Chapter 13

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

R osa woke the next morning filled with drowsy satisfaction. She stretched out an arm, searching for a warm, hard body but found none.

"You've got to be kidding me," she sighed. Rolling over she found a still warm cup of tea and a note: Early meeting, enjoy the tea and please do not touch the painting. It's still drying. B.

She was smiling before she could stop herself. She could still smell his aftershave on her skin and in the sheets.

Downstairs, her lounge room had been reassembled, and the painting was standing on the mantle above the built-up fire.

What if you are reading way too much into this, an unwelcome voice whispered in her mind. What if he was only willing to break Eli's rules for a night to scratch an itch? You had best protect yourself from those burning eyes and get your game face on, Wylt .

Rosa finished her tea, showered, and dressed, determined to treat it like any other day.

"How are the preparations coming?" Eli asked over the noise of the London traffic.

"Fine, good," Balthasar answered vaguely as he opened the curtains in his office and looked toward the Wylt cottage. "It's snowing."

"Already? How are the stones?"

"Humming. The humans will be able to hear them soon. You're not worried that the Seelie will try to come early?"

"They might be able to send one but not an army. Keep an eye out for a herald or messenger. They will likely send someone to spy out the land before Ryn arrives. It's something the pompous bastard would enjoy doing."

"Now, now, Father. You had best be careful talking about our honored guest in such a manner. How are the kids enjoying their break?"

"Saul has been helpful with final negotiations. People like him and are more at ease with him than with you. Although, Blackfox's widow is looking at him like she wants to eat him alive."

"They prefer him because you haven't made Saul your executioner for the last four hundred years," Balthasar said with only a twinge of resentment. "And I will give him to Eliana, gift wrapped, if it means her people won't seek revenge on us."

Eli laughed brightly. "No one would ever take Saul's threats seriously, and your reputation will always work in your favor. I've let Lily and Pearl have their head while we are here."

"Is that wise?" Balthasar knew what qualified as entertainment for Pearl. He could only hope that Lily knew how to get rid of the bodies.

"I have one of Riverclear's men keeping an eye on Pearl to make sure she is discreet with her hunting habits."

"Lily needs to put her on a leash—a tight one, with a choke collar."

"She is young and impetuous. She'll calm down and fall in line. Or she will slip up and get put down," Eli said nonchalantly. "How is our Rosa?"

Balthasar's memory gifted him with an image of her with her back arched, her mouth opened in a silent scream of ecstasy.

"Rosa is in magnificent form." He cleared his throat to remove the hitch in it. "She's recovering well. Making another grand mess in the ballroom today, I have no doubt."

"You sound as if you are smiling, Balthasar," Eli teased. "Anything else you want to tell me?"

"Only that you were right. She brings life to this place. That's all."

"She is a Wylt. It's their gift. Keep an eye on her but stay focused. Are we going to have enough food and alcohol?"

"Cecily and Goode plan on going to Penrith for whatever extras they need."

"Excellent. I will fly home tomorrow night, so if there's anything they cannot find, tell them to email me." Eli hung up after Balthasar reassured him yet again that he would have everything ready.

He hadn't considered that Ryn might send someone early. His eyes drifted down once more to the snow covered Wylt cottage. It would be the first place a spy would reach on their way to Gwaed Lyn. He would have to insist that Rosa spend the night inside the mansion, in his bed, for her protection.

Very chivalrous of you, Balthasar, but who is going to protect her from you?

"Everything under control in here?" Balthasar asked, interrupting Rosa's attempt at wrapping as much greenery around herself as possible. She looked over her shoulder at him for only a second, but it was enough to see the gleam in his eyes. She turned back to Julie, quickly hiding her burning face.

"We should have it done by this afternoon, sir," Cecily said as she gave Rosa a curious look. "The rooms are ready to go, and Goode and I will head out to Penrith soon."

"Excellent. Eli will be pleased," Balthasar replied as he watched Andrew unwind the bunting from around Rosa.

They were both giggling, and for a second, she thought she detected a look of jealousy. You're imagining it, Rosa. Let it go. He has no right to be jealous .

"You seem to have it under control," Balthasar said quickly. "I'll leave you to it."

"What on earth has gotten into Balthasar Vane?" Cecily shook her head at his retreating back. She turned and saw Rosa checking him out, silently thanking his tailor. "Anything you want to tell me, Rosa?"

"Huh? Nope, nothing to tell. I don't know why he is moody. He's always moody."

