Page 30 of Blood and Roses

"That's great, but I'm still angry with you, so go away." Rosa closed the door and locked it for emphasis. She watched his shadow standing in front of her door a moment longer before it vanished.

Balthasar walked backto the house, stopping only once to look behind at the lights coming on in the Wylt cottage. She was a rude drunk, but it wasn't as if he didn't deserve it. He had something else to deal with. Rage was flaring to life under his skin.Pearl.How dare she touch a Wylt!Eli wouldn't stand for it. These were modern times. There was a civilized way to get what they needed. Feeding off Cecily was vindictive and defiant.

It was only his love of Lily that had stopped Eli from killing Pearl when his sister turned her. They were of a royal Unseelie bloodline; their gift was not to be given lightly. Lily had broken all the rules when she made Pearl. Balthasar knew that Eli felt like he owed his first turned something, so he had allowed Pearlto live. If Eli knew what she had been doing, he wouldn't be so lenient.

Pearl liked to play her piano every night at the same time, so he sat in the music room and waited. Like clockwork, she stepped inside and flicked on the lights. Balthasar gripped her tightly around the neck and slammed her into the wall.

"If you ever touch a hair on Cecily Wylt's head again, I will destroy you, Pearl Windsor," he growled. She flashed her fangs at him, scratching at his arms. His hand tightened, and she stilled. "I know you sent Rosa to the attic today too. What do you hope to achieve by aggravating me? Do you long for death? Because I'd be more than happy to tell Eli what you have done?"

Pearl made a wheezing hiss of laughter. "Your mask is cracking, Balthasar. Rosa's getting into your head."

"Youare getting on my nerves. It's only for the love of my sister that I'm saving your life right now." He let her go, and she fell to the ground in a heap. "Stop playing your games, or I will stop you from playing with anything ever again."

CHAPTER NINE

Balthasar stood looking over the peace treaty that Eli was drafting in a neat hand. They were sipping Eli's favorite whiskey, and Balthasar was doing his best to hide his agitation.

"Have you heard from Blackfox's clan?" he asked. "We are going to need them to agree to this treaty and not try to get revenge on us."

"They agree to it, but they are remaining remarkably silent on their leader's execution. Blackfox wasn't working alone. He wasn't subtle or clever enough. Someone was pushing him."

"The Lords are contentious at the best of times. Add the possibility of the Seelie to the mix, and they are like rabid dogs."

"I don't care how they feel about it. We need a treaty, or we'll all die. The Seelie can't match us in speed or strength, but the Gwaed Gam cannot match their cunning or their magic. The lords forget themselves. Some days, I think a war would be a good idea to remind them we aren't the only predators in the night."

Eli smiled, and it was sharp and threatening. He looked like a successful, elegant man in his fifties, his dark hair speckled finely with gray. Balthasar knew he could drop that guise andbe as ageless and terrifying as ever. He was pure Unseelie, the Gwaed Gam in the world were only bastardizations of the exiled princes. Eli didn't even consider the Vanes Gwaed Gam at all.

"You know me, Father. I would support your war as I'm now supporting your peace. I understand war more, but I'm willing to give peace its chance."

"You have experience with human wars and only skirmishes with the Seelie. The gods know you have chased enough wars over the centuries while you ran from your destiny."

"You were the one that made me run, Eli. I'm home now, and I'm done fighting with you about it. I'm far more concerned with Ryn Eurion fighting us when he gets here. We might be able to keep the Gwaed Gam factions in control, but not if they are provoked?—"

"What is the matter tonight, Balthasar? You are saying one thing with your mouth, but your mind is elsewhere."

"Rosa Wylt. You need to tell her the truth. She isn't an idiot. She knows something's not right with us." Balthasar felt the urge to tell him about the necklace that protected her from glamor, but something stopped him. He didn't want the other members of his family being able to control her mind.

Eli had taken the news of Pearl feeding on Cecily without a flicker of emotion, simply stored it away to deal with after the Gathering. Balthasar knew his father. There was no way he would let it slide, and Lily would have to accept whatever punishment he had in mind. She knew the rules.

"Of course Rosa knows something isn't right. She is a Wylt. She knew about us when she was a child. I had to glamor her memory for her own good."

"I wasn't at Gwaed Lyn at the time, but can I ask why you sent her away? She had just lost her father, so it seemed harsh even for you."

Eli looked him over before pouring himself another drink. "She was a child living in a house full of Unseelie. It's not that I wouldn't trust the Vanes, but I didn't trust the others that came to visit. She was this adorable, cheeky girl that was curious and a delight to all she met. An irresistible temptation to the reprobates we frequently have to tolerate. I didn't even have to compel Cecily to do it in the end. After Harold, she knew the dangers. At boarding school, she had a proper life, and even though she resented it at the time, she was safe."

"So why bring her back now after so long? She is angry about it."

"Why not bring her back? She is a woman grown, and from what I have seen, she is still a delight." He raised an eyebrow at Balthasar. "Your brother is taken with her, and I know you are too."

"She brings new perspectives to conversations," he answered cautiously. "I forget how stubborn and passionate humans can be."

"I heard her yelling at you the other night for breaking up her drinking session with Saul," Eli chuckled. "Do you really have to wonder why I summoned her? She is full of life. Everyone in this house is so miserable at the moment."

"Then ease Rosa's misery and let her know who we are. She's been telling Cecily that she's sick for two days now. She is hiding out because she is angry and frightened. You know humans' minds can be fragile. I fear if we don't tell her the full story soon, she will run, and she will resent us even more."

"Very well. I will allow it, but I'll let you be the one to tell her. She seems to like you the most."

"Not anymore. She slammed the door in my face the other night. Perhaps a subtle approach is needed?"

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