Page 13 of Reflections of Peonies
It didn’t matter; either scenario made my skin warm.
“Darling.” Julian touched my face. “Titus wouldn’t hurt you.”
I glanced at him in confusion. Was he bringing this upagain? “I know that.”
“Oh.” Julian’s face morphed in confusion. “Then what…”
“Never mind.” It was suddenly difficult to meet his eyes. I wasn’t even sure what had come over me. “I’m tired,” I said, leaning back into his chest.
“Go to sleep then,” Julian replied, patting down my hair. “I’ll be here.”
I couldn’t sleepdespite my exhaustion, so we lay together in silence as I soaked in Julian’s presence.
Eventually, Julian was asked to leave. There was a sense of loneliness in the wake of his exit. This was a strange feeling, almost as if I was growing to depend on his presence.
Honestly? I didn’t like it.
I’d grown to depend on people before, and look at what had happened. What if I was projecting my need for acceptance onto Julian and the others?
Julian kept talking about a bond and how everything between us was normal. But I didn’t know much about this person I was supposed to be, and I had no memory of any past lives.
The boys were leaders. People looked up to them, and they seemed to know what they were talking about. They were also able to defend themselves and weren’t scared of anything.
This person who was supposed to be me—he must have been like that too. When Damen had described Mu, long before I knew I was him, I’d thought he sounded fantastic.
How could that same person be me?
This must be why everyone wanted to keep me a secret. The realization hurt, but it was also a reality check.
I wasn’t stupid. If I wanted things to change, I would have to start with myself. I was going to have to prove everyone wrong.
But it was going to be so,sohard.
The short meadowgrasstickled my bare feet, and gray clouded the sky, making it difficult to tell the time. The air was heavy and stale; only my immediate surroundings held any color. Outside of that, a blank canvas stretched in every direction.
I was lonely, so lonely. The ache was a painful pressure against my chest.
“Mu.” A voice drifted to me. It was a feminine, husky sound, and so familiar. Yet recognition remained just out of grasp. “You’re finally waking up.”
Some part of me recognized she was talking to me in a language much different than English, yet I understood it without issue.
“We had an agreement,” she said, her tone a strange mixture of alarm and annoyance. “Do not forget. Otherwise, you’ll run out of time. You must remember.”
A strangeness settled over my body. I no longer felt like myself.
I responded, even though the words weren’t my own. “This is not for you to worry over. You need to trust me.”
The world moved, and color began to break through, swirling through the air. There was black, red, and so much green, but nothing further than that.
The voice that was mine continued, “Is it still love?”
After my question, the colors stilled, and the scene snapped into focus.
A woman stood in front of me. She looked tall, but for once, I didn’t feel short in comparison. She was thin, with black hair that reached the ground. It fell around her like a silk blanket. She wore an elegant gown that showed no skin, but her neck and head, and the redness of it matched her painted lips.
Her mouth pointed down as she looked at me, and her golden eyes flashed with annoyance.
“I don’t know. Human emotions are so strange,” she said, glancing to the side. “But I thought out of everyone, you would understand, considering.”
