Read Embrace the Mystery [03] Blood Rose Series for Free Online Page A

dark brown hair, layered past her shoulders. Her brown eyes had a large fae look, yet she wasn’t fae, though Quinlan had no idea how he even knew that.
    “What is it?”
    “What species is Lorelei?” he asked quietly.
    Batya shrugged. “I think she’s part fae, but I never asked. It’s a rule in the ex-pat community here. You can volunteer all the information you want, but no one is going to interrogate you about why you’re here, where you’ve come from, or what you might have done that brought you to the States.”
    He grunted. He had issues with the existence of an ex-patriot community period, but he ignored his disapproval and stuck to his current curiosity. “The thing is, I can always tell a realm-folk’s lineage. Like with you, I sense fae and troll, although somewhere in your DNA is a small piece of witch. I get that big-time.”
    “Witch. You are so funny,” she said sarcastically, shaking her head. “I’m just dying of laughter.” The concept of ‘witch’ belonged only in fables, although some of the more powerful fae did work with potions and spells.
    But the response pleased Quinlan. “Just tell me I’m right. Fae and troll.”
    “You’re right, but that’s common knowledge. Everyone knows who my father is.”
    He tapped his fingers on the table and shook his head. “I can always tell. It’s one of my powers, I can identify the species in anyone, but not Lorelei.”
    At that, Batya leaned back in her chair. “What the hell does that mean?”
    “I don’t know, only that whatever realm species she is, she’s hiding it from the rest of the world. Take that one step further and it means she also has the power to hide it. So, what exactly has she shared with you about who she is? Anything?”
    She shifted her gaze to the chair that Lorelei had just vacated, then frowned. “You know, Lorelei and I chat all the time, but we’ve never talked about the past, not specifically, only that she said she grew up in the mountains, but not which mountains.”
    “And we have at least five realms with big mountains.”
    “Exactly, including Grochaire, but you and I would have known her, or at least of her, if she’d grown up in your realm.”
    He nodded. “You’re right about that.” He searched Batya’s eyes. “And you were never curious?”
    “Oh, I wanted to ask. Remember, I’m part troll so it’s often hard to control the gossip-loving bent to my genetics, but it is one of my rules, so I stick by it.”
    He nodded slowly, trying to make her out. He still didn’t know what could have driven her out of Grochaire. She had an excellent father as well, a revered troll considered by many to be a sage. Another mystery. But he respected that she stuck by her rules.
    “We have ex-pats from all Nine Realms here. Did you know that the three eastern tribes have even worse problems than Grochaire?”
    “Yes, I know.”
    “You would do well to take some time to talk to our people here.”
    “You seem to have built a community around your gallery.”
    She shook her head. “It’s the free-clinic. We have a big drug problem here, homelessness, lots of stuff to deal with. Which I must say is part of my beef with you and Grochaire”
    “You’re going to blame our realm for drug-addiction?”
    “No, I didn’t mean that. I mean that we all aren’t like you. We all don’t just fit in. You’ve had your role laid out for you in Grochaire and you seem really happy about it like it suits you perfectly.”
    “It does.”
    “Then why are you scowling?”
    “Because I dislike what you represent here.”
    “So the truth comes out. Yet, you’ve been seducing me, so what does that say about you?”
    His smile quirked. “That I like beautiful women.”
    She rolled her eyes, not buying it, so he grabbed her hand. “And I like you. I may not approve of your life choices, but I approve of you, how you conduct yourself.”
    She batted her eyelashes. “How you flatter me.”
    Rather than putting him