Page 70 of Pocket Full Of Posies

Outside our parents tent I follow Endo as he strides quickly in the direction of the stream.

“What’s going on Endo? Not that I don’t appreciate the assist, but your pace is concerning.”

“It’s Daisy. I found her talking to that snake Nysa, who somehow knew about your stupid ass plan to use Daisy as a shield from mom to avoid being bonded to Nysa.” The constant heat in my vein’s chills to a temperature I’ve never experienced before at his words. “Nysa told Daisy and now she’s upset, and I told her it wasn’t true, at least not completely?”

“What do you meannot completely? What did you tell her?” My voice comes out in a near growl and my tail whips angrily back and forth. I love my brother, but I will disown him if he costs me the love of my life.

“I couldn’t lie to her. But I told her she was different, and you really do love her, and Nysa was spewing deception?” Endo’s ramblings cut off as he abruptly stops at the edge of the stream and spins in a circle.

“I swear she was right here. I left her right here.”

I don’t doubt he did, but if Daisy was hurting, she probably didn’t want to stick around for more. I have to find her. She couldn’t have gotten far. I have to explain and make sure I haven’t lost her forever. If Nysa fucked this up for me, I’m going to do the same for her life. After I’m done with her, no respectable high society anything will accept her. She’ll be a social pariah, unwelcome wherever she goes in every country.

I may have spent my life flitting about from party to party but being the immensely attractive and friendly social butterfly that I am, I’ve made a lot of friends, who would gladly snub anyone I asked them to. Even if everything works out between Daisy and me, I might do it anyway. Just to teach her a little modesty.

“Where would she have gone?”

Endo rubs at the back of his neck and grimaces. I can tell he feels bad, but I know it’s not his fault. He didn’t open his mouth and tell the girl I love that I was only using her. No, that was all Nysa, and my temper flares once more wanting to find my ex and put her in her place. But finding Daisy and fixing us first is more important.

“Maybe back to the tent?” Endo mutters, trying to answer his own question.

“No. Too many people around. She doesn’t like crowds or people in general, they make her nervous. She’d want to be alone, somewhere quiet. Her greenhouse. She loves it there, says it’s her safe space.”

“You think she went all the way back home?”

“Maybe.”

I stand still and try to hear Daisy. Her sweet voice and light breathing. I hear plenty of voices and breathing, way too much actually. So many different voices and noises it creates a blanket of sounds I can’t filter through to find her. I’ll have to rely on my lesser senses, which are still ten times better than any human.

Sniffing the air I try to catch her scent, the one that’s filled my nose and coated my skin. Having spent a lot of time skin-to-skin with her over the past twelve hours, has engrained it in my mind. A sweet floral musk that makes my mouth water. Like rain-soaked honeysuckle.

I catch her alluring scent heading in the direction of the forest. I don’t know where she’s heading but I’m going wherever she is.

“She headed this way.”

“How do you know?” Endo asks skeptically.

“When you spend as much time licking her skin as I have, you remember the way she smells.”

Endo raises a brow at me, eyes sparkling, a tiny smirk playing at the corner of his mouth. He’s trying not to smile. I smack him in the back of the head. Playfully of course, he is my little brother after all.

“I’ll go back to your tent in case she comes back,” he offers, rubbing the spot I just smacked.

“Thanks bro. If all goes well, we might not be back though.”

“Not a problem. I’ll just enjoy your tent for myself then,” he grins at me now. It won’t be there for long.

“You know we had sex all over that tent, right?”

His smile drops and he sneers. “Gross.”

I try to give my brother a reassuring smile, but I know it doesn’t reach my eyes. I’m not in the smiling mood. Not until I find my Blossom.

Leaving him to deal with our family, I follow the scent of Daisy away from the festival and into the quiet forest.

Chapter 26: Daisy

I can’t hear the sounds of the festival anymore. I’ve gotten far enough away that I’m practically alone in the woods. Well, almost. Delphi trotted after me as I made my escape. Even distracted as she was with her sprite friends and the children playing, she sensed my distress and followed after me. If Kai were here to translate, I’m sure she’d be saying things likeWhat’s wrong? Where are we going? Who hurt you so I can gouge out their eyes and feed them to the squirrels?

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