The Silver Rose by Rowena May O'Sullivan

his perfect brow. Disappointment flooded through her. She tried again. “Who are you, really?” There was no shift in his expression. Whoever or whatever he was, he was skilled at masking his emotions.
    â€œDon’t you remember?”
    â€œI’m not stupid! You know exactly what I’m speaking of.”
    â€œI do?”
    â€œYou have magic. I know it. But I can’t see it. Not a trace.”
    Aden’s dark eyes narrowed, darkening to unfathomable coals. His lips lifted in an attempt at a cynical smile, but Rosa knew the truth, even if he refused to admit it.
    â€œDon’t you dare deny it!” Rosa’s skin prickled. “Whatever you do, don’t lie to me.” She knew enough to recognize he was evading her questions. She just didn’t know why. “I saw you in the courtyard. I felt the magic.”
    Her gaze held his. She swallowed, recognizing the feeling of an enchantment beginning to surround her. Her mouth went dry. She was experiencing difficulty forming words. Her thoughts grew fuzzy. Scrunching her eyelids shut to clear the haze forming, she was absolutely determined he would not bespell her. She conjured up a counter spell but was too weak and it was too late. Tomorrow she would think the incident nothing more than being startled into falling because a gust of wind whirled through the gallery and shattered the glass door in its wake.
    â€œNext you’re going to tell me you really
are
a witch after all,” Aden countered. “You aren’t well. You’ve dark smudges under your eyes. Sleep deprivation can cause hallucinations.”
    â€œI’m not sleep deprived,” she insisted, her tongue thick, her voice slurred. OK, so maybe there was a smidgen of truth in his statement.
    â€œYou fainted.”
    â€œAnd
you
moved far too fast.”
    Before Aden could respond, the gallery door chimed. The relief emanating from him was palpable. “That’ll be Beth.”
    â€œBeth? “What’s she doing here?”
    â€œI phoned her. She’s going to watch the gallery, and I’m taking you home to rest.”

Chapter Eleven
    Aden cursed his negligence and the resulting necessity to craft a beguiling spell to dull Rosa’s mind. Guilt at this action had him making reparation by looking after Rosa when Beth or Alanna could just as easily have done so.
    He’d had to be swift in his actions to hide the damage to the spells surrounding Gregori. It was as well he’d studied them on arriving in Raven’s Creek three days ago. Without time to think anything through, he’d unleashed a safeguard spell to contain the disaster within the courtyard, but because Rosa was so closely connected to Gregori he had been unable to prevent the backlash hitting her. He was damned lucky Alanna hadn’t been home, or she too would have been knocked unconscious. No one outside the four walls of the gallery would know what had occurred, and he preferred that it stay that way.
    Convincing Rosa she was hallucinating from tiredness was the first thing he’d come up with. He hadn’t wanted to resort to subterfuge. It created complications that could, if discovered, require explanations he couldn’t give. He was bound by an oath of silence to Marylebone. He would not break it.
    â€¢ • •
    There was something she should remember. It was right there on the tip of her tongue; Goddess knew what it was. Each time she thought she knew what it was, it escaped before she could form the words to speak.
    â€œI’m not an invalid,” Rosa called out to Aden from her lounge. “I’m perfectly capable of making my own tea.”
    â€œDrop the martyr act and accept help when it’s given,” he called back.
    â€œMartyr act!” Was she so difficult? She’d let Aden tend her wounds yesterday, and now he was in her kitchen making tea. Having someone, anyone, administering to her needs, made her feel