Kiss of the Rose (31 page)

He felt Rosalind reach out for him, and tried to stop them both from drowning in the Vampire’s savage urge to kill. Rosalind moved closer to the bed, her expression desperate, her dagger hand shaking. He wanted to join her, wanted to hold her hand and help her plunge her blade into the quivering flesh of the king…

Without further thought for his own safety or concealment, he threw his remaining strength into Rosalind’s mind and tried to block the Vampire’s command. He felt the Vampire’s outrage at his presence as she howled in his head.

“
Let the Vampire slayer do her work! Let her kill the unfaithful one! Help her!”

“I cannot!” Christopher shouted.

As he fell into the room, Rosalind screamed and her dagger hand stabbed downward toward the recumbent figure on the bed. The Vampire shrieked in triumph as the figure in the bed bellowed in apparent pain. She edged closer into the room, her maniacal laughter echoing off the paneled walls. Christopher managed to get to his feet and struggled to release his sword from its sheath. He charged around the huge canopied bed, just as Rosalind swiveled and plunged her dagger into the Vampire’s breast.

Rhys erupted from the bedclothes too and tried to pull Rosalind free of the Vampire’s flailing hands. Christopher froze as the Vampire looked at him, her face wild, her mouth open as she screamed in his mind.

“
Help me, my child! Thou art my blood-kin; I command your obedience. Kill the man who seeks to bed your woman.”

And, God help him, for a moment Christopher’s gaze swung toward Rhys, his rival for Rosalind’s affections, a man who stood in Christopher’s way, and was now so vulnerable to the slash of his blade…

While he was distracted, the Vampire’s fingers closed around Rosalind’s throat and she drew her upward until her feet dangled in the air. Christopher cringed as the Vampire’s screams echoed inside his head.

“
You fools! If you kill me, he wins—don’t you understand? He will be victorious and you will face an enemy ten thousand times as strong as I am!”

The Vampire extended her huge fangs and bent toward Rosalind. It was as if something snapped inside Christopher’s head and everything suddenly became clear. No Vampire could allow another to kill his bonded mate. With a yell, Christopher grasped his sword twohanded and swung sideways at the Vampire, slicing through the column of her neck.

She fell forward on top of Rosalind, and Rhys struggled both to disentangle himself from the bedclothes and separate Rosalind from the Vampire. Christopher braced his foot on the bed frame and pulled out his sword, then hacked down once more to completely sever the Vampire’s head from her body.

The stench of blood and orange blossom filled his nostrils and he gasped for breath. Something inside him screamed as if he’d cut himself open, whether it was the Vampire, or Rosalind, he could no longer tell. He couldn’t see anything of Rosalind, only hear Rhys cursing as he tried to release the Vampire’s death grip on Rosalind’s throat even as the Vampire’s body continued to twitch and convulse and spurt black blood.

Christopher fought back an urge to retch and allowed his sword to drop to the floor. Heedless of the carnage, he climbed onto the bed.

“Is she all right?” he asked as Rhys finally managed to roll the headless Vampire to one side to reveal Rosalind’s blood-soaked frame. “Did she bite her?”

“I cannot tell! There is too much blood.” Rhys was struggling to detach the Vampire’s fingers from around Rosalind’s neck. “If I can’t get them off, I’ll need your dagger to cut them.”

Christopher swallowed hard as he viewed the lacerations on Rosalind’s throat and the paleness of her complexion. He shoved his hand beneath her doublet and tried to ascertain if she was breathing. Without looking away from Rosalind, he called out, “Elias, are you there?”

“Yes, Sir Christopher?”

“Help us, damn you!”

Elias strolled over to the bed and inhaled slowly, as if sampling the finest Flemish wine. He studied the positions of the Vampire and Rosalind and then closed his eyes and spoke in a language Christopher only vaguely recognized. “Gellong yn rhydd.”

The dead Vampire’s fingers fell away from Rosalind’s throat and, with a snort of disgust, Rhys rolled the Vampire’s body onto the floor. Elias poked the corpse with the toe of his boot.

“I expect you’d like me to take care of Lady Celia’s body.”

Rhys looked up. “I’d rather do it myself.”

“You suspect I might attempt to revive her?” Elias chuckled. “How could I do that when her head is separated from her body? Besides, I have no wish for her to live again. She is far better off dead.”

