Kiss of the Rose (6 page)

She found him in the stable yard riding his black horse slowly around the yard and leading her mount, Geithin. His auburn hair gleamed like polished copper in the morning sun and his mouth was set in a harsh line. Without speaking, he waited while she put on her gloves and then assisted her into the saddle. He remounted his horse, clicked his teeth, and headed off toward the forest.

Even though she knew he was wise not to question her in the vicinity of the palace, Rosalind would have appreciated a smile or a greeting. She sighed. She was being contrary now and that wasn’t fair. She couldn’t ignore every sign of interest Rhys made and then be offended when he failed to offer one.

She tightened her grip on the reins, settled deeper into the saddle, and took off after Rhys. She felt her unbound hair spill free of the cloak and swirl around her shoulders. It would take forever to untangle when she got back, but for once she didn’t care. This might be her last chance to enjoy herself for quite a while and she intended to make the most of it.

Christopher watched Rosalind Llewellyn canter after her groom, enjoying the glorious sight of her long brown hair streaming out behind her like a war pennant in the breeze. He wondered how it would feel to plunge his hands into her hair, to coil it around his wrist as he trapped her beneath him and spent himself between her thighs. She looked magnificent on horseback, rode with an ease he recognized in himself, as if she were part of the horse.

He’d heard Rosalind’s groom had been asking questions about him, and had decided to take a detour to the stables to see if he recognized the man who called himself Rhys Williams. In truth, Williams looked vaguely familiar, but that wasn’t a surprise. There were very few remaining human families involved in the struggle between Vampires and Druids. Sometimes, Christopher wished there was none left at all.

There had been no conversation between Rosalind and her groom, which seemed odd. Surely she should have at least apologized for being late? The man had been ready to leave quite a while ago. She hadn’t struck him as the kind of woman who would abuse her servants by keeping them waiting.

Christopher stared after her until she disappeared into the gloom of the forest and then turned to go. A hand on his shoulder and the prick of a dagger at his throat made him freeze.

“Sir Christopher.”

“Master Warner.”

Christopher let out his breath as the dagger was removed from his neck and he was able to turn around. Elias Warner looked as young as ever, his handsome face, blond hair, and merry smile at odds with the flat coldness of his pale hazel eyes. Because he was immortal, his appearance never changed. He served the Vampire Council and had acted as a liaison between them and the Ellis family for centuries.

“Let’s go in here.” Warner led the way into a recently vacated stall where the warm, fresh smell of horse dung still perfumed the air.“She’s a beautiful wench, isn’t she, the Vampire slayer? When I searched her belongings, I left her a present.”

Christopher frowned.“What kind of a present? Nothing too dangerous, I hope.”

“Of course not.” Elias smiled. “All women love flowers.”

“I suppose they do.” Christopher studied the Vampire carefully, but knew he was unlikely to get the full truth of the matter however hard he tried. Like most Vampires, Elias liked to play games a little too much for Christopher’s comfort. And, as it appeared that all was well with Lady Rosalind, he decided to ignore the deliberate attempt to distract him.

“What do your masters say about her arrival?”

Warner shrugged. “We wish her dead like all the Llewellyns before her.”

“I assumed that. But why is she here? Is there some specific Druid plot afoot I should know about?”

For the first time since Christopher had known him, Warner hesitated. “There is… concern.”

“Is it the dead bodies that appear to have been drained of blood?”

“Yes.”

“And the Vampire Council believes the Druids are responsible? I assume that is why I was contacted.”

“That might be true, Sir Christopher, but the Council is also concerned that one of its own might have gone mad.”

Christopher struggled to breathe. For Warner to even admit such a thing meant the Council was very worried indeed. Usually if such a situation arose, the Council took care of it and simply executed the rogue Vampire. In Vampire terms, calling in the Ellis family was an act of desperation.

“Is this Vampire so powerful that the Council cannot detect it or control it?”

Master Warner’s gaze slid away from his, but not before Christopher recognized the fear laced through it. “The Council isn’t sure what is going on. It might simply be a new Druid plot to draw unwanted attention to the Vampires at court and cause a panic. As a mortal, you are able to gauge the mood of the king and the court far more accurately than the Council, and you can determine if the Druids are at fault.”

