Chapter
9
While he waited for the others to appear, Rhys paced
the uneven stone-and-tile floor of the ruined Roman bathhouse on
the outskirts of the palace grounds. It was almost midnight, but
thanks to the full moon he was able to see quite clearly. He was
wary of meeting both his Vampire allies and Verity in the same
place, but he had no choice. Verity’s message had insisted on
it.
Whatever had happened
last night had obviously alarmed her enough to include Elias and
Olivia. Rhys frowned down at his boots. He’d seen Verity briefly
that morning when she accompanied the queen to the chapel, so he
knew she was unharmed. Frustration burned in his gut. If he had his
way he’d send her home and keep her safe. But she bore the mark of
Awen. It was his duty to make sure that she learned all the skills
necessary to honor her ancient calling as a slayer.
“Rhys?”
He looked up and saw
Verity stepping through the broken stones, her face pale and her
expression strained. He wanted to pull her into his arms and hold
her tight, but he resisted the impulse. If he touched her, he
wouldn’t want to listen to her talk; he’d want to kiss her until
the only thing she was capable of doing was begging him to . .
.
“My lady.” He bowed
and waited for her to come to him. She wore a blue gown that
matched her eyes, with a silver bodice and sleeves. “Are you
well?”
She bit down on her
lip. “I didn’t sleep last night. I—”
He held up his hand.
“Shall we wait until Elias and Olivia arrive? Then you won’t have
to repeat yourself.”
She stiffened. “Why
does Olivia need to be here?”
“Because she is
helping Elias.” He held her gaze. “You did say I should invite our
allies.”
“I meant Elias
Warner, not your . . .”
“My
what?”
She raised her chin
at him. “Your sweetheart.”
“You of all people
should know she is hardly that, my lady.” He continued to stare at
her until she dropped her gaze.
“I suppose it doesn’t
really matter,” she murmured. “We’ll need all the help we can
get.”
A prickle of
awareness between his shoulders made Rhys turn to see Elias and
Olivia approaching through the trees. Olivia also wore blue, but
was, as always, dressed like a man. Idly, Rhys wondered whether she
even owned any female attire. She was tall and slender and made a
fine boy, but he’d like to see her dressed as a woman.
“Good evening, Elias,
Olivia.” Rhys bowed and gestured for them to join him and Verity in
the center of the shell of the ruined bathhouse. He sat down on one
of the sheared-off pillars and Olivia and Elias followed suit.
“Lady Verity has some important news she wishes to share with
us.”
Elias nodded, his
expression equally grave. “As do I.”
Rhys glanced at
Verity, who was covertly watching Olivia. “Lady
Verity?”
He and the others
listened as she quickly recounted what had happened the night
before.
“You believe Lady
Rochford is a Vampire.”
Verity nodded. “She
wasn’t wearing her usual heavy perfume, so I was able to detect her
true scent and nature.” She hesitated. “Unfortunately I also had to
let her know who I am. She tried to force me to leave the queen
alone with her and then she threatened to have me dismissed. I had
to assure her that the king would not be pleased about that at
all.”
“And what did she do
then?” Rhys asked.
“She let me be.”
Verity grimaced. “I doubt it will be for long. The loathing in her
eyes was quite plain.”
Elias stood up. “Lady
Rochford is indeed a Vampire.”
Rhys scowled at him.
“And when did you find out that particular piece of
information?”
Elias raised his
eyebrows. “When I accidentally came across the lady late last
night, talking to one of the more senior members of the Vampire
Council. She seemed extremely agitated. It is the first time I’ve
seen her in the Other Realm.”
“Can you identify who
else might have been in the queen’s bedchamber?” Rhys frowned and
turned back to Verity. “You said you smelled pansies and something
more male?”
“Yes.”
“Would you be able to
identify those Vampires again?”
“I’m not sure.”
Verity’s hands clenched into fists. “I barely got a chance to
identify the scents before Lady Rochford caught me and dragged me
away.”
Rhys tensed as Verity
approached Olivia, who was listening intently. “Can female Vampires
smell different family scents?”
Olivia shrugged.
“Humans and Vampires smell like their blood.”
“And do families all
smell the same?” Verity asked.
“Yes—which is why I
said you smell like a Llewellyn.”
