Chapter 22

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

R osa was in the kitchen, hopping nervously from foot to foot as the phone rang.

"Rosa?" Cecily's voice sounded happy and relaxed. "How are you, darling?"

"Run off my feet and with a house full of guests," she said, pouring a cup of tea with her spare hand. "I don't know how you did it for so many years without killing everyone."

"I had a feeling that more would be arriving. Saul seemed most insistent on getting me out of the way." Cecily was silent for a long moment before asking, "Is everything okay?"

"Not exactly," Rosa hesitated, wondering how much she could tell her. Eli had given Cecily her memories back too, apart from the ones of Pearl feeding on her, but she felt the need to protect her as much as she could. God, you are turning into Eli now .

"Do you want me to come home?"

"No, Mom, no. You deserved the break, and so do the three J's. I can keep an eye on everything here and…and I can focus on what I have to do if I'm not worried about you being in the way."

"I don't exactly like you in harm's way either."

"I know, but I'm not as fragile as I was. Eli is making me sure that I'm training how to defend myself."

"He's a good man, Eli. Smart. He's not invincible, Rosa. That's why he always needs a Wylt to keep an eye on him."

"I don't think a lack of Wylts is Eli's problem at the moment," Rosa replied. "A cousin has turned up, and now we are both driving him crazy."

"Don't play too rough, Rosa."

"Me? Never."

"How's the other master of the house?"

"Bal is good. His uncle is here at the moment, and they get along well. Same brooding temperament."

"Oh, dear, another brooding Vane for you to torment."

"It's good for them. Anyway, I've gotta go, Mom. I just wanted to see that you were getting on all right."

"I'm in a chateau in Provence. I'm getting along fine."

"Rub it in, why don't you? I'll talk to you soon."

"Bye, darling," Cecily said before hanging up. Rosa had only just put the phone down when the door to the kitchen opened.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to those contraptions. They are as bad as those TV things," Nimue complained.

"Tea?" Rosa asked and turned the kettle on.

"Yes please." Nimue sat down at the table. She was dressed casually in blue jeans and a cream knit jumper, her hair up in a ponytail.

Rosa wondered how many centuries it was going to take until she could look that effortlessly beautiful in the morning. The glow about her wasn't all fae either. Rosa let out a belly laugh as she fixed the tea.

"What?"

"How was the drink with Eldon?" Rosa asked, placing the steaming cup in front of her.

"Illuminating," Nimue answered, her cheeks pinking.

"I can imagine."

"It isn't what you think. He told me about Morgan and all the pointless guilt he's been carrying around all this time."

"You got him to talk about Morgan? Wow. That's…wow." Rosa sat down opposite her. "He must be trying really hard with you."

"It was as if he was attempting to prove that he had done far worse than I had, like he was trying to scare me away."

"Or it was a typical Wylt's backward way of saying he can forgive you for what happened with Deryn because ultimately he's more of a monster than you are. If you can reconcile with who and what he is, then he'll do the same for you."

Nimue smiled as she brought the cup up to her mouth. "You are remarkably astute, Rosa Wylt. That was precisely how the night ended."

"Ha! Knew it. He's such a Wylt." She raised an eyebrow at Nimue. " Exactly how the night ended or was there more?"

"He may have kissed me, or I may have kissed him…I…we kissed," Nimue stammered, turning pink again. "You needn't look so excited, Rosa. It was in the heat of the moment."

"Sure it was." Rosa rolled her eyes. "I saw you guys dueling. You are like magnets fighting each other whenever you're in the same room. It's probably going to be worse now."

"How do you mean?"

"If he's finally forgiven you and is ready to get out of his own way, then you have the chance to start over."

"I wouldn't make any assumption about Eldon and what he feels anymore."

"How do you feel about it?" Rosa asked, wondering if Nimue would trust her with such information.

You're so nosey , Balthasar's voice echoed in the back of her head. She couldn't help it. She wanted Eldon to be happy.

Nimue admitted, "He's not the same, but I'm not the same woman either. Only time will tell if we can find a way back to each other. We both need our old friend back, that much I know for sure. If that ever grew into something more…" She left the thought hanging. "My body is not what it was. It is a twisted, scarred thing. What man could possibly desire it?"