Rhys looked at Christopher. “Do you want to go with him and make sure that he disposes of the body properly?”

“No.”

Elias cleared his throat. “Perhaps some of your companions would aid me, Master Williams?”

“Aye,” Rhys said. “Three of my men are stationed in the courtyard beside the door. They should be easy to find, as the king has commanded everyone else to leave this area. Go and bring them here.”

Elias sauntered off as if he wasn’t wading through a bloodbath. Christopher met Rhys’s gaze. “She still isn’t awake.”

“I know that.” Rhys gently explored Rosalind’s throat. “I can’t feel any bite marks. I believe she has swooned.”

“I never swoon.” Rosalind opened her eyes and squinted up at them. “I stink of Vampire blood. Did we kill her?”

“We did.” Christopher’s heart thudded with relief and he found himself smiling down at her, his bloodied, battered, and unbowed Vampire hunter.

Rosalind’s faint smile wavered and died.“She almost bespelled me again. If it hadn’t have been for Rhys’s quick wits and your mental support, I would have failed.” She closed her eyes and turned her face into Rhys’s lap. “Perhaps I’m not quite as accomplished as I would like to believe.”

Christopher wanted to pull her into his arms and tell her she would never have to fight another Vampire again, that she could stay with him and be safe forever. But he couldn’t dishonor her in that way. Her work was her life. And she’d already made her choice.

He stood as, behind him, he sensed movement. It was Elias returning with the other Druids. He paused to wipe his sword blade on the already ruined sheets and then stepped back. He managed to catch Rhys’s eye. “I must get cleaned up. Mayhap I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Thank you, Sir Christopher. You have proved to be a good man and a worthy ally. I would be proud to have you at my side in battle.”

“I extend you the same compliment.” Christopher was going to say more, but Rhys was stroking Rosalind’s hair away from her anguished face, and he couldn’t bear to watch. He bowed and turned for the door. There was no longer any reason for him to be in this room, let alone at court. All he had left was to leave as gracefully as he could.

“Christopher!”

He froze when he heard her voice, and for a terrible moment he couldn’t walk away. But to stay would bring him nothing but heartache, and he was done with love for a lifetime. He forced himself to put one foot in front of the other, and somehow kept going until he reached his room.

Roper gave him hell about his ruined clothing and no credit for finally killing the Vampire. His feelings were too deadened to defend himself and, eventually, even Roper gave up. At last he lay alone in bed, unable to sleep.

Suddenly warmth flooded his senses. She was seeking him in his mind. He swallowed hard and opened his eyes as his beleaguered body stirred to life and wanted…

Rosalind allowed one of the female Druids who served the queen to strip her out of her blood-soaked clothes and help her into a warm bath. Even her hair required washing and she had no energy left to tend to it herself. The maid had to aid her, her voice soothing, her hands gentle as she rubbed soap into Rosalind’s tender scalp.

The Vampire had been defeated and Rosalind should be feeling joyful. Instead all she felt was empty. She’d almost succumbed to the Vampire’s compulsion to kill the king, and without the help of the others she would have failed again. Perhaps the naysayers were right and she would never be strong enough to defeat the most dangerous of the Vampires by herself, her female mind too weak to defend itself.

She waited as the maid rinsed her hair and helped her out of the bath before dismissing the woman with grateful thanks. Her room was cold and her bed looked more inviting than ever. She shivered as she braided her hair and put on her warmest night rail. If she wanted, she could go home now, her task completed, her honor apparently satisfied— until the next time she showed how weak she really was…

Rosalind climbed into bed and pulled the covers up to her chin. Her thoughts strayed to Christopher’s abrupt departure and unconsciously she sought him in her mind. His dark thoughts flowed with hers, reliving the Vampire’s last terrible moments, their joint anguish as they fought her dark compulsion. His feelings of unworthiness, coupled with those of her betrayal, swamped her senses, and she reached out to comfort him. By the lady, she wished he was with her now, his strong muscular body wrapped around hers, his arms holding her close…

His mind slammed shut, pitching her out and downward into the desperate hell of her own emotions. She closed her eyes tight and concentrated on sleeping. She deserved to be shut out. Hadn’t she betrayed them all?

