27. Dimitri
“ So we really did succeed,” Rosalie murmured, sounding like the events of the last few hours still hadn’t sunk in.
She looked back at him, and he could barely restrain himself from taking her in his arms again. If only their blasted audience would truly disappear.
“I’m sorry I was late,” Rosalie said softly. “Jace tried to stop me coming. He wanted to get rid of you so he could take the manor.”
Dimitri shuddered. Despite his previous intention, he pulled her close, leaving one hand at her waist. He couldn’t hold her properly, but he needed to feel the living, breathing warmth of her beside him.
“If he touched you…” he breathed darkly.
Jace had wanted to take his home and his new wealth, but he guessed the weasel had wanted to take Rosalie as well. He probably saw her as another prize to be claimed. But Rosalie had chosen Dimitri.
His breath caught as he relived her declaration. He had been lost in a dark haze, but her words had reached him, along with the feel of her tears on his face. He had wanted to tell her not to cry, but he hadn’t been able to form the words until her confession suddenly revived him to full strength.
More than full strength. He could probably uproot mountains single-handedly from the force of her love and her safe return.
“I’m fine,” she said quickly. “I really am. Avery helped me escape not too long after dawn. I’ve mentioned her before, do you remember? The peddler girl. And then the triplets showed up to help as well. So I had plenty of assistance.”
“The triplets?” Dimitri’s brow creased. “They weren’t there when Jace came for you?”
“What matters,” Oscar said quickly, “is that the two of you succeeded—with our help. And now we can all be free of the Legacy.”
“Not completely free,” Daphne said cheerfully. “There’s still nothing but roses and hedges in this garden.”
“Personally, I just want the kissing to stop.” Vernon eyed Dimitri darkly. “No brother should have to watch an exhibition like that. I think my eyes were about to jump out of their sockets and run for the hills.”
“ I think you have some explaining to do,” Dimitri said in a voice that made all three boys take a step backward. “And it sounds like you each have a pouch of gold to return to me as well.”
Rosalie looked as if she expected them to protest, but Dimitri knew better. He didn’t know the details, but they had clearly behaved irresponsibly and allowed Rosalie to fall into danger. From their demeanor, they knew it too.
They all lowered their eyes, scuffing their feet and remaining silent. He was tempted to give them a few more pithy truths, but he stayed his tongue. They clearly knew their error and were feeling bad enough already.
Rosalie put her hand on his arm. “They’ve already apologized,” she said quietly before turning a stern look of her own on them. “But they have two pouches of coins to return.”
Dimitri raised an eyebrow, a general idea of what had happened starting to take shape. Maybe he would need a few follow up words with the triplets—later, at a more private moment. They weren’t likely to be receptive while Daphne was present and listening.
“The details can wait for later,” he said. “But what about Jace? Where is he now?”
Rosalie grimaced. “I have no idea. All I cared about was getting back to you as quickly as possible. We couldn’t stay to deal with Jace because I was worried…”
She looked at him with a shade of her past fear lurking in her eyes, and it took great willpower not to take her in his arms and kiss the shadow away.
“Thank you,” he said instead. “I appreciate that. But it does leave us with an…unfinished problem.”
He glanced from Daphne to the triplets who were still lurking nearby with uncertain expressions.
“I’m very grateful you broke the enchantment when you did, but unfortunately it means we’ve lost our primary advantage. We no longer have any invisible forces.”
“But Jace doesn’t have many men either,” Rosalie said. “He only had four left—at least from what I saw in the woods. And the triplets injured two of them. I don’t think those two will be feeling well enough to fight anytime soon. So that just leaves Jace and two men. We outnumber him for once.”
“But we also don’t know where he is or what he’s planning.” Dimitri hesitated. “None of us believe this will be enough to make him give up, do we?”
All five of them shook their heads.
“He talks as if he thinks he’s entitled to the manor and its wealth,” Rosalie said regretfully. “I’m afraid he’s more likely to be angry than resigned.”