"The kind of man who loves you regardless," Rosa said fiercely. "Trust me, as a woman who has had a lifetime of hang-ups about her body and who found someone who makes me comfortable with it. Personally, I think you need to tell him what happened. He knows you are holding something back from him."

"He'll get over it. Gods, there needs to be something he doesn't know."

Rosa jumped as the back door opened to reveal the man in question, fresh snow sticking to his raven hair.

"This can't be good," he said, eying them both. His gaze lingered a fraction too long on Nimue before he hurried to the coffee plunger. "Is Eli up yet?"

"I set him up with coffee and croissants an hour ago," Rosa answered, amused to see his usual gruff composure fractured.

"He's dead set on having his party in two days when Vincenzo arrives, so I thought you two could use your artistic flair and decorate. Nimue used to be a deft hand at it." He looked over across at her and quickly added, "But only if you want to. You don't have to if you don't feel up to it. Rosa and I could…"

"I want to," Nimue interrupted him. "Does Eli have a theme?"

"I'm sure he does, but you can decorate it however you see fit. Make sure Rosa doesn't cover the house in cannibalistic roses."

"No promises," Nimue laughed as Rosa flipped him off.

Eldon ignored it as he poured his fresh coffee into a large mug. "I'll leave you ladies to it. I'm sure the result will be stunning." He gave them a slight bow before disappearing into the servant's passages.

"What are you sniggering about?" Nimue asked as Rosa struggled not to snort tea up her nose.

"That must've been some epic kiss."

"Don't you ever stop?" Eldon asked when he found Eli in the glow of a laptop. He didn't think he'd ever get used to seeing his father using technology so easily.

"I wanted to check the surveillance network Saul had installed at the sites," Eli replied, looking up. His head tilted thoughtfully as he studied him.

"What?" Eldon demanded. He sipped his coffee and stole half of Eli's neglected croissant.

"Your aura is brighter today. I take it your evening with Nimue went well?"

"I expected questions from Rosa, but not from you."

"I'm your father, so it is my right to ask questions. Rosa is nosey because she is a Wylt, and they can't help themselves."

"I told Nimue about Morgan." Eli shut the laptop and gave Eldon his full attention.

"How are you?" he asked.

It was only a few months after Morgan's death that Eldon had wiped all memory of Eli and Gwaed Lyn. Despite knowing the reason why, Eli's eyes still were bruised whenever they talked about it.

"I feel surprisingly unburdened," Eldon admitted.

"All secrets hurt less when they are spoken out loud. And Nimue?"

"She could still look me in the eye afterward, so there is that."

"Excellent. Where are the ladies of the house today?" Eli asked as an unexpected smile bloomed on his face. "Ladies in the house. It's a nice change. I miss Lily, but Italy is the best place for her to heal."

"She's not coming with Vincenzo?"

"No, he's leaving her in charge. She'll like that. He needs more people that he can trust."

They were talking about older times when the mansion shook beneath their feet. Balthasar and Saul burst through the doors, ready for whatever was attacking them.

"What in seven hells was that?" Saul asked as the ground trembled again, snow falling from the roof in great white sheets.

They all rushed to the windows and saw not a Seelie army attacking them, but Nimue in fits of laughter. Rosa, red-faced, threw an angry snowball at her.

"It would appear Nimue is trying to teach Rosa some magic," Eli chuckled.

Saul frowned. "Shouldn't you get down there? They'll bring the whole damn house down if they aren't careful."

"No, they won't," Balthasar said, his eyes following every one of Rosa's movements.

In spite of what Eldon knew of him and his violent history, when it came to Rosa, Balthasar Vane was a man on his knees. Eldon was suddenly very grateful that Balthasar had managed to get Rosa back, because he would hate to see what lingered beneath his highly polished mask of civility.

"Nimue knows what she's doing even if Rosa doesn't. She'll make sure that the house is safe," Eldon assured them.

Despite the hundreds of things demanding their attention, the four Vane men stood quietly by the windows, watching as snow and ice were transformed into something else entirely.

