Mark of the Rose: The Tudor Vampire Chronicles (28 page)

Read Mark of the Rose: The Tudor Vampire Chronicles Online

Authors: Kate Pearce

Tags: #Romance, #Paranormal, #Fiction

BOOK: Mark of the Rose: The Tudor Vampire Chronicles
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“It is. You just don’t want to see it.”
She opened her mouth to reply and he held up his hand. “Shall we agree not to argue about this now? We have other things to discuss.”
“More important things, I hope?” Verity asked.
His smile made her feel warm. “Nothing is more important than how we feel about each other, but I fear we are at cross-purposes and that nothing I say will change that tonight.”
“Or ever,” Verity muttered. Why couldn’t he understand that they weren’t alike at all? He’d been dealing with a fantasy while she’d had to experience the real thing.
“May I walk you back to the queen’s apartments?”
“If you must,” Verity said ungraciously.
“Oh, I must.” He took her hand and placed it on his left arm. “And perhaps you can tell me what you were doing with the king.”
“I asked him to move the queen into the seclusion of the Hampton Court lying-in apartments with all speed. I told him that it would be easier to guard the queen there without the rest of the court present.”
“Unfortunately her family will still be around her.”
“I mentioned that to the king. He was most suspicious of my intentions, but I managed to persuade him not to allow her family to visit her too often or at night.”
“You were very brave.”
His admiration made her want to preen like a peacock and she had to quell the urge to smile at him. She reminded herself that she no longer had to seek his approval.
“I merely did my job.”
They reached the closed doors of the queen’s apartments and Verity took her hand off his arm.
“Thank you for your escort, sir.”
He smiled at her and bowed low before reclaiming her hand. He kissed her knuckles and then turned her hand over and kissed her palm. The faint rasp of his stubble stirred every inch of her skin and she shivered.
“Are you cold, my lady?”
“No, I’m . . .” She made the mistake of looking into his hazel eyes and was lost in their beauty. She wanted to keep hold of his hand and walk with him up the stairs to bed. But then she might get with child.
“My lady?” he murmured.
She pulled out of his grasp and curtsied. “Good night, Sir Rhys. Perhaps I’ll see you in the morning.”
He regarded her seriously for a long moment. “There is no ‘perhaps’ about it, Lady Verity. We will continue to see each other often. I am tired of you running away from me.”
She turned and ran up the stairs before she said or did something she might regret.
Chapter 18
 
