Page 1 of Blood and Roses

PROLOGUE

The man smelled of horses and wood varnish as he gathered the little girl close. Wind whipped off the lake, but in her father's arms, she was warm and safe. She held her stick sword firmly in one plump hand as he lowered her to the ground.

"You see these stones, Rhosyn?" he asked with a thick Welsh accent, placing a hand on the smooth black rock that rose out of the ground. "Do you know what they are?"

"Aye. Roger said they are faerie stones," the girl answered, prodding one with her stick.

"Oh, did he now? And when did you have time to talk to the stableman?" her father questioned, heavy brows drawing together.

"When I went to see Mr. Eli's horses," she answered truthfully, knowing that her father wasn't really angry with her. "Are they doorways to the Other Lands?"

"They are, God's truth, little one." Her father crouched down to be level with her. "Some nights, when magic is thick in the air and the time between times opens the worlds, the Seelie come through to dance at the lake. It is on those nights, my Rhosyn,that you must lock your window and your door, and pray that they don't try to steal you away."

"How can I tell if it's a faerie?"

"They are so beautiful and terrible to look upon that there is no mistaking them for anything else. If you ever see such a one, dancing or hunting through the forest, you must find Mr. Eli as soon as you can." Her father's voice lost the storyteller's warmth and became serious, "Promise me, Rosa. Promise me you will find him."

"I promise, Da," she swore, wondering what Mr. Eli could do that her father could not, should the faeries come.

"Good lass." He kissed her head and got to his feet. They were almost back at their little cottage when the wolves came.

Then there was only blood, screaming, and monsters, and her father was gone forever.

CHAPTER ONE

Rosa's ears were ringing as she stepped out of the fire escape door and into the cold night air. She needed to get away from the noise of the crowded kitchen and the endless thrum of the party upstairs. She had been plagued with nightmares for the last three nights, and the bass of bad dance music was making her head pound.

I don't know why you let Lucy talk you into these things,Rosa thought as she walked down the damp service alley behind the mansion and passed the expensive cars that had been parked wherever there was space.

She had agreed to do the catering gig for the high society party in The Boltons, but with the control freak hostess, it was shaping up to be more trouble than what they were paying. She pulled her coat tighter around her as she breathed in the autumn night air and tried not to wish for the cigarettes that she had sworn off three years prior.

The wind was rising, scattering the golden leaves off the ornamental trees and over the finely clipped yard. This kind of wind always reminded her of her childhood in the north, the sharp crispness holding the scent of wood smoke and lightning. With the wind came the nightmares every year without fail.

"A bad wind, that is," a voice said, making Rosa jump. A homeless woman was an odd sight in an area as flash as The Boltons, but she leaned against a Porsche as if she owned it.

"I don't know about a bad wind, but it's bloody freezing," Rosa replied.

The woman smiled. "Tell your fortune for a pound? You've destiny hanging over your head like a storm cloud."

"I'm good. Thanks. I don't believe in fortune telling or destiny, but if you wait here, I can nick you something to eat from this party. Posh bastards ignore most of it at a gathering like this one."

Rosa hurried back to the kitchen and placed rosemary lamb shanks into a large Styrofoam container. The catering staff were only going to throw out the leftovers, so Rosa filled another with pastries and cheesecake.

Outside, the homeless woman was smoking a hand rolled clove cigarette. She muttered under her breath as she glared at the security guards near the front entrance of the house.

"Don't worry about those guys. They won't bother you," Rosa said as she offered the containers.

"Thank you, lady," the woman said and gripped them in her bony hands. "You won't accept a reading, but accept a warning... They're watching you, girl."

"Who is?" Rosa asked, looking about and trying not to laugh.

The woman checked over her shoulders before hissing softly, "The dead."

"Everything all right down there, miss?" A tall security guard shined his torch at them from the end of the alley.

"Course, mate. Everything is fine. Just seeing my kitchen staff off for the night," Rosa waved at them before calling out to the retreating woman. "Thanks for your help tonight, Susie!"

The security guard didn't look convinced as he switched off his torch and continued on his rounds.

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