“About what?”
“About his love for you.” Elias nodded in Olivia’s direction and she scowled at him. “I should imagine that is it. Sir Rhys would not want her to pine after him as he used to after Lady Rosalind.”
Verity smoothed down her satin skirts. “He still pines for her.”
“I do not believe he does.”
Verity had nothing to say to that and instead turned her gaze toward Olivia. “Perhaps I should try to talk to her.”
“I suspect you are the last person she wishes to speak to at the moment.”
“Are you willing to take on the task?” Verity was aware that her tone was tart, but she didn’t care. To her surprise Elias didn’t answer her immediately as he continued to study Olivia.
“I might be. In a year or so,” he said thoughtfully.
“I am talking about consoling her, not seducing her.”
Elias glanced at her sharply. “That was not what I meant. I am almost four hundred years older than Olivia. I simply might be able to offer her some advice.”
Verity said no more. She rose from her seat and curtsied.
“I will speak to Olivia. It seems only fair.”
“And what if she thinks you come to gloat?”
“I would not do that.”
Elias’s face softened. “I know you would not. But don’t be surprised if she doesn’t wish to speak to you.” He nodded in the direction of Lady Rochford. “I’ll waylay the dragon while you converse.”
Verity frowned at him and made her way across the room to where Olivia had seated herself beside the empty fireplace. She was staring out the window, a pile of tangled swaddling bands on her knee. Verity sat opposite her and cleared her throat.
“Is something troubling you, Olivia?” Olivia looked at her and then looked away, but not before Verity could see the misery in her gaze. “What is wrong?”
“You know.”
“I wish I did. Has something happened to distress you?”
“Yes.”
Verity remained silent as Olivia’s hands twisted in the pile of linen.
“I’m sure Sir Rhys has already told you.”
“He has told me nothing. In truth, I have not seen him since yesterday when I accompanied him to the healer.”
“I saw him last night when he ordered me not to fight with the Druid Vampire slayers.”
“You were fighting?”
“I was . . .” Olivia sighed. “I was taunting them, and one of the slayers tried to run me through.”
Verity brought her hand to her mouth. “And what happened?”
“Sir Rhys insisted on ‘saving’ me, even though I was perfectly safe and could have vanished at any second.”
“And this is what has you so upset?’
“Yes!”
“He must have thought you were in danger if he intervened.”
“Why?”
“Because he would not wish to draw attention to you. Have you forgotten that you are playing a very dangerous game? You are working with your enemies,” Verity reminded her.
“Only to save the queen.”
“A mere human whom most Vampires would consider expendable.”
Olivia started to roll up one of the strips of swaddling linen. “You sound just like Rhys.”
“Because we both want to protect you?”
“I do not need to be protected! I am immortal.” She glared at Verity. “And you and I are almost the same age!”
“And yet you seem very young sometimes. Mayhap it is because Vampires have longer life spans.”
“I will tell you what I told Sir Rhys. I am perfectly capable of making my own decisions and I do not need him, or you, to tell me what to do.”
Verity held her gaze. “And I will remind you that you committed yourself to our cause and we are relying on you to see it through to the end.”
“I will not fail you. I am far more capable than you think.”
“And in danger,” Verity said quietly. “Please don’t forget that.”
Olivia dropped her gaze to the bands of linen and Verity realized she would get no more from her. She rose to her feet, aware that Elias was still watching her from across the room.
Elias stood up as she approached and offered her his arm. “Sir Rhys is nearing the queen’s apartments. Shall we meet him? We have much to talk about.”
Verity agreed and allowed Elias to lead her out of the room. The sun was low in the sky and a cooler breeze had started up, bringing with it the first faint breath of autumn. “How do you know where Rhys is?”
“I can sense his presence. Can’t you?”
“How would I do that?” Verity asked.
“Just picture him in your mind.”
Verity wanted to close her eyes but forced herself not to lest she trip. She thought of Rhys and immediately looked up. “He is just passing the chapel.”
“Exactly, my lady.”
“Can I find you like that as well?”
“I should think so, seeing as Sir Rhys managed to locate me when I spoke with Lady Rochford last night.”
Rhys came around the corner and Verity simply watched him stride toward them, his sword at his side, his expression lightening as he saw her. Every time she saw him it became harder to accept that he was not hers to keep and that she needed to guard her heart.
“My lady, Elias.” Rhys bowed. “I was just coming to find you.”
“Rhys, can you find me in your mind?”
“If I can find Elias, I should imagine that I can find you. Why? Is something wrong?”
“No. I was just experimenting with my new abilities.”
Rhys groaned. “I’m a little afraid to experiment. I seem to be becoming more like Elias every day.”
“That’s because my blood is strong, Sir Rhys, and I suspect Lady Verity’s blood increases all our power.” Elias beckoned them toward a more private area off the pathway. “If we can harness this power, we can use it against the Vampire who preys on the queen.”
“It is very strange, is it not?” Verity said. “Not only can I sense you and Rhys quite clearly, but I can also feel Janus more strongly.” She frowned. “He seems almost familiar.”
“Mayhap that is because his speech sounds Welsh.”
“That’s true. It does,” Verity agreed.
Rhys cleared his throat. “Elias and I think Janus might be from Druid stock.”