V
erity waited in the shadows thrown by the lofty walls of Hampton Court. It was already past midnight. She studied what little she could see of the unfamiliar grounds with great interest. Compared to the sprawling layout of Richmond Palace, Hampton Court seemed very modern with its towering chimneys and huge kitchens. She had been there for only a day and yet she already felt at home.
Thank the gods the king had listened to her. Hardly a week had passed before the queen was installed in her lying-in chambers at the palace with a small number of her ladies, while the majority of the court remained elsewhere.
Verity had reluctantly come to agree with Rhys and Elias that the Vampire was unlikely to kill Queen Jane outright until the baby was safely born. As a result, she now felt slightly better about leaving the queen for a night while she went to the stone circle with Rhys, Elias, and Olivia.
A sick feeling settled in her stomach. If they did not succeed tonight, would Rhys soon look as ill as the ailing queen? Despite being at odds with him, she didn’t want that. He was one of the most vibrant men she had ever met and she would hate to see him grow weak.
She sighed and studied the almost full moon. He hadn’t said anything more to her about his supposed change of feelings and she hadn’t asked. Part of her hoped they could go back to being friends again, while the rest of her fought against the fragile, impossible hope that he had truly meant what he’d said . . .
Verity heard a blackbird’s whistle to her left and turned to see Rhys approaching her.
“My lady?” Rhys touched her shoulder. “I have horses ready for us. The stone circle is not on the palace grounds.”
“Will we meet Olivia and Elias there?”
“Aye. They’ll meet us outside the circle. They would not be admitted without us, or at least Olivia would not. Elias is a different matter. He seems to be quite welcome.”
Verity allowed Rhys to boost her into the saddle, and tried to ignore the catch of his breath as he briefly held her full weight. She was wearing her boy’s garb, which made riding far easier and more pleasurable. Rhys mounted his black horse and set off, Verity behind him. He left the palace grounds and headed across the open fields, skirting around those that had not yet been harvested to avoid damaging the crops.
It seemed to take no time at all for them to reach their destination. They appeared to have stopped beside a small copse of oak trees, although Verity could see nothing that looked anything like a Druid stone circle.
Rhys appeared at her side and held out his arms. “Let me help you, my lady.”
Verity forced a smile. “I’m quite capable of dismounting by myself.”
His hands closed around her waist and he brought her down until she was trapped between him and the horse. He smoothed a hand over her face, fingered an errant strand of hair that had escaped her braid and tucked it behind her ear.
“I am still capable of holding you,
cariad
.” His thumb grazed her lower lip. “Don’t ever doubt that.”
“Your shoulder . . .”
He kissed her lightly on the lips. “My shoulder is fine.” His soft voice warmed her and made her want to wrap him in her arms and keep him safe.
She swallowed hard. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
His smile was full of sweetness. “You could never do that.” He cupped her chin in his hand. “If this night does not turn out as we wish, I want you to remember that I love you.”
Tears threatened and she frowned at him. “That’s not fair.”
“To tell you how I feel when my life might end?” He kissed her again. “I only wish I’d realized it earlier. I wish I’d looked back at you when you were fourteen instead of at Rosalind.”
“But I wasn’t the same person.” She hesitated. “If you had asked for my hand then, I would have married you and had your children and known nothing else.”
His smile was bittersweet. “And this is better?”
“Yes, it is. I’ve learned so much by coming to court and fulfilling my dreams.”
He chuckled. “Verity Llewellyn, Vampire slayer.”
“Yes, but it’s not only that. I’ve had you to share the experience with.”
Rhys rested his forehead against hers. “If there is one thing I will regret more than life, Verity, it will be not marrying you. If I don’t survive this, and you carry my child, promise me that you will go home to Pembrokeshire and tell Sir John. He will care for you.”
“I know he will.”
“And if you aren’t carrying my babe?”
She held his troubled gaze. “I’ll stay here and avenge you. I swear it.”
“What more could a man ask for?” He touched her face. “Don’t cry,
bach
.”
“I’m not crying.” She shook her head and became aware that he was right: Tears were streaming down her cheeks. “Rhys, I wish we had more time . . .”
His head came up and he drew his dagger. “Is that you, Elias?”
“Indeed. I have Olivia with me too.” Elias emerged from the bushes. “We were beginning to wonder where you were.”
Verity was glad it was dark as she hurriedly wiped her face on her sleeve. Rhys took her hand and squeezed it hard. “We were just coming.”
Verity let him guide her down the slope of the valley that fell away in front of them. At the bottom of the basin sat an ancient stone circle that seemed to glow in the soft moonlight. The sound of trickling water came from the other side of the glade, but Verity could not see a stream.
“You have been here before, Rhys?” Verity whispered.
“Many times.” Rhys looked as if he was caught up in his memories. “On the last occasion, Anne Boleyn tried to kill Christopher and her brother George kidnapped Elias.”
“I have never been in the circle before, Lady Verity,” Olivia said, biting her lip. “I was not allowed in last time.”
“We should all be safe tonight,” Rhys said firmly. “The Elders have agreed that we have need of the altar stone. They will protect us from harm.”
Despite Rhys’s words Verity still felt worried. There was a sense of something watching and waiting that wasn’t connected to the gods. She shivered as Rhys let go of her hand and stepped across the perimeter of the circle. The air seemed to shimmer and then vibrate around him like a curtain. Perhaps her uncomfortable feelings were because they all carried Vampire blood within them and the stones simply didn’t like it.
She chided herself for being so fanciful and watched while Elias and Olivia walked forward. Olivia looked more apprehensive than either of the men and Verity moved instinctively toward her and took her hand.
Rhys had already reached the center of the bluestone circle and was busy building a small fire to alert the gods to their presence and to ask for their help. He struck a flint and produced a spark that greedily ate into the dried grass beneath the small twigs and leaves. As the smoke rose, Verity inhaled the bitter scent of willow bark and sage and the sweeter aroma of rosemary.
When Rhys stood up, his gaze swept over them all and came to rest on Elias. “I hope this works, for all our sakes.”
“So do I,” Elias replied as he shrugged out of his plain brown doublet to reveal the soft white of his linen shirt. “I’m sure Olivia will keep us safe.”
“I will do my best,” Olivia answered as she approached the ancient stone altar and stared dubiously down at the carved symbols. “If any of you appear to be weakening I will pull you away from the altar and break the connection.”
“If the stones allow it,” Rhys murmured as he ran his hand along the rugged surface of the altar. “The stones crave blood almost as much as a Vampire does and, as Druids no longer practice human sacrifice, they are probably quite hungry.”
“Stones do not feel,” Olivia scoffed. “They aren’t alive.”
Rhys looked at her, his mouth a hard line as he removed his own leather jerkin. “Do not mock what you do not understand, my lady. These stones have been here longer than you or I, or even Elias.”
Verity stepped between Olivia and Rhys and went to roll up the sleeve of her shirt. “Should I cut here, by the mark of Awen, or should I use my other arm?”
Rhys considered her wrists. “Cut by the mark. I suspect it will add to the power of your blood.”
“It certainly makes Lady Verity’s blood taste better than any I’ve ever sampled before,” Elias said as he too bared his arm and came to stand opposite Verity at the altar.
Rhys moved to stand at the head of the altar between them and slowly pulled up his right sleeve. “How will we know when we have given enough blood?”
“I do not know.” Elias frowned. “I assume it must be a significant amount, although hopefully there being three of us will make it more bearable.”
Verity shivered and Rhys looked at her seriously. “We do not have to do this. I am not worth your lives.”
“Yes you are,” Olivia said fiercely. “I will watch over you all, and if
any
of you looks near death, I promise I will break the blood bond.”
“Then let us proceed,” Elias said. “Do you have the dagger, Sir Rhys?”
Rhys produced an ancient dagger that Mistress Hopkins had given him and held it over the altar. He closed his eyes and murmured a prayer.
“May the gods accept this willing blood sacrifice and bind us together in strength and unity.”
He cut into his own wrist and a line of red immediately appeared and started to grow wider. He cut Verity next, and then Elias before handing the knife to Olivia.
Verity reached forward and held her hand up over the center of the altar. Elias and Rhys did the same thing and locked their fingers with hers until their wrists were touching. She closed her eyes as she inhaled the immense power in Elias, the deadly sickness in Rhys, and the unfamiliar scent of her own blood.
Their blood pooled in the small hollow in the center of the altar. Rhys slowly bore their hands down toward the stone and plunged them into the rapidly disappearing blood.
Her heart started to beat more slowly and she swayed forward, felt Rhys and Elias readjust their grip and keep her close. Even with her eyes closed, it was disturbing to hear the drip of their blood above their harried breathing, to feel the slide of wet, bloodied skin on skin.
But then she was slipping away from them and into a soft feather bed where everything was white . . . Elias was leaning over her, his gaze ardent, and she brought her hand up to touch his perfect face. She saw her reflection in his silver eyes and realized she was someone else.

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