14. Rose

ROSE

Silas filled us in on the details of his findings and I was flabbergasted by how super-secret, sneaky spy, deep state, double oh seven this whole thing was. Poisoned material? Assassination attempts? Moles in the very organization created to keep the royals safe? And then there was me. They’d known I was fated to be with a vampire before I even met James?

The Order had a whole frigging file on me. Like, from birth. So creepy.

“James,” I whispered, needing his reassurance. I was absolutely shook by all these revelations. “We got this, right?”

He looked at me, his expression serious and determined. “We do. We protect those who need us, and we figure out who’s behind all of this.”

“Agreed,” Silas chimed in. He had a cockiness about him that, if I wasn’t already soul deep in love with James, I would find kind of sexy.

“Alright, then.” I took a deep breath, pulling from that same place I had when it was do or die on the Great Big Fashion Off. Sure, this was life or death for real, but let me tell you, sometimes it felt like that on the show. The inner strength I needed came from the same place inside either way. “Let’s get to work.”

Silas continued to describe the poisoned material, and my mind raced. The words he spoke sounded eerily familiar.

“Wait,” I interrupted, my voice wavering. “Poisoned material? I thought you meant like some kind of powder or a substance. But you’re talking about fabric, aren’t you?”

“Yes, I think it says here it is called Luxury 3D Floral Multicolor Embroidery Flower Haute Couture lace.” Silas read off a paper with a sales receipt photocopied to it. “I assume you know what that means.”

Uh, yeah. “That’s the fabric I ordered for Mary O.’s dress.”

“Are you sure?” James asked, his expression darkening with worry.

“Positive.” My chest tightened. “It’s from a specialty shop right here in London called Bathory’s. Anna recommended them.”

“First Vampire be damned, they aren’t very creative, are they?” James rolled his eyes. “Erzebet Bathory and her daughters were some of the most prolific vampire hunters of their time.”

“Elizabeth Bathory? The Hungarian Countess... who ruled over part of Transylvania and was accused of torturing hundreds of people and possibly bathing in their blood, was a vampire hunter?” That actually made a lot more sense than she was just a crazy rich serial killer obsessed with her looks.

“She was. The Bathory’s were humans granted access to the Immortal Royals way back in the thirteenth century by Vladislav IV. “ James made a face of disgust. “They are a large part of why very few humans are allowed into our world. Their betrayal changed our world. Her descendants are card carrying members of The Order to this day.”

“Dammit. The lady on the phone was so nice. I was going to try and visit them before I went back to America to chat about becoming a regular supplier for me.” How long had they been planning this mission to have set up a whole website with reviews and everything? I never would have found them either, if Anna hadn’t said they would be the best supplier of couture fabrics for this project.

Anna. Who’d quoted Lady Bathory in her interview.

“Uh, you don’t happen to know what the Bathory daughters were called, do you? I have seen a show about her, but I could be?misremembering.” I did not like the connections all meshing together in my brain right now. “I have a horrible hunch.”

“They are not women I am likely to ever forget. I was a young vampire when they had their reign of terror.” He narrowed his eyes as he recited their names. “Katalin, Orsoyla, and the eldest, named for her grandmother, Anna.”

As James said the final name, he looked at me and made that same connection I had. Anna, my assistant, wasn’t in any danger. She was the danger.

“Alright.” James’s jaw clenched as he processed this added information. “We need to get back to Black Castle and warn Mary O. your assistant is a murdering zealot, and she definitely has plans for that dress.”

Silas interrupted, clearing his throat. “Our duty is to protect the Immortal Royals. I’m sorry to be the one to point this out, but Rose will be a distraction if she goes back to the castle with us.”

James didn’t acknowledge Silas but stared at me with at least a dozen and a half emotions running through his eyes. His inner turmoil was evident, and I could see the weight of his responsibilities pulling him in opposite directions. My heart ached for both of us.

We’d just declared ourselves to each other, and we were already being tested. I had full faith in James, in us. Even if it had only been a few hours. He was who I was meant to be with. I knew this with my whole soul.

We’d figure out a solution or a compromise, but it could not be something that was going to get him killed while trying to do his job and keep me safe at the same time. I wouldn’t have it.

I’d love to say I could take care of myself, but while I might have some new immortal perks, or at least I thought I did, I still couldn’t turn into a bat, and I had few ninja skills that didn’t involve either a sewing machine or a baguette. “I want to say we can face anything together, but that’s just a cliche that could get us both killed. Should I just stay here?”

“No. If The Order knew about you before we met, you wouldn’t be safe. Silvanus found us far too easily, they could too.”

Silas shook his head. “To be fair, tracking is one of my extra sensory powers. You’re sure we can’t trust Gabriel? What about Fleming? Surely our local nerdy gadgets guy hasn’t gone dark.”

