Page 63 of Swords and Curses

Balthasar barely registered her presence as he murmured, "I was talking to Eli earlier about Eldon. After Eli thought he was dead, he went through the mansion and destroyed every painting and drawing of him."

"I had wondered about that. There are portraits of the family everywhere without him, and even the depictions of the Arthurian legends in the library lack any reference to Merlin."

Balthasar made a gesture at the painting. "He's part of the family, so it's only right that he's represented."

"Oh, youdolike him!" Rosa said, kissing his stubbled cheek.

"Try not to rub it in."

"I don't suppose I'm going to get a new portrait for the halls?"

"I already painted your portrait." Balthasar smiled smugly at her, the memory of that night shining in his eyes.

"I can hardly hang that in the main hall. I look ready to eat you alive."

"I'm positive you did that night."

Warm heat slid down her backbone as he hooked a finger around one of her curls and let it slide through."Would you like me to paint you again?"

"Only if it's not a nude."

Balthasar pulled a face. "It hardly seems worth it if you're not."

"I will let you do a nude of me, if you do one of Eldon," she said sweetly.

"What a way to ruin the pleasant picture I had in my head," he complained. "How is the decorating coming? I haven't felt any earthquakes for a while."

"It's done, but Nimue wanted to add a few finishing touches. All I need now is a dress. Hopefully, it won't get ruined this time," she said, biting her lip.

Eli insisted it was a way to heal what happened last time, but Rosa's stomach churned whenever she thought of it. She could still smell the horse she was slung over, feel the floor of the damp cell she had awoken in. She didn't ever want to know what happened when she was under the Autumn Queen's spell.

Balthasar's warm fingers brushed her cheek, bringing her back to herself.

"You aren't the woman you were. You can protect yourself now." His eyes darkened. "No one will ever take you from me again."

"I'd like to see them try." Rosa tried to smile, but Balthasar's face turned to stone.

"I wouldn't, for my own sake. I don't think a day goes by that I don't wish I'd tried to kill the queen when I was in her court undetected."

"If you had, you'd be dead, and I would still be dancing that awful square dance waltz and doing God knows what." His arms wrapped around her protectively as if the thought was enough toput him on his guard. Rosa rested her cheek on the hard curve of his neck.

"If the party is going to upset you, then we don't need to go."

"I'll be fine, and it isn't the same as last time. I'll be amongst friends tomorrow night. Well, mostly. I don't think Zalan likes me very much."

"That's just Zalan. He'll grow on you. Vincenzo is much more light-hearted and flirtatious."

"A light-hearted Unseelie? And a Vane? That can't be right. I must investigate this further if I'm going to believe it."

Balthasar smiled, but she felt his grip tighten. "He's the youngest, and his brothers have always protected him as much as possible. Out of the three of them, his time in the Seelie court was the most difficult. It's amazing he's as sanguine as he is."

Rosa could imagine all too well what the vultures would've been like. She couldn't remember a lot of the days she'd spent there, but she remembered being felt up and pawed at like some exotic pet. If it weren't for the fact she could be used as a bargaining chip with Eli, she doubted she would have come out as unscathed as she had.

"If that's how it was with him, I'm surprised he's not more eager to fight against her," Rosa said with a frown. She wanted to rip her throat out.

"He's afraid of her. He doesn't want to encounter any of them again, but we need him, and the threat against Gwaed Lyn was enough to motivate him." Balthasar ran his hands softly down her arms. "I'm sure that when the three brothers of the Seren Du are back together again, they will come up with a magnificent plan to provoke the queen out of her safe burrow. She's going to start getting desperate and will want to end them before they have a chance to become too powerful."

When their shields were down, Eli and Zalan's power almost brought Rosa to her knees. That they could become more so was too hard for her to comprehend.

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