Chapter 22

“Y
es, Your Majesty, you are safe now.”

“You are sure of this, Lady Rosalind?”

“Indeed, sire.” Despite her throbbing headache, Rosalind managed to smile at the king, who stood beside her staring at his ruined bedchamber. It was early morning and the room looked even worse than it had the night before. Blood splattered the carved paneling and the bedsheets were scorched and soaked in the Vampire’s blackened blood.

“Of course, we will make sure that all traces of the Vampire are removed from this room before you sleep in it again.”

The king glowered at her. “In your struggle, you have ruined a fine set of bed hangings sewn with real gold thread that were a gift from the King of France.”

Rosalind’s smile disappeared. She hoped the king didn’t expect her to pay for them. She had a suspicion that it might take her several lifetimes.

“But that’s all right, my dear. I never liked them anyway.” The king’s laughter boomed out and rebounded against the walls, making Rosalind wince. He beckoned her back into his adjoining private audience chamber and settled himself in an enormous gilded chair. “Now tell me how a slip of a girl like yourself managed to kill this Vampire.”

“I did not do it alone, sire. Master Rhys Williams and Sir Christopher Ellis helped as well.”

“Ah, yes, I remember your recent request to allow Sir Christopher greater access to my person. Master Williams is a Welshman, I assume.”

“He is indeed, sire, and a loyal associate of the Llewellyn family.”

The king sat back in his chair and eyed her. “Which one of you delivered the killing blow?”

Inwardly, Rosalind sighed. Were all men obsessed with combat and the bloody annals of war? “I stabbed the Vampire in the heart, while Sir Christopher sliced off her head.”

“It was necessary to completely behead the Vampire?”

“Yes, sire, to prevent her from coming back.”

The king shuddered and crossed himself. His fingers lingered on the crucifix around his neck. “And what was Master Williams doing while you placed yourself in such mortal peril?”

“He was lying in the bed pretending to be you, sire. He has red hair.”

King Henry laughed again and slapped his thigh. “I almost wish I’d seen it. A fair maiden like you, stabbing one of these ungodly creatures through the heart.”

Rosalind shivered as she struggled not to relive the awful moment when the Vampire had tried to squeeze the life out of her. “As I said, you should be safe now, Your Majesty.”

The king nodded. “I am right glad to hear it. I wish to meet with Master Williams and Sir Christopher to express my thanks to them in person.”

Rosalind curtsied. “I’ll arrange that with your chamberlain, sire.”

The king waved his hand in dismissal. “We’ll have to think of some reward for you as well, eh, my lady?”

“There’s no need, sire. I was just honoring my family’s vow of service to yours.”

On that note, Rosalind backed out of the royal presence and walked slowly along to the queen’s quarters. It was a brightly sunlit morning with the promise of warmth to come.

“Good morning, Lady Rosalind.”

Rosalind looked up to see Elias Warner approaching her, his expression bland. Metallic threads in his silver doublet caught the light and the reflection made her blink.

“Good morning, Master Warner. I have just had an audience with the king. He was most pleased to hear of the successful completion of our mission. As you requested, I didn’t mention your part in our little adventure.”

Elias bowed and then continued to pace alongside her, placing her hand on his arm.“Thank you. I am quite happy to remain in obscurity. My part was rather small, in any case.”

“Do you think so?” Rosalind regarded him carefully. “I believe it was you who suggested to Sir Christopher that we had an unusual bond that might be helpful.”

“You flatter me, my lady. My role was simply to facilitate matters when necessary, rather than direct them.”

“What a wonderfully diplomatic answer, and how utterly untrue. You have done nothing but manipulate us from the beginning.”

Elias raised his eyebrows. “Are you feeling unwell, my lady? You sound a little overwrought.”

Rosalind tried to organize her thoughts. There was something she needed to ask Elias. She couldn’t think how to frame the question without inciting his wrath, but in truth she was almost too tired to care. “I’m concerned about something the Vampire said.”

Elias patted her fingers and then brought them to his mouth to kiss.“The Vampire is gone. Perhaps you should stop worrying about that crazed old woman.”

Rosalind carefully eased her fingers free. “She was obsessed, I grant you that, but she was also convinced that you were hiding something from us.”