“If anything, F would be too easily manipulated by Gabriel.” James shook his head and his eyes narrowed into a look I was coming to recognize as his thinking face. “Until we know for sure, one way or the other, we can’t trust them. But if we’re going to make this work, we need someone who absolutely wouldn’t give two shits about The Order or their agenda. Someone who has experience guarding those in his care.”

“The fact that every other agent on the Special Ops team is out on other assignments and not available does look like a point in Gabriel’s become a bad guy column, doesn’t it?” Silas drummed his fingers on the countertop. “I could use my father’s contacts at VI6 to—”

“No, we need to keep this internal. If there’s even a chance that I’m wrong about Gabriel, and I hope that I am, bringing in any other division would ruin all of our careers.”

“It would be worth it to keep the Princesses and your Soul’s Serenity safe.” Silas looked between me and James.

“I appreciate that you’re willing to make that sacrifice, kid. But I’ve got some contacts of my own, and some favors that it’s time I call in,” James said, his voice steady and resolute. “We can’t face this alone, and I know just who to call.”

“Ghostbusters?” I couldn’t help it, the tension had to be broken just a little bit. “No, I know, you’re friends with like, a supernatural Justice League?”

That did the trick, and James chuckled, but I could see the fire in his eyes.?”Something like that. You’re about to get a crash course in shifters.”

Like shapeshifters? Fun.

“I need to make a few calls.”

“Who are you calling?” I asked, feeling the familiar flutter of butterflies in my stomach as I wondered what new challenges awaited us.

“An old friend,” he replied, pulling out his phone and dialing a number. “I trust him with my life.”

The tension in the room thickened as we waited for the call to connect. Finally, a gruff voice answered, “Eyrik here.”

“James,” he replied nodding to me, reassuring me this was the help we needed. “We need your help. There’s a plot against the Immortal Royals involving my Serenity and the Bathorys. We’re headed to the Black Castle to stop it. We could use some backup.”

“Fucking Bathorys,” Eyrik replied, his voice serious and unwavering. “I’ll gather the other former Volkov guards in the area and meet you there. It’ll take us a few hours to get there from Prague. Your airstrip outside of Pitlochry safe to use?”

James confirmed the details to Eyrik and ended the call, returning his attention to me. “Eyrik is a wolf shifter who used to guard the Volkovs and the Wolf Tzar until their recent revolution. He’s a trusted ally.”

“A wolf shifter? Like werewolves? They had a Tzar?” Next, he was going to tell me that dragons were real too.

“Yes. Their new one lives in America though. Don’t worry, love, they don’t turn into slathering monsters during the full moon or anything,” James reassured me, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder. “I’ve fought alongside Eyrik many times. We’ve saved each other’s lives more than once.”

“Okay,” I breathed, trying to calm my nerves about meeting a real-life werewolf. “But I think you should also call in the Unicorn medic team.”

“That’s not a thing, sweet Rose,” he said, his dark eyes softening as they met mine. “Although, unicorn blood is known to be all healing.”

Duh. Everybody knew that.

“We’re also going to need some weapons and supplies,” Silas announced. “For both human hunters and vampires if you’re right, Vond. We need to be ready for whatever comes our way.”

“Might I recommend garlic pasta sauce?” I said it a bit jokingly, but also, that garlic really did seem to mess James right up when he’d come to rescue me.

“Got it,” Silas said eagerly. “Let’s go back to Franco’s. They’ll have plenty of weapons. And, at the very least, Rose here can make some garlic grenades.

“Garlic grenades?” I asked, raising an eyebrow in amusement.

Silas replied with a grin. “Trust me, they’re your best tool when you’re in a fight with vampire. We can’t smell shit.”

“He’s right. The only reason I was able to find you in the midst of that garlic hellhole was because you’re mine, mind, body, and soul.”

I was and always would be. I couldn’t help myself and gave him a quick kiss but slipped some tongue in there too. “No wonder you wanted to get me in the shower so quick after we got here.”

“Ahem, can we save the kissy face for after we’ve foiled this plot to murder Mary O. and the Council of Princesses?”

“Yes, fine,” I groused, as if I was put out. “Let’s put an end to this poisonous scheme, so I can get back to jumping my sexy vampire lover’s bones.”

“Agreed,” James replied, his eyes filled with the same need as mine.

“Do you two need some alone time before we go off and save the supernatural world?” Silas groaned.

“Yes.” James and I said in unison.

Silas groaned.

“Just wait until you find your Serenity, newb. Don’t worry, we’ll make it quick.” James threw me over his shoulder, and I didn’t even protest because a girl could get used to being carried around when she knew she was about to have a really good orgasm.

I have Silas a little wave and a wink. “Be back soon. Maybe turn on the TV and turn up the volume?”

Approximately four minutes, three orgasms, and two freshly healing puncture marks on my throat later, and I had enough endorphins to take down The Order all by myself. “You have magic fangs and fingers, vampire of mine. Am I going to come every time you bite me?”