"A new work?" Rosa asked, peering over Balthasar's shoulder. She'd come upstairs to try to steal a quiet moment with him and found him at an easel. He looked so consumed that, for a few moments, she simply watched and admired him. He was barefoot, jacket and tie neglected on a nearby chair, and paint staining his fingers.

Rosa didn't think she'd ever tire of looking at the way such a powerfully built body moved to create such delicate and featherlike strokes. Her driving need to touch him made her disturb the moment and cross the room.

Balthasar barely registered her presence as he murmured, "I was talking to Eli earlier about Eldon. After Eli thought he was dead, he went through the mansion and destroyed every painting and drawing of him."

"I had wondered about that. There are portraits of the family everywhere without him, and even the depictions of the Arthurian legends in the library lack any reference to Merlin."

Balthasar made a gesture at the painting. "He's part of the family, so it's only right that he's represented."

"Oh, you do like him!" Rosa said, kissing his stubbled cheek.

"Try not to rub it in."

"I don't suppose I'm going to get a new portrait for the halls?"

"I already painted your portrait." Balthasar smiled smugly at her, the memory of that night shining in his eyes.

"I can hardly hang that in the main hall. I look ready to eat you alive."

"I'm positive you did that night."

Warm heat slid down her backbone as he hooked a finger around one of her curls and let it slide through."Would you like me to paint you again?"

"Only if it's not a nude."

Balthasar pulled a face. "It hardly seems worth it if you're not."

"I will let you do a nude of me, if you do one of Eldon," she said sweetly.

"What a way to ruin the pleasant picture I had in my head," he complained. "How is the decorating coming? I haven't felt any earthquakes for a while."

"It's done, but Nimue wanted to add a few finishing touches. All I need now is a dress. Hopefully, it won't get ruined this time," she said, biting her lip.

Eli insisted it was a way to heal what happened last time, but Rosa's stomach churned whenever she thought of it. She could still smell the horse she was slung over, feel the floor of the damp cell she had awoken in. She didn't ever want to know what happened when she was under the Autumn Queen's spell.

Balthasar's warm fingers brushed her cheek, bringing her back to herself.

"You aren't the woman you were. You can protect yourself now." His eyes darkened. "No one will ever take you from me again."

"I'd like to see them try." Rosa tried to smile, but Balthasar's face turned to stone.

"I wouldn't, for my own sake. I don't think a day goes by that I don't wish I'd tried to kill the queen when I was in her court undetected."

"If you had, you'd be dead, and I would still be dancing that awful square dance waltz and doing God knows what." His arms wrapped around her protectively as if the thought was enough to put him on his guard. Rosa rested her cheek on the hard curve of his neck.

"If the party is going to upset you, then we don't need to go."

"I'll be fine, and it isn't the same as last time. I'll be amongst friends tomorrow night. Well, mostly. I don't think Zalan likes me very much."

"That's just Zalan. He'll grow on you. Vincenzo is much more light-hearted and flirtatious."

"A light-hearted Unseelie? And a Vane? That can't be right. I must investigate this further if I'm going to believe it."

Balthasar smiled, but she felt his grip tighten. "He's the youngest, and his brothers have always protected him as much as possible. Out of the three of them, his time in the Seelie court was the most difficult. It's amazing he's as sanguine as he is."

Rosa could imagine all too well what the vultures would've been like. She couldn't remember a lot of the days she'd spent there, but she remembered being felt up and pawed at like some exotic pet. If it weren't for the fact she could be used as a bargaining chip with Eli, she doubted she would have come out as unscathed as she had.

"If that's how it was with him, I'm surprised he's not more eager to fight against her," Rosa said with a frown. She wanted to rip her throat out.

"He's afraid of her. He doesn't want to encounter any of them again, but we need him, and the threat against Gwaed Lyn was enough to motivate him." Balthasar ran his hands softly down her arms. "I'm sure that when the three brothers of the Seren Du are back together again, they will come up with a magnificent plan to provoke the queen out of her safe burrow. She's going to start getting desperate and will want to end them before they have a chance to become too powerful."

When their shields were down, Eli and Zalan's power almost brought Rosa to her knees. That they could become more so was too hard for her to comprehend.

"All they have to do is wait for her to come to them. She won't leave it until her power is less than theirs."

