ll see you tonight?”
She nodded. “Eight o’clock.”
“I’ll pick you up then.”
She glanced at Yolen who stared hard at her. He even ignored Keynes as the mastyr vampire walked past him, headed into the backyard and took off into what was left of the night.
As soon as he was gone, however, Yolen opened things up. “You’re going out with that asshole?”
“He’s not as bad as I thought.”
“Now there’s a strong recommendation.”
She shrugged. “He’s nice and he bought one of my paintings.” She turned to pick up a brush and wiped it carefully with one of her cloths. She swirled it in turpentine, then cleaned it again.
“You’re going out with him because he bought one of your paintings?”
Her throat ached and dammit her chest hurt something fierce. “It’s not the only reason.”
Yolen drew close, then put a gentle hand on her back. “Have I hurt you so much that you can’t even look at me?”
She glanced up at him and tears rushed to her eyes. Without thinking she turned and grabbed hold of him, hugging him hard. He smelled yet again like a fire by the river. “I’m sorry, but I just can’t be with you anymore. I can’t explain it, but I’ve been telling you for weeks now that I’ve needed more from you. I thought after Saturday night that you were finally understanding me, at least a little. And I do know that coming to the exhibition was a big concession for you, but Yolen, it just isn’t enough. I’m sorry.”
“Sweet Goddess,” he murmured. “I guess I really fucked up.” He drew back slightly and glanced at the backyard and the dark sky above. “Dawn’s coming. I have to go.”
“I know.” She pulled away, her chest shuddering as she wrapped her arms around her stomach. “I’m sorry, Yolen, but I’ve tried to tell you.” Again, she couldn’t meet his gaze.
He turned and slowly left by the backdoor. She watched him lift into the air and fly swiftly north, no doubt heading to his home across the river.
***
Chapter Five
Yolen slept fitfully through the day and finally rose early, well before full-dark. He had one of the trolls at the office bring him the same stack of files he’d been laboring over so that he could at least get some work done while his love life went all to hell.
The afternoon wore on and as the sun began to set, he pushed the files aside and reviewed all the notes he’d made, especially about the increased meth trade. Using a map, he plotted the various sections of Cameron where the most drug-related murders had occurred over the past year. He separated out the ones involving dealers from the prior gang because they represented a familiar cleansing of the usurped power structure.
From his experience, he knew that most kingpins liked to stick fairly close to their territories or at least to their top, most successful lieutenants. He’d already pinpointed the kingpin’s second-in command, but hadn’t yet brought him in for questioning. Not yet, at least. He wanted to gather more information before he tipped his hand.
Looking at the map, he started at the easternmost point of a recent slew of murders, then moved his gaze steadily west to the known lieutenant’s house. But when he went even farther, he hit something that started dovetailing with the files he’d read. His hand rested over an area of Cameron where Keynes had recently purchased a home.
Keynes again.
He sat back in his chair and suddenly everything made sense, all of it, including Brianna and why Keynes had developed a sudden interest in dating her.
Even why Brianna had become more demanding in recent weeks.
He shoved his hands through his hair, dislodging the Guardsman clasp. He recalled now that Ethan had said something similar, hinting at the truth.
A long list of obscenities rolled through his head.
This couldn’t be happening and yet it was.
All of it.
He thought about the way Brianna had started rubbing her chest and complaining about needing Yolen to feed so that she could get some relief. Donors never talked about having too much of a supply. Quite the opposite. Tapping into a vein usually had to be done at careful intervals. Sometimes a woman couldn’t be drained more than once a month.
But Brianna’s supply seemed to have increased dramatically.
And there was only one kind of woman that experienced over-production: a blood rose.
There was also only one kind of vampire who benefited enormously from bonding with a blood rose both in power and in supply: a mastyr vampire.
Brianna was a blood rose.
And Mastyr Keynes wanted her for himself.
Focusing on Brianna, he dwelled for a long moment on the sex he’d had with her in the workroom. The more he thought about it, sure enough his mastyr calling had become a heavy vibration all through the experience as though his body knew what she was, even if he hadn’t.
Brianna had said that even she didn’t understand why she needed more from him. The part of her that was a blood rose had called repeatedly to that part of him capable of rising to mastyr status. But if what he suspected was true, then he got it. He even understood her drive toward Keynes.
But he needed to be sure.
He called a friend of his in Merhaine Realm who’d recently gone through a transformation of his own. “Zeph, how you doin’?”
“Couldn’t be better, but I’m kinda busy.”
He heard a soft murmur in the background, a woman’s voice.
“And you took my call? You couldn’t have let it go to voicemail?”
“I was going to, but my woman said I had to take it. She’s got a fae thing going on.”
“Right.”
“So what’s kickin’?”
“I have a situation.” As quickly as he could, he told Zephyr about Brianna, her complaints about a heaviness in her chest and that lately she’d been needing more from him in their relationship.