He grinned at me, all smug and satisfied with himself. “If I have anything to say about it, and I do, then yes.”

“I’d say one more for the road, but we really should go save the world, I guess.” I gave him a wink and a quick peck on the lips.

“It’s only worth saving with you in it, sweet Rose.” His expression was far from the playful banter of a few moments ago. He’d gotten all serious and heartbreakingly sincere on me.

“With all of my heart, I feel the same, so don’t you even think about going and getting yourself staked in this battle. Or I will find a way to resurrect you and kill you myself for leaving me when things are just about to get good. You hear me?”

He grabbed my hand and kissed the inside of my wrist. “Together forever, Serenity.”

Okay, just so we’re clear. No one, except maybe Anna, was dying today. That was the plan, and we were sticking to it.

I rewrapped my toga dress and stole the shower slippers for shoes, then we headed out. James and Silas both stopped briefly at the front door and poured little vials of something over themselves. James gave his an extra shake and swore. “Damn. That’s my last serum of sun.”

Silas wiggled his little bottle and then shoved it in his pocket. “My last as well.”

James sighed. “It’ll last us the day, but we’d better hope this battle happens tonight, because come sunrise tomorrow, we’ll fry without a resupply.”

He stepped out into the sunlight, and I’ll be damned, his skin sparkled. He was a sparkly fucking vampire. The effect only lasted for a moment, but he’d definitely sparkled like a teenage glitter bomb. “Huh. Any chance a certain author was allowed to do a VIA ride-along as research for her wildly popular YA series about vampires?”

“Of course not.” James winked at me.

I peppered him with questions as we headed back to the scene of the crime. None of which he answered. I had a lifetime, or more than that now, to get it all out of him. I was so looking forward to life with him in this strange new world.

Just as soon as we saved it.

When we got back to Franco’s, it was... fine. No broken tables and chairs, no dead bodies, no supernatural crime scene at all. There was a very stylish woman, about my size, brown hair perfectly coiffed, looking like she was straight out of a nineteen-sixties spy novel in her vintage Chanel 1959-60 Fall/Winter collection tweed suit, casually leaning against the doorframe.

“Ms. Primrose?” James gawked at her, and quickly went to her side with me and Silas in tow.

“James, Silas.” She picked up a large, black duffle bag resting on the ground by her original Chanel slingback Cinderella slipper, two-toned high heels and dropped it at James’s feet.

“You made quite a mess here, but it’s all cleaned up. V sends his regards and good wishes for your,” she slipped a look at me, and smiled, “mission. Don’t let him down.”

“Yes, miss.” James’s hand twitched like he really wanted to give her a salute.

Fascinating.

“Oh, and James? Watch out for Gabriel.” Her expression didn’t change from her business-like tone, but there was something behind her eyes that I recognized. She cared for Gabriel.

James’s expression softened, but it was filled with real pain. “Eve. I—”

She didn’t wait for his response. She sashayed away and melted into the other people on the street as if she’d never even been here.

“Who was that?” I also wanted to ask where she shopped because I want her entire wardrobe, but figured the whole mission thing was probably more pressing.

“Eve Primrose is V’s secretary. Although that doesn’t even begin to describe her position within the VIA. Nothing in any division happens without Ms. Primrose’s say so. An order from her is the same as one from V.”

Ooh. Girl power. I liked it. “I hope I get to, umm, have tea with her sometime.”

“Let’s make it through the night first, and then we’ll see about introducing you to V. He’s not known to have a fondness for mates or the vampires who find their Serenity.”

Well, then he could kiss my plump ass. I wasn’t going anywhere.

Silas zipped the bag open and found a whole cache of weapons inside. He pulled out a string of squishy white lumps, wrapped up in about eleven layers of cling wrap. “I think these are for you, Rose.”

Garlic grenades. Sweet.

With our weapons and supplies in hand, we were ready to go.?With every fiber of my being, I wanted to believe that we’d make it through this unscathed, but the reality was that nothing in this supernatural world was within my control.

“Ready?” I reached for James and traced the curve of his jawline, marveling at the contrast between the rough stubble and the softness of his lips when he leaned into my touch.

“Guys, we need to get going,” Silas called out, interrupting our moment. Reluctantly, we broke apart, knowing that the longer we delayed, the more danger Mary O. and the Immortal Royals would be in.

“Let’s go,” James said, his hand finding mine and giving it a reassuring squeeze.

My heart pounded with the weight of our decision. We had to return to Black Castle, not just for Mary O., but for all Immortal Royals who could be in danger. It was a gamble, one that put my life at risk, but it was the right thing to do. James wore a determined expression, his jaw set and his eyes focused.

“We need to make a quick stop.” There was just one more thing I needed if we were going to go save the world. “When I talked to Jorge earlier, I asked him to post on my socials and find out from my followers where the best places to get cute plus size clothing were in London. I’m not rescuing an Immortal Princess in a bedsheet, no matter how well I styled it.”