“Then we need to act quickly before he can hire more men,” Dimitri smiled, feeling a violent satisfaction at finally being released to search for Jace himself. “That’s twice now he’s abducted you. I don’t intend to leave him free to try it a third time.”
A flash of color flew past, and a parrot landed on Rosalie’s shoulder. She jerked backward in surprise, but it kept its grip.
“Intruders!” it squawked. “Foxes in the hen house! Locusts in the wheat!”
“We aren’t intruders,” Rosalie said in exasperation, but she was smiling fondly at the bird.
Dimitri frowned. “Are you sure it means us?”
An echoing bang rang across the garden—like a large door thudding closed. Dimitri didn’t wait to see the others’ reactions, taking off at full speed toward the manor doors. When he arrived, both of them were firmly closed.
He knew he had stumbled out of the doors at some point that morning, but he could barely remember it. All his memories from Rosalie’s absence were hazy. He looked toward Daphne. She was frowning.
“I definitely locked it,” she said. “You were too ill to think of it, so I took your key out of your pocket to do it.” She held it out to him. “I’d already given the master key ring to Vernon, so I had to use your key instead.”
“Why would you give the master ring to Vernon?” Rosalie demanded.
“Dimitri was staying here, and he already had a key,” Daphne explained. “So since we were splitting up, I thought each group should have keys. Of course, that was when I thought the boys were actually going to be with you…”
Dimitri tried to turn the key Daphne had just given him in the lock. It didn’t work.
He turned grimly to Vernon. “So where exactly is that second key ring?” he asked.
Vernon thrust his hands into his pockets only to go still, his face turning pale. He searched around more frantically but failed to produce any keys.
Rosalie groaned. “Were you the one who tackled me in the woods?”
“I didn’t tackle you!” he protested. “I just pulled you out of harm’s way.”
“And we both fell,” she said. “So I’m guessing that’s when you lost the keys.”
“Jace was there?” Dimitri asked, already knowing the answer.
Vernon nodded miserably. “I’m sorry.”
“So Jace found the keys you’d dropped in the forest,” Dimitri mused aloud. “He must have guessed what they were for and come straight here. And he conveniently found us all in the garden.” He sighed. “So he’s inside now, and he’s left his key in the lock to stop us using ours. Honestly, it could be worse. At least we know where he is now. I wonder if he’s thought to bar the other doors?”
“He might not have if he doesn’t need long,” Rosalie said. “His plan might be to wait until we circle the building trying other doors, and then he’ll escape back out the front door with whatever he’s stolen.”
Dimitri glanced at her. He wasn’t convinced Jace would be content with just stealing a few valuables. But even if he was, Dimitri didn’t intend to let him get away with it.
“This way.” He hurried along the front of the manor. “The door in the conservatory is closest. And Jace likely doesn’t know about it, so I doubt he’s secured it from the inside.”
“I never noticed an outside door in the conservatory,” Oscar said doubtfully. “Are you sure there’s one there?”
“It’s half size,” Rosalie explained. “We think the gardeners used it to shovel soil and move plants in and out. So they wouldn’t have to carry them as far, or trail dirt through the manor.”
They reached the conservatory at a half run, taking only a moment to locate the door. Dimitri used his key to open it, dropping to his hands and knees and crawling through first.
It was a tight fit, and at one point he feared his clothes had been caught. But he managed to force his way into the glassed room. And he was the largest. If he’d made it through, the others would as well.
He didn’t wait to watch them enter, crossing straight to the room’s main door and easing it open. No one was visible in the corridor beyond, so he stepped through.
“Wait!” Rosalie hissed behind him, and he glanced back.
He wanted to rush ahead, to face the danger on his own. He hated the thought of Rosalie being at risk yet again. But they didn’t even know where the danger was. Despite his impatience, it was safer for them all to stay together.
Daphne and the triplets crowded behind Rosalie, although he wasn’t sure which boy was which. He had learned to tell them apart by their voices, and he was still getting used to who was who by appearance.