A shiver ran through Verity. “Do you mean that someone has betrayed our beliefs and joined
fully
with our foes?” Both men nodded. “That might explain why we hear him so clearly, Rhys, and how he is able to affect us so deeply.”
“Aye.”
“It might also help us destroy him,” Elias added.
“How so?” Verity asked.
“I’m not sure yet, but I believe it will take the combined strength of our blood,” Elias answered. “I think you should consult with your Elders. I’m certain that this particular Vampire is not the first to betray the Druids.”
Verity nodded. “Rhys and I can ask Mistress Hopkins when we see her next.” She hesitated. “I wonder how long it will be before Janus strikes at Queen Jane again.”
“I suppose it depends on when the queen is ready to deliver her child,” Rhys said.
Verity didn’t even want to think about that and found herself looking away from the two men, her heart aching for the queen.
“Lady Rochford will warn me if the Vampire seeks blood from the queen,” Elias reminded them. “We need to be prepared to confront the Vampire and his associates and finish this.”
“That’s right,” Verity said slowly. “I’d almost forgotten. There was a female Vampire present too.”
She looked over at Rhys. “Shall we go see Mistress Hopkins tomorrow?”
“Aye, the sooner the better.” He looked back at the palace and frowned. “Where is Olivia?”
Verity shared a quick glance with Elias, who then disappeared, leaving her to deal with Rhys. “Olivia was not in a very good humor. Elias and I decided to leave her be. I’ll let her know what we discussed when she is in a more receptive mood.”
Rhys grimaced. “Is she still upset with me?”
“I believe she is.”
He sighed. “I had to tell her the truth, Verity.”
“No one likes to hear that they have behaved irresponsibly.”
“Is that what she told you?”
“You didn’t reprimand her for tangling with our slayers?”
“I did, but . . .” He hesitated. “I also told her that I am in love with you.”
“You should not have done that.” Verity half turned away from him and fiddled with her sleeve.
“But she deserved to hear the truth from me.”
“Because you care for her?”
“I care for her, but I do not love her. I love you.”
Verity closed her eyes against the sincerity in his voice. “Rhys . . .”
“What, my heart?”
She opened her eyes and glared at him. “Do not do this to me!”
His smile was both tender and inviting. “Do what? Love you?” He shrugged. “I cannot help that.”
“And I cannot . . .” She gasped as he took her hand and pulled her hard against his chest.
“Cannot what?”
She made the mistake of looking up at him and found she could not look away. He bent down until his nose touched hers and she shivered.
“Kiss me, Verity.”
Her gaze was already riveted on his mouth. “I will not.”
“Why not?”
“Because . . .”
He kissed her nose. “If I mean nothing to you as you claim, surely a kiss should also mean nothing?”
She felt as if her heart was beating too fast to allow her to breathe. “A kiss can lead to other things.”
“Such as?”
Images of making love with him suffused her thoughts and she licked her lips.
She felt Rhys stiffen. “Ah,
cariad
, you will destroy me with thoughts like that.”
She tried to pull away from him and felt her cheeks heating. “You can see what I am
thinking
?”
His smile was so sensual she wanted to drown in it. “Aye. Would you care to share my thoughts?”
He closed his eyes and a moment later her mind was filled with him, the scent of him, the taste of him, the feel of his body moving over and within hers. She wanted to press herself against him and devour him whole.
“Verity.”
By all the saints, his voice was in her head too . . . She moaned his name and he drew her hard against his body so that she was pressed against him from knee to shoulder. Blindly she lifted her mouth to his and kissed him, felt him shudder as she nipped his lip and delved deeper into his mouth.
It was like no other kiss she had ever shared. His body and his mind aligned with hers. Their senses reeling and blending into a sensual bliss that had no beginning and no end. Rhys’s palm flattened over her buttocks and he wrenched his mouth away from hers.
“I want you.”
With all her might, Verity clung to the shreds of her reality—of what taking him inside her would mean. She pushed against his chest.
“I can’t.”
“Because you don’t believe I love you?”
She raised a shaking hand to his cheek. “Because I will not allow you to get me with child and marry me.”
He looked down at her, his face expressionless, and slowly took his hands off her. His breathing sounded harsh and she could see the bulge of his prick pushing against the soft leather of his hose.
“Then I suggest you run away very quickly, because if you keep looking at me like that, I’ll have you in my arms and nothing will stop me from putting you on your back and sliding inside you.”
Verity wiped a shaking hand over her mouth. “You told me you were tired of me running away from you.”
“I was wrong.” He set his jaw. “Please, if you care for me at all, leave.”
Verity nodded and ran. Behind her she heard Rhys cursing quietly in Welsh and she didn’t dare look back. It had been the hardest thing she had ever had to do in her life—walk away from such bliss. Part of her shouted that she was a fool and that she was throwing away the chance to be loved, but she couldn’t forget the past. She just couldn’t.
“Verity . . .”
For a second she thought it was Rhys trying to tempt her back and she stopped running.
“Why don’t you let him have you, my sweet? Are you saving yourself for me?
The scent of death and tainted blood filled her nostrils and she brought her hand to her mouth. Should she answer the monster? Could she?
“Go away,” she whispered. “Leave me alone.”
The Vampire’s mocking laughter filled her head and she wanted to puke into the nearest bush. She couldn’t help it; she found herself turning and running back to where she had left Rhys.