Page 59 of Beast of Blood and Roses
She turned toward the kitchen window, her movements sharp and anxious as she glanced warily at the bayou. I could see her pulse pounding in the delicate hollow of her throat..
“I won’t let them harm you. You’ll be safe.”
“They won’t give up, will they?” She wrapped her arms around her waist defensively, and I caught the slight tremor going through her body.
My hands clenched into fists at my side. “I fear your father has made a deal with him.”
“He must be desperate.” Panic flickered across her delicate features, and she bit her lower lip hard enough to leave marks. I wanted to tear Volaris apart for putting that terror in her eyes.
“I’ll give him the money to pay Trystan Hunter.” The words rushed out before I could stop them.
She frowned, confusion replacing some of the fear etched on her face. “You would?”
“Yes, I would.” I stepped closer, unable to stop myself. “You don’t want to be sold to the wolves, do you?”
The image of her belonging to Trystan—of him touching her, trying to seduce her—filled me with such rage I’d tear through the barriers to reach her, even if killed me. Even knowing it would be suicide. The magic holding me here was lethal, but the idea of her in another man’s arms made death feel like an acceptable price.
“No. I don’t see why everyone wants to buy me, including you. I was just a poor waitress, trying to make ends meet.”
“And a powerful witch.” I kept my hands clenched at my sides.
“But you didn’t know that when you bought me.” Her eyes flashed with frustration as she gestured helplessly. “I didn’t even know that.”
“Your father knew exactly what kind of power you had when he sold you to me.”
She rolled her eyes with exasperation, a bitter laugh escaping her lips. “I don’t think so. Knowing him, he thought my powers would remain dormant.”
I tilted my head, studying her face carefully. The irony was almost painful, knowing what I’d seen in that vision “Why would he think that?”
“He always makes decisions based on the odds. He must have had a reason why he didn’t think I’d come into my powers. Do you think he did something to me?”
I shrugged. “Possibly. That’s something I plan to wring out of him.”
Because his own magic was bound, I could see him binding hers too. Volaris wouldn’t want to be vulnerable.
“I’m curious. Do you have any pictures of your mother?”
She gave me a sad, wistful smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “No. Dad was so angry she left us that he burned all of her photos in a rage. I was only three years old when that happened. So I’ve never seen a picture of my mother. But he says I look like her.” She bowed her head, her shoulders sagging with old pain. “I think that’s why I always disappoint him. He thinks I’m going to end up like her, a selfish woman who abandons everyone.”
Anger bubbled inside me like molten lava, hot and violent. The bastard had made her believe she was unwanted, unworthy, just because she reminded him of someone else. My claws extended involuntarily, and I had to force them back. It took me a couple of seconds before I could speak.
“Rosalie, you’re the most selfless person I have ever met. Your whole life has been devoted to others, sacrificing your own happiness for people who don’t deserve it. Your father is the selfish one. If he doesn’t appreciate all the sacrifices you’ve made for him, then he’s a fool.” The admission left me feeling exposed; something I had never experienced before. I was always guarded, never vulnerable.
She looked up with wide, startled eyes, tears clinging to her dark eyelashes like dewdrops. Her lips parted as if she wanted to say something, but the sound of a car door slamming cut through the moment like a blade.
My head snapped toward the sound, every muscle in my body going rigid. I strode to the living room window and watched as Colette and Marcel escorted David Volaris up the front steps, his familiar slouched posture and shifty eyes making my blood boil. Fury hit me like ice water—cold, sharp, and immediate—at the sight of the man who had spent twenty years tormenting the woman I?—
“Remember, don’t hurt him or we’ll never know the truth.” Rosalie gently put her hand on my arm.
I didn’t answer her, my jaw clenched so tight I thought my teeth might crack. My hands were shaking with the effort of controlling my anger. If I broke this promise, I would lose her forever. But seeing him walk back into my home, knowing what he’d done, made that promise feel like a noose around my neck.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Rosalie
The door opened with a heavy creak. Marcel entered first, followed by my dad, then Colette. I wasn’t sure how to react, my heart banged against my ribs. He had never tried to get in contact with me once to see if I was okay, if I was even still alive.
But Dad looked better than last time I had seen him. Gone was the rumpled, desperate man who’d gambled away his daughter. He wore a dark blue suit that looked expensive—crisp, unwrinkled, definitely not faded from years of wear. My stomach knotted with confusion. Where had this money come from? Someone else had to be backing him—but who?
