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Rosalie flinched at the loud surprise, even though she knew she wouldn't have been able to hide Jay from Roland. Roland's mouth dropped open when he looked at Jay, and for a few moments, he seemed unable to speak.
Then, he muttered in disbelief, "A child? What on earth is a child doing here?Howis there a child?"
Rosalie stepped forward and positioned herself between Jay and Roland. "It's not what you think, please—"
"Not what I think!" Roland laughed. "Sister, you have no idea what I'm thinking. Now tell me where this child came from at once."
She opened her mouth to protest and beg that he not tell Dominick, but she stopped herself short. Roland had inadvertently revealed that he didn't realize right away that Jay washerchild, and she could use that information to their advantage.
"Do you promise you're not going to hurt him?" Rosalie asked carefully.
"Hurt him? What do you think I am, a monster?" Roland scoffed. "I assure you, he won't come to any harm, so long as you tell me the truth."
Rosalie took a deep breath before she began lying through her teeth. "He's one of the servants' sons, he snuck into the castle shortly before the curse struck, and he's been stuck here ever since, just like everyone else."
"How haven't we seen him before now?"
"Do you often make a habit out of hanging with the servant women?" Rosalie asked, giving him a pointed stare. "No, of course, you don't. They're invisible to you and most of the vampires unless you've been given permission to feed on them. So why would you have ever seen him?"
Roland frowned. "I suppose that's true." He crouched by Jay, beckoning him closer. "Come here, boy. Let me get a better look at you."
Jay looked up at Rosalie, silently asking for permission.
"Go along, it's okay," Rosalie assured him. "This is my brother, Roland. He's promised to be gentle."
Jay carefully shuffled toward Roland. "You have a brother?"
The hint of confusion and betrayal in Jay's voice made Rosalie's heart squeeze. This was the first time he and Roland were meeting, and Jay was old enough to know this meant Roland was his uncle. But Rosalie had made an effort never to talk about Roland in Jay's presence.
"I wish I had a brother," Roland said as he examined Jay. "But instead, I've been stuck with a sister who hasn't wanted to look at me in fifteen years. Guess she's all I have now." He chuckled and ruffled Jay's hair affectionately. "Now I wonder, why are you the one taking him out for a stroll instead of his mother?"
"Because she's on duty all the time in the castle," Rosalie said easily. "And I like to come out during the day, the sunlight is good for my complexion. So is good for young children to get time in the light. It made sense for me to take the burden from his mother and get some company in the meantime."
"So you've been taking him out for quite some time, then?"
She nodded, and after a moment, Roland rose to his feet. "This isn't what I expected to find out here, sister, but I suppose the king will be far less enraged to find you escorting a child through the woods rather than meeting a secret lover."
A flash of anger rose from Rosalie's belly. "So he sent you out here to spy on me, did he?"
Roland laughed. "I told him you would realize it was odd for me to come looking after you, even if I didn't say anything about the king. Yes, he sent me after you, and yes, I will have to tell him about the boy. But, I'll leave you two to it for today, and I'll come back for questions another day, hmm? Now that the truth is out ... you can't hide from Dominick anymore."
He turned away and disappeared into the trees, leaving Rosalie clutching Jay's shoulders for dear life. Depending on how Dominick reacted to this news ... this could be the last time she ever held her son.
She couldn't help but think back to Aelwen's words, and how easily they could all escape the cursed palace if the target of the curse died.
But could Rosalie kill King Dominick, the father of her son, if that was the only way for them to be freed?
Or would she have no choice but to consider the alternative—finding a way to love him, and then dealing with the consequences of that?
Chapter 4 - Dominick
"A child, you say?"
Dominick leaned against the mantel and glared into the flickering flames at the bottom of the pit. They lashed at the wood like angry vipers devouring a meal, and their writhing, insubstantial bodies mimicked very much how Dominick felt right them.
"Yes, Your Majesty," Roland said from behind. "I found her out in the woods playing with him. I suppose they intended to have a picnic before I came along. It was surreal, seeing her in the presence of a child. She said the boy belonged to one of the servants in the palace, but they seemed very familiar with one another."
"You suspect she's still hiding something?"