Christopher didn’t believe that for a second. He stared at the other man as thoughts cascaded through his head: a potentially rogue Vampire at the king’s court, a member of the Llewellyn family more than willing to slaughter it, and him, stuck in the middle.

“It is a long while since the Vampire Council has requested help from my family here in England,” Christopher said carefully.

“That is because that pox-ridden John Llewellyn has guarded the Tudors so well.”

“So, what has changed?”

Elias smiled. “Rosalind Llewellyn has arrived in her grandfather’s stead.”

“And you believe she will be more amenable to helping me investigate these deaths than her grandfather would?”

“She will certainly be more amenable to you.”

Christopher frowned. “What do you mean by that?”

Elias opened his hands wide. “Nothing at all.”

“I have taken an oath to defeat the Druid race. I take that vow very seriously,” Christopher said, his gaze fixed on Elias. “I can promise you, I will do my duty whether the problem has been caused by the Druids or by one of your own.”

“I’m sure you will.” With a nod, Elias turned away and walked back toward the palace.

Despite his brave words to Elias Warner, the conviction that something was not right lodged firmly in Christopher’s mind. During his years of service to his uncle and the Vampires, he’d learned to his bitter cost that nothing was ever as simple as it seemed.

Should he try to solve the problem himself, or would he have to ask for help? He didn’t know all the Vampires who inhabited the court, but he’d just made the acquaintance of someone who would be able to sniff them out. He looked out of the small stable window toward the forest and sighed. He hoped to God Rosalind Llewellyn wasn’t as stubborn as she looked.

Chapter 4

“R
hys, whatever is the matter?” Rosalind shouted.

Rhys finally reined in his horse, cantered back toward her, and drew to a plunging stop that made his mount rear up on its hind legs.

“Nothing at all, my lady.”

She sighed. “Oh, please, don’t play the servant. What have I done now?”

“You were supposed to meet me at dawn. I was worried.”

She pushed her hair out of her face.“I was summoned by the king. A body was discovered in his bedchamber, of all places. The king was perturbed enough to want to question me more closely about the Vampires.” She frowned at Rhys.“Did you think I’d gone Vampire hunting by myself? I’m not quite that dim-witted.”

Rhys grimaced. “I know that, but I still worry.” He looked down at his reins and gathered them more closely in his gloved hand. “I’m being foolish. I missed you. We’ve spent almost every day together for the last two years.”

With a start, Rosalind realized he was right. He’d become such a fixture in her life that she’d begun to take his quiet competence and strength for granted. She’d been so busy dealing with Sir Christopher Ellis and the king and queen that she’d given Rhys little thought.

She shifted in the saddle and pretended to readjust her skirts. “You shouldn’t worry about me so much, Rhys. After all, you taught me everything I know.”

“And you think that makes me feel better?” His smile was reluctant. “I, of all men, know what a bloodthirsty wench you are.”

“Not bloodthirsty enough to go out and search for a murderous Vampire by myself.” She reached across and patted his knee. “I’d much prefer you to be by my side.”

He covered her hand with his own and then brought it to his lips. “I’ll always be by your side.”

She carefully eased her hand out of his grasp. “Then please, stop worrying about me.”

“Are you afraid of me now?” he asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Because I finally told you that I care for you, and would marry you tomorrow if you wished it?” He sighed. “It’s all right. I have no intention of dragging you back home and forcing you to settle down. I know you’re too valuable to our race for that.”

She met his gaze and tried to be honest. “I do feel a little strange with you. It’s as if the person I knew, the warrior and friend I trained with, has disappeared, and in his place is… a man.”

His smile this time was warm. “Aye, I am that, but I always have been.And I’ve always wanted you. Mayhap the change is on your side, and now you’re ready to
see
me as a man.”

She swallowed hard. “I’m not sure about that.”

