Page 18 of House of Blood and Roses: Vol. 2

Someone clears their throat from beside us, taking me by surprise considering we're in the middle of a dance. I look in that direction and see Bastian standing there with a strange expression on his face.

"I'm cutting in," my brother announces.

Linc lets go of my hand and steps back, making me immediately miss his touch. "Of course, Lord Bastian. Thank you for the dance, Lady Beatrice."

I dip into a curtsy, remembering that even my brother counts as an audience. "Your Highness."

He gives me a lingering look but doesn't say anything else as he makes his way over to where Marcus is talking with Lord Luca at the edge of the dance floor.

Bastian takes Linc's place in the dance, and I feel a lot more on edge as a result.

"It's rude to cut in," I say as we move around the floor.

"I don't trust him," Bastian responds.

I barely resist the urge to roll my eyes. "Do you not like him because of something he's done, or because he's betrothed to me?"

"It's just a feeling I get," he responds. "You should be careful around him."

"This is court, I should be careful around everyone," I counter. "Prince Lincoln is better than many of the people here."

"You don't know that."

"Get to the point, Bastian."

He stumbles slightly as he leads me around the floor. I'm not sure if it's because he doesn't know the steps particularly well, or if he's also on edge because he's dancing with me. We've only partnered one another a couple of times in dance classes before, and it's vastly different from dancing with Linc, or even from someone like Marcus or Lord Luca who I can have a friendly conversation with.

"You shouldn't trust him," Bastian says.

"Yes, you've said that, but you've yet to give me a good reason for that."

The music comes to an end and I pull my hands back immediately. I give him the most basic curtsy imaginable before turning around and heading away from him, not wanting to put up with any more of his ridiculousness.

NINE

The library is weirdly quiet after the business of the ballroom, and I'm glad to be able to have a moment's peace. Not to mention time away from Bastian. I don't know precisely what's gotten into him, but he seems to have become overly paranoid since coming here.

Linc slips the key into the private room and lets us inside. I'm surprised to find there are already refreshments waiting for us and a fire burning in the grate, filling the room with a warm and comfortable glow.

"You planned ahead," I say.

"It is your birthday," he responds. "I want everything to be perfect."

I smile at him, feeling a surge of affection. Not that I need more. My feelings for Linc grow stronger every day, and I don't think there's any escaping them.

"Perhaps we should start with your proper gift," he says.

"You were serious about that?"

"Of course." He takes my hand and leads me over to the table.

"But the necklace is beautiful." I touch it as if to make sure it wasn't some kind of dream. It is beautiful, and so much more extravagant than anything I ever expected to own.

"It is," he agrees. "And I did choose it for you. But I wanted to get you something more personal too." He puts his hand on a book and slides it to me.

"Is this the same kind of book as Bella got me?" I ask.

He chuckles. "No, I figure we only needed one of those."