Page 81 of Shadows of Nightshade
“The one that attacked you last night?” Julian suddenly seemed so serious.
“No.” I shivered and shook my head. I would rather not seethatghost again. “Another one. She’s trapped, but she-she doesn’t want help,” I admitted.
His blue eyes flickered to meet mine, and his lips turned down. “She doesn’t?”
I shook my head ‘no’ again. “I think she’s trying to protect me, so I want to help her anyway.”
Julian frowned deeper.
“Shocking,” he replied. I pressed my toes against the thick, woven rug as he added, “What did Damen and Miles say?”
“I didn’t get a chance to tell them. I didn’t see her at the house,” I clarified. I grabbed a loose lock of my hair and twirled the curl around my finger. “I saw her in the bathroom while Miles was at practice. He didn’t notice.”
But even if he had, I would have done my best to protect him. They could count on me!
“That’s unusual,” Julian mused. “But it’s not entirely unheard of for a ghost to shift locations either. She could feel a special attachment to you. Was she warning you away?”
I nodded but emphasized. “But I’m still going to help.”
“Yes,” Julian tapped his finger across the back of the sofa. “I’m aware. But that’s even more reason for you not to be alone. We’ll talk about it when everyone is here, but from what Iunderstand, Damen is waiting to hear back before we decide on the next steps.”
“Hear back about what?” I asked. Damen did do something then.
Julian shrugged. “He asked Brayden to do some research for us so that we could focus on getting you safe. That was our priority.”
That was…
Keeping me safe was their priority? I was too flattered to be offended. “Who is Brayden?”
“Brayden is another officer for the fae. He’s second in command. His specialty is research and combat,” Julian answered. “He is also Bryce Dubois’s younger brother. You can usually find Brayden in the library when he’s not doing officer duties.”
“Oh…” How cool! He must be so awesome.
I spent time in the library, had I seen him already? And even more importantly, what made Bryce the first commander while Brayden is only second?
It must have been the oldest sibling privilege. I had so many questions, but it was hard to think.
“Makes sense,” I said instead.
I was still breathless, and I berated myself for my awkwardness.
“You don’t need to be nervous around me.” Julian touched my shoulder. “I’m really nothing like what they say.”
I looked at him, at his perfection, and the corner of my mouth lifted in derision.
“Well, then it’s good that I can’t hear most of what they say anyway,” I muttered.
Julian raised his left brow, lips parting. “What?”
I realized too late that I’d slipped. “Nothing!” I pressed my hands to my burning cheeks.
“Bianca”—Julian grabbed my wrists before I could cover my eyes—“is there something you’re not telling us?”
“Sure.” I wasn’t telling them a lot of things, and I was certain they had secrets of their own too. Tit for tat.
Apparently, my thoughts were obvious because Julian groaned. “I mean,” he said. “About you, physically.”
I nodded. That was already established.