"He wasn't moody! If I didn't know better, I would think he wanted to talk to you."

"To me? Doubtful, very doubtful," Rosa said with a quick shake of her head. "What would he want to talk to me about?"

"You're both acting very strange this morning. First, you walk in, grinning like the Cheshire Cat who has been rolling about in stolen cream and now he is looking all at odds with himself." Cecily put her hands on her hips.

"He's under a lot of pressure, I imagine. Perhaps he's just a bit flustered. I slept well last night. That's why I'm in a good mood," she babbled.

"You'd better not be the one flustering him," Cecily said cautiously as she led her away from the hearing of the others. "For your sake more than his. Be careful, Rosa."

"I don't know what you are talking about. We're friends, that's all."

"There is nothing wrong with that, but guard your heart. The Vanes are not like other men," Cecily added meaningfully. So she knows after all .

"I know. Don't worry. For the last time, there is nothing going on between me and Balthasar Vane," Rosa assured with a smile. "Now, what else do you need help with before you go?"

Pearl woke from her nap with Lily still holding her hands tightly. It had been a wild night, the first she'd had in months. There was blood on the sheets and a dead hooker in the bathroom. Lily was always so much more fun when she was away from Eli's control.

Pearl had tried to convince her to leave him for years, but she never had any success. Some debts run too deep , Lily had told her. Pearl wanted to rule beside Lily, and to do that, they were going to have to get rid of Eli and Balthasar.

Blackfox hadn't been her only ally against Eli's attempted treaty with the Seelie. Very slowly she climbed out of bed and found her clothes. Stepping around the corpse in the bathroom, she brushed her teeth and reapplied her makeup. Fifteen minutes later, dressed in a white suit with an arctic fox stole about her shoulders, she stepped out of the elevator and crossed the foyer.

The Riverclear thug sat reading a paper, a cup of untouched coffee on his table.

She sat down opposite him and lit a cigarette. "If you don't want me to rip your limbs off one by one, I suggest you get your boss on the phone. I want to set up a meeting."

Rosa rolled the thick dough in her hands, testing its elasticity before she dumped it out onto the floured bench top. Vera had gone to bed for the night, giving Rosa free rein of the kitchen. She needed to think and baking always worked best.

She tried not to think of Balthasar as she placed the dough back onto the floured board. She wondered what her friends would be doing. She had received no emails, but a few updates on Facebook of brown bodies and fancy cocktails in Ibiza told her all she needed to know. They were doing normal people partying, not worrying about a guy way too old and complicated for her. She coated the dough with melted butter before sprinkling it with sugar and cinnamon. With quick dexterity, she folded the dough sides over onto each other. The back door opened as she had started to cut the dough with a large knife.

"So this is where you are hiding." Balthasar wiped the snow off his head before taking off his gloves.

"I'm not hiding," she said, trying to cover up the flutter in her voice. "I'm baking cinnamon rolls." Rosa put the knife down and started to twist them up. He sat down on a kitchen barstool to watch her.

"Are you all right? You seem a bit..."

"What?"

"Defensive. I'm sorry, are you angry with me?" he asked, genuinely confused.

"I'm not angry with you," Rosa said as she placed the rolls on her baking tray. "Look, Balthasar, I don't know what you want me to say or how you want me to act right now. We had a night together. It was awesome, and I don't regret it."

"But..."

"That's just it, isn't it? There is a massive but. How about... but I work for you? But I am a Wylt and a one-night stand? There are a million buts. I don't know your intentions. I don't know where I stand with you now, let alone when Eli comes back."

Balthasar folded his arms. "I can't believe you think I'm a one-night stand sort of person. Is there anything about my character that would imply such a thing?"

"Even half Unseelie hybrids have urges," Rosa said as she put her trays in the oven and started wiping the flour off the marble countertops.

"Then allow me to set the record straight, Rosa Wylt. Firstly, I would never do you the discourtesy of using you to satisfy my urges , as you so delicately described them. I didn't have sex with you because I wanted the sensation. It was because I wanted you ." Balthasar took a step closer to her. "Yes, you are a Wylt. Neither of us can help that. I don't see you as some forbidden fruit either before your mind decides to make that ridiculous leap. As for where you stand right now, it's in front of someone who you've been driving crazy all day. Someone who has been dying to kiss you all damn day because they feel like they are going to explode unless they do."

