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.”
* * * * * * * * *