Olivia walked across
to where Rhys stood, put her hand on his arm, and slowly breathed
him in. As she turned back to Verity her smile was meant to dazzle.
“Now Rhys smells like a Williams, with just a hint of Vampire.” She
looked at Elias. “You have shared his blood?”
“Aye.” Elias
nodded.
“Knowingly?”
“Yes,” said Rhys. “And now that we have established
that Vampire and Druid females do not share the same abilities, can
we get back to discussing the danger the queen faces? If she is
being preyed upon by more than one Vampire, Verity is not going to
be able to deal with this alone.”
“Why not?” said
Olivia. “Can’t she fight off three Vampires? Her cousin Rosalind
would have considered that good odds.”
“Olivia—” Before Rhys
could continue, Verity held up her hand and came to stand right in
front of Olivia.
“I know that I’m not
as skilled a fighter as Rosalind, and that I need help, but if that
help isn’t offered sincerely, I’d rather it wasn’t offered at
all.”
Olivia glanced at
Rhys and Elias and then sat back down. “I will behave myself and be
helpful.”
Rhys let out a breath
he hadn’t realized he was holding. “Can we continue?” Everyone
nodded. “If we are dealing with three possible Vampires, why would
they need to use a secret passage to access the queen’s chamber?
Why wouldn’t they just appear inside it?”
Verity stopped
pacing. “I hadn’t thought of that. But I can’t even be sure that
they did come through the passageway. I heard noises, but . . . oh,
this is so frustrating.”
“We can investigate
the passageways,” Rhys said. “There are many ways into the palace.
We’ll take what we know of the tunnels beneath the palace and where
they emerge and see if we can work out exactly how to get to the
queen’s bedchamber. I know there is a secret room within the king’s
chambers. We used it to trap the Spanish Vampire.”
Rhys noticed Olivia
wince at the reference to her grandmother, who had gone mad in
defense of the first queen, Katherine of Aragon, and threatened to
kill the king.
“I only wish we had a
better notion about who else is involved.” Rhys looked at Elias.
“Could you talk to Lady Rochford and pretend you are
sympathetic?”
“She is unlikely to
trust me. She knows I helped turn the Council against her husband
and Queen Anne.”
Verity spoke. “Mayhap
Olivia can befriend her.”
Olivia’s head came up
and Elias met her suspicious gaze. “That is an excellent idea.
Olivia could become one of the queen’s ladies. I’m sure we could
find a sponsor for her. Then we would have another pair of eyes to
watch over the queen.”
Despite the
seriousness of the situation, Rhys fought back a smile as he
studied the appalled expressions on both Verity’s and Olivia’s
faces.
“I agree, Elias. That
would be a good plan. I’ve never seen Olivia dressed as a
girl.”
Verity sniffed.
“She’s scarcely a girl, Sir Rhys.”
Olivia was already
shaking her head, but Rhys kept on. “If you truly want to help,
Olivia, this would be the best way to do it. But I also understand
if you wish to withdraw your offer of help. The possibility of
discovery is great and would probably draw the wrong sort of
attention to you.”
“As will helping me,”
said Elias. “I am losing the Council’s confidence. I can sense it.”
He frowned. “There is a new Vampire at court whose power is far
greater than mine, which I assure you is very rare and quite unacceptable. Of course the Council is
enthralled by the idea of elevating such a strong talent to a
position of great power.”
“I sensed a strong
magic last night when I was with the queen,” Verity whispered. “I
had to fight to hold it at bay.”
Elias looked up. “Was
it associated with one of the Vampires you sensed?”
“I’m not sure.”
Verity groaned. “I feel so useless.”
Rhys patted Verity’s
shoulder, which drew Olivia’s sharp gaze to him. “You have already
proved your worth by discovering that we are dealing with a far
more complex threat than we imagined. If we work together, I’m sure
we can save the queen and her child.”
“Well, I have no
intention of letting this newcomer take over my position,” said
Elias. “And if I can save the queen at the same time, I’m willing
to risk it.”
Olivia sighed. “I’ll
do what you ask and try to ingratiate myself with Lady
Rochford.”
“And I’ll search the
passageways until I find the entrance into the queen’s chambers.”
Rhys looked at Verity, who was still frowning. “What is it, my
lady?”
“What am I supposed
to do?”