"Then what the hell are you waiting for?" she demanded, throwing the floury dishtowel at him. He dodged it with a blur of movement before lifting her up onto the counter and kissing her. He tasted like snow and sex, and her hands went underneath his coat to pull him closer. She kissed the side of his neck before burying her face into the collar of the shirt, crushing it like the petals of a flower so she could smell him.

"I'm sorry. This whole thing is so crazy, and I don't know how to handle it," she said.

Balthasar's hands moved up the back of her shirt. The touch of his fingers on her bare skin made her grip on him tighten impulsively.

He kissed her forehead. "There is nothing to be sorry about. You have every right to question my motives. All I can promise is to work it out as we go along. Eli told me that you need to sleep inside the mansion tonight. The stones are weakening, and it's for your own safety."

"My safety?" Rosa said, pulling back so she could look at him. "But my bed is so comfortable and has all my stuff there. Where am I meant to sleep?"

"I have a good idea where you can spend the night." He grinned suggestively, and she fought the urge to kiss him again.

"But I don't have my pajamas."

"You won't need them."

"I suppose the mansion does have all of the guest rooms cleaned out at the moment. Maybe I could—" Whatever smart retort she had ready vanished as he pulled her against him, kissing it away.

Balthasar's hands gripped her hips. " Not where I had in mind."

"Then where?"

"Hang on," he instructed, and she had just enough time to lock her arms around him before the kitchen and the mansion blurred around her. The bright pictures of the attic surrounded her as he lowered her slowly to her feet.

"You really need to warn a girl before you do that. I thought no one was allowed up here," she said innocently as she walked between his paintings. "Private chambers and all that."

"I'm willing to make an exception," he said, taking off his coat and laying it on the back of a chair.

Rosa poked her head around a particularly beautiful landscape of Venice. "Are you going to keep going?"

"And you accused me of having urges," Balthasar said as he untucked his shirt. "How do I know I'm not the one being used in this situation for my artistic skill and prowess as a lover?"

"You say that like I have the ability to convince you of anything," Rosa laughed.

"You are convincing me right now," he said as he walked towards her, undoing the buttons on his shirt. "Look, I have no control over my actions whatsoever."

Rosa stepped backward, and he pulled her forward again before she could crash into another painting. "If you are determined not to watch where you are walking, I am going to have to lead you myself." He placed her hands on her waist and waltzed her slowly through the maze of easels, books, and chairs.

"Are you sure I'm not going to get you into trouble by being up here?" she asked as she tucked her hand down the inside of his loose shirt.

"Get into trouble by whom? I'm the boss, remember? If you are worried about Cecily, she will be gone by 7 am tomorrow and won't be home until the afternoon. Eli won't arrive until tomorrow night. I could spend all day in bed with you tomorrow if I wanted to." Balthasar ran his hands down her arms. "That idea certainly has its merits." He unclipped her hair and smiled. "You smell like cinnamon."

"Oh, no, my rolls!"

"Don't worry. I turned them off before I carried you up here." He kissed her neck. "I didn't want you rushing away when I had you right where I wanted you."

"Really? And where is that?"

"Right here, with me," he said as he kissed behind her ear. "I like the way your face changes when you look at my paintings. The artist in me feels very justified."

Rosa looked him up slowly. "I don't think your self-portraits really do you justice."

"You haven't seen my nudes."

Rosa let herself fall backward onto his bed. "Now would be a really good time to show me."

Balthasar leaned down over her, kissing her roughly with a bit of bite. He could hear her heart racing as he hooked his fingers into the top of her shirt and popped the buttons, exposing her lace covered breasts.

"I love that you live such an exciting life under your clothes," he said, kissing her chest. "Lingerie is one of the great human inventions."

"I'm glad you approve," she said as he undid the button of her jeans and pulled them off her slowly.

"I definitely approve." Balthasar moved back down over her, kissing her stomach, his fingers moving slowly up the inside of her thigh. She moved against him, hooking her legs up around his back. Her fingers tightened around his hair as his fingers slipped under the satin of her underwear and stroked her slowly.

His other hand glided underneath her back to unclip her bra, freeing her breasts for his wandering mouth. Rosa murmured something incomprehensible as he leaned over her, his mouth catching her gasp as his fingers entered her. Her hazel eyes darkened as she gripped his shoulders, her nails running sharply down his back, feeding off his own excitement. She squirmed against him, her breath changing to ragged gasps as the orgasm gripped her. Only then did he tear the sides of her underwear and pulled the ruined scraps of satin from her body.

"Hey, I liked those," she complained breathlessly.

