Page 115 of Ashes and Lilies
Daniel should be out of town, but I’m not positive.
Damen
It’s up to you, Bianca.
I paused for a blink, considering, before peeking at Bryce once again. I wasn’t sure who this Matheus person was, but for Titus to send him, he must be formidable.
My pulse quickened, although there were no reasons to be nervous. I believed in Damen, and I shouldn’t pass up this opportunity. Witnessing Bryce’s pouty face would be unbearable.
Me
Then I’m doing it. We can talk after.
The four responded with varying degrees of acceptance, and I returned my phone to my bag.
“I’ll go with you,” I told Bryce, swinging my backpack over my shoulder. “But I want pasta.”
“Not a problem.” A genuine smile touched his lips. “I know just the place.”
22
“Where are we?”I asked, perturbed that we weren’t in an Italian restaurant. Instead, the place Bryce had taken me resembled a mid-century nightclub—though, thankfully, without the crowd of dancing patrons.
Still, it was creepy how the staff hid in the shadows and only stepped out to provide a service. The dim lighting didn’t help.
But Bryce had seemed excited to come here. He’d raved about their food the whole ride.
“We’re in a restaurant,” he told me, stating the obvious. “It is owned by some of my Unseelie acquaintances and business partners.”
What kind of partners might these be? And what a strange term to use.
What, exactly, was Bryce up to? Hopefully, my money wasn’t involved.
“And who is that?” I continued, looking over my glass of water across the restaurant at the only other patron. A scruffy man in his mid-twenties, at most, sat in one of the seats, lookingvery much out of place in the elegant atmosphere. My analysis had little to do with his boots, jeans, and white shirt, but rather with how he carried himself.
His chin-length chocolate colored hair looked slightly tangled, and his face was shrouded in shadow as he kept his attention trained on the table. His shoulders were hunched, and there was a cautious wariness in the air surrounding him.
Bryce knew him; the two nodded at each other upon our arrival. But no introductions had been made.
“Who?” Bryce asked, looking up and then following my gaze. The caution loosened from his frame as he added, “Oh, that’s Matheus Fernandez. He’s the dragon’s Jiangjun—the same quintet as Brayden.”
“So, you trust him?” I asked.
What kind of shifter was he—and why did it seem familiar?
“Yes,” Bryce answered instantly, his words slightly slurred. “Despite Damen’s concerns, you should be able to trust all your Officers, at least those in our generation. Some of the Proxies haven’t been much involved lately, however, so I’m not entirely certain of them.”
Officers…
It took a full moment for the impact of his words to reach me. “What?” I asked, setting down my glass.
How could Damen not have warned me that Bryce knew?
“When did you—” I began but paused when Bryce gave me a patient look.
Before he could answer, our waiter reappeared. Outside of taking our order and dropping off the drinks and breadsticks, he’d been surprisingly scarce.
Bryce’s dark-colored drink was hastily refilled.
