Page 80 of Change
“Miles. Titus.” Damen’s voice reverberated through the space, stopping Titus just as he moved to grab my shirt. Which was a good thing too, because I wouldn’t have hesitated to knock him out. “Let him go.”
Neither argued, falling back instantly. The onmyoji moved to the doorway, features shadowed by the light of the room behind him. “Control yourself, or you’ll regret it.”
I wanted to laugh. “You’re one to talk.”
“Julian.” He wasn’t smiling, nor did he seem moved by my anger. “I mean it.”
My throat closed and my rebuttal died at the calm—yet serious—look in his eyes. I did manage a short tsking sound before turning away. Leaving them behind, I stomped my way up the stairs.
The journey through the hallway was too short, and before I could regain even a fraction of my bearings, I was already at her room.
I didn’t knock, nor announce my presence. I pushed open the door, speaking before I even saw her, “Come with me.”
She was in her bed, lace nightgown falling around her shoulders, and her light pink duvet had been pulled over her knees as she sat, back against her headboard. She looked up at my entrance, messy hair falling into waves around her as she shivered.
“Come on,” I said again, trying not to let the sight of her stir my fury even more. It was a struggle to even soften my tone as much as I did. But I could do it. I’d been warned, after all. I knew what to expect.
Her dazed eyes met mine, and her body shook as she pulled the blanket up to her mouth. “J-J-Julian?”
I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath as I tried to force myself into a calmer state of mind. She was upset, obviously. She’d been through a lot.
I had to be in control. I couldn’t take out my frustrations on her.
“It’s fine.” It wasn’t fine. “We’re just going to go somewhere.”
She stared down at her lap, then picked at her sleeve.
I fought back my sigh. “Get dressed first, okay?”
Just hurry, please. I needed to get out of here for a while.
She was already in the hallway by the time I stepped out of my bedroom. I’d changed into dark navy jeans and a black, long-sleeved T-shirt. Exhaustion still pulled at me, and I smelled strongly of antiseptic, but there’d been no time for a shower.
This—and she—would always be a priority.
Bianca had chosen a simple green dress edged with white lace, and black flats. Which would work well enough, especially considering I hadn’t told her where we were going.
Her expression was still slightly off, and her hair hadn’t been touched. Her legs were bare, so it was possible she hadn’t thought much before getting changed.
It didn’t matter; I’d just grab a blanket.
“All right.” At least she didn’t flinch when I touched her shoulder. I led her down the hallway. “Let’s go.”
It was a credit to Damen’s authority that no one intercepted the two of us as we made our way through the house and out the front door. I’d only stopped to grab her jacket, mine, and an extra blanket from the linen closet at the foot of the stairs.
And although she’d come with me without argument, the fifteen-minute drive was filled with an uncomfortable silence. Bianca was tense, her temple resting against the window. Her breath caused the glass to fog. There was no way she could see anything, but it didn’t seem like it bothered her anyway.
It was like she wasn’t even looking to begin with.
The thought of it caused my stomach to twist painfully. Was it me that she was upset with now—she might be scared of me. We’d never been in a situation where I’d been this close to losing my cool with her before.
Or maybe she was still affected by yesterday’s activities.
“How do you feel?” It was still a struggle keeping my voice under control but, thankfully, I didn’t slip.
“Fine,” she whispered, eyes flickering down.
Her shoulders tensed, and it was so hard to not reach across the center console to grab her hand. I wasn’t dense enough to pretend the gesture wouldn’t only be for her comfort either, but then, I would know for sure that she was ‘fine.’