Balthasar gripped her by the hips, pushing himself slowly into her. "Don't worry, I will make it up to you," he promised as he moved inside of her, savoring the feeling of her hot and wet around him.

Rosa fought the sensations battering her as she watched Balthasar move on top of her. She bit his shoulder in an effort to keep herself from screaming. She felt powerless beneath him, his touch reducing her to a creature of burning need.

He rolled, and she was suddenly on top of him. In the past, she had always been too self-conscious to be on top, but the desire in his eyes banished her hesitation. Her hands gripped the strong muscles of his chest while she rode him, leaving red scratch marks from her fingernails. She leaned forward to kiss him, fighting for breath as his hands gripped her hips, pulling harder against him. Pleasure burned through her as she leaned back, pushing her hair out of her way. He sat up, holding her to him as he lowered her back underneath him. Rosa shut her eyes as her body trembled. He kissed her eyelids, her cheeks.

"Stay with me, Rosa," he whispered. "Stay with me." Her eyes flickered open again to try to hold his gaze until she was gone, drowning in him until neither one existed separately from the other.

Through a crack in the heavy velvet hangings, Balthasar could see the snow falling from the attic windows. It was hours after sunrise, but he didn't want to get up. If he had the choice, he wouldn't move for a month. Rosa slept, warm and naked beside him, the light picking up the red in her dark hair as he curled it around his fingers. The Wylt hair, its particular shade carried down with each generation. There had never been one to turn his head until Rosa. The timing and the object of his affections couldn't have been more complicated. As he watched her sleep, he knew that he was in love with her. Painfully and inconveniently.

After Jane had died, he never thought he would allow himself to love again. Something deep and fundamental had broken inside of him. He had closed down, not just to women, but the entire world. Time had passed in an endless series of flashes, blood, battles, and chaos as he chased one war after the other, disconnected to all around him. He had gone back to Eli after a tour in Afghanistan and had fallen into line as a dutiful son, heir, and sometimes his Minister of Justice.

It was a life lived underwater until Rosa was there, yelling at him and chastising him with drunken abandonment, that suddenly he was coming up for air. Re-connecting with reality had hit him like a cold slap in the face. He hadn't stood a chance, nor could he go back under.

Smiling against Rosa's shoulder, he wrapped an arm around her, guiding his hand over the sheet that covered her hips, around to the curve of her stomach before stopping to cup the heavy warmth of her breast.

He held her heartbeat under his fingers as it called out to him with its delicious rhythm. Balthasar meant what he said to her. He wouldn't bite her and know all of her secrets, but a part of him always wanted to. The thought of feeding on her, of feeling her hot life rush into his mouth while he made love to her, filled him with want.

Last night, Rosa had stopped being so self-conscious, letting herself get lost in the moment and her own desire, her teeth and nails marking him, both delighting in each other's pleasure and need.

She was glorious, and he knew he had no hope of resisting her.

Rosa rolled over onto her stomach, and his hand turned its attention to her neck and the sloping curve of her spine. He loved the way she was shaped, how her back had dipped the night before when he had taken her from behind. He had forgotten how passionate human women could be, but she seemed to have been blessed with an extra helping.

"If you keep doing that there is going to be trouble," she mumbled against her pillow as she turned to face him. She looked so delightfully sleepy that he had no choice but to kiss her face all over.

"You are very adorable when you are sleeping," he said.

"So we became The Hermit and the Sleeping Angelica after all," Rosa replied. She touched his few gray hairs at his temples. "Except you are older."

"But better looking, one should hope."

"Mm, still a bit creepy though. What time is it?"

"Who cares? Is there somewhere you need to be?"

"I suppose not." Rosa stroked the side of his face. "I really want a shower, though, so that means I'm going to have to get up eventually."

"There is a very large shower through that door over there," he pointed. "And clean towels."

"Good." Rosa stretched and sat up. He watched her walk naked across the floor, pausing to give him a suggestive look over one shoulder. "Are you coming or not? I need someone to help me get the knots out of my hair. Seeing how you are the one that put them there, it's really your responsibility."

"I love how you think you can boss me about. It's so sweet and endearing."

Rosa shrugged. "Fine. Have it your way. I'll get hot and wet on my own." She disappeared, the taps turning on. Balthasar stretched before he got out of bed and went into the bathroom. The glass panes were already foggy as he opened the door and trapped her under the hot water.

"I was wondering when you were going to turn up," she said, leaning back up against him.

"I was taught that it's rude to keep a lady waiting," he replied as he took some of his shampoo and started to massage it into her hair and scalp.

