Page 28 of Blood and Roses

"Alex as in Alexander II?"

"Yeah."

"Wow, you've gotten around, haven't you?"

"I've never gone where I wasn't invited," Saul defended. With his golden good looks and easy personality, Rosa could believe it.

Balthasar staredat the canopy above his bed, muttering a few choice curses in Italian before rolling over. He had replaced thepicture Rosa had knocked over and made sure everything else was in its proper order. He hated his things being moved or touched, which was why he insisted doing his own cleaning in the attic. Cecily, Goode, and the other staff knew this. The whole attic was Balthasar's domain, and they were to keep the hell out of it.

So where did Rosa get off thinking she was above the rules? He rolled over again and put a pillow over his head.What if no one had told her?A small voice whispered.What if she was doing what someone had ordered her to do? What if someone had forced her to go up there?

Balthasar groaned into the mattress and sat up. There was a flask of blood beside his bed, so he drained it to try to take away the gnawing in his stomach. He knew it wasn't hunger; it was old-fashioned guilt. It had been so long that it was a shock to realize he was feeling it. Rosa and her kind smile and her damn pretty hair were makinghimfeel guilty.

The memory of their easy conversation in the kitchen over tea and her radiant smile as she looked over the paintings made the guilt worse. He had made that beautiful smile turn to fear all because he couldn't stand to have someone in his space. His paintings were like his diary, and she had waltzed into his soul and poked about in it, whether she had realized it or not. She had looked delighted by it until he made her run-in fear as if he was some medieval monster.

Balthasar ran a hand through his hair and got out of bed. He was tired from playing host and enduring the endless polite conversation with the other clan leaders. He had to flirt, charm, and threaten to keep the peace. He needed to ensure that they were going to be on their best behavior during the Gathering.

Outside, the late afternoon was raining and bleak. He needed to sleep, but every time he shut his eyes, he saw the fear on Rosa's face. He walked the attic, trying to talk himself out ofdoing the one thing he knew he must—apologize sincerely and make it heartfelt. He couldn't remember the last time he had to do that either.

Maybe you are overreacting, and she was embarrassed about being caught out. Perhaps, you didn't really upset her. She doesn't like the Vanes, and now she never will. He folded his arms stubbornly. Then the thought that she didn't like him, that she could in facthatehim after today, made the pain in his stomach worse.

Balthasar went into the bathroom and washed his face before running his wet hands through his hair to tame it. His traitorous mind wasn't going to let him settle until he talked to her, so there was no point avoiding it any longer.

Rosa had losttrack of the time sitting in the cellar with Saul. Two empty bottles sat in the dirt at their feet, and he was selecting another.

"I like you, Rosa. You are fun to drink with, and you don't get all sad and mopey," he said as he popped a cork out of another bottle and sat back down. "I hate a sad drunk."

"Maybe we should've invited your brother to our cellar party and lightened him up a bit," she said irritably.How dare he upset her so much...and why did she even care? Stupid Balthasar and his stupid letters and his pretty paintings and his sexy frown.

"Good luck with that! He wouldn't know how to get drunk or have fun anymore. Balthasar is a goddamn pillar of self-control." Saul rolled his eyes at her, making her laugh.

"Perhaps, he is trying to set an example for his rebellious, disobedient younger brother," a cool voice said, and Balthasar appeared at the end of the shelving.

Rosa looked away from him angrily. Saul got to his feet again and offered Rosa a hand up. "Busted. That's it. Fun times are over, my dear," he said as she took it. "Come on, I will take you home and see you safely into your bed."

"You will not," Balthasar stated firmly. "Eli is looking for you. I will see that Miss Wylt gets home safely."

"Have it your way... You always do after all. Try not to make her cry again with your personality defects," Saul muttered as he pushed past him. "And don't you forget she is off limits to you too."

"Hey, Saul, thank you for the company. It was nice to talk to a Vane who is actually fun," Rosa said, refusing to look at Balthasar.

Saul smiled beatifically. "Any time you are in need of fun, just call."

Rosa followed him out into the kitchen. It was empty, all save for Vera who was preparing dinner. Saul stole a small apple pie and kissed Vera's cheek when she chastised him.

Rosa walked out of the back door, hoping that Balthasar would stay inside, but she could hear him moving behind her, his eyes burning a hole in the back of her head.

"Go away. I don't need a damn escort. I know my way home," she said angrily, casting a glance over her shoulder. He looked casual and un-kept, dressed in a black V-neck T-shirt, jeans and his blazer from the night before. She hated that she noticed what he was wearing and his stupid sexy stubble. Shehatedthat he had made her cry. "Are you deaf? Stop following me, Bertha. I don't want you or your psycho temper anywhere near me."

"You're drunk, Rosa. I will see you safely home, no matter how rude you are," he said calmly.

"Ha! You've got some nerve lecturing me on being rude," she said, walking backward so she could yell at him to his face. "After today's effort, I'm ready to wipe away all of you Vanes. Here I thought you were the half decent one, but now I know you're just a prat."

"So you spend the afternoon drinking with my morally bankrupt younger brother to show me how much you hate us? That's ridiculous."

"He might be morally bankrupt, but at least he'sniceand doesn't get angry at me for nothing."

"Nothing! You were in my private chambers, uninvited."