Page 106 of Heir

“I’ll ask Maxar too. We’ve also met with a spellcaster mage who runs an apothecary, and he seems to have a bead on many of the goings on in the area.”

“How are you holding up?” Howar asked. “Callie tells me your mate is bleeding.”

“Yes. It’s not been easy. We had the spellcaster mage mix up a compound to help with the fugue. But it wears off quickly, so I need to continuously take the capsule every four to six hours, otherwise I become—”

“Irrationally aroused and unbelievably strong.”

“To put it delicately.”

Howar chuckled. “You just need to mate. Then it will get easier. The Mate’s Ache will go, and she’ll be more apt and willing to join you in the lust.”

I suppressed a groan of regret. “Zandren is calling King Ryden. But please let me know what Anysa says. I have to go.”

Howar and I said our goodbyes, then I returned to the apartment. Zandren had shifted back to human form and was indeed on the phone, as was Maxar.

Omaera was on the couch, tucked tight in the corner, hugging her knees and staring blankly ahead, as though in a trance.

All I wanted to do was comfort her.

But I wouldn’t touch her again. Not until she asked me to. Not until it was clear that she wanted me to.

Maxar was the first off the phone. “That was Fiddleman. He knows of a hunter mage only half an hour from here. He’s going to call him and have him come immediately.”

I nodded.

Zandren got off the phone he borrowed from Omaera a moment later. “My father said the entire shifter community is at our disposal. He’s dispatching a wolf shifter named Bauer to come help us track.”

More nodding from everyone but Omaera. She still stared straight ahead. I wasn’t even sure if she was blinking.

Zandren—totally naked—wandered into the kitchen. He put on the kettle, grabbed a mug from the cupboard and, after a little searching, found where the tea was stored. The electric kettle roared as the water heated up.

I stood there like an imp, useless and unable to help in any way.

Zandren—still without clothes—poured the steaming water from the kettle into the mug over the tea bag, then brought the mug to Omaera. “Here.”

Jealousy ripped through me as their hands touched when she accepted the mug, her gaze flicking up to his face for just a moment. But the tenderness with which they regarded each other was like a stake through my heart.

“Your clothes are on the counter there,” I said, regretting the bitterness in my tone the moment the words came out.

The bear grunted and glanced at the pile of fabric.

What was there to do but wait for reinforcements? Zandren could probably sniff things out to a degree, but he wasn’t a hunter mage, and based on how close he sat with Omaera, my guess was he wouldn’t leave her side for anything.

One of the few things I agreed with him on.

After about forty minutes, there was a buzz on Omaera’s phone. Zandren answered it.

“Bauer Brennan. And Arik Saije,” came two very distinct deep voices.

The bear buzzed them up, and we waited.

I’d never met either of these men, but they came recommended. So we had to trust them enough to let them in on some of our secrets.

Less than two minutes later, there was a hard knock at the door.

I needed to make myself useful, so I went and let them in.

Immediately, the shifter looked me up and down, and his top lip curled into a sneer. “What the fuck is a vampire doing here?”

---