"That feels amazing. I think I'm going to have to get you to come to every shower from now on," Rosa moaned happily.

"You only want me for my hair washing skills? I feel so used."

She put her hands up to rinse the soap, lifting her breasts in a way that made him want to paint them. He washed her shoulders before moving around to them. He thought she would crack another joke, but instead, she pushed back into him invitingly. He let his hands move lower over her warm, wet skin to touch her.

"You'd best be able to follow through with all this teasing. I'm not to be trifled with in the morning, especially before coffee."

Balthasar spun her around with a spray of water, kissing her as he pressed her up against the tiled wall. He lifted her up, before lowering her down onto him. Rosa gasped as he moved inside of her, hot water cascading down over them.

"God, I love that you are strong enough to do this," Rosa groaned before he robbed her of the ability to speak altogether.

Rosa watched Balthasar walk through the attic with a dining tray, wearing only a pair of pressed trousers. She couldn't remember seeing anything so arousing.

"Breakfast," he said, placing it down on the small table in front of the chaise she was sitting on.

"I thought I already had it." She grinned as he sat down next to her. He leaned over and rolled up the sleeves of the shirt she had stolen from him, so she didn't drag it through the jam every time she reached for her tea.

"You had one breakfast, but you are still human and need proper food."

"I could go on a sex and Gatorade diet," she suggested. "It would sure beat the hell out of Paleo."

Balthasar pushed down the plunger of his coffee, watching her out of the corner of his eye.

Damn, you need to look away, Rosa. He just had to carry you from the shower because you could barely walk.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked.

"The state of politics in Great Britain," she lied outrageously, sipping her tea.

"Really? That is...odd."

"Why? What were you thinking about?"

"Just the usual Vane family drama. Like how I am going to keep a house full of Gwaed Gam away from the staff, or all the ways I would like to kill the Seelie when they arrive. Then there is the problem of the time I'm going to have to spend behaving myself when you are around because if I show you the slightest favor, they will be all over you, and not in a pleasant way. Let's not forget that I'm not meant to be laying a finger on you, and yet I am suddenly composing speeches to Eli in my head as to why I really must touch you, everywhere and with enthusiasm, at all times," Balthasar responded as he passed her a croissant.

"Whoa, Vane drama indeed." Rosa put an arm lazily over his shoulder. "Don't worry about ignoring me. Just know that while you are doing all of that, I will be thinking about all the things I'm going to do to you once they all leave again."

"Thank you for that image. You've just made my predicament infinitely harder."

"That's not all, I hope. Did you really mean what you said about going to Eli...about us?" Rosa asked, nerves forcing to put down her half-chewed croissant. She couldn't imagine what the great Unseelie prince would say.

"I meant it. I don't think I could pretend any longer than I have to," he said as he leaned back in the chair. "I can't remember the last time I wanted something this badly. Eli might grumble, but once he knows my feelings towards you are sincere, I don't believe he will have any objection with me courting you."

"Feelings you say... What feelings might they be?" she mocked.

"The simple ones: that I love you, that you are the first person not to make me feel alone in two hundred years, that I would slay the world and defy Eli if he tried to stand in my way of having you, that you could destroy me with a word." He made a small shrug. "I'm a feared man, Rosa. My reputation is vicious and absolute. I am the Unseelie hybrid the Gwaed Gam fear. You arrived back at Gwaed Lyn, and I cracked."

"The simple feelings," Rosa whispered. Unable to think of anything else articulate, she kissed him tenderly. "As much as it scares me to admit it this early, I'm in love with you too. I won't pretend that I'm going to like keeping my distance from you in the next few weeks, but I trust your judgment on this. I should warn you, I'm a jealous lover, and if I see some Gwaed Gam hussy wenching up to you, I might try to drive a stake into her."

Balthasar smiled before kissing the top of her head. "Oh, my darling, you have never seen a jealous lover like an Unseelie lover. I almost broke my brother's neck twice over passing comments about your charms. The next few days are going to be dangerous for you, and the most horrible thing is you won't even know it. Keep that necklace of yours on and hidden. I don't even trust my own family with you."

"I promise," she said as she fiddled with the silver pendant. "Do you think it'll work on the Seelie?"

"Let's hope so because their magic is much stronger than any of ours."

"I don't know about that. There are parts of you that are pretty damn magical." He burst out laughing as she hoped he would. It was so rare that she savored it, tucking it away to keep her company in the next few days.