Page 37 of Reflections of Peonies
He faced me, and I pulled him away from the others. But he was still too tall, and I tugged on his arm until he bent down.
“I need my rabbit,” I whispered in his ear.
Bryce’s skin turned pale, and his eyes met mine. “What?”
“I have a pink rabbit,” I told him. I was too weak to give it up. “Can you please get it? Jiayi knows where it is.”
Bryce’s expression was strife with dread, making me feel worse for asking. But I couldn’t lie and say it didn’t matter.
After a moment, he groaned. “Fine.”
“Thank you.” I was near tears, and I hated myself. “I don’t want anything else.”
“It’s okay,” he said, pet my shoulder, and finally left.
I returned to Julian and Damen, who were conversing in low tones under another umbrella Bryce had given them. But I couldn’t see their faces, so I had no idea what they were talking about.
They stopped when they saw me, and Julian again reached for my hand. “Is everything okay? What did you ask him to get?”
I couldn’t tell them. They’d make fun of me. “Nothing important.”
Julian paused but then carried on. “That’s fine. Are you ready to go?” At my nod, he stepped beside me as we followed Damen. “We’re taking Damen’s car.”
“The Jaguar?” I asked, spotting the aforementioned vehicle.
Damen pulled out his key fob, and the engine turned over.
“We’re all wet,” I tried to warn him. Didn’t he realize? “We’ll mess it up.”
“It’ll dry.” Damen’s voice was still strange. “Don’t worry about it.”
Julian frowned at him but didn’t say anything as weapproached the vehicle. The necromancer opened the passenger door, waiting for me, but I hesitated.
I glanced at him and then to Damen, who watched us over the hood from the other side of the car. What were they waiting for? Julian’s legs were much longer than mine.
“I’ll sit in the back,” I said.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Bianca.” Julian touched my back. “You can sit—”
“Just let her sit wherever she wants,” Damen interrupted. “It’s my car.”
I glanced between them. This tension, again, was making me feel sick. Perhaps I had made a mistake after all.
“I want to sit in the back.” I stared hard at the ground. “I want to lie down.”
Julian sighed. “Darling, you need to wear your seat-belt—”
“She can lay down if she wants!” Damen placed his hand on the top of his car. “Why don’t you stop telling her what to do?”
“Then why don’t you stop acting like an ass?” Julian glared at him. “I know you agree, so why are you arguing? You’re going to scare her.”
Damen’s eyes zeroed in on me, and I almost flinched from the burning intensity of his gaze. He was angry again. But I had no idea what he was upset about now.
That wasn’t true, actually. I did know what his problem was.
It was my fault that he’d been forced to allow Bryce into his home. But didn’t he understand? Once again, he was missing the bigger picture. Bryce would be completely at our mercy.
Once he cooled down, I’d help him see the light.