“We outnumber them,” he said, “but they might be armed. No one do anything rash.” He focused his words toward the boys, but after their latest mistakes they were too subdued to behave rashly.
He drew his sword, and Rosalie gave a start at the sight of it. He frowned. Was she afraid? She had never reacted to the weapon before.
But she didn’t look fearful as she retrieved something from her boot. When she straightened, she was holding the hilt of a miniature dagger, the blade still enclosed in an equally small scabbard. Apparently, the sight of his weapon had reminded her that she had one of her own. If something that tiny could even be considered a weapon.
She looked at him and gave a classic Rosalie smile. “I can explain it,” she whispered, “or we can find Jace before he steals everything the Legacy gave us.”
He grinned back. “I vote we find Jace.”
He led them down the corridor, Rosalie following with Daphne at her side.
“Do you have one for me?” Daphne whispered behind him.
“Sorry, she only gave me one,” Rosalie murmured back, spiking his curiosity.
He couldn’t imagine why anyone would want a dagger so small it could do little damage. He preferred his sword steady in his hand any day.
The entryway seemed the best place to start, so he headed straight there. He was rewarded by the sight of three men descending the last of the main stairs. The one in front—Jace—carried a slim case, while the other two huffed with the shared weight of a closed chest.
Rosalie had been right. They’d gone straight for the locked rooms and were already trying to get out again.
Dimitri strode forward, standing in the middle of the entryway and meeting Jace’s eyes.
“I already told you that you’re not welcome here.”
Jace laughed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I have a key.” He held up the master key ring with one finger. “Do you really think the guards will appreciate being dragged into a family squabble?”
Rosalie joined Dimitri, and he had to squash the instinct to sweep her back, out of danger.
“I already told you that I won’t let you get away with your lies!” she cried to Jace, her whole body quivering with fury.
Dimitri tensed. They were talking about something he didn’t understand, and he hated the reminder of all the threats Jace had made to Rosalie. What had he said to her now?
“But I’m not lying.” Jace’s smug smile moved from Rosalie to Dimitri. “Can’t you tell by looking at us?”
Rosalie’s indignation faltered, her brow creasing as her eyes traveled between them. She didn’t have to answer. He already knew she’d noticed a similarity between him and Jace. Even Wyatt had commented on it at the Mortar and Pestle.
Dimitri stared at Jace, trying to analyze his features objectively. He supposed he could see a similarity—in general coloring if nothing else. And their eyes were quite alike. But Jace lacked the straight nose that graced a number of portraits in the manor and which Dimitri also saw in his mirror.
“I don’t care what you look like,” Rosalie said, recovering her fire. “You’re not a distant cousin of the old lord, and no one around here is going to believe nonsense like that. You’re forgetting that everyone in Thebarton knows your true colors. And my family isn’t going to retract our claim against you either.”
“It’s true that I’m no relative of the old lord,” Jace said, admitting the truth with surprising alacrity. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not a relative of Dimitri.” His smile grew. “Why do you think I came to Thebarton in the first place? I found no sign of my brother back then, only a useless, derelict building. Happily I discovered you instead.”
Dimitri fell back a step, grinding his teeth at Jace’s revelation. His claim was a mockery of Dimitri’s dream of finding his family. But he was certain that Jace, at least, believed his words were true.
Rosalie sucked in a breath, and Dimitri’s field of vision darkened even further. Jace had come to Thebarton because of him. That meant Dimitri had been indirectly responsible for everything that had happened to Rosalie and her family.
“Brother?” she whispered.
It came out as a question, but he could already see the dawning acceptance on her face. The sight stung, although it shouldn’t. They had both known his father was not an estimable man, so it was no surprise he didn’t raise estimable men either.
Rosalie’s hand gripped his arm, clearly trying to convey reassurance. He smiled down at her. He didn’t like the idea of sharing blood with Jace, but if she thought he was shaken by the revelation, she didn’t need to worry. He might not have any family around him at that moment, but he had been raised by family. He knew enough about what family meant to know that Jace was no family of his.
