Page 85 of Shadows of Nightshade
I picked up my fork and turned my attention away from them. Why did Damen have to bring this up? “Let’s just focus on this ghost for now,” I said. I stabbed the bright green broccoli. Howdare Miles make healthy foods look so buttery and delicious. “Then we can figure out everything else.”
“Sure,” Damen replied, and I looked at him. For someone who’d so eagerly led us into this awkward conversation, he’d been a lackluster participant. “You’ll be taking my room tonight.”
I most certainly would not.
“I can’t,” I told him. “I’m a guest.” I was perfectly able to sleep on the couch again.
“You must,” Damen replied. “Because if you don’t, Miles will just sleep on the floor to keep you company. He might hurt his back.”
“What?” I looked at Miles, who was staring at Damen in the most particular way. In fact, they all were. “Did you hurt your back?” I asked him. Guilt pressed in around me, and I bit my bottom lip. I should have noticed! The thin, fancy rug couldn’t have offered much padding.
“I did not.” Miles’s skin flushed. “Don’t listen to Damen. You can sleep on the couch.”
Damen leaned back in his seat and gasped in a display of feigned shock. “Are you serious? How ungentlemanly.”
“That’s not what I meant!” Miles responded, face red.
“Where will you sleep if I stay on the couch?” I looked around the table. That went for all of them. I was perfectly fine staying in the living room or, alternatively, back in my own bed at the dorms. Although, Jiayi might think I was a loser for coming back so soon after I’d made it clear that I had plans.
The most important thing, though, was that I didn’t want anyone to feel like they had to keep me company. And it wasn’t like I could stay in Professor Hamway’s house.
“I will…” Miles looked down at his empty plate, grumbling so low I almost couldn’t hear him. “I will sleep on the floor.”
Well, we couldn’t have that. They all had their own rooms, sothere was no need for anyone to sleep on the floor. “I’ll sleep in your room,” I told Damen. “But what about you?”
“I’ll be fine on the couch,” Damen replied, a bit smugly. “I’m the one who bought it. Besides, it’s not like anyone is going to be scrambling to keep me company.”
“Well, not anymore,” Miles replied.
“Okay.” I didn’t know what to say to Miles’ statement, there seemed to be some bitterness between them, so I ignored him and focused on Damen instead. Honestly, this could all have been avoided if Damen had a guest room. There were more than a handful of unused spaces filled with old furniture around the house.
Why would he not have the foresight to prepare for visitors? It was like he was trying to discourage such things. And he was popular—he had to have friends that would qualify.
So what made me any different?
Damen’s bedroomwas a cavern of rich fabrics, dark furniture, and expensive tastes. It was warm, which was expected as it was next to the chimney, and despite being comfortably buried beneath two extremely fluffy blankets, I still couldn’t get to sleep.
Maybe it was because I couldn’t get the image of the ghost girl out of my head. Or maybe it was that I was sure that while I’d been secluded away on my own to sleep, Damen and the others were talking about me downstairs.
What were they saying? I wish I could find out, but it wasn’t like I could easily eavesdrop. I would have to be pretty close to them to catch their conversation.
I looked across the dimly lit room. My only light was a candle,which was a bit of a fire hazard, and I hadn’t been brave enough to switch it for anything else. After tucking me into his bed—which was strange enough to render any of my requests speechless—Damen left with his room in a certain state. I intended to uphold his standards.
It felt like eons passed as I lay there, trying not to move. I turned my focus to soft moonlight streaming in through the window before, finally, my thoughts quieted
20
The air smelledof burnt dirt and wet grass. My nose wrinkled at the scent as my thoughts raced. It felt natural, but I couldn’t recall why. The knowledge was driving me crazy, like an itch I couldn’t scratch.
The ground felt hot against the bottom of my bare feet, yet the darkness that surrounded me wouldn’t allow for any hint of my surroundings. I couldn’t stop moving, stepping through the night. If I did, it might find me.
Hurry.
There was pressure against my lower back, urging me forward. My shoulders ached.
Keep going.
Finally, in the distance, was the smallest point of light. The reddish gold grew brighter with every step. My knees shook as I continued forward, fighting against the current until the shadows of the distant forest grew closer.
