Page 46 of Reflections of Peonies
Yet another reason to enact my revenge.
“In any case,” he continued, and when he pushed away, there was a hint of red swirling within the depths of his eyes. “What do you mean ‘too’?”
My pulse raced; I would have to explain.
“I—I’ve had sex before,” I told him, my voice wavering. It felt like something was crawling over me, and I grabbed my left elbow and began to rub my hand down my arm. I couldn’t meet his eyes and looked at his neck instead. “A lot. I really don’t know how many…”
My words trailed off, and I breathed in, focusing on the critical part. “But Damen and Julian said that you’re a virgin.”
I looked up into his face. “So doesn’t it bother you that I...” I began but stopped when I noticed his pinched expression.
He seemed genuinely offended.
“You were raped,” he said. “It is violence. But in fact, now that you’ve mentioned this twice—once with me and Finn—I should address it.”
I leaned away and touched my lips.
“Virginity is not only a physical state, but rather the purity of your soul,” he said. He reached for me, touching his finger to thecenter of my chest. “No one can steal your innocent heart from you.”
I didn’t reply—I wasn’t sure how to speak under the intensity of his gaze. Besides, it was ironic that he’d say such a thing because it hadn’t been that long ago that my heart had almost been ripped out of my chest, rendering his argument false.
But alas, he’d already moved on. “However, regarding the physical definition of virginity, I have never had sex inthislife. But that does not mean that I’ve never—”
“You’ve been married and had children?” My spine stiffened. But the others had said…
Titus frowned. “No.”
“But you’ve had sex before,” I said. “Doesn’t that mean that there might be little dragon babies—”
He didn’t even hesitate. “There is absolutely no chance.”
“But you’ve had sex with a woman…” My words trailed off as realization washed over me. Scenes from my secret stash of comics flashed through my mind.
Titus stared at a point over my head. His face was darkening with every passing second.
It was all the confirmation I needed. “You’ve had sex with men? Titus, are you gay?”
“What?” Titus’s eyes snapped back to mine. “No. I’m notanylabel. Like I’ve said, I’ve only ever been interested in one person,always. I guess it doesn’t matter which form they are born into.”
My mind screamed in embarrassment, because how could I not remember?
All those romantic X-rated moments. Usually, such things frightened me, but I hadn’t been able to look away. No wonder they were so interesting. Men were different, and I was having flashbacks! The scenes had been strangely fascinating.
Reincarnation worked in mysterious ways.
“What are you thinking?” Titus asked, touching my cheek. His eyes met mine, and a second later, a smile touched his lips. Suddenly, he seemed very proud of himself. “Are you imagining it?”
“No!” I pushed against his chest, trying to put some distance between us. What an awkward conversation. “I’m so not. I’m just tired, okay?”
“Itislate.” Titus’s mood shifted, and he looked over me. And this time, I realized he’d been trying to distract me from the inevitable. “Are you ready to head back now?”
My heart sank, and I pulled away, hugging my knees back to my chest. “I can’t,” I told him. “I yelled at everyone and ran away. I wasn’t very nice.”
Titus let out a sound that suspiciously sounded like a laugh, and I peeked at him.
“How many times have you injured one of us already?” he asked. “And you’ve run away before.”
I opened my mouth to respond, but he’d already touched my forehead. “Besides, you yelling at someone isn’t uncommon. I can’t wait for you to scream at Miles.”