“Any blood we share isn’t blood I claim,” he said coldly to Jace. He had already guessed what the connection must be. “You are no family of mine.”
Jace’s expression turned ugly. “I shouldn’t be surprised. You’re just like your mother, I see. The only family you’re interested in are the rich and powerful ones.” He spat on the stone floor of the entryway.
“Is that what your father told you?” Dimitri asked.
“Our father,” Jace countered quickly, but Dimitri continued.
“If he said Mother abandoned him because he was poor, he lied. He was the one to leave her.”
“If he did, it was the old lord’s fault,” Jace said bitterly. “He rejected our father first. He was so stingy—so determined to hold onto his wealth and not share it with anyone—that he turned his back on his own son-in-law. If our father left your mother, it’s because your grandfather forced him into it.”
“My grandfather shared his wealth with a great many people,” Dimitri said calmly. “His objection to your father was due to his character, not his status. But where is your father now? If he feels he has a right to this place, why are you here instead of him?”
“He’s dead.” Jace said the word baldly and without feeling. “When I was a child, the old lord came searching for us—as if he hadn’t done enough damage already. He revealed to everyone that my father already had a wife and child. When my mother discovered her marriage was invalid, she took ill. She was useless after that, and I’m fortunate I was old enough that Father took me with him when he left. My mother’s family turned their backs on us, so he had no choice but to seek other funds.”
“You mean he had to find someone new to cheat,” Dimitri said bluntly.
Jace shrugged. “He cheated the wrong people eventually. He died several seasons back in a tavern brawl after he was caught cheating at cards. It was the old lord who reduced him to such straits, so it seemed fair I should come and claim something of his in exchange.” He looked around the building. “It’s just fortunate you turned up and inspired the Legacy to get involved. It was slim pickings before that. Whereas now…”
He opened the case in his hands and displayed the glittering jewels inside to Rosalie.
“I would have placed these around your neck with my own hands. You should have accepted my offer when you had the chance.”
“I don’t want anything from you,” Rosalie said stiffly, but Dimitri could tell she was as awed by the jewels displayed inside the case as he was.
The lustrous gems were larger than any he’d ever seen, and the craftsmanship of the jewelry was of the highest quality. The one case contained a selection of necklaces, bracelets, rings, earrings, and tiaras, each piece beautiful enough to meet the approval of a queen. On his journey to the manor, he had seen storefronts proudly displaying much lower quality wares.
“Is this something you should store in the bottom of your wardrobe?” Jace asked chidingly. “You were wasting it anyway, so why not share with family?”
Rosalie grimaced at Dimitri and whispered, “I guess I should have checked the furniture in my chamber more closely.”
He shook his head. Rosalie needed no adornment.
“Enough of this,” he said wearily to Jace. “Put down what you’ve stolen and leave. I owe neither you nor your father anything. You want consideration for shared blood between us? Fine. If you walk out that door now and keep going—never returning to Thebarton nor coming near any of us again—I’ll let you go. But this is your only chance.”
The two men behind Jace shifted uncomfortably, sharing a glance. When they put down the chest, Dimitri hoped they might leave. But instead they drew weapons, one pulling out a sword and the other a knife. He tensed.
“I’m disappointed, brother,” Jace murmured, his soft voice dangerous.
“And I, likewise,” Dimitri replied.
He eased in front of Rosalie, his sword ready and legs poised to lunge. But Jace signaled to his men, and they lunged not toward Rosalie, but toward Daphne.
They moved quickly, reaching her before Dimitri could change direction and intervene. The knife wielder seized her from behind, holding his blade to her throat, while the one with the sword held back the outraged triplets.
“It doesn’t do to get predictable,” Jace said with a satisfied smile as his men retreated in his direction, dragging Daphne with them. “And now unless you want to see this woman dead, I recommend you put down your weapon, stand aside, and let us leave in peace. We’ll call this a small gift between brothers. I’m sure no one would question such a thing.”
