Master's Blood (The Shifter Chronicles 6)
Page 16
He parted the curtains slightly, staring into the night. They were in Wyoming now, and he hoped they would move soon. The weather was abysmal, and the landscape was unvarying. He missed their headquarters—that stately building, the high-tech equipment. The luxurious beds….
He sighed.
“Don’t be so downhearted,” a smooth voice said.
Gregor smiled and turned around. Arcas stepped out of the bathroom, brushing his soft black hair away from his face. Steam fanned out into the room, and Gregor took a deep breath, enjoying his leader’s scent.
Gregor could only stare at Arcas and counted himself lucky he could. To look at Arcas was to look at perfection. He had a lean face that appeared as if made out of stone by the most gifted sculptor. Physically, he was perfect: both strong and handsome. His face and body were exquisitely symmetrical. And yet, there was something, not naturally gotten, which marred this perfection: a long, thin scar that ran diagonally from above his left eyebrow down across his nose to the right side of his chin. It had been given to him years ago by a vicious cougar shifter.
“How long will we stay here, my lord?”
“We will leave tomorrow.” Arcas pulled a briefcase out from under the bed and set it on the mattress. He stroked a hand across its surface, and Gregor trembled, remembering how those fingers had stroked him not an hour ago.
“May I ask where we are headed next?”
Arcas smiled at him. “We still have a mission to complete, my love.”
Gregor frowned. “But Nordik—”
“No, no.” Arcas shook his head. “Not Nordik. That must be put on hold. I got what I wanted out of the beast. He’s living on borrowed time now. Everyone is.”
“What about Anu?” Gregor asked, dropping his hand from where it held the curtain.
“He is no longer important.” Arcas shrugged. “I did not tell him anything the Agency could use. He believed the lies about Nordik’s blood, so the Agency won’t know my real purpose. They are ignorant when it comes to the ways of magic.”
Gregor nodded. He thought of the events of the past months. So much had happened—and most of it unsavory. Haven infiltrated but unconquered, the Knights disbanded, Arcas’s wolf pet escaping, and now Nordik had failed to be killed. As well as that nuisance, Agent Poe.
At least Marilyn managed to retrieve the vial of Nordik’s blood before the fools at the Agency could. That was some success at any rate.
“I am so close to my goal, Gregor,” Arcas said softly. “So very close. The blood and the scrolls are nearly within my grasp.”
Gregor enjoyed the light of hope in his leader’s eyes. He glanced at his bandaged right forearm. His blood had been required for Arcas’s grand plan. Though, he didn’t know what the plan was. Not yet. He was confident that Arcas would tell him soon. Nordik’s blood had been required as well. But there were more types of blood needed and three more ancient scrolls to find before Arcas could accomplish anything. But he believed his lord when he said they were close.
Gregor only knew it was a ritual that would unleash something―something terrible and wonderful, something that would destroy shifters permanently.
“My lord,” he said. “What of the knights that remain free? Should we not contact them and—”
“No.” Arcas shook his head and approached him. “Let them do what they do best. They will keep our enemies distracted. They will keep the Agency busy. We have to sacrifice for our ultimate goals. You understand.”
Gregor nodded. “Of course. I trust you.”
Arcas smiled affectionately and touched his cheek. “I know you do. And you are wise to. I need you, Gregor. You are my most trusted companion.”
His heart swelled with pride and love. He stood straighter. “Do we go after the blood or the scrolls first, my lord?”
Arcas chuckled. “You are so eager. I love that about you. I think the scrolls should be acquired first. I believe I know where one of them is currently. It is the second part to the scroll I have now. We best get the instructions before we acquire the ingredients.”
“Might I ask where, my lord?” Gregor asked, nerves jumping.
Arcas pressed their foreheads together. They stood companionably in the middle of the hotel room, the two former leaders of the Knights of the Dawn.
“The scroll is heading to a museum in Washington.”
###
About This Book
What can I say about this story? Nordik and Poe are definitely one of my top favorite couples of the series. Back in the long-ago days, I actually planned to write Poe’s story right after Psychic Moon but soon realized I had a few more stories to tell before the monumental events in Master’s Blood. I love writing about Poe because he is such a badass! And yet also a deeply compassionate and empathetic person that loves with his whole heart. I intentionally made him the quintessential soldier so that his attraction to Nordik would go against everything he’d been trained to believe, and yet their relationship represents everything he’s fighting for.
As for Nordik, I attempted to balance his character between his tribal past and modernity of his present. I tried not to stereotype or fetishize Native American, First Nations or Indigenous Peoples. I love Nordik very much, and I strove to make him a complex character with flaws and virtues just like any other, while also having a past and heritage of native peoples. I wish to continue representing diverse characters from all different walks of life and heritages.
And for any interested, the spirit bear is a real white black bear, also called the Kermode bear. When I was discussing this story with my sister one day, she mentioned that I could make Nordik a Kermode bear. After looking it up, I agreed with her and modified details just a bit (Spirit bears are black bears, not grizzlies) to suit the purposes of the story while still keeping the integrity of the tradition. Spirit bears are gorgeous and they almost exclusively live on the west coast of British Columbia in Canada.
Hope you enjoyed the story and will join me for the next one!
May dragons guard your dreams,
M.D. Grimm
About M.D. Grimm
M.D. Grimm decided to become an author in the second grade (kind of young to make life decisions, but whatever) and nothing has changed since then (well, plenty of things, actually, but not that!). Thankfully, she has indulgent parents who let her dream, but also made sure she understood she’d need a steady job to pay the bills (they never let her forget it!). After graduating from the University of Oregon and majoring in English (let’s be honest: useless degree, what else was she going to do with it?), she started on her writing career and couldn’t be happier. Working by day and writing by night (or any spare time she can carve out), she enjoys embarking on romantic quests and daring adventures (living vicariously, you could say) and creating characters that always triumph against the villain (or else what’s the point?), finding their soul mate in the process.
Other Titles by M.D. Grimm
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Single Title
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The Shifter Chronicles
Psychic Moon * Celtic Warrior and Wolf Spirit
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Master’s Blood
The Stones of Power
Ruby: Lost and Found<
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Peridot: War and Peace
Amethyst: Bow and Arrow
Agate: Then and Now
Emerald: Good and Evil
Carnelian: Dreams and Visions
Lapis Lazuli: Forgotten and Remembered
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