Page 88 of Legacy of Roses

“But I can’t!” Rosalie wailed, tears spilling from her eyes. “Jace has me.”

“WHAT?” Daphne stared at her. “What do you mean he has you?”

Rosalie explained what had happened, describing the direction they had gone in the woods, and her best guess for how far they’d traveled.

“But where are your brothers?” Daphne asked. “Why haven’t they rescued you? It shouldn’t have been that hard to follow you and cut you free given they’re INVISIBLE!”

Rosalie stared at her friend. She’d never seen Daphne so worked up, and the sight of her distress sent Rosalie’s fear spiking. How bad was the situation for Daphne to lose her usual cool?

“I paid the triplets a pouch of gold each to walk me home and then return to watch over Dimitri,” she said. “Aren’t they with you?”

Daphne groaned. “And Dimitri paid them a pouch of gold each to walk you home and stay to watch over you. They must have decided that if they kept their distance from both of you, then they could keep both pouches. I can’t believe they’d just abandon you like that, though! They knew how worried Dimitri was.”

Rosalie closed her eyes, the whole situation now blindingly obvious.

“Our cottage isn’t like the manor. Even invisible, they couldn’t have hidden from me inside it. I would have tripped over them within minutes. So they probably decided to watch over me from outside. I’m sure they thought nothing would happen, and you know how deeply they sleep. They must have fallen asleep outside the cottage somewhere and slept through the entire abduction. They’re probably still asleep right now.”

“I am going to wake up in approximately one minute,” Daphne said through her teeth, “and then I’m going down there to find them. And when I do, I’m going to wring their necks—all three of them at once.”

“You can’t do that without me there to watch,” Rosalie objected, but her voice quavered slightly at the end.

“I’m going to find them,” Daphne said, “and then the four of us will come find you. Given our invisibility, we should have you rescued in no time.”

“No!” Rosalie shook her head frantically. “Send the triplets after me, but you need to go back to Dimitri.” She held her friend’s gaze, trying to communicate her seriousness. “You have to keep Dimitri alive until I get there, Daph. I’m relying on you.”

Reluctantly Daphne nodded. “I’ll do everything I can. I promise. But you need to hurry.”

“I’ll be waiting for the boys,” Rosalie said. “You need to wake up and run.”

She was thrown instantly out of the strange dreamscape. But she didn’t regain proper consciousness. Instead, her surroundings formed again from one breath to the next, the nonsense of the jump feeling strangely logical in the way it does in dreams.

She was in the manor gardens, although they looked like no actual part of the manor grounds. But it didn’t matter because she knew her location with unwavering certainty, as if it was as familiar as her own hand. She looked around, confused as towhy she was alone. Was Daphne still asleep after all and waiting somewhere here for her? Or was Rosalie stuck wandering this strange dreamland until she found a way to wake herself?

“Y…You’re here,” the gravelly whisper was instantly recognizable despite its volume.

She turned slowly, both hopeful and afraid.

Dimitri stood before her, a smile in his eyes, although his face couldn’t quite form the expression. She ran to him, fresh tears streaming down her cheeks as she collided with his chest.

He staggered backward, and she gasped an apology. But he had already steadied, his arms coming firmly around her. She rested her cheek against his chest, feeling the soft padding of his fur beneath the vest.

“At least the Legacy is letting me dream of you one last time,” Dimitri said, his voice low and weak. “It’s more than I expected.”

Rosalie pulled back, her eyes flying to his face.

“This isn’t a dream!” she cried. “Or, well, it is, but I’m really here. We’re both asleep, and so we’re together.” She was making a muddle of the explanation. Hadn’t he read about Glandore’s sleep communication?

If he had, he didn’t seem to remember the information. He was holding her tightly, but she was no longer sure if it was him holding her or her holding him up.

She wound her arms around him and held on tighter, struggling to keep him on his feet.

“Even if it is just a dream,” he said, his words dropping so low she had to strain to hear them, “I’m glad I have the chance to tell you. I love you, Rosalie.”

She gasped, momentarily struck silent, and his legs crumpled. His weight was more than she could hold, and he slid slowly to the ground, his eyes fluttering closed.

Chapter 26

Rosalie

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