Page 62 of Swords and Curses

"No promises," Nimue laughed as Rosa flipped him off.

Eldon ignored it as he poured his fresh coffee into a large mug. "I'll leave you ladies to it. I'm sure the result will bestunning." He gave them a slight bow before disappearing into the servant's passages.

"What are you sniggering about?" Nimue asked as Rosa struggled not to snort tea up her nose.

"That must've been some epic kiss."

"Don't you ever stop?"Eldon asked when he found Eli in the glow of a laptop. He didn't think he'd ever get used to seeing his father using technology so easily.

"I wanted to check the surveillance network Saul had installed at the sites," Eli replied, looking up. His head tilted thoughtfully as he studied him.

"What?" Eldon demanded. He sipped his coffee and stole half of Eli's neglected croissant.

"Your aura is brighter today. I take it your evening with Nimue went well?"

"I expected questions from Rosa, but not from you."

"I'm your father, so it is my right to ask questions. Rosa is nosey because she is a Wylt, and they can't help themselves."

"I told Nimue about Morgan." Eli shut the laptop and gave Eldon his full attention.

"How are you?" he asked.

It was only a few months after Morgan's death that Eldon had wiped all memory of Eli and Gwaed Lyn. Despite knowing the reason why, Eli's eyes still were bruised whenever they talked about it.

"I feel surprisingly unburdened," Eldon admitted.

"All secrets hurt less when they are spoken out loud. And Nimue?"

"She could still look me in the eye afterward, so there is that."

"Excellent. Where are the ladies of the house today?" Eli asked as an unexpected smile bloomed on his face. "Ladies in the house. It's a nice change. I miss Lily, but Italy is the best place for her to heal."

"She's not coming with Vincenzo?"

"No, he's leaving her in charge. She'll like that. He needs more people that he can trust."

They were talking about older times when the mansion shook beneath their feet. Balthasar and Saul burst through the doors, ready for whatever was attacking them.

"What in seven hells was that?" Saul asked as the ground trembled again, snow falling from the roof in great white sheets.

They all rushed to the windows and saw not a Seelie army attacking them, but Nimue in fits of laughter. Rosa, red-faced, threw an angry snowball at her.

"It would appear Nimue is trying to teach Rosa some magic," Eli chuckled.

Saul frowned. "Shouldn't you get down there? They'll bring the whole damn house down if they aren't careful."

"No, they won't," Balthasar said, his eyes following every one of Rosa's movements.

In spite of what Eldon knew of him and his violent history, when it came to Rosa, Balthasar Vane was a man on his knees. Eldon was suddenly very grateful that Balthasar had managed to get Rosa back, because he would hate to see what lingered beneath his highly polished mask of civility.

"Nimue knows what she's doing even if Rosa doesn't. She'll make sure that the house is safe," Eldon assured them.

Despite the hundreds of things demanding their attention, the four Vane men stood quietly by the windows, watching as snow and ice were transformed into something else entirely.

"A new work?"Rosa asked, peering over Balthasar's shoulder. She'd come upstairs to try to steal a quiet moment with him and found him at an easel. He looked so consumed that, for a few moments, she simply watched and admired him. He was barefoot, jacket and tie neglected on a nearby chair, and paint staining his fingers.

Rosa didn't think she'd ever tire of looking at the way such a powerfully built body moved to create such delicate and featherlike strokes. Her driving need to touch him made her disturb the moment and cross the room.

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