Page 102 of Ashes and Lilies
Despite removing the suffocating presence that’d been hanging over us, the air still felt heavy as we made our way back to the parking lot.
20
The moonlight shonebrightly through Damen’s cracked-open bedroom window, and a low breeze moved through the space. Julian sat on the bed beside me, and now that things had quieted, I could see from his stilted movements that he was upset. He leaned over me and tucked in my blanket before he stood to leave.
“I’m sorry,” I said, hardly able to hear myself.
He stopped, shoulders tensing, as he peered down. “For what, darling?” he asked.
“I—” I wasn’t entirely sure. I wasn’t going to apologize for helping James, and he’d said it was okay to tell them no. But, “I tricked you when I left,” I whispered. That hadn’t been nice of me at all. “I’m sorry for being sneaky.”
The corners of Julian’s mouth turned down. “That’s nothing to apologize for,” he told me. “Your scheming is one of the traits I admire most about you.”
“Oh.” I wrapped my fingers around the edge of my blanketand pulled it to my nose. That didn’t sound like a good thing, though. “Okay.”
“However,” he said, touching his pointer finger to the tip of his nose, “I do not approve of you putting yourself in danger either.”
My heart began to race at the serious look in his eyes.
“That is the only thing I will not support,” he said. “And there is nothing in the world that concerns me more.”
My pulse was racing as his gaze held mine.
“But…” I told him. “I’m not great at listening to people. I know that Damen is supposed to be the ‘leader,’ but…”
“Not listening is nothing new for you.” He smirked. “However, Damen’s reaction has little to do with his or your role, and more about his feelings. You would be the only one who could get away with disregarding his instructions, and I’ll support that wholeheartedly.”
That didn’t make sense. Wasn’t Damen technically supposed to be in charge? Or had I misunderstood?
Julian smiled softly at my blank look. “You’ll remember eventually. In any case,” he continued, “try to get some sleep. Nothing further will happen tonight.”
“What about tomorrow?” I asked. There was heavy pressure against my chest, and I couldn’t move past the feeling that this wasn’t over. “What—what about Alexander Cole?”
“Miles and Damen are looking into it,” Julian said, brushing a lock of my hair from my forehead. “We’re hoping that with the curse removed from the ring, you’ll no longer be a target. But we can’t say for certain yet.”
“What about...” My question trailed off.
“What about what?” he asked.
“Finn,” I whispered, and Julian’s expression turned blank. “Are you upset that I called him?”
A muscle in Julian’s jaw twitched as he lowered his gaze to my wrist, and he was silent for a long moment before responding. “I think,” he said finally, “that I will stay out of it, although it doesn’t make me happy.”
“We—we’re not friends again,” I told him. “Don’t worry.”
“Remember, I saw him hurt you,” he said, gazing at the window. “And he made you sad. Those are not things that I can just get over.”
That was true, yet I couldn’t get past the feeling that there was something else. “Hey,” I asked, biting my lip. “Is there another reason you hate him so much?”
Julian’s shoulders tensed, and he looked back at me. “What?”
“You dislike Finn more than almost everyone,” I pointed out, hoping this wasn’t supposed to be a secret. “What did he do?”
It was probably something evil. Julian was such a gentle person, and Finn was not. Knowing Finn, he might have kicked a puppy, or beat up another innocent, harmless person. I’d put nothing past him.
Julian’s mouth dipped, and I knew what he’d say before he spoke.
“It’s a story for another time,” he answered, hesitating only briefly before touching his lips to my forehead. “It’s time for bed.”
