Page 57 of Shadows of Nightshade
That was… A genuine, heartfelt thing to do. Those were the kind of gestures that made me weak. “Thank you.” Why was I blushing? We must look like total morons.
But how else was I supposed to feel? He was, apparently, a super famous witch, and he’d cooked something just for me.
“What is a witch’s graduation?” I asked, trying to focus on anything other than this rising heat between us.
His eyes sparkled in mischief, and he winked. “I guess you’ll have to wait and see, won’t you?”
They really did plan on keeping me around. My heart thundered furiously, and not from fear. It was pure adrenaline. We’dbeen friends for such a short time, and they were already sharing secrets and making plans for our future.
I wasn’t sure how I’d ever be able to repay them.
I glanced at Julian. He was sitting stiffly in his seat, apparently waiting for this moment. I couldn’t keep the eagerness out of my voice when I asked, “What about you, Julian?”
Even though he had to be expecting it, he flinched before his expression darkened.
My pulse skipped. He didn’t want to tell me. I understood that look—it was an expression that I saw every day in the mirror.
I glanced toward Titus, our stoic guardian. He wore a similar expression.
They couldn’t be afraid of me—such a thing was not possible. So their apprehension had to be of the situation itself. My fingers hummed as a growing sense of kinship began to blossom toward them. Damen and Miles might have been confident in their abilities, but Titus and Julian clearly did not trust me with that information yet.
It made me more curious, but I couldn’t ask again. Generally, it was hard for me to let things go, but these were my new friends, and I did not want to be intrusive.
Julian opened his mouth to respond, and the fact that he was willing to tell me despite his fear was enough.
“It’s all right,” I cut him off. There were two things I knew without question: he worked hard and was a good person. That was all that mattered.
His words died, and his worried gaze met mine. The glimmer of surprise within his eyes was impossible to miss.
“You don’t have to tell me.” I glanced between the two of them. “I trust you, and if the subject comes up again later, that’s fine. But right now, it’s not a big deal to know everything.”
I might not understand everything, but they all took the time to teach me despite my flaws. I owed them a lot. Their trust in me was the greatest gift I could have asked for, and I would never betray it.
Julian’s gaze softened as he relaxed in his seat. “Where did you come from?” he asked.
“Does it matter?” Titus interrupted, his velvety tones husky. “Just don’t question it.”
In fact, if their relaxing postures were any indication, they all seemed relieved I didn’t press for more answers. Yet there was a lingering tenseness, just barely there, and the looks they shot each other spoke of worry.
“Bianca”—Damen was chosen spokesperson once more—“how are you taking this? How do you feel?”
I started with the unexpected question, “T-this?” How was I supposed to describe these feelings? My chest was tight, and my thoughts were racing. An entire world had been kept hidden from me while I lived within it, and what was worse, I had no idea why.
“I—” I touched my lips, trying to ignore the way my fingers shook. “I don’t know.” How could I explain?
“Why lie to me?” I asked, vision watering. “Is-is there something wrong with me?”
“Nothing is wrong with you.” And then Damen was there, pulling me into his arms before my tears could spill over. “You’re perfect.” He breathed the words directly into my ear, just loud enough for me to hear—and, maybe, I wasn’t meant to pick it up. My skin began to tingle where his breath touched.
“Really?” I asked and then came the question that’d been lingering in the back of my mind since this conversation began. I brought my curled finger to my bottom lip, hesitant.
I really didn’t want to make this about me—not after they’djust opened up about themselves. Pressing for more information felt stupidly selfish.
“What’s wrong?” Damen asked. “You can ask me anything you want.”
“You guys, Finn, everyone—you’re supernatural beings, right?” I began, unable to meet anyone’s eyes. “What about me?” I asked.
Damen had understood my abilities, which meant there were others like me out there.
