Christopher slid his dagger back into its sheath. "Perhaps someone wishes us to remain linked together. For what purpose I cannot yet fathom."

"I have no idea either." Rhys turned his head and then spun around in a slow circle. "Where did Rosalind go?"

Christopher smiled. "Into the maze to get away from us, I assume."

Rhys groaned. "I suppose I'll have to go in there and fetch her now."

"How about you let me do that?"

"She won't want to see you, my lord. She isn't happy with you at all."

"I noticed that, which is why I need to talk to her and set a few things straight." Rhys opened his mouth as if to object and Christopher kept talking. "Please, Rhys. Give me this one chance. If she tells me to go to the devil, or that she never wants to speak to me again, I'll gladly leave her alone."

"All right, then, but don't tell her it was my idea."

"I wouldn't dare." Christopher bowed. "I'll take care of her and get her back to bed safely."

"Her own bed." Rhys scowled. "Or I will be demanding a reckoning from you."

"I'll do whatever the lady wishes, I give you my word. Now let me go and find her before she is completely lost."

Christopher headed into the maze and placed his left hand on the left wall. There was no sign of Rosalind, but then she'd had a good start on him. As he walked he pondered the strange meeting he'd only witnessed from afar. Why had the Druids chosen to meet in secret and exactly why had Rosalind returned to court?

He had sensed a growing excitement in the Vampire community these last few months, but of course no one would tell him why. The stain of his mother's turning Vampire was enough to make his loyalty questionable to both his own family and the Vampires who despised impure bloodlines. It was even more apparent since he'd met Rosalind Llewellyn and become linked to her both physically and mentally.

Ahead of him he caught a whisper of sound and went still. Was that Rosalind cursing? A reluctant smile curved his lips. If he didn't find her quickly, she was likely to take her dagger and carve an exit all by herself.

Rosalind spun around in a fruitless circle. All the hedges looked the same now, and she was hopelessly lost. So much for her much-vaunted sense of direction. The maze stifled sound, so she had no sense of the outside, of the wind, of the direction of the huge main buildings. The hedges were over six feet tall and although dense, the branches were spindly and didn't offer the means to climb up and see where she was. Mayhap she would be better off trying to crawl in a straight line right through them.

Rosalind set off once again and found herself in yet another dead end. She kicked out at the hedge trunks and hurt her toe. Low laughter behind her made her spin around, her dagger drawn, her heart thumping.

Christopher swept her an elegant bow. "Are you lost, my lady?"

"Not at all." Rosalind continued to glare at him as he made no move to leave. "I'm just taking a quiet stroll and admiring the greenery."

"In the middle of a dark, cold night?"

"You are doing the same thing, sir."

He advanced a step toward her. "I am looking for you. Rhys and I were worried."

"You and Rhys were threatening each other not half an hour ago!"

"We came to an understanding."

"Men." Rosalind scoffed. "I was hoping you'd kill each other."

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I like Rhys."

"More than you like me, I warrant."

He regarded her seriously, his head to one side. "Sometimes. You bring out both the best and the worst in me."

"As you do me." Rosalind moved closer to the hedge and Christopher immediately copied her action. "I'm surprised you didn't let Rhys come after me."

"We fought over the honor of being your gallant knight."

Rosalind made a rude noise. "Did you lose?"

His smile flashed out. "Rosalind, it is very hard to be angry with you when you are so charming."

She clenched her hands into fists. "I'm not quite sure why you are angry with me at all."

His eyebrows rose. "I thought I'd made myself clear."

"As clear as most men."

"You've ignored me for a year and then you come skipping back to court and expect what? My instant attendance and adoration?"

"What brass! How have I ignored you?"

He advanced toward her. "You never wrote me a single note, not even to tell me you had reached home safely."

"That isn't true."

"Are you claiming you wrote to me?"

"I did!"

"I never received a letter from you." A muscle flicked in his cheek. He had an uncanny ability to slip from affability to anger in but a moment. "I had to take my cap in my hand and ask Elias Warner for news of you."

"But that is who I sent your letter to."

"He never gave me any letter!"

"Probably because it isn't in his best interests for us to be together."

He slapped a hand to his forehead. "And yet, fool that I am, I entrusted him with my letters for you. He promised me he would see them delivered. I should've asked him to whom."

"I never received anything from you." Rosalind stared at Christopher as she imagined him laboring over a letter for her. She found herself wanting to smile. "You truly wrote to me?"

"Of course I did! I even composed some terrible love songs in your honor." He groaned. "Elias must've enjoyed those. I wonder what he did with the letters. I can't wait to ask him."

"Me too." She licked her lips and looked up at him, warmth expanding in her chest. "It was kind of you to write."

"Kind of me?" He scowled at her. "I didn't do it out of kindness." The next moment she was in his arms. "I did it because of this."

He kissed her hard, his mouth taking possession of hers as if he had never left, as if he still had the right to command both her love and her obedience. Rosalind kissed him back, her tongue dueling with his, her hand tight in his crow black hair. When she pushed him away he was breathing as hard as she was.

It was far too easy for her to succumb to his body's demands. She wanted him, and had never forgotten the taste and smell of him. But the thought of her impending mission held her back from complete capitulation. Why did his mind remain as firmly locked against her as hers was to him? What secrets might he be keeping for his Vampire allies?

She stroked his bearded cheek, feathered her fingers over his fine curved lips and reluctantly pulled away. "We have to get out of the maze. Do you know how?"