Zephyr chuckled. “You know what I’m going to say, don’t you?”
“I need to hear it.”
“Your woman’s a blood-rose and I think it might be time that you finally took the next step. I’ve felt your power, Yolen. You’re close to Mastyr Ethan.”
He rubbed his forehead, addressing what bothered him most. “Alec died shortly after he rose to mastyr status, his woman with him. We never caught the killers. We never knew what happened only that a wraith-pair was involved. The Invictus are targeting mastyrs, you must know that. So, how can I subject Brianna to that kind of danger?”
“But if Keynes is after her, then she’s already in trouble. And if not Keynes, then one of a dozen mastyrs that live in Bergisson. Listen, I know it’s not what you want to hear, but you’ve got to get off the bench. Now. Even if for some reason she rejects Keynes, others will come to her and she’ll feel a terrible need not just to open a vein, but to connect on every level. Trust me in this.”
“That’s what I’ve heard.” Rumors had rumbled for months now about the sudden arrival of the blood rose phenomenon in the Nine Realms. He just never thought it would happen to him, especially since he’d refused his mastyr calling.
“Doe
s Brianna know what she is?”
“I don’t think she suspects even a little.”
“All I can say is don’t wait. You hear me? This feels urgent, but I think you know that otherwise you wouldn’t have called.”
Yolen took a deep breath. “You’re right.” His adrenaline kicked in, ramping up his battle energy. “Thanks, Zeph. Sorry to disturb.”
“Hey, you call anytime you need me.”
“Back atcha.”
“Good luck.”
Yolen hung up. Everything Zephyr had just said made perfect sense. But Zephyr hadn’t seen the original crime scene, how Alec had been slaughtered. Yolen had and the images had burned themselves deep into his mind, dictating his choices ever since.
Despite his profound reservations, he needed to get to Brianna before Keynes made a move on her.
Now that it was full-dark, he rose and dressed for battle in fighting leathers, a snug t-shirt, and steel-toed boots that he’d happily employ to break any number of Keynes’s bones.
With his hair drawn back once more in the Guardsman clasp, he called Brianna, and fortunately this time, she answered. “We need to talk.”
* * * * * * * * *
Brianna had just slipped into her paint smock, when the phone rang. Her date with Mastyr Keynes wasn’t until later, so she planned on getting in a couple of hours of work beforehand.
She wished Yolen hadn’t called, but she wasn’t surprised. The vampire wouldn’t give up all that easily. Right now, she’d just have to work at convincing him that it was over.
If only her heart didn’t reach for him, like a starved woman after a feast.
She opened her mouth to begin her speech about how he needed to forget about her, when she caught movement in the backyard. Turning toward the windows, she couldn’t believe what she was looking at.
“Yolen?”
“What is it? What’s wrong?”
“I have a wraith-pair in my backyard. But it might be all right. Keynes just arrived. He’s early for our date, though. Way early.”
“Brianna, listen to me. You’re not safe. Keynes isn’t who you think he is. Find a place to hide. I’ll be there in thirty seconds.”
“Yolen?” But he’d already hung up.
* * * * * * * * *
The moment had come and much to his surprise, Yolen was ready. The hell he’d let Keynes get his woman, dragging her into the pit of his life.
What he didn’t know was why Keynes had chosen this moment to make his move, though the why of it hardly mattered.
He closed his eyes and as though he’d been doing it forever, he opened up his mastyr vibration and let it flow, let it consume him. He was holding back no longer.
For a long moment, he felt as though the energy that burned bright at the very core of the Nine Realms flowed up through his feet, firing every cell of his body with power.
A tremendous vibration rumbled through him as he chose, in this moment, to embrace his mastyr calling.
Power rocketed through his legs and arms, physical power like he’d never known before. Yet, despite all previous resistance, the mantle felt oddly comfortable, like clothes he’d worn for years.
Opening the front door of his house, he launched into the night sky, racing across the river. He held both hands out in front of him, his internal guidance fixed on Brianna’s home.
* * * * * * * * *
Brianna set her phone on the table and watched as Keynes bounded up the brick steps and, without knocking, opened the back door, his eyes wild. She couldn’t make sense of what was happening, why the wraith-pair hadn’t attacked her, or why Keynes looked like a madman. “What’s going on and why are they here?” She gestured to the Invictus hovering in the air a foot above her lawn.
“The real question is why I’m here.” He held out his hand to her. “Come to me, Brianna. I know now exactly what you are. I didn’t at first, but I do now. We belong together, you and I.”
She shook her head, but at the same time, her feet moved of their own volition in his direction. “Yolen is coming.”
“He doesn’t matter. Your future from this moment forward is linked to mine. And you’ll know great power once you embrace all that you are. You’ll see.”
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t you know? You’re a blood rose, destined to take care of me for the rest of our long-lived lives. There will be nothing to stop us. I have many friends in high places and great plans to rule this city. And one day, Bergisson as well.”
