Page 103 of Change
Bryce’s eyes narrowed and he growled. “I know. Do you think I would have agreed if we’d known what might happen? She was withKieran. There was no way he’d ever let her get hurt. Thatwasn’tthe plan.”
“Then, genius,whatwas the plan?” He was hurt, and, of course, I knew what happened to Bianca wasn’t his fault. But it was still difficult to not blame him.
“She was supposed to come back,” Bryce snarled. “We’re not stupid, weknowyou need her. We need her too. She was always supposed to come back.”
“Yeah?” That’s what they’d kept saying.
“We didn’t have a lot of time to think it over.” Bryce inched back and rubbed his shoulder. “They brought her into the nursery and gave her to me to watch when father left the room, and Brayden was crying.”
So… “When did you switch them?”
Bryce shot me a sardonic look.
I shrugged my shoulders, a thrill passing through me at his unspoken confirmation. “It’s not hard to figure out.”
He sighed, posture relaxing. “Uncle Gregory and Kieran did it.” His words were almost rushed, as if he was happy to finally relieve himself of this burden. “They passed through the veil with her, dropping her off at a hospital as an abandoned newborn. Kieran took over from there.”
“That’s awfully convenient that there was another baby somewhere.” I was beginning to grow suspicious of my mentor. “Where did Bailey come from? Because I saw him with my own two eyes. Did they find and kill some newborn somewhere?”
“Ah…” Bryce’s moment of sharing was coming to an end, and his eyes flickered to the side as guilt rode heavy on his posture. “I can’t really—”
I gripped his shoulder, slamming him into the wall as I pressed my forearm into his neck. “Tell me,” I commanded. My other hand sneezed tightly around the charm at my neck—giving me the strength that I needed, yet it was a reminder not to go too far.
“Fine.” He sighed, giving in way too easily for someone who really wanted to keep his secrets. “Joe was there too.”
“Joseph Kohler?” I felt my brows furrow in confusion, missing the connection. “But Julian wasn’t there. So why would his grandfather be—”
“I don’t knowwhy.” Bryce shrugged. “But you might want to ask your necromancer about some of the more deeply held secrets regarding his abilities.”
Yeah, that would never happen. Julian might not try to murder me anymore, but he definitely would not take it well if I pried into his business.
I could envision it now: we’d go out for a chat, man-to-man. Maybe kill something. We liked killing things—mostly non-human things, like the Snallygaster, but on some occasions, not in this life yet, it was especially enjoyable to go after a criminal.
To be honest, I think that he just didn’t like having to do the dirty work alone all the time.
But in any case. “Are you saying thatnecromancywas involved in this whole Bailey and Bianca switch?”
Bryce’s expression closed. “Necromancy, and a bit of changeling magic. That’s about as much as I can honestly say.” I could tell from the determined glint in his eyes that, this time, he wouldn’t give in further.
“Fine.” I stepped back, releasing him. “I’ll ask Julian about it when the time is right.” Which meant that I’d have to catch him in a particularly good mood, something that wouldn’t happen anytime soon.
He’d been more than unhappy with me, in particular, and almost every experience alone with him had ended with a lecture.
‘Damen, you can’t put so much pressure on her,’ he’d say. ‘Stop flirting, you look like an idiot.’ Along with variations of, ‘As much as it pains me to say this, you should just be yourself.’
Bryce was looking at me, expectant, and I realized that the last thing had been spoken by him.
“What are you talking about?” I asked, even though I was certain I knew.
“You’rebrilliant,” Bryce said with a shrug. “I wouldn’t have wanted to be around you otherwise. I despise idiots. But Bianca’s right, and you know it. You shield your true self behind theatrics and drama so that no one can get close.”
“I do not,” I protested, my blood roaring.
Bryce shot me a disbelieving look.
My skin flushed. “Just because I’m hiding behind a stage doesn’t mean I have an affinity for theatrics!”
Bryce tilted his head and smirked, and I wondered why it felt like he’d won.
