Page 108 of House of Ruin
Blaze wasn’t sure what to do with himself.
The silence between them stretched.
And stretched.
Unable to take it anymore, Blaze whirled on his heel and walked to the terrace. He lit a cigarette, inhaling the smoke greedily as he watched the city buzz from above.
He had been deliberately avoiding Auburn since the Yule party at the Weirs’. Since Blaze had to finally confront the reality he had been hiding from.
The guilt was heavy, and it sat on his chest, making it hard to breathe.
It was so much easier to pretend Blaze was the one who had been dealt the card of being abused by his father as a show oflove.
Oh, how much easier it was to think Auburn didn’t care. To believe she was a blind and weak and useless mother.
But of course, if Galliermo abused Blaze, why wouldn’t he abuse everyone else in his path?
A hand on Blaze’s shoulder startled him. He glanced over his shoulder to find Auburn standing behind him, her eyes filled with worry.
“I am glad you’re home for once,” she said and took a step away.
She folded her hands in front of her, her form elegant. Obedient. Blaze swallowed hard.
Many questions swirled inside Blaze’s mind. He didn’t even know where to start. Which one to ask first.
Why did you choose him?
Why haven’t you protected me or Dominic?
Why haven’t you left?
But instead of asking any of those questions, Blaze stayed silent.
For a moment, they just watched each other in silence. Then Auburn smiled and asked, “Would you like to accompany me to my conservatory? You used to love hanging out there while I tended to the plants.”
His first instinct was to lash out. To answer Auburn’s kindness with cruelty as wicked as his father’s.
But the beast inside Blaze was tired. So he relented and, with a simple nod, followed his mother through the penthouse towards her sacred place.
Despite it being a cold winter morning, the air in the greenhouse was heavy and humid, Auburn’s magic keeping the temperature perfect for her plants to thrive.
She opened the two windows, letting the buzz from the streets float inside.
Blaze settled on one of the mint-colored iron chairs, draping one ankle over his knee. When he found his fingers tapping the matching mint iron table restlessly, he busied himself with lighting another cigarette.
Auburn walked around the place filled with plants of all sorts, firebirds humming around the blooms. She nipped a few yellowing leaves from one bush, then stuffed her finger in the dirt of the other plant, checking whether it needed watering.
Blaze was humming with nervous energy, dragging the smoke into his lungs as if desperate.
After ten minutes of silently watching his mother tend to her greenery, Blaze couldn’t do it any longer.
He had to start somewhere. “Did you know about Galliermo and Alecto’s mom dating back in Venefica?”
Auburn took her time to answer. She took the wilted leaves to the compost bin at the corner before she turned to Blaze.
“Of course, honey. Remember, I attended Venefica and was a member of the House of Snakes. I wasn’t part of the Inner Circle, of course. But still.”
Blaze blinked, unsure of what to ask next.
