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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.

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