He frowned. "That's all you have to say? What is amiss, Rosalind, that you don't want to kiss me? Surely now that we have sorted out this muddle we can be at ease with each other?" His smile was a sensual invitation that made her long to wrap herself around him and drown in his kisses. If only it was as simple as a few stolen love letters . . .

She stepped out of his arms and smoothed down her skirts. "I simply wish to leave this maze. It has become quite oppressive."

He regarded her for a long moment and then held out his hand. "Hold on to me, and I'll have you out of here in the twitch of a lamb's tail."

She took his hand and his long fingers entwined with hers. It felt like coming home. He sheathed his dagger and placed his right hand on the prickly green wall. "It's easy. When exiting, you keep your hand on the right side of the hedge and follow it, even into the dead ends."

"That sounds far too straightforward," Rosalind muttered, but she kept hold of him and they were soon back at the beginning of the maze. "Thank you."

He released her, but didn't move away. "What's wrong, Rosalind?"

She tried to smile. "Nothing at all, my lord."

His eyes narrowed and his hand fell to his sword. "Then what were you doing out here in the first place?"

"That is none of your concern."

"Because it was Druid business?"

She shrugged, aware of a chill emanating not just from the breeze, but from Christopher's frosty blue eyes. It seemed the year apart had changed him, made his expression harder and his gaze more wary.

"As you may recall, my lady, Druid business often concerns the Vampires, which makes it my business."

"Is that why you were out here, spying on me?"

"I have a perfect right to protect my own."

"To protect the Vampires? You consider those monsters your own kind, then?"

He bowed and stepped back. "Verily, I was thinking of you, rather than the Vampires."

"I am not yours to protect."

"You are my betrothed."

Rosalind wanted to scream at his obstinate tone. "A temporary aberration, we both know that."

He took her hand and planted a kiss on it. "There's nothing temporary about this betrothal for me." He spun around and stalked off before coming to a halt. "By the rood, I promised Rhys I'd see you back to your bed."

For some reason, Rosalind felt close to tears. "I'm quite capable-"

He turned back and advanced upon her, the threat of retribution gleaming in his eyes. "Rosalind, by all that is holy, accept my escort, or I'll put you over my shoulder and carry you like the carcass of a pig!"

Without speaking, she marched off in the direction of the Clock court, Christopher muttering behind her. How could she trust him when she didn't know his relationship to the Boleyns? He'd seemed on familiar terms with George, but she had yet to see him with the Lady Anne. Whatever he said, and despite his kisses, she couldn't afford to relax with him yet. For all intents and purposes, he was clearly allied with her enemies once more.

Chapter 4.

"Ah, Lady Rosalind, have you returned to court to prepare for your wedding?" King Henry asked, as he extended his beringed hand for Rosalind to kiss.

"My betrothal was certainly part of my desire to return to court, Your Majesty." Rosalind inhaled the king's over-perfumed scent and could detect no hint of a male Vampire's animal stench. As a rare female Vampire slayer, she had an ability to sniff out Vampires purely by scent that was highly valued. To her, the males tended to smell like animals, the females like flowers.

She breathed a silent prayer of relief. Although a faint hint of flowery fragrance hung around the king, he hadn't been turned by a Vampire-yet.

The king raised her to her feet and then sat in his ornate gold chair. Apart from the quiet presence of Sir Henry Norris, the king's groom of the stool, who remained at the door out of earshot, they were alone in the king's most private chamber. In the year of her absence, King Henry had gained several pounds and the chair creaked ominously when he shifted his weight.

"As your grandfather's ill health makes him unable to attend court, I would be more than happy to stand up for you in his place at your wedding."

"That is very kind of you, sire. I hardly deserve such a great honor."

King Henry leaned toward her. "Indeed, you do, my dear. I believe I owe you my life."

Rosalind bit her lip. "As to that, Your Majesty. There are fears that another Vampire plot is in the offing, so I would urge you to be careful."

"Another plot? Is that another of those reasons for your return to court that you spoke of?" The king scowled. "I had hoped that by putting my wife away from me and distancing myself from her foul Spanish servants, I would be safe."

With great difficulty, Rosalind bit back her instinctive desire to defend Queen Katherine. "There are Vampires in every country of the known world."

"Even English Vampires?"

Rosalind thought of Elias Warner's perfect English complexion and cold smile. "Indeed, sire, you should never discount anyone, even those who are closest to you." She had no evidence to bring against the Boleyns yet, and she wasn't foolish enough to blurt out her suspicions to the king before she was prepared. Many had died for much less.

The king narrowed his eyes. "A year ago, I wouldn't even have entertained the thought that these creatures existed. The idea that my father made a pact with the Druids to win the crown of England still befuddles me."

"But remember, sire, my family also made a pact to protect yours, and we will do anything to stop the Vampires taking power."

"As you proved last year, my lady." The king sat back. "I know better now, and I can assure you that I will be wary."

Rosalind sank into another deep curtsy. "I am glad to hear it, Your Majesty. I would hate for harm to befall you."

"In the meantime, you will stay at court to guard my person, Lady Rosalind."

"Yes, sire." Rosalind hesitated. "Do you wish me to resume my service with Queen Katherine?"

The good humor drained from the king's face. "No, you can serve the Lady Anne Boleyn. She is much in my presence and she keeps a godly and pious state. You will do well with her."

Rosalind doubted that, but at least it would give her the opportunity to find out if Jasper's guess was correct and that Anne Boleyn was indeed a Vampire.

The king nodded to Sir Henry to open the door. "Let me know when your wedding is due to take place."