"Exactly, but they want it to be on their terms, so they will find a way to prod her, make her angry enough, so she comes right to them."

"I'd like to give her a good prod with Gaeaf Storom, " Rosa said under her breath. The long, deadly pin in her hair thrummed in response.

Balthasar kissed her neck, his stubble sending goosebumps down her chest.

"I agree. We do need a subject change," she agreed to his unspoken request. Balthasar's hands slid under the back of her jumper to stroke her warm skin. Her hips ground against his, and her fingers fumbled with his belt buckle.

"Rosa, I need you!" Eldon's voice echoed up the staircase.

She snarled in frustration, and Balthasar laughed.

"You'd best go see what the emergency is," he said, but his hands contradicted his words as they brushed against the soft lace of her bra.

"Come back later!" Rosa shouted, her voice cracking. There was silence below followed by cursing and a door slamming. "See? It wasn't so urgent after all."

Balthasar's smug smile widened and pulled off her jumper before leaning down to kiss the rounded tops of her exposed breasts.

Papers and journals were pushed off the old chaise lounge as Balthasar sat down and pulled Rosa into his lap. Her fingers threaded through his dark hair as she kissed and rocked gently against him. Their magic tried to flare up between them, but she locked it down.

"No magic, nothing else but us," she breathed against his lips. She didn't want other forces controlling her or interfering with her desire.

Balthasar took her face in his hands. "You alone have always been more than enough for me. You are the part that has always been missing. Even when you were human, I've never felt more whole."

"God, you kill me with your words sometimes," Rosa whispered, her heart glowing inside of her. "I don't know what great karmic act I did to deserve you."

"You didn't have to do anything, other than simply be my Rosa." The tender moment was shattered as she struggled to get his skin pressed against hers, to feel him move inside of her, and try to keep the love she was feeling from unmaking her entirely.

Downstairs, Eldon paced the halls, grumbling under his breath until he went into the library. He shut down every link to Rosa. He was tense enough without knowing what she was up to with Balthasar.

"No better than bloody rabbits," he growled, plucking a book from the shelves.

"Who is?"

He turned and looked up, spotting Nimue sitting on the wrought iron mezzanine above him, a pile of books beside her.

"Rosa and Bal, who else?" he said gazing at the long white foot that hung over the railing. "What are you reading?"

Nimue shut the book in her lap. "Everything. I'm trying to find out what has happened since I was in the lake. Rosa also gave me books about…about me."

Eldon groaned in exasperation. "For the love of all that is holy, don't read that bloated trash." He climbed the stairs and sat down beside her.

Around them was Thomas Malory, Geoffrey of Monmouth, Anieran. He was surprised that Eli had copies, knowing what he did of actual events.

"I have to read about it somewhere. You won't talk to me about it. I can respect that, but I'm still curious. I can see that I was never represented favorably."

"I wouldn't say that. The feminists love you. Your raw sexual energy and the way you fought the sleazy patriarchal Merlin."

"Sounds like the truth so far," she laughed delightfully, and the sound fizzed in his ears. He hadn't realized he was staring at her until she tilted her head at him. "What?"

"Sorry, I was thinking of…of other things… books . Ones that you might like to read."

"Do you know how many Gwaed Gam are going to be here soon?" she asked, her fingers fiddling with the pages of the book in her lap.

"Eli might know. Vincenzo would have left enough to protect his interests in Italy but brought the rest. Why?"

"I'm the only Seelie in a house full of Gwaed Gam that was brought here to fight the Seelie."

"Half Seelie." His traitorous hand reached out and covered her cool fingers. "They wouldn't dare touch you. You have nothing to fear in this house."

"Not now that you are trusting me again," she said uncertainly.

His fingers tightened. "I couldn't hurt you even if I wanted to. No one is going to hurt you again." He wanted to ask her about the scars he had seen the night he had soothed her nightmares, but she had to trust him enough to tell him herself. "You need to know that you are safe here as you once were."

"I'm not going to be safe until the queen is dead. She'll know that she's lost control over me."

"It doesn't matter, because if she thinks she can take you again, we will all be standing in her way."

Nimue didn't reply except for her fingers wrapping tighter around his.