“You are going to
continue to stay up at night and guard the queen. If the Vampires
know you are there, it might give them pause and allow us to find a
way to get in there and defeat them.”
Verity yawned behind
her hand. “I’ll do my best.”
Rhys smiled at her.
He didn’t think she yet realized quite how precarious her position
was. Now that Lady Rochford knew for certain that Verity was
protecting the queen and was onto them, the Vampires would want to
be rid of her. It was his job to ensure that didn’t happen, whether
she wanted his protection or not.
“Sir Rhys? May I
speak with you?”
Rhys walked across to
Elias, who had withdrawn from the ladies, as if what he had to say
was private.
As Rhys moved away,
Verity found herself facing Olivia. The Vampire was a fascinating
mixture of naiveté and strength. Her interest in Rhys was so
blazingly obvious that Verity felt almost sorry for her. She had
learned the folly of showing her feelings so blatantly and had
suffered the consequences.
Olivia stood up and
faced Verity. “Why are you staring at me?”
“I was just wondering
how old you are.”
“A mere babe in
Vampire terms. I’m only a quarter of a century old.”
“Then we are of a
similar age.”
“Yet you will die
long before me.” Olivia’s smile was a challenge. “Tell me, my lady,
why does your blood smell like Vampire?”
“I have no idea what
you mean.”
“You have Elias
Warner’s blood in you.”
“And what is that to
you?”
“I’m just curious, as
no one had mentioned it.” Her blue eyes narrowed with speculation.
“Does Rhys even know?”
Verity kept her lips
firmly closed.
Olivia continued to
circle her. “So, you don’t like me any more than your cousin
did.”
“You met
Rosalind?”
“Of course I did. She
was always fighting with my half brother. I could never understand
why he chose her when he could’ve chosen his Vampire family
instead.”
Olivia sounded
puzzled rather than angry. Verity wondered how her life must’ve
been. Did Vampires actually care for their children or did they
leave them to fend for themselves?
“My family cannot
understand why Rosalind chose your brother either. She has been
disowned by our grandfather and we are not allowed to speak her
name in his presence.”
Olivia looked
indignant. “But she and Christopher are in love.”
“And that counts for
nothing to my grandfather. In his eyes, his most favored grandchild
married his deadliest enemy and he will never forgive
her.”
“And you? Do you
believe in love?”
Verity smiled. “I’m
not sure anymore.”
“I do.” Olivia’s gaze
strayed toward Rhys and she blushed. “I suppose you think I’m a
fool.”
“I don’t think that,”
Verity said softly. “I’ve just learned that sometimes love, or
thinking you are in love, is not enough to carry you through the
hardships of life.” She found herself looking at Rhys as
well.
“I don’t need your
advice, Vampire slayer.”
Verity held Olivia’s
defiant gaze. “I wasn’t offering any. Rhys is quite capable of
making up his own mind as to whom he loves.”
“You might not be as
skilled as your cousin, but you are equally foolish.” Olivia
allowed her fangs to show. “I could rip out your throat before you
had time to draw your puny silver dagger!”
“Careful, Olivia—if
you destroy me, Rhys will always see you as a
monster!”
Pain radiated through
Olivia’s eyes and she disappeared, leaving Verity feeling ashamed
of herself. She had no right to judge Olivia for loving Rhys. It
wasn’t as if she had a claim on him herself . . . even if each time
she saw him she felt her body yearn toward him.
Rhys looked up as if
he had felt the weight of her gaze and beckoned her over. She made
her way to him, aware that Elias had also left and that they were
alone. He smiled and held out his hand.
“Did Olivia leave as
well?”
“She
did.”
“She can be a little
abrupt sometimes.”
“I noticed
that.”
Rhys squeezed her
hand. “She is young and impulsive, very much like her half
brother.”
“You don’t need to
make excuses for her, Rhys. She isn’t a child. In truth, she is
almost the same age as I am.”
“I find that hard to
believe.”
“Because it is easier
for you to see her as a child who has a silly infatuation with you
than as a woman who wants more?”
He tilted her chin.
“Did she suggest there was something between us?”
Verity forced a
smile. “She didn’t need to. Her desire for you was
obvious.”
He met her gaze, his
hazel eyes clear. “I do not want her in that way.”
“Because she is a
Vampire?”
He looked offended.
