Page 24 of Kings and Monsters

"You don't need to look so concerned. Rosa is fine, Bleddyn. She was upset, and her power lashed out to protect her. She needs better control over her emotions and how they manipulate her magic."

Eirianwen didn't pull away when Bleddyn took her hand and kissed it. "Thank you, my lady."

"Rosa's a good woman under the attitude. I can see why you are so fond of her," Eirianwen admitted, her mouth too dry. "I hope you don't get in our way when we finally have a chance to get our revenge on Aeronwen."

"I wouldn't dream of ever getting in your way." Bleddyn's smile was sly and so painfully familiar, Eirianwen felt it pierce her. She pulled her hand quickly from his, the memory of the taste of his magic coming back to taunt her.

"You seem to have gotten wiser in your old age," she said.

"I wouldn't jump to that conclusion too quickly." Bleddyn looked at her intently, a small frown appearing between his brows. "If I were to ask you to stay in the palace for your own safety, would you consider it?"

Eirianwen snorted. "No, and you no longer have the power or heart strings to pull to convince me."

"If I didn't know better, I'd see that as a challenge to court you, Eirianwen Eira," he said with a touch of heat blooming in his eyes.

"Lucky youdoknow better. Good night,KingBleddyn." Eirianwen gave him an exaggerated and sweeping bow beforewalking out of the gates and did everything she could to ignore the sensation of his lips still on her skin.

CHAPTER NINE

Rosa ate the strange fruit that Arthur had given her without tasting it. Normally she would have been excited to try new, unknown flavors, but her mind and enthusiasm weren't present. She rubbed at her chest, the phantom pain still aching.Please be okay, Bal.

Rosa couldn't sit around and wait. She put on her jacket and picked up her sword. She had taken two steps outside of her room when she heard a deep chuckle.

"You are too predictable, Rhosyn," Merlin said from a shadowy alcove.

"Let me go, Merlin. I won't wait around for another brilliant plan while Bal is subjected to God knows what torment," she replied stubbornly.

"So you want to get caught and flayed? Because that's what the queen wants. She's provoking you, and you are reacting exactly as she intends. You are my blood, Rosa Wylt. Be smarter than this."

"What do you expect me to do then? Sit around and wait?" She swallowed the tears that threatened to spill out as the feeling of helplessness overwhelmed her.

"Come with me," he said, tilting his head in the direction of his room. "We need to talk this through, and if you aren't convinced by the end, I'll take you to the stables myself."

"Fine, but this better be good," she grumbled.

"The whiskey will be. I stole it from the cellars," Merlin said.

"I should've known that would be the first place you would go exploring."

Rosa placedGaeaf Storomdown on a polished table and sat down on the chair pulled close to the fire. Merlin passed her a cup holding a liquid the color of mahogany.

"Are you sure we won't get any weird faerie side effects if we drink this?" she asked and smelled it. It reminded her very faintly of nectarines and earthy peat moss.

Merlin sat down opposite her. "Would it matter? I think you would look good with a pair of horns."

"So would you, gorgeous." Rosa took an experimental sip, and warmth ran into her bones. "Woah, this is going to be a black out drink."

"Cheers to immortal livers," Merlin said, and they clinked glasses. "I'm curious to know what your plan was if you did manage to leave?"

"Simple. Find my way to the Seelie Court, eat a few guards, slip in through the tunnels, and kill the queen."

"Easy as that! You aren't going to succeed that way, or Bleddyn would have done it. Just because Balthasar managed to creep in to get you doesn't mean the queen is dumb enough to let it happen again. I know you are impatient, but believe it or not, I do have a plan."

Rosa drank another mouthful of the strange whiskey to wash away the tears in her throat, her lips slowly going numb. "Is it waiting for the Unseelie to get their act together, gather reinforcements, and meet the queen head-on?"

"No. That istheirplan. I've already been out into the city and seen what recruits they have, and it's not going to be enough. We need to look for allies elsewhere."

"If allies were so easy to find, I'm sure Eirianwen would have recruited them by now."

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