Page 54 of Ashes and Lilies
“I believe you,” I told him because I believed that he would have tried and most likely won. But he probably wouldn’t have killed anyone yet.
“What do you want to do tonight?” the witch continued, pulling me away from Julian and to the couch. “We should probably relax while we can. Damen invited Bryce and Brayden over tomorrow to see if we can end things with the ghost that tried to kill you and Finn the other night.”
“Did he?” I glared at the onmyoji, but he pointedly looked away from me.
“But Miles…” I turned back to him. This was terrible timing for interlopers to appear. Miles must have so many other responsibilities. “Tomorrow is the full moon.”
What were we going to do? Could we hunt a ghost without him?
Actually, we most likely could, especially considering how he was frightened of them. But that was beside the point.
Miles opened his mouth to say something, but my focus had already moved on. I glanced at Titus. “Didn’t you have a meeting tonight?”
“No,” Titus said, and from how he was grabbing his phone, it was clear that it’d completely slipped his mind. “I’m canceling it right now.”
I watched him as Miles showed me to a seat. Honestly, I’d thought he would be more responsible. Yet, lately, he’d been rather busy with my drama. I shuddered to think of the Mafia/shifter work he must have missed over the last few days.
He’d made fun of Miles, but had he ever killed someone?
Even if he had, there was probably a reason: bad blood, stolen money, vigilantism. I couldn’t expect him to reschedule his life for my sake. “You—”
My statement was cut off as Titus’s phone chimed again.
Titus frowned at his screen. “Apparently, I’m not canceling. However, I’ll be here for tomorrow night, no matter what. Maria said she’s coming over tonight in my place.”
“Did she yell at you again?” Miles grinned as he leaned forward and braced his forearms on his knees. “You know she reports to you, right? You shouldn’t be afraid of her.”
“I’m not afraid of her!” Titus’s face turned red.
“Maria’s coming over?” I asked. Perhaps I could salvage this evening.
Titus studied me. “You like her?”
Was that so odd?
“She’s nice…” I replied, noting the disbelieving looks all four of them gave me. “Why?”
“She’s nice?” Horror was rife on Miles’s face. “In what universe?”
“We bonded,” I replied. At least, I thought so. What if she didn’t feel the same? “She’s even invited me out for a girls’ weekend.”
My phone vibrated, and I froze. Everyone who might message me was here—all except for Finn…
Would he even have the nerve after I’d rebuffed him once already?
Immediately, the atmosphere shifted into something dark. I pulled out the device with shaking hands. I hadn’t even told the others that he’d contacted me.
Why was I so afraid?
“Bianca,” Damen’s voice sounded so far away. “Give me the phone.”
I couldn’t; it was my responsibility to deal with this myself. I ignored Damen and rushed into the hallway. A number that I did not recognize caused my heart to slow slightly.
It wasn’t Finn.
I opened the message, and my footsteps stopped entirely.
“Bianca,” Damen had followed me. “Give me—”
