Embrace the Power: A Paranormal Romance (The Blood Rose Series Book 9) (31 page)

Stone leaned forward and buried his face in his hands. He understood so much in this moment that he could barely contain all the overwhelming feelings. That he had such potential explained why he could easily receive and make use of the elf-lord power through Rosamunde.

Unfortunately, it also confirmed why Margetta was after him. Not only could he channel the elf-lord power, but he could become the real thing. What kind of mate would that make for an extremely powerful woman like the Ancient Fae?

Vojalie was suddenly on her feet, her hands clasped together. “Stone, please listen to me. I know this has been a lot to take in, but it’s imperative that you bond with Rosamunde as soon as possible.”

He looked up at her. He’d never seen the lovely fae so tense, almost overwrought. For that reason alone, he knew how serious she was. But it was all too much. “Just tell me why?”

She crimped her lips together the same way Rosamunde had earlier. “I can’t. It’s a fae thing, a
knowing
without being able to give you a
why
.”

“Did you have a vision?”

“That’s just it, no, I didn’t. If I had, I’d be able to give you my reasons. But if you could trust me a little in this, I think everything might be okay. Though I think it may have something to do with her blood rose abilities. They might serve to protect you from the seductive nature of the elf-lord power.”

He shook his head. “You’re not inspiring confidence, even as much as I value your counsel.”

Davido left his seat and took one of Vojalie’s hands. “My love, you can’t control this. I know you want to, but you can’t.”

Vojalie, to Stone’s great surprise burst into tears. Davido levitated and embraced her, holding her close.

He didn’t realize Rosamunde had shifted to sit right next to him, her hip and leg cemented against his, until she grabbed his hand and held on tight. Rosamunde was trembling.

He didn’t understand what was happening as he pathed to her.
What’s going on here?

I’m not sure. In fact I have no idea, but I’m frightened.

Because Vojalie’s crying?

She squeezed his hand hard.
No, that’s not it. I’m feeling it too, that if we don’t bond soon, something terrible, something uncontrollable will happen.

Stone slowly rose to his feet, lifting Rosamunde with him. “Vojalie, please look at me.”

She lifted her tear-stained face to him. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to lose it.”

“It’s okay. I’ll make this right, however I need to do it. From the beginning, I wanted to bond with Aralynn. I had no doubts about that. And yes, it was difficult when I learned that she was really Rosamunde,” he tucked her arm around his, “but I know now that I seriously misjudged this good woman who has sacrificed so much to keep the Nine Realms safe.

“I will be very open to the bond, but for now, let’s enjoy the gala which will give me some time to get used to all that Davido has told me. Afterward, Rosamunde and I can discuss the future privately. But it would help me a lot if you would dry your tears because in case you didn’t know, we men can hardly stand it since we never know what to do.”

Vojalie chuckled and wiped at her nose. Rosamunde tugged her arm away from Stone then moved quickly across the room to grab a box of tissues.

Vojalie plucked several from the opening then blew her nose. Afterward, she turned to kiss her husband. “We’ll have to go home for a moment so I can repair my make-up.”

“Of course, my love.” Davido glanced at Stone. “We’ll see you later, son. And in case you don’t know, it gives me the greatest pleasure to say that to you.”

When Vojalie burst into tears again, Davido rolled his eyes and the couple vanished.

It took Stone a moment to gain his bearings. They were a true power couple, because even though they no longer occupied the space, he could feel the vibrations of their shared energy radiating in the space where they’d just been.

Rosamunde dabbed at her cheeks as well. “I feel as though I was just caught in a cyclone and couldn’t get out.”

He turned to her. “That’s it exactly. Sweet Goddess, this was too much fucking information.”

Her lips quirked. “How about I make you a fresh martini?”

“How about a Scotch, a double.”

She moved toward the decanter and picked up a tumbler. “Triple, maybe?”

“Hell, yeah.”

“And I’ll have one myself.”

Chapter Twelve

“There’s nothing worse than deception. Secrets. Lies.”

Rosamunde heard the harsh tone in Stone’s voice and she shuddered. “It’s no wonder then you were so angry when you learned my true identity.”

