Page 73 of Ashes and Lilies
“Miss Brosnan.” She touched her head again. “Please tell me you know who you are, at least.”
Oh,oh!
I sat back and stared at her. This was the exact opposite of what Damen wanted!
“H-how…” I began, but my words trailed off as she pressed her lips together and touched the side of her nose.
“Plus,” she said. “I pay a bit more attention than most—and have knowledge others might not possess.”
“What—what kind of knowledge?” I asked.
“I’m not certain about the need for secrecy,” she mused, not answering me as she looked over her shoulder. “But I do understand the caution. Plus, some work surrounding you makes it difficult to discern unless one already suspects.”
“D-Damen,” I began, squeezing my knees together. “Damen wanted to keep things quiet for now,” I admitted. “Maybe he did something?”
Ms. Protean’s lips pursed as she observed me. “I don’t think so,” she said finally. “It’s in your scent. There’s a magic holding back your essence.”
“But…” I bit my lip, and my heart pounded. What magic? “Wouldn’t Titus be able to tell? Or Miles?”
“Mr. Montrone still has a long way to go before he reaches that level,” Ms. Protean responded. “And Dr. Ducharme would be too preoccupied, I think, to pick up on it right now.”
My skin crawled, and I grabbed my elbow. “Is—is it bad? Am I cursed?”
“No.” She shook her head as she sat back in her seat. “That isn’t a curse, at least. You’re being hidden. However, the second spell, not so much.”
What was that supposed to mean?
“It is much more recent,” she began, moving to stand. “And has the distinct scent of the Cole family to it. You share the scent with the other females who have vanished. Maybe bring that up to the rest of your quintet.”
I lifted my pencil, ready to ask, but she’d already begun to step away.
“In any case,” Ms. Protean said, “I’ll consider the other matter.”
“What?” I asked. What other matter?
“Ms. Protean.” Finn stepped into view, looking as serious as ever. “What a surprise. I was looking for—”
“Finn!” I leveled my meanest glare at him. How dare he show his face to me.
“Hello, Mr. Abernathy.” Ms. Protean didn’t appear surprised to see him. “It seems your line has a knack for getting in my way.”
“What?” Finn shot her a curious look, then shook his head. “Never mind. I wasn’t aware that you knew Bianca—”
“How Miss Brosnan and I are acquainted is no business of yours,” Ms. Protean said, leaning on her cane. “But I think she and I will become familiar with each other soon enough.”
What did she mean by that?
Finn appeared to be curious about the same thing. “I beg your pardon?”
“You don’t need to know everything.” Ms. Protean rolled her eyes. “Besides, there’s nothing to be afraid of. I’m not the big, bad wolf in this situation. You have greater concerns now.”
“Concerns?” Finn repeated, suspicion lacing his voice.
“Goodbye,” Ms. Protean said and left.
I stared after her long after she retreated, mentally coming to terms with the fact that I’d, once again, been thrust into an unpleasant situation. Where was Julian? He’d undoubtedly ensure that Finn wouldn’t hover about.
It wasn’t until Finn took over Ms. Protean’s abandoned seat that the spell broke.