Dimitri glanced sideways at Rosalie. She had one hand hidden in her skirts, hiding her tiny weapon, and she was staring at him with pleading eyes. What was she trying to communicate?
He didn’t need to guess, though. There was no way Rosalie would risk her friend’s life.
Reluctantly he put his sword down, and even more reluctantly he kicked it away when Jace indicated to do so. As he backed toward the side of the entryway, he swept Rosalie with him, keeping his attention on Jace.
He stopped after only a few steps, unwilling to go too far from Daphne. She had been silent since the moment of her capture, and her eyes were fixed on Rosalie as if urging her to do something.
His ears caught the tiniest whisper of steel against leather, and he tensed. Had Rosalie just drawn her minuscule dagger?
Jace walked back to the chest. He needed to carry it himself now that his men had their hands full. His distraction meant he missed the tense readiness in Rosalie’s stance, and the way her eyes didn’t leave Daphne’s.
The two girls held each other’s gaze for a moment before Daphne flicked her eyes in a half-formed nod.
Rosalie responded instantly. Stooping, she slid the naked dagger across the floor toward Daphne and her captor. At the exact moment she moved, Daphne began to wail, her body shaking with distress.
“She’s going to faint!” Dimitri shouted, not sure exactly what was happening but grasping that some sort of distraction was underway.
Jace and the swordsman both turned to look at Daphne as she swayed. The man holding her was struggling to support her weight while still keeping his blade in place. As she sagged sideways, he staggered with her, taking a step at the exact moment that Rosalie’s spinning blade slid under his foot.
He stepped down on it, the force of his body’s weight driving the razor-sharp blade through the leather of his sole. Dimitri expected to hear a shout as it pricked his foot, but instead he froze. For a second he stood there, motionless, and then his arms and legs relaxed, and he crashed to the floor.
The moment his knife arm loosened, Daphne slumped to the ground herself, sliding away from his blade in a much more graceful movement than his. As soon as she was free, Rosalie shouted, “Now!”, and the entire entryway erupted into movement.
Dimitri threw himself across the room toward his sword, snatching it from the ground and spinning toward the remaining armed man. He brought up his blade just in time to meet the descending blade of his opponent in a deafening clang.
All three triplets surged toward Daphne, each attempting to grab her and rush her to safety.
“Not me!” she cried, pointing toward Jace. “Him!”
Dimitri parried again, blocking another thrust from his opponent and preventing him from moving toward the others. He had to keep the man contained, but it was a desperate struggle not to be distracted by the sight of Rosalie moving in the corner of his eye.
Like him, she had also dived for her blade, pulling it free of the downed man’s boot. Dimitri still didn’t understand what had happened to Daphne’s captor, but clearly it was a more powerful weapon than he’d realized.
He blocked another attack from his opponent, responding with a lunge of his own that sent the man scurrying backward. The movement opened a clear path for Rosalie to run toward Jace and she did so, dagger outstretched.
Jace pulled a hidden knife from the back of his waistband, causing Dimitri to forget all about his own fight.
“Rosalie! Watch out!” he shouted.
The silver of a falling sword flashed in the corner of his eye, and he swung his own blade up wildly in defense. Leaping backward, he barely managed to escape the oncoming blade.
Frantic energy coursed through him as he regained his balance. He couldn’t waste any more time on his own battle.
Lunging forward, his sword danced in a complicated series of movements. The final thrust disarmed his opponent, sending his blade flying. It landed with a clang, sliding across the floor until it hit the far wall.
Dimitri instantly spun toward Rosalie, braced to see her injured and bleeding. But instead, he saw a struggling mass of bodies and heard Jace screaming his anger.
In the chaos, the triplets had managed to get behind Jace. When he had drawn his knife on Rosalie, all three of them must have launched themselves at him. They had attached themselves to three of his limbs and were hanging there, weighing him down.