“Deception is evil and keeping this secret from me? I know I shouldn’t blame you, but part of me wonders if I’ll ever be able to trust you.”

“I’ll say this again: It wasn’t my secret to tell. I only learned of it by accident and Davido begged me never to say anything to you. What would you have had me do, especially when Davido and Vojalie had a reason for their restraint given the disastrous nature of the vision?”

He turned to face her fully and caught her arm. “You should have told me.”

“No. Davido should have. And in my defense, I was the one who forced the matter tonight. I’ve come to know you better and because of the difficult decision we have to make about the bond, I was unwilling to proceed without you knowing the truth. You have to at least give me credit for that.”

She grabbed her black silk gloves from the mantel of the fireplace and began pulling them on. She was shaking, but not because of his anger over his father’s identity, but because she was still holding back one last secret.

She pretended to be having difficulty working her fingers into the gloves, but the truth was she didn’t want to meet Stone’s gaze.

Her cheeks were warm and her heart, especially laden with the extra supply that had grown since cocktails, had started pounding in her chest. Until now, she’d rationalized her silence on the subject of the terrible visions Margetta would send her. Yet, given Stone’s reaction to the current situation, she had a strong premonition she needed to tell him about the visions.

The trouble was, she wasn’t certain Stone would be able to comprehend or appreciate the hopeless situation the visions had placed her in.

“I’m angry,” Stone said.

She finally turned in his direction, ready to face him. He’d replaced his silver clasp but a few strands hung near his face and looked ridiculously sexy. “Can you forgive me for keeping this secret, Stone? If not, I don’t see how we can move forward?”

He held her gaze. “I don’t see that we have much of a choice. Both you and Vojalie are adamant that we bond, that we must.”

“I’m not adamant about any of this.” Her voice grew in strength. “I know there will be a serious problem if we don’t bond, but that doesn’t matter. We have to be of one mind and right now, you’re definitely too angry to even think about sharing the blood rose bond.”

He huffed a sigh. “You’re right. I need time to process. At least the realm is quiet. I’ve checked in with both Harris and Cole and everything remains as it’s been all night: No Invictus attacks in any of the other realms, either. Which has made me uneasy as hell.”

“Me, too.” Rosamunde had felt Vojalie’s fear and her own prescience had confirmed that Margetta would soon bring matters to a head.

She felt as well a profound need to bond with Stone for his sake as well as for the future of the Nine Realms. But for now, he needed time to let some of this new information settle into his soul. He’d just learned that the most ancient man in the Nine Realms was not only his father but the last living elf-lord. On top of that, even Rosamunde now sensed exactly what Stone was, that he could, with a simple decision of his will, become an elf-lord himself.

And therein lay the greatest danger of all. If for whatever reason, Stone ever gave himself fully to the elf-lord power, Davido would be forced to kill his own son. She also knew, as Vojalie had suggested, that somehow the blood rose bond would protect Stone.

She didn’t say as much. She chose, instead, to let everything rest for now.

Donning her black silk wrap, she took Stone’s arm. Once he was ready to leave, she moved them with a thought to the red carpet entrance of the Sterling Arms Hotel.

The Nine Realms wasn’t all that different from the U.S. and an event like a gala to celebrate the Federation of the Nine Realms was covered by every news outlet in each of the realms. Light bulbs flashed and reporters shouted questions.

“Queen Rosamunde, are you dating the Mastyr of Tannisford?” Since she was holding his arm she could hardly deny the connection, but she merely smiled and waved in response.

“Queen Rosamunde, why won’t you give an interview and tell us what you’ve been doing for a thousand years?”

This time she shrugged and smiled.

“Queen Rosamunde, why haven’t you helped the Nine Realms battle the Ancient Fae?”

She’d intended to keep going, but Stone stopped her and turned to face the reporter. “The queen has sacrificed her entire life, a full thousand years, to do everything in her power to protect our world. She’s served in ways that I can’t share with you at this time, but I promise you that without her, the Nine Realms would have fallen to the Ancient Fae a long time ago. So, I won’t hear a bad word spoken against her. Do you understand?”

He didn’t wait for an answer, but she felt his ire. He was a man with a quick temper. She supposed it made for a good warrior, but it was sometimes tough to deal with moment to moment.

