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shaggy blond hair. “But you
need to understand, she feels the same way.”
    Edward
shook his head. “She should have left me there. She should have…”
    “She
wouldn’t be able to live with herself if she had.”
    Edward
raised his gaze. “I know.”

Chapter XI
    Mara
left the court without saying goodbye to the Captain whose life she had saved.
Instead, she had turned to Jake, instructing simply, “If you need me, do not
hesitate to call.” She had offered the Sub-Captain a slight bow and then turned
and walked quickly from the room, exiting the long, grey hallways of stone. Two
hours later, she was seated on a private jet on her way back to the house of
the Black Rose.
    The
Black Rose Guard lived in an ancient castle nestled in the Lethia Mountains. It
was an isolated, dreary place known for spectacular thunderstorms and a fog
that put even the Scottish moors to shame. The drive to this desolate and
remote castle was a slow one in which vehicles needed to carefully tread the
grey, steep roads on the mountains. Once long ago, this hidden land had been
the heart of all the immortal realm, and the ancient keep a glorious, hidden
castle. But as the years passed, the courts had moved on to warmer, less remote
locations until all that remained were the members of the revered Black Rose.
    Mara
had been picked up by a driver at the Lethia airport and began the four hour
journey into the heart of the Black Rose. She attempted to sleep throughout the
ride, but found herself unable to quiet her mind long enough for sleep to come.
She shifted again, fighting her rising memories.
    “Liza.”
She closed her eyes against her will and saw the young girl sitting beside her.
With pale cheeks, ruby lips, luxurious black hair, high cheek bones and violet
eyes. Liza had been a beauty among beauties with a heart of profound innocence.
It was no surprise that Edward had lost his heart to her. Liza had stolen all
of their hearts in one way or another, even Mara’s.
    “We
have arrived, my Lady,” the driver said, pulling her mind back to the present.
    “Thank
you,” Mara replied, and then waited while he came around and opened the door.
She stepped out into the damp air. The sky was a cloudless grey over the
ancient stone towers which constituted the keep of the Black Rose. She walked
across a narrow, wooden bridge that stretched over a stream of grey water and
walked toward the tall stone doors. They opened far before she reached them,
and she stepped slowly over the bridge.
    Two
men stood on either side of the door, both in black from head to toe, a silver
rose embroidered into their black shirts. They had matching, shoulder-length
brown hair and golden eyes. “Captain Mara,” they both said and bowed their
heads slightly as they opened the door for their Captain. 
    “Hello,
Brian. Aiden.”
    “Sub-Captain
Brendan is awaiting you, Captain.”
    “Yes,
thank you.”
    She
walked past the guardsmen and into the old castle. The vaulted ceiling rose
nearly twenty feet high and was made of grey stone. Large rugs had been placed
upon the stone, in deep, crimson reds that were beginning to fade. Narrow
spiral staircases stood on either side of the walls leading to the levels
above. Mara took the stairs on the left and began the slow, careful walk
towards the upper levels of the ancient castle. When she reached the top level,
she walked towards her chambers. However, before reaching the stone doors, Mara
turned left and walked down the opposite hallway toward the chambers of
Brendan, her second in command.
    She
knocked on the tall stone door and entered without waiting for an invitation.
Brendan sat at his desk, leaning over several sets of papers. His dark brown
hair was cut short against his skull, his skin pale from the lack of sunlight
associated with the area. He looked up, turning his ice blue gaze upon Mara. He
stood from the chair and offered a low bow to his Captain, bending at the waist
and remaining perfectly still for