Page 60 of Legacy of Roses

Dimitri drew his sword with a clear ringing noise, holding it in front of him so the blade pierced the leaves.

“If you don’t want to go, I’d be more than happy to make you into an actual pincushion,” he said, letting a thread of dark humor trace his words.

A light appeared behind the men, shining directly on the leaves in front of him. He nearly flinched, only just keeping his posture steady and his stance threatening. He didn’t want to ruin the effect Rosalie had orchestrated.

“Leave now,” he repeated. “And tell Jace that if he wants to see his men again, he should keep them off my land.”

The mention of Jace was the final straw. The men looked at each other and without a word turned and fled. Dimitri stayed still, waiting. He didn’t want to risk revealing himself too soon.

After several drawn out minutes, the parrot flew back into view. “All clear!” it called.

He stepped through the willow’s leaves. Had the bird really assisted them in their plan? As impossible as it seemed, he couldn’t deny the creature’s involvement, so he called his thanks in its direction.

The bird dipped a wing and flew away.

Rosalie met him beside the willow, her eyes alight with laughter and her cheeks flushed with triumph. Dimitri seized her hand, wrapping his fingers firmly around hers and pulling her along as he ran. She didn’t protest, seizing her skirts in her other hand and keeping pace behind him.

He led her straight to the manor. Only when they were safely inside and the door was locked behind them did he let her hand go.

She laughed a little wildly. “That was fun!”

“Fun?” He stared at her.

“You should have seen their faces!” She grinned up at him, but when he didn’t laugh back, she sighed. “It’s not good they were here, though.” Her nose scrunched, her eyes turning dark. “What do you think they’ll tell Jace?”

“Not the truth, I’m guessing. You heard what they said about having their pay docked. I doubt they’ll be admitting they were fooled by a bird and caught by me before they saw anything of significance. I’m hoping they’ll tell him nothing has changed yet. It’s a fairly safe lie. Even if Jace eventually learns the true state of affairs here, they can always claim the changes happened after their visit. Even we didn’t know how quickly the Legacy would move at the beginning.”

Rosalie nodded. “Jace spent months preparing everything before he robbed my family. He knows how to be patient.”

Dimitri hated the shadow that crossed her eyes when she mentioned her and Jace’s shared past. He hated that they shared anything at all.

“You were brilliant,” she said, sending his thoughts in a much more pleasant direction. “You were a perfect mix of creepy and threatening. The sword showing through the leaves was already good, but when that light lit up the leaves and made your eyes flash, it was perfection! The rest of your face was in shadow, so you were terrifying without showing any hint of the Beast.”

Her expression turned confused. “But where did the light come from?”

“It wasn’t you?” He hadn’t known how she’d done it, but he’d assumed it had to be her.

She shook her head.

“The Legacy, then?” he suggested.

“Do you really think the Legacy would help us put on a show for Jace’s men?” Rosalie asked.

“What else could it have been?”

“True,” Rosalie said slowly. “I just don’t remember anything like that in the original history.”

“You’re more of an expert on the histories than me.” Dimitri shrugged. “I’m just glad the Legacy has decided to help us instead of hindering us.”

Rosalie bit her lip. “I suppose so. I just don’t like anything I can’t explain. It makes me nervous that we’re missing something.”

“They were the ones to miss something,” Dimitri said. “I think we’re allowed to be happy about that. Hopefully it’s all turned out for the best, and we’ve bought ourselves some breathing room as far as Jace is concerned.”

He meant his words, but he was also aware the morning could have gone significantly worse. As enjoyable as their walk had been at the beginning, it wasn’t a good idea to spend further time out in the open. And he certainly wasn’t going to leave any doors unlocked again.

Chapter 18

Rosalie

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