Page 44 of Cruel Destinies

The sudden presence behind me made me startle. I shrieked as I whirled around. “Julian!”

I punched his arm, which was, unfortunately, hard as a rock. Huffing, I shook my hand to try to get rid of the prickling sensation, then I blacked out the screen and stuffed the cell into my bag.

“What took you so long?”

“Believe it or not, I’ve got other projects I’m working on,” he replied coolly.

I cocked a grin at him. “More important than mine?”

He met my gaze, and the look on his face wiped away my mirth. “No. Not more important, but certainly more dangerous.”

“Oh. Like what?”

Julian nodded toward the interior of the conservatory. “Let’s talk in there.”

I nodded and followed him in.

The air grew humid as we passed through the doors, emerald palms towering above us. I could almost imagine myself on some forgotten island. A pond reflected the greenery, filling the space even as it created room.

We followed the sound of pattering water around a bend, revealing a waterfall that looked like it was ripped straight from nature. The way it fell on and over the moss-and fern-covered rocks was almost musical. Yeah, I’d have to come back here.

Julian eyed the bag I clutched. “That looks heavy. May I?”

He held out his hand, and I gave it to him. “Thanks.”

He picked it up like it weighed nothing.After I’ve been lugging it around like a kettle bell all day.

“Come on. I’ll show you my favorite room.”

With the bag over his shoulder, he navigated left and into a narrower portion of the conservatory. The smell hit me first, reminding me of a hair salon with all its fruity, tropical scents. The heat was almost oppressive with my sweater on, so I pushed my sleeves up my arms.

“It’s great,” I said, though I wasn’t sure there was much difference from the last room. They were all green to me.

Julian ran his fingers along one of the leaves. “I used to work in an orchard. These trees and plants aren’t quite the same, but I get the same feeling when I’m around them.” His fingers curled back again, as if he’d been burned.

My heart warmed at this insight into Julian’s past, and I wanted to know more. I wanted to know everything.

“What was it like?” I asked, inviting him to share more.

He let out an amused huff, his eyes focused on the distant past. “Tending an orchard? Hard work. Quiet. I worked for good people. That’s where I met Alice.”

“Oh…” The sudden mention of his wife, whom I was supposed to bring back from the dead, took me off guard. “What was she like?”

When his gaze met mine, it was burdened with longing—a look I could’ve misplaced if I didn’t know better. “She was beautiful, smart, witty. And taken far too young.”

“I’m sorry,” I said softly, mostly because I couldn’t stand the pain on his face. “I couldn’t imagine what that would be like.”

Without thinking about it, I put my hand on his shoulder, trying to will comfort into him through my touch. Not by magic, just by age-old physical contact.

His eyes lingered on mine for a moment, and I felt that trance-like daze coming over me again—the mindless need to be closer to him.

It wasn’t until he took a step back that I realized—with deep mortification—that I’d somehow gravitated within an inch or two of his face. I withdrew my traitorous hand and clasped both of them behind my back where they could do no further damage.

He cleared his throat. “Yes, well, what is it you wanted to show me?”

Swallowing my embarrassment, I looked around, but there weren’t many people at the conservatory today, and the few that were were far enough away not to be a problem. “You remember the plant spell?”

Julian nodded.

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