On the other hand, she loved that he’d defended her especially on an issue, which until recently, he would have normally agreed with the reporter.

He ushered her into the foyer where hotel staff took her wrap.

But as she looked up at him, doubts swamped her all over again. She didn’t know what would happen once she related the vile nature of Margetta’s visions. If he had trouble forgiving her for keeping a secret, how would he ever be able to forgive her for what happened at Charborne three centuries ago?

As he guided her toward the ballroom, however, she set aside her fears and doubts. Soon enough, she’d be forced to deal with these issues.

For now, with Stone looking unbelievably sexy in his tux, she chose to give herself to the gala. She might be Queen of Ferrenden Peace, but tonight she felt like a real princess.

As she moved into the ballroom, the first sight that greeted her was all the ruling mastyrs dressed in their finest, each hovering near his woman. Each was a blood rose, a sister of sorts to Rosamunde because of their shared experience.

Those nearest turned in their direction, then offered a spattering of applause that caught on and began to grow until the ballroom thundered. She couldn’t believe the outpouring of gratitude for Stone. Her heart melted and tears touched her eyes.

She squeezed Stone’s arm and he smiled as he looked down at her. His deep voice touched her mind,
I forgot how much we have to celebrate tonight. I didn’t mean to be a bear and ruin things.

Her heart melted a little more but for a different reason this time. This was the flip side of the man, that when he calmed down, he was very tender and even kind.

He removed his arm and took a step away from her, then turned in her direction and stated in a loud voice. “For Rosamunde and her part in vanquishing Margetta at the lake.” He applauded her as well and the guests joined in with a second thunderous round.

She was stunned and grew very still. Her fingers clung to the sides of her gown. She didn’t know what to think or even what to do. Naturally, her cheeks warmed up. She hadn’t expected to be honored by Stone’s peers, by anyone really. She’d gone it alone for so long, she wasn’t used to being praised on any level.

By now, her part in the battle at the lake as well as the nature of the protective veil of mist around Ferrenden Peace must have become widely known. Appreciation for her efforts swelled from all corners.

Like Vojalie earlier, Rosamunde was very close to bursting into tears. A couple of the women must have understood because they rushed forward and supported her by taking an arm each.

Abigail, Mastyr Gerrod’s blood rose, kissed her on the cheek. “You haven’t met us yet, we’re your sisters of the blood rose. Come with me.”

“Thank you,” she whispered. “I didn’t know what to do.”

“I know,” Abigail whispered back.

On her other side, Samantha, Ethan’s woman said, “It’s all overwhelming, isn’t it? Then we have to make it worse by making a fuss. But you deserve this, Rosamunde. So suck it up!”

Something in Samantha’s manner made Rosamunde smile then laugh. She soon found herself in the middle of a group of women she could relate to. Abigail was right. They were a sisterhood and each would continue to do her part to make the Nine Realms safe again.

When the band struck a jazzy rock tune with a lively beat, Mastyr Malik, his brown hair loose past his shoulders and sexy as anything, took Willow away to dance. Jude, whose massive shoulders practically pushed everyone out of the way, grabbed Hannah and took her twirling into the crowd. He had rhythm and a certain amount of grace he enhanced with levitation.

Lorelei drew close. Rosamunde remembered healing her mortal wounds, delivered while Lorelei had been in her wolf form. She embraced her cousin, a hug that lasted a long time.

Lorelei was Margetta’s estranged daughter. Raised by a lovely troll woman, who had been enslaved to serve as Lorelei’s nanny, Lorelei had gained her fine character from the love and values the nanny had given her. “We have a lot to talk about, don’t we? And now that you’re free to leave Ferrenden Peace, we’ll get together soon.”

Rosamunde had a sudden prescience of being close to not just Lorelei but all the women. Mastyr Seth came for Lorelei and kissed Rosamunde on the cheek. She had a bond with the mastyr because she’d saved his woman. She always thought fondly of the sensitive vampire.

Olivia, Zane’s blood rose, came up to her next. She had a very direct way of looking at anyone and didn’t hold back now. “Heard you kicked ass out at the lake. Well done, Rosamunde, and welcome to hell.” She laughed, which made Rosamunde smile in response.