Jace was attempting to turn his knife against them, but since both of his arms were weighed down by the full force of a lanky thirteen-year-old, he was having little success.
Daphne rose to her feet, dusting herself off, and looked at Rosalie. “That’s enough of that, don’t you think?”
Rosalie nodded and darted toward Jace. He tried to swing for her, but the triplets held him back as Rosalie pricked the tip of the tiny dagger into his shoulder.
Like his underling, he froze for a second and then collapsed.
“It’s poisoned?” Dimitri asked.
“Not poison, exactly.” Daphne held out her hand for the weapon.
Rosalie handed it over, and Daphne turned it this way and that, examining it.
“A delicate piece,” she said neutrally as she handed it back to Rosalie. “I’m filled with curiosity as to how you acquired it.”
“Avery,” Rosalie said as if the single name was enough to explain. And from Daphne’s knowing laugh, perhaps it was.
Rosalie looked toward him. “It came from Oakden.”
Dimitri’s eyebrows rose into his hairline. A sleeping weapon. He should have thought of it at once. But since he had been focused on learning about Glandore, he had only seen the weapons mentioned once or twice in passing. He was definitely going to need the story of how it had come into Rosalie’s possession.
“Well done,” he said to the triplets, and all three of them swelled with pride, clearly relieved at having had the chance to redeem themselves.
Tramping boots outside interrupted their conversation. Dimitri stepped toward Rosalie, but the fleeing swordsman gave a loud cry of alarm from the front steps. The new arrivals weren’t allies for Jace.
Dimitri strode over to the door.
“Guards,” he reported to the rest of them.
Rosalie and the triplets looked as confused as he felt at the arrival of the unexpected visitors. But Daphne nodded placidly.
“I suppose they got my note,” she said.
“You sent someone a note?” Rosalie asked. “How?”
“There wasn’t time to send it. But after I roused the twins and directed them into the woods, I stayed just long enough to scribble a note for your mother. I left it in the house for when she returned, with instructions for her to send the guards to the manor. She must have found it.”
Rosalie stared at her blankly. “But my mother left Thebarton to visit my sisters. It was a ruse from Jace, but even so, she couldn’t have gotten there and back so quickly.”
“Perhaps she realized it was a ruse for herself,” Daphne suggested.
“That sounds like Mother,” Vernon agreed.
Oscar, however, wasn’t listening. He pointed at the chest, now sitting abandoned on the entryway floor, its lid flung open.
“If the guards are coming, what are we going to do about that?” he asked. “I’m guessing we don’t want to draw attention to it.”
He was right, but it was a heavy chest, and they only had seconds before the guards arrived. Dimitri looked around blankly for something to throw over it, but Daphne was already moving.
Flipping it closed, she sank gracefully down beside it, crossing her arms over the lid. Laying her head on them as if they were a pillow, her eyes fluttered closed. Within seconds she was breathing steadily as if asleep. Her body and gown didn’t entirely conceal the chest, but they obscured it enough to make it a barely noticeable piece of furniture.
The guards pushed open the door, loudly calling for Dimitri.
“We heard there was trouble,” the captain said gruffly as he stepped inside. “And we found this gentleman fleeing the sce…” His voice trailed off as he caught sight of the two collapsed men.
“Thank you for your prompt attendance,” Dimitri said formally. “Unfortunately, I’ve been attacked in my home at this early hour and have been forced to defend myself and my guests.”
The guards filing in behind the captain exchanged surprised looks, but they responded readily, securing the sleeping men’s hands just as they started to rouse.
“What are you doing?” Jace cried when he woke to find his hands being tied behind him. All his usual charm evaporated as he babbled in panic. “It’s all a misunderstanding. I’m family! I’m just visiting my family! I’m?—”
The captain hauled him to his feet, shaking him by the collar until the flow of words ceased.