“It isn’t that. I have learned, to my cost, that not all Vampires
are evil.”
“Then if you don’t
see her as evil, why don’t you want her? Because she isn’t
Rosalind, of course. What a dim-witted question.”
His fingers locked
around her wrist and he pulled her back hard against him. “I can no
more have Rosalind than Olivia can have me.”
“So you’ll settle for
what’s left?”
“You should value
yourself more highly, my lady.” He bent to snatch a kiss and she
bit his lip. He cursed and drew back. “What was that
for?”
“I’m not your
consolation prize, Rhys Williams. I know no one will ever match the
perfection of your first love. Is that why you never come home to
Wales?”
He let go of her and
turned away toward the shadows cast by the last remaining wall of
the ruin. “I haven’t been home for many reasons.”
“Such
as?”
He gazed down at the
broken mosaic tiles that still formed the faded outline of a large
blue fish. “Such as my stepfather.”
“But your mother
married Owain Thomas when you were just a child.”
“Aye, she
did.”
Verity frowned. “Was
he unkind to you?”
Rhys still wouldn’t
look at her. “He . . . would have preferred it if my mother had
come to him without a redheaded child in tow. He was a
superstitious man.” He briefly touched his auburn hair. “I was
blamed for every misfortune from the butter not setting to the fire
going out.”
“Those things were
hardly your fault.”
“I know that, but if
I tried to defend myself I was beaten. He would not tolerate the
slightest hint of my ‘devil’s temper.’” He hesitated. “Verily, I
think he enjoyed provoking me to prove his point. It was obvious
from the start that I wouldn’t be tolerated in his house for
long.”
“Did your mother
know?”
“My mother was soon
busy with her new children. I think I reminded her too much of what
she had lost. When I was seven I was taken to the manor house to
board with Sir John Llewellyn and learn my father’s trade. I was
much happier there.”
“Of course. I
remember your arrival well.”
He finally looked up
at her, one hand braced on the crumbling brick wall. “For the first
time in my life I had a purpose and felt wanted. And then I was
given the responsibility of training Rosalind and everything
changed.”
Verity nodded and
almost hated herself for having to ask the next question. “Yet
Rosalind is now married, and you still haven’t gone back
home.”
His mouth twisted
into a grimace. “I cannot go back because if I meet with your
grandfather face-to-face I won’t be able to lie about seeing
Rosalind. And then Sir John would take from me the only important
thing left in my life—my calling as a Vampire slayer.”
“Rhys . .
.”
He shrugged. “It’s
not as if I am missed. My mother doesn’t need me, and I hardly know
my half siblings. The only home I ever had was Llewellyn Hall, and
I cannot return there with a clear conscience.”
Verity reached for
him and wrapped her arms around his waist. Didn’t he see that his
loyalty to Rosalind held him captive still? That he’d denied
himself even the possibility of a home because of his love for her?
Verity suspected that if she tried to tell him her thoughts, he
wouldn’t believe her.
He kissed the top of
her head. “There is no need to worry about me, Verity. I don’t
think of home anymore.”
She raised her face
to his. “Then what do you think about?”
“This.” He kissed her
lips. She let him deepen the kiss and take possession of her mouth,
his desire edged with a hint of sadness that made her want to hold
him close and never let him go.
When he eventually
pulled away, they were both breathing hard. He traced her lower lip
with the edge of his thumb. “You are beautiful, my
lady.”
“So are
you.”
“Hardly that.” He
kissed her again and she pressed herself against him and lost
herself in the texture and pattern of his touch, and of his sheer
maleness. His mouth tasted like a love potion that she couldn’t
stop sipping. She slid her hand down from his waist and felt the
flex of his thigh muscles as he drew her close.
She moved her hand
again until she was cupping his groin and he groaned into her
mouth. “My lady, you unman me. Do you wish me to embarrass myself
again?”
“No, I wish only to
please you.”
She went down onto
her knees and set about the complicated task of untying the points
that connected his codpiece to his hose and slid her hand inside.
He murmured her name as her fingers wrapped around his already hard
prick. His hand slid down to caress the back of her neck as she
continued to explore his thick length. His hips thrust forward as
though he couldn’t help himself, but his touch on her remained
gentle.