Her mind didn’t seem to be functioning right at all and she felt horribly confused as she crossed the wood floor of her studio. Part of her knew she was in danger because a wraith-pair floated in her backyard. The wraith even shrieked as her bonded vampire mate flipped an axe in his hand. And yet, the pair didn’t attack Mastyr Keynes. Why?
She glanced out the window, but he called to her. “Brianna, look at me. Pay no attention to them. They won’t hurt you. You’re to come with me. Now. You belong only to me. That’s what you want, isn’t?”
She nodded, then squeezed her eyes shut. “No, I want Yolen.”
“He doesn’t deserve you. Come, Brianna. You’re to serve me.” His voice held a commanding resonance that drew her close. “I’m a mastyr, something Yolen will never be.”
When she was within four feet, he closed the distance, slid an arm around her waist and pulled her tight against his side.
He smelled wonderful, like a fresh field of wheat and she relaxed against him.
“Yes, that’s it. Time to surrender.” He leaned close and sniffed her neck. “I long for your blood and soon I’ll have my fill.” He drew her onto the back steps then suddenly she was flying with him up and out of her yard.
* * * * * * * * *
Yolen saw Keynes take Brianna straight up into the air. But as he watched, he saw that even his vision had altered, that he could focus and bring the images in closer than ever before. Brianna had her nose pressed against Keynes’s throat, a sight that almost undid him except that he knew she was under her blood rose spell, that she couldn’t help being with him.
Her calling required that she serve her blood to a mastyr vampire. But he also knew that the only mastyr she would ever donate to would be one she chose and he’d die protecting her right to make that choice.
He also knew she couldn’t fly, so she was dependent on Keynes right now to survive. If she fell to earth, she’d die.
Brianna, he pathed. He wasn’t sure he could reach her telepathically like this, while in flight and at such a distance.
But again, he was now a mastyr vampire so he wasn’t entirely surprised that she responded immediately. Yolen? Where are you?
In the skies. I have a visual and I want to get you away from Keynes. Tell me you want that as well.
With my whole heart.
Can you trust me?
A pause, then very softly, With my whole life.
If he hadn’t already made the decision to commit himself to Brianna, those words alone would have taken him the rest of the distance.
All right. I’m going to slam into Keynes from behind in order to separate you from him. Just let go and I’ll catch you. Do you understand?
But how? Do you even have that kind of speed?
She had a right to ask and his heart swelled at the answer he was able to give. Hell, yeah. I’m a mastyr now.
Yolen, that’s fantastic.
I’m almost there. On the count of three. One, two…
And the next moment, he plowed into Keynes’s back. Brianna released Keynes’s neck at the same time and just as Yolen had hoped, she fell away from him, though tumbling swiftly toward the ground.
Faster than ever, Yolen shifted away from Keynes and with his vision centered on Brianna he dove after her. She fell in the direction of some sycamores but before she reached the uppermost branches, he caught her in his arms.
She cried out, then threw her arms around his neck.
He had her. She was safe.
/> If he worried that Keynes would follow after him, he soon dismissed his concern. Yolen had never flown so fast in his life and ate up the twenty miles he needed to go in less than a minute. Keynes couldn’t have kept up with him if he’d tried.
He flew her to his police station at the eastern end of the city, settling her in his office with one of the troll dispatchers for company. He took a few minutes, however, to explain what he needed to do right now and that he had every reason to believe Keynes was behind the latest influx of drugs.
She nodded firmly. “Don’t worry about me. I’m fine right here. Go take care of business.”
He gathered up the small force of detectives who’d been working on all the drug-related cases for the past decade and told them what he knew. Once they were up to speed and on board, he led them to Keynes’s home. They caught him with a couple of heavy bags in hand, ready to take off for parts unknown. While reading him his Realm rights, his fellow officers bound him in hand-cuffs. With a court-order in hand, he found all the incriminating documents he needed to prosecute Keynes as the latest drug kingpin.
One of his fellow detectives tracked and captured the wraith-pair, taking them both to the rehabilitation center where they confessed to being in Keynes’s employ and to the murder, at Keynes’s command, of Alec and his wife.
So, it was Keynes after all, who’d been behind Alec’s death.
Later, after processing Keynes and charging him with conspiracy to commit murder and drug trafficking, he flew Brianna back to her house.
Everything had changed, at least for him, and now it was time to find out if Brianna could forgive him for his obstinacy over the past several months. But more importantly, could she build a life with him as his blood rose.
* * * * * * * * *
Brianna took Yolen into her kitchen. She made herself a cup of tea, but knowing her man well, she handed him a bottle of The Long Tooth’s home-brewed. She kept glancing at the vampire, whose eyes glowed with newly acquired power. “You’re a mastyr now.” She thought clarification on all fronts might help because the night’s bizarre events threatened to completely overwhelm her.