BRING TO LIGHT

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"Milley, the maid you speak of, was making crude comments about you. The girl forgot her manners and the rules of my house.

She referred to you as a mongrel and said that you lacked decorum and that I should be ashamed of letting you at my table. It angered me, Rose, this is my home, and you are my flesh and blood.

No one is allowed to treat you poorly. You are the daughter of a noble Count, a contessa, and heir to my empire. I refuse to have you treated any other way than royal. It is not your fault that Claire did not disclose this to you or educate you as a lady.

I have you now. It will be my responsibility to train you and educate you. I promise you will live the life you richly deserve, my darling girl. Dante handed the teacup to Rose.

She gently blew on the hot liquid in the cup and took a small sip. Rose got a ginger snap off the tray and bit into the thin, delicate cookie that melted in her mouth. It was light, sweet, and fragrant on the tongue. The flavors of ginger, clove, and cinnamon danced over her taste buds. They tasted like heaven. It was satisfying to her palate.

Dante saw her beaming while she enjoyed the refreshments he had brought her. He was pleased she was here with him like this. "I'm curious to know everything about you, Rose. Where were you born, and what have you been doing these many long centuries?" Dante asked his daughter. He was especially interested in how she had so many scars and battle wounds. Including the recent injury from the sword that was still healing.

"I was born in France. In 1173, Mother and I worked in the orchards and vineyards. After Claire passed away, I had to fend for myself. It wasn't easy being a woman alone in the old world. I have been a warrior and Paladin for most of my existence." This made Dante smile wide. Rose was a warrior just like him. It was in their blood. In his day, he was a great knight. The Count listened with great interest as Rose spoke of her past. "In the early 1500's I decided that I was done with war and the cruelty of men. I became distrustful of the world. Dante, I have been asleep for almost 400 years." Rose gave him a simple glimpse of her life.

Dante craved to know more about his daughter. He could tell she would not open up quickly and offer details. The Count would have to coax it out of her slowly over time.

"I'm curious, Rose. The maids that bathed and dressed you told me you have many scars. What's more worrisome is one of them informed me you have a recent sword wound. Can you explain this to me and how it occurred?" Dante asked Rose. She was the most precious thing he had ever had in his life, Even more so than Claire. He intended to make her happy and help to fix her broken spirit.

Rose blushed, knowing the maids had seen her without clothes. She sighed and took another sip of her tea. "I know you won't understand, but an angel awakened me in the sepulcher. He and his friend chased me down. They had me cornered, and I fought to get away. Then Lord Christopher Thorn ran me through with a claymore. I think it's a holy relic. Most sacred objects that I come in contact with leave marks. I've not been able to heal quickly from the stab wound. That is why your servants see the marks and scars."

"An angel? You said an angel woke you up? Christopher Thorn is an angel?" Dante was concerned. Maybe Rose was not in her right mind. Did all the years of war make her unstable? He thought to himself.

"Yes, Christopher Thorn, he's an angel," replied Rose."Do you doubt me?"

The Count roared with laughter at Rose's reply. "Darling, Lord Christopher Thorn is anything but an angel."

"Then why does he have feathered wings of silver?" she felt slighted by Dantes's dismissal of what she had told him. She had an incredulous look on her face.

Upon hearing Rose's description and seeing her expression, Dante stopped his laughter and gave Rose a rugged look. He saw in her eyes she spoke the truth. "I'm going to hunt down and slaughter that fucker for hurting you. I'm astounded, I knew Christopher was not human, but I would never have believed he was an angel. Rose, I want you to think hard. Is there anything in the conversation with Lord Thorn that seemed strange or out of place?"

"Yes, he gave me his full name. Lord Christopher Samael Thorn II," she told Dante. "I thought it was odd at the time. Including the pronunciation of Samael."

Rose watched Dante's lips curl into a wicked smile, and his eyes shone with malice as he explained. "Samael is a seraphim archangel. He is the venom of God and a grim reaper. Samael rules in the seventh realm of heaven and sits at God's left hand. He obeys only God and disregards all others. Christopher Samael Thorn II is a dark and dangerous angel with unlimited powers. His creation was to deliver justice between the angels and devils because of the constant battles between them. He takes the souls of sinners, but he has gotten himself in trouble for meddling with human destiny and creating monsters with his previous lover."

"He likes to play devil's advocate. Personally, I'd like to pluck his feathers one shaft at a time or cut them off and burn them, "mumbled Dante with a despicable grin.

It took time for the Count to digest the information Rose gave him. Lord Thorn was the judge of God, the one who decided on guilt or innocents and sentenced sinners to hell. But now, it all began to make sense why Christopher was always suspiciously watching Dante and Dragonwood. How could he not have seen this after all these years?

"I forgot to mention. I saw Christopher's friend walking around the grounds tonight. After dinner, I looked out the window and saw him strolling into the woods. I thought it was strange to see him here. It actually frighted me a bit. Seeing as how they both want to eliminate me. Are you friends with them?" Rose looked a bit troubled and conveyed her worry to Dante.

"No, dearest, we are not friends." Dante wondered how Jackson Taylor got so close without him noticing. "His name is Jackson. He is also not a human. That man has some strange abilities. I have not figured him out. That is bizarre; I did not sense his presence this evening."

"Rose, you have to stay away from Lord Thorn. He will not be good for your health, darling. And the same goes for Jackson." the Count cautioned.

She nodded in reassurance. "You will have no worries about that. I tend to stay far away from people who try to kill me."

Thunder rolled in the distance, and Rose saw a lightning flash from her bedroom window. She turned to look outside and saw rain splatter against the window panes. Her thoughts returned to the greenhouse.

Rose was glad not to be there tonight, but then she worried about Oscar, her stray cat. She wanted to be sure he was okay. Rose had a place in her heart for animals. She learned early on in life they loved unconditionally and never judged or abandoned her."I have a request," Rose spoke in a soft tone. "May Oscar live here too?" She looked at the approaching storm, apprehensive about the little cat's well-being.

The Count's heart skipped a beat for a moment. When Rose mentioned the name Oscar, his mind began to spin with uneasiness. Did Rose have a child? Who was this Oscar she spoke of? Dante worried that he had missed something.

"Who is Oscar?" Dante asked as he tilted his head and looked with curiosity at Rose. He noticed she was still very childlike in her manners and speaking.

"My cat, he stays at the greenhouse where I work." Rose grinned at Dante in hopes he would agree to let her have Oscar stay with her in Dragonwood.

Dante chuckled with relief at her request. He was happy it was only a cat. "Yes, Darling, anything you want. We will send someone to fetch him." The Count knew the animal meant something to her, or she would not have asked. He had already figured out she was not greedy or self-centered. She was probably more concerned about the cat than herself.

"Dante, Oscar likes to eat fish and chips. That's how I caught him. She beamed with pride at how she had charmed the cat with her dinner.

Another knock came on the bedroom door. Rose and Dante turned to see who it was. "Come in," they yelled out simultaneously. The door opened, and Carrick stood in the hall with the shadowy figure of a tall thin woman standing behind him.