She found herself
smiling in appreciation at his restraint. He could easily force
her, but she knew he wouldn’t, that he wanted her to know she was
perfectly safe with him. Gareth had taught her how to take a man in
her mouth but she’d never really enjoyed it. Now she was eager to
explore. She felt bold and all-powerful. She moved her fingers up
and down Rhys’s shaft, enjoying the sensation of his rigid
hardness, and wondered how he would taste.
“Ah, God,
Verity.”
She leaned forward
and licked the very tip of his prick, swirled her tongue in the
wetness she found awaiting her there. Rhys smelled of warm leather,
of fresh grass and the musk of desire, a combination that
enthralled her and made her want to swallow him up. She opened her
mouth and took him deep, felt his fingers clench in her hair and
then slowly relax as she started a steady, rhythmic
sucking.
She liked him in her
mouth, liked the way he fought the desire to take over and allowed
her to set her own pace. She closed her eyes and just concentrated
on the sensations, the drag of his hot, pulsing flesh against her
tongue, the salty taste of his desire and the urgent thrust of his
hips rocking against her.
As his balls
tightened with need, Rhys unclenched his fingers in Verity’s hair
and tried to hold still. “Cariad, I
need to . . .”
He groaned as she
wrapped her arm around his hips and held him close. His heart was
beating so fast, he thought it might explode along with his cock.
He lost his smooth rhythm and started to thrust faster and harder.
The need to climax thundered through him and he no longer knew how
to be gentle.
But she wasn’t asking
him to be. She took every thrust and answered it with her clever
mouth and fingers, drawing a higher response from him. Red and
black heat seared through his closed eyelids as his seed flowed and
his knees suddenly went weak.
Verity continued to
hold him as he kept coming, her mouth still around him, one of her
hands gently cupping his still-sensitive balls. Eventually he
managed to open his eyes and look down at her. Her face rested
against his thigh as she tried to set his clothing to
rights.
He brushed her hand
away and came down onto his knees. He took her mouth with the same
directness she had taken his cock, tasted himself and the deep well
of a woman’s desire.
“Please . . .” she
whispered against his mouth. “Touch me.”
He arranged her on
his lap and slid his hand beneath her thick satin skirts to find
her quim, already wet and ready for him. He pressed his thumb to
her swollen bud and slid two of his fingers inside her, then kissed
her mouth with the same fast-driving rhythm as his thrusting
fingers. She clutched at his shoulders, and he added another
finger, gloried in her slick heat and the ever-tightening sensation
as she suddenly took her pleasure from him.
He didn’t stop but
kept driving her onward, sensed that she had more to give him, more
to take as he pushed her higher and higher. He caught her scream of
pleasure in his mouth and gloried in the clenching of her quim
around his fingers before he slowly brought her down
again.
He didn’t want to
leave her body, her mouth. He wanted her naked under him, her
glorious hair spread out on the pillow while he took his pleasure
from her and gave it back tenfold. Nothing else mattered. He kissed
her throat. “Ah, God . . . Rosalind . . .”
With a cry, Verity
pushed away from him. For a moment he couldn’t think what was wrong
and then he wanted to fall to his knees and beg her forgiveness.
She smoothed down her skirts and turned away, her hands fisted at
her side.
Rhys scrambled to sit
up and hurriedly adjusted his clothing. “Verity, it isn’t what you
think.”
How could he explain
to Verity that in his heart he’d been saying good-bye to his lost
love while glorying in his new desire for her? She’d taken him to a
level of pleasure that had left him defenseless and obviously
without a coherent thought in his brain. Judging by her furious
expression, he doubted she would believe him, but he had to
try.
“I wasn’t thinking
about Rosalind in that way. I was—”
Verity held up her
hand. “Spare me your excuses, Sir Rhys. It was my fault, for I know
full well where your loyalty lies.” Her blue eyes flashed. “And it
will serve as a reminder that I should not allow myself to feel
sorry for you again!” She spun on her heel and walked
away.
After a stunned
moment, he followed her. “What do you mean?”
“I think you
know.”
“You’re saying that
that was because you pitied
me?”
She gave him a
scathing glance. “Wasn’t it obvious?”
He caught her elbow.
“You kissed me because you wanted to.”
“Are you sure about
that?” She raised her eyebrows at him, whisked out of his grasp,
and ran toward the queen’s apartments, her long hair streaming
behind her.