Page 106 of Reflections of Peonies
“That brings us to my second reason for calling you,” I said, feeling the weight of Jonathon’s displeasure even before I spoke. “Titus has requested your assistance.” Abigail’s eyes lit up while Jonathon frowned, and I swallowed hard. “He says you’re closest to the investigation; you’ve seen things firsthand. Gloria and their team will be involved and have asked that you debrief them.”
“Of course,” Abigail replied instantly, eagerly leaning forward in her seat. Jonathon, however, kept his gaze on me, clearly displeased.
“You’ve gotten bolder,” he remarked, his tone almost approving, though it only made me more tense. “That’s good. It must mean you’ve been training hard. You’ve completed your quest?”
“I’ve been working on it!” I snapped, defensive. Why was I the only one who had to come under scrutiny?
“Good,” Jonathon said, and to anyone else, it might seem like he was pleased. But he was upset—I knew it. “Then it means you can handle the complexities that’ll come with Bianca’s recovery. I’m sure you won’t act rashly then.”
“What are you talking about?” I sucked in a breath.
“Finn told me you were sleeping in the same bed,” he repliedmildly. However, something in his eyes made it impossible for me to forget that he was still Bianca’s legal father. “That’s probably not a good idea.”
Apparently, Abigail hadn’t been informed and stared between us. “Have you lost your mind?”
My heart pounded as I took a steadying breath, trying to regain control. “You don’t have anything to worry about,” I told them. “We’re more than well aware of her boundaries. She seems to want the company. I think it makes her feel less alone.”
They both frowned at me.
“We know what we’re doing,” I continued, waving my hand. There was no way I’d ever hurt her. “So don’t worry.”
“Miles—” Abigail began, but I cut her off. I didn’t need to hear a lecture from them. They were the ones who’d lied to her for all these years.
“I need to leave soon to pick up Bianca from class,” I told them. “I don’t want either of you anywhere near her unless she seeks you out. And you are to continue keeping her existence a secret.”
Jonathon’s expression remained unreadable, but there was a flicker of something in his eyes. It unsettled me even more. I had to deal with my shadow-self, and fast.
My fingers duginto my arms as I waited for Bianca outside the Biology lab classroom. The sick feeling in my stomach hadn’t lessened, even after talking to the Griers. Abigail was in worse shape than I’d imagined. Her demeanor—short-tempered, paranoid—was too familiar. It reminded me of my mother.
She genuinely thought she was helping.
And Jonathon—what was he doing? He might have beenmy Paragon Er Bashou, but something about him unsettled me, something beyond his reputation. He was so powerful that being in his presence made me feel like I was constantly being tested, even if it wasn’t his nature to display his power by force.
He never pushed, raised his voice, or issued commands. He didn’t have to. The silence, the watchful eyes—that was enough. He was definitely judging me based on my training. He’d probably help train me if I asked… but I couldn’t.
He wasn’t a pushover. So why was he letting Abigail live this way? This wasn’t who she was.
Guilt gnawed at me. What was I supposed to do? Technically, my job was to oversee my Officers—even the Proxies. But they were much stronger than me, so I had no leg to stand on.
Besides that, I couldn’t help but worry about their comments regarding Bianca. They had known her longer than us—what if they were right?
I would rather die than hurt her. I had no choice—I had to get stronger, to get better, to become someone worthy enough to take care of her.
Even now, I could scarcely breathe. She was only one room away—with a door separating us—but it felt like eons since I’d seen her last. What in the world could be taking them so long? It was only a three-hour lab—whatever was on those petri dishes couldn’t be all that fascinating.
Before I reached for the door again, I caught myself. I couldn’t interrupt his class. Bryce would get all pissy, and now we had to live with him. I forced out a low breath.
Bianca was perfectly fine.
The door opened, and students milled into the hallway, Bianca among them. She saw me instantly and crossed the space between us, a thin smile on her lips.
“Hi,” she said, but something was wrong. She wouldn’t look me in the eyes and shifted her weight nervously from foot to foot.
“Bianca?” I reached for her.
But instead of answering, she sidestepped my hand and headed straight for the exit. She moved quickly, and it took me a moment to snap out of my confusion and follow her. The crowd thinned as we neared the library, and I finally caught up with her as we rounded the corner of the building.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” I tugged at her hand, pulling her to a stop beside me.
