Page 16 of Swords and Curses

Saul backed off her, chuckling to himself. "Oh, Rosa Wylt, it's a shame you picked Bal. What a pity you don't have a sister."

"If I did, I wouldn't let her anywhere near the likes of you."

"What if she was the woman to convince me finally to change my ways? I'm looking, you know."

"Why not find a nice Gwaed Gam girl to settle down with?" Rosa suggested.

"Because Gam girls are fucking crazy. I don't mean crazy hot. I mean crazy crazy," Saul argued. "You have fun with those girls and set them loose."

"A human girl then?"

Saul lowered his gloves. "That wouldn't be fair to her. Not everyone is like you, Rosa. Humans are afraid of us, and I couldn't risk falling in love and having her be disgusted with what I am. Besides, we have a war brewing, so it's not fair to endanger someone."

"Drinking and whoring for eternity isn't exactly a plan either," Rosa pointed out.

"We can't all be monks like Bal." Saul grinned.

"Bal's no monk." Rosa blushed despite herself.

"Not anymore. I'm relieved Eli turned you. I was worried that you might break while he was relieving all that…" Saul's words failed him as Rosa's foot delivered a swift kick between his legs. Saul collapsed on the mat.

"Remind me never to piss you off, Rhosyn," Eldon said, clapping slowly from the other side of the gym. "You okay, Saul?"

Saul muttered something unintelligible in Russian and Rosa pulled up the Velcro straps of her gloves with her teeth.

"How goes it,cefnder?" she asked, stepping over Saul so she could join him.

"It was going rather dull until now. Are you done here?" he asked.

"Saul?" Rosa glanced over her shoulder at where he was lying.

"Go away, Wylt," he managed.

"I think we are done." She beamed up at Eldon.

Balthasar sat backand watched Eli argue with Vincenzo, dropping in and out of their native Unseelie, Italian and English. Even though it was only over Skype, there was something about Vincenzo's stern face and icy eyes that intimidated him. In person, he was tall and broad, and unlike Eli who rarely raised his voice, Vincenzo had no problem being the loudest voice in the world.

"What do you mean my Merlin is still alive?" he demanded. "Where in Dante's Hell has he been hiding all these years?"

"Under a spell. His presence is a good thing. His magic is incredibly powerful, and we will need him if the Autumn Queen makes a move."

"Has he aged yet?"

"Not very much. He seems to have inherited that from me at least. The rest is pure Deryn," Eli replied. "How's my Lily?"

"Broke half my bodyguard's hearts when they learned she prefers women. They don't seem to be letting it deter them very much." Vincenzo's smile was strikingly white against his olive complexion. "One suggested a threesome, and she broke both his arms. If I hadn't intervened, she would've torn them off completely. I doloveher spirit."

"Excellent! It sounds like she is settling in nicely," Eli paused, studying his brother seriously. "Will you not come?"

"I can't leave my empire for some sniveling little under lord to watch over. You know what these Gam savages are like."

"So no then."

"Bleddyn, the Autumn Queen has harassed us for centuries. Why would she risk an all-out assault now? Don't you think you are overreacting?"

Balthasar flinched as Eli's power spiked angrily. "Gwaen, thisisserious. Merlin believes Rosa and Bal broke the curse over the Aos Si. They've seen it snowing."

"Visions and dreams and supernatural mist, big brother."

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