“Don’t you try your bamboozling tricks on us,” he said. “You’re Jace, and we know you well enough in these parts. Plenty of guards have been spoiling to get their hands on you—and some of the townsfolk as well. So you’d best stop complaining and thank us instead. I warrant you’ll be glad of our protection soon enough. There are some who would be happy to take the law into their own hands where you’re concerned. Clifford employed plenty of people, so it wasn’t only his family you ruined.” He nodded respectfully toward Rosalie and her brothers, although he was clearly confused by their presence.
“And what about her? Is she one of the perpetrators?” another guard asked, pointing toward Daphne.
“Oh, no,” Dimitri said quickly. “She’s one of my guests.”
The guard leaned over for a closer look. “Is she…sleeping?” He looked astonished for a moment before his face cleared. “Oh, it’s only Daphne. Well, then, it looks like that’s the lot of them. Sir?” He looked at his captain for instructions.
“If it’s just the three of them, we’ll be going,” the captain said. When Dimitri nodded confirmation, he signaled to his guards. “Come on, men!”
They formed up around the two prisoners and marched them outside to join the third man. Dimitri, Rosalie, and the triplets watched them go in silence. As soon as the sounds of their marching feet had disappeared down the drive, Daphne sat up and yawned. She blinked up at them and then glanced around the otherwise empty room.
“Is it all finished?” she asked.
Rosalie narrowed her eyes at her friend. “There is no way you were actually asleep just then. Admit it!”
“I’m an excellent sleeper,” Daphne said primly. “You know that.”
“Even the guards apparently know that,” Dimitri murmured, earning himself a glare from Rosalie.
“Of course she was sleeping!” Ralph said loyally. “She’s brilliant!”
Dimitri choked on his laugh, not entirely succeeding at keeping it in. All three triplets glared at him, their faces giving an unnerving impression of their older sister.
“I think,” he said quickly, “that we should all repair to the kitchen and see about breakfast. What do you think, Rosalie?”
She wrapped both arms around his waist and gazed up at him with an expression that made it hard to breathe.
“I think that we’re finally free of both the Legacy and Jace.” Her face darkened. “But I’m sorry he turned out to be your brother. I hope you know?—”
“I know,” he said, wanting to see the dark look banished. “And I meant what I said to him. I don’t consider him family.” He ran his finger along the curve of her cheek, marveling at the softness of her skin.
“I think breakfast is a wonderful idea!” Vernon said loudly.
All three of the boys converged on Rosalie, prying her from Dimitri and propelling her in the direction of the kitchen. She looked helplessly back at him, but he shook his head and followed with Daphne.
“You get used to them eventually,” she said consolingly.
“Like a hole in my sock?” he asked, and her lips twitched. He lowered his voice. “You can tell me—I won’t tell anyone else. Were you really sleeping?”
“It was a tiring morning,” she replied with a mischievous smile. “And a tiring night, come to think of it.”
Dimitri instantly turned serious. “Thank you for everything you did. You were the one with me before Rosalie came, weren’t you?”
She nodded. “Yes, but there’s no need to thank me. I’m just grateful Rosalie found you. I’ve always worried about what will happen to her when I leave Glandore. But I’m not worried anymore.”
Dimitri nodded his thanks for the compliment. There was no need for her to explain her intention to leave. He had endured life outside his birth kingdom, so he understood that she would eventually have to return to Oakden.
“Help!” Rosalie called from ahead of them. She was gripping the frame of the dining room door as the triplets attempted to push her through. “They’re saying I have to do all the cooking to make up for their weeks of slavery.”
Dimitri increased his pace to catch up with her.
“I’ll help you,” he said with a smile. “I don’t mind cooking.”
Cooking every day with Rosalie sounded like a dream come true. He only hoped they could work beside each other every day for the rest of their lives.
Her expression caught on his, and the laughter in her eyes softened to something more intimate. He stepped forward and pressed a kiss on her lips, the horrified protests of triplets echoing in his ears.
It was a swift kiss, a silent promise between them. They had helped each other defeat the Legacy, and together they would face whatever challenges came next.
Even if those challenges included an overabundance of younger brothers.