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Her first reaction was to say no, absolutely not. But that would be out of spite for Roland and Dominick putting her in this position for controlling everything in her life, even from afar. From hurting her and shaming her last night.
But if she refused to let Jay go, she would be being petty. She would hurt Jay more in the long run, all for some minor satisfaction now.
They all were trapped here, after all. She might despise the way Dominick treated her and now Jay, but if she refused to even wear a cloak of civility while they had no way out of the palace, then that could lead to their doom far quicker than Dominick was currently willing to allow.
They were already lucky that Dominick hadn't executed them on the spot. In fact, Rosalie found it strange, even how Dominick's entire demeanor had changed when he found out that Jay was his. She hadn't been able to say for sure that revealing the truth would stop him from killing her son, but somehow, it had.
Did that mean something?
She felt like it might. And the way Dominick had worshipped her body just hours before ... there was still an uncanny softness beneath the surface, a reverence that if she could just peel out from beneath the darkness shrouding him—
She shook her head to herself. Right now, forgiving Dominick wasn't one of her priorities.
Rosalie swallowed the hard truth that Jay was presenting her instead. "All right," she whispered. "If you want to go, then you can. But you have to promise me that you'll do your best with your studies and won't slack off at all."
Jay grinned and threw himself at Rosalie, collapsing them back into the pillows in a pile of hugs and silly kisses. "I promise, Mother. I'll do my best."
After a brief fit of tickling, Rosalie finally untangled herself from Jay and placed her feet on the ground. "Go and make yourself presentable, then. I better get dressed if my brother is coming."
Jay jumped off the bed and ran toward the door. But he stopped at the threshold, looking back at her. "Mother ... why didn't you tell me that my father was still alive?"
Her heart leaped into her throat at that question, as inevitable as it was. This wasn't a topic she wanted to talk about right now while she was still so emotionally fragile, but the longer she went without telling Jayhertruth, the more opportunity Dominick had to get into Jay's head with his lies.
"It's complicated, but ... I suppose it's because I was scared he would hurt or take you away from me. Your father isn't a kind man, Jay. You have to keep that in mind when you're around him. Don't let him take away your beautiful heart with his cruelty."
Jay seemed to consider this for a moment, and finally, he nodded. "I forgive you, Mother. I know you only tried to keep me safe like you always have."
And then, before Rosalie could say anything else, the door was closed, and Jay was gone, leaving her with an indescribable ache inside her. Of course, Jay would be upset with her for hiding the fact that his father was alive and well, and oh, the fact that he was aking, from Jay for so long?
With a heavy sigh, Rosalie dressed in a simple gown and wandered out into the sitting room, where two voices were already emanating from.
"What are we going to do today?" Jay said, sitting on the couch and looking up at the taller vampire in front of him.
Roland, Rosalie's brother.
He smirked and crossed his arms. "I bet your mother hasn't taught you anything about being a half-vampire, has she?"
"No, she hasn't had to. I don't crave blood like others, so I never knew the difference."
"That all changes today. I'll teach you all about—"
"Roland, you are not going to teach my son to drink blood," Rosalie interrupted as she walked into the room. "Unlike you, he doesn't need it. His humanity is strong, and I won't allow you to jeopardize that."
"You've always got such a stick up your—"
"He's my son!"
"He's theking'sson, and if he wants to teach Jay to be a real vampire, then you don't have a say in the matter."
Rosalie laughed. "So, you're telling me that Dominick has commanded this, have you?"
Roland's face paled. "Well, no, not exactly."
"If it's not a royal decree, then you'll respect my wishes as Jay's mother, or he will have to take his lessons under my supervision. That's final."
Jay had, at some point, climbed off the couch and come to Rosalie's side. He looped his hand in hers and tugged, and she leaned down so he could whisper in her ear, "It's okay mom, blood is gross. I won't drink any."
His calm, quiet words were more than enough to make Rosalie lower her protective hackles. She trusted Jay far more than Roland, and if he didn't want to drink blood, then he wouldn't.