He winked at her.“It’s all right, Rosalind. I’m not trying to trick you; I understand the mission must come first. I’ll wait.” He glanced up at the sky where the sun had finally made an appearance. “We should get back. You’ll be late for Mass.”

Rosalind headed toward the palace, her attention focused on braiding her wind-tangled hair rather than where she was going. She gasped as she bumped into something solid and was grasped firmly around the elbows and set back on her feet.

“I apologize, sir,” she said. “I was not aware…” She stopped speaking and went still. The man in front of her had the face of an angel, but the feral scent of a wolf. Rosalind knew her unwise preoccupation with her appearance might just have cost her life. She glanced back at the stables, where Rhys was still dealing with their tired horses. It was too far to run.Would the Vampire be stupid enough to attack her in public?

She met his gaze, glad that she was unaffected by the compulsion in his pale golden eyes to force her to stare at him forever, to willingly offer him the blood he needed to survive. Her hand moved toward the leather pouch hanging from her jeweled girdle.

“There is no need to arm yourself. I have no intention of hurting you.”

He held up his hands to show he had no weapon. His voice was warm and compelling, his expression friendly.

“I doubt you would risk such a thing in broad daylight, sir.”

He bowed and gestured at the path back to the palace. “May I walk with you?”

“Do I have a choice?”

He smiled at her. “There are always choices, Lady Rosalind. Some of them less bloody than others.” He fell into step beside her. “My name is Elias Warner. I represent the Vampire Council at the king’s court.”

Rosalind glanced at him as the path narrowed and he paused to allow her to precede him. “I believe my grandfather may have mentioned you.”

“I knew him well. We often crossed swords both physically and mentally. He was a fine opponent.”

“I don’t remember you being here when I was a child.”

His smile was wry. “That’s because even humans would notice if I stayed this age forever. I reside at court for about ten years and then leave again. I reappear a generation later, as my own son, when those who might remember me have died or left the court.”

Rosalind focused on the path ahead of her.“And why did you approach me, Master Warner? It seems unlike one of your kind.”

Elias Warner stopped walking and faced her, all signs of humor removed from his expression. “I am the ambassador, if you will, of the Vampire Council. I’m sure your grandfather told you that. In extraordinary circumstances I am ordered to share information with your family. Over the centuries, the Llewellyns have learned to ignore me at their peril.”

“And what does the Vampire Council want with me? To stop my investigation of the recent murders?”

He shrugged, the gesture as elegant as a cat’s. “Five deaths in just over a month isn’t unusual.”

“What is unusual is that corpses are turning up right under the king’s nose. He is most displeased.”

“I should imagine he is.”

Rosalind frowned. “You still haven’t told me what you want.”

“I wanted nothing but the pleasure of introducing myself to you.” He raised his eyebrows. “What more could any man desire?”

Rosalind sought for patience. Her grandfather had warned her that talking to members of the Vampire Council required extreme caution and a devious mind. They had perfected the courtly ability to smile and promise you everything while simultaneously selling you and your secrets to your worst enemy.Which, in this case, meant the Ellis family.

“Have you introduced yourself to Sir Christopher as well?”

“Sir Christopher? I have made his acquaintance.” He smiled. “I even suggested he speak to you, but he seemed reluctant.”

“That’s probably because he doesn’t wish to talk about exactly who is killing these people.” Rosalind held Elias’s gaze. “He refuses to believe it is a Vampire.”

“And you are quite certain that it is?”

“Why else would you have summoned the Ellis family? You tend to use them for tasks that might draw unnecessary attention to your race, or are seen as beneath the Vampire Council’s dignity.”

Elias chuckled. “It appears that you are as quickwitted as you are beautiful, Lady Rosalind. I suspect Sir Christopher will underestimate you at his peril.”

Rosalind set her jaw. “Of course he will. I’m a woman.”

Elias doffed his hat and bowed low. “A very beautiful woman, indeed.” He straightened up and caught her gaze. “Did you like your gift?”

Rosalind fought a shiver of revulsion. “The bloody rose you left on my pillow?”

He opened his eyes wide. “You did not care for it? I thought it a particularly fitting tribute both to your name and your calling.”