Page 116 of Reflections of Peonies
“The first time I saw you…” Finn glanced away. “You resembled the pictures I’d seen of her. And Kiania told me who you were.”
“That’s interesting,” Bryce mused. He was leaning against the frame of the door, his finger to his chin. “And to think your middle name really is Alyssa.”
“Oh, please. It’s not like it was difficult to guess,” Finn snapped, glaring at Bryce.
“Is that an insult?” Bryce raised his eyebrow. “Your family isn’t much better.”
“Both of you shut up,” Julian interrupted, turning his attention to Finn. “I understand why you said nothingafterKiania bonded with Bianca. I disagree with your decision to stay silent, but I admit it wasn’t entirely your choice. That being said, if youknew who Bianca was before any of that, why didn’t you come forward then?”
“I—” Finn blushed, and he stammered. “I couldn’t…”
“Why not?” Damen stepped forward, looking genuinely curious.
The blond’s eyes met mine momentarily, and my breath caught. He watched me with a faintly familiar expression—I hadn’t seen that look since the first time he’d offered me his hand.
“Never mind,” I muttered, breaking the connection between us. Did we have to discuss this? Perhaps I was overreacting.
Why did it matter why he never said anything sooner? It’s not like it would have changed anything.
“I don’t care anymore,” I said. And with that, I ignored the imploring looks of the others and left the room.
A breeze brushedover my face, pulling me out of my sleep. And I opened my eyes to see who’d woken me—not that it was difficult to guess.
“I’m not going.” I turned over, pulling the blankets over my head. “You can tell him that I’m over it.”
“You can’t be ‘over it,’” Kiania’s voice echoed through my mind. The ethereal quality of it caused the hair on the back of my neck to stand up. This was the first time she’d spoken to me since last week’s confrontation. “And it’s not like you to run away from a problem.”
I wanted to laugh at the audacity of her statement. She didn’t know me. I was themasterof running away.
“You really aren’t,” she said. “It’s not your style. But—in this life—that’s all you’ve ever done.”
My heart began to beat furiously in my chest. Who did she think she was?
“Well, we were friends once. A long time ago. Friends are honest with each other, even if the truth hurts.” It was difficult to avoid her words when I couldn’t even block out the sound.
Besides, who was she to talk? She hadn’t been honest at all.
“Then why did you avoid me?” I snuggled in my sheets but turned—only enough to spot her through a gap in the blankets. “That’s notfriendly, and neither is tricking me into this bond we have. Didn’t they say that shikigami don’t have emotions anyway?”
“Wewerefriends,” she repeated, not answering my last question as she cocked her head. Her golden eyes reflected off the light of my small lamp as she changed the subject. “But you’re not the same. When the moon isn’t out, you can’t even sleep alone in the dark.”
“I can so!” My voice was low, and I pulled the covers around my face. I didn’t need a light—most nights.
Instead of remarking on it, she said something I didn’t expect.
“Don’t run from Finn.” She sounded further away. “He had a moment of human weakness, but—throughout this—he’s been your greatest ally. If our past together means anything to you, you’ll consider my words.”
I ignored her. After all, how I felt about Finn was none of her business.
“You should understand his actions the most, considering.”
I sat up in my bed, my racing heartbeat echoing loudly in my ears. The forest from my dream flashed across my thoughts. It’d felt so real—I could almost smell the wet moss and hear the wind moving through the trees.
She’d said something similar there. Was it a coincidence?
“Hey…” My words trailed off—she was already gone. The darkness surrounded me once again.
Finn avoidedme at breakfast and disappeared shortly thereafter. But I didn’t care. I was far from ready to talk to him again anyway. The coursing heat of his betrayal, along with something new, still flooded my system.
