Page 47 of Reflections of Peonies
“What?” I gasped. Sweet, darling Miles? I would never.
“But I think there’s another reason you’re avoiding going back.”
“Yes,” I mumbled into my knees, my eyes drifting to the ground. “It’s not the same.”
“What’s not the same?” Titus said, unmoved.
“You know what,” I said, embarrassment racing through me. “Everyone knows now. What happens next? Damen will keep asking questions. Julian will still try to help. I don’t even know how Miles will react. No one understands.”
The silence that followed was almost deafening. And when I thought he’d say nothing, his voice broke through my tumblingthoughts. “We might not be able to relate, but wehaveseen it before.”
I glanced at him, but he was no longer looking at me. “My company works with law enforcement sometimes. I’ve led teams to break up trafficking rings. I’ve intervened in hunts.”
“What?” My breath caught, and my heartbeat echoed in my ears.
“On top of that, Damen works directly with both criminals and victims, Julian assists his grandfather in interrogations, and even Miles has helped with cases during his studies,” Titus said. “Believe me, we understand—at least a little. No one sees you any differently.”
“Oh,” I replied.
“Of course, every situation is unique in ways too,” he continued. “However, no one will pressure you to answer any questions.”
“I—” I clenched my fists as he held me tightly. “I can’t talk about it. I don’t want to think about it.”
“And I get that. I’m not going to push you. But…” His words trailed off as his breath brushed against my ear. His fingers tangled in the hair at the base of my neck, and a shiver shot down my spine. “The reason you’re hesitating… Is it because you’re still scared of him?”
I clung to him. Titus’s form was an impenetrable force of mass and muscle around me, and I knew without a doubt that if anything were to happen, he would defend me without hesitation.
But that didn’t stop the terror from racing through me.
“Bianca?” His thumb moved over the back of my head.
“I am scared,” I said as I pressed my face further into his chest and allowed his musky scent to wash over me. “He’s gotten away before. If he ever found that I’d told anyone…” Titus’s hand continued to caress my neck, and I tried to steady my shaking.
Titus was silent while I shivered against him, and only when my shaking subsided did he respond. “I’m going to find him.” His reply was so direct that my vision wavered.
I glanced at him as he stared at some point over my head. His features were drawn into a devastating mask of retribution. The dark stubble over his chin and the faint red reflection in his eyes made him look deadly.
“I’m going to find him,” he repeated, his calm growl laced with the fury banked in his expression. “I promise he won’t be able to get to you, but even more assuredly, I can guarantee you’ll have no more doubts once I bring you his spine.”
A chill passed over me. “I might not want to see it,” I whispered. What was I supposed to do with a spine anyway—hang it on my wall? “Can’t you just tell me, in detail, how you kill him? Can you make it hurt?”
His eyes were deep recesses that pulled me in. Everything, my worries and fears, faded away as his presence cloaked me.
“Oh, princess,” he said, and there was no hesitation in his voice—only dark promises. “Between me and Julian, we’ll make him wish he’d never been born.”
I woke up alone,but the bed was still warm beside me. Titus must have just left. My thoughts were still groggy from the night before—no one had been downstairs when I’d come back, and I’d been so exhausted that I’d fallen asleep as soon as Titus tucked me in and fell asleep over the covers.
There had been too much on my mind the previous night, but now that the new day had started, I was becoming more aware of my surroundings.
Titus’s style was crisp and minimalistic, with a color scheme ofwhites and grays. Light gray walls decorated with geometric, abstract artwork seemed odd next to the decadent lavishness I’d seen throughout the house. Across from the king-sized bed where I was lying was a huge television. Elsewhere in the room was a metal desk topped with three sleek monitors.
Only thin, airy curtains covered the windows, which was why the sun was so alarmingly blinding now.
“No,” I groaned and covered my eyes with my forearm. The day had barely begun and was already ruined with all this light.
Someone had better have made coffee, or everyone would die. I wouldn’t argue with an offering of bacon, either.
I blindly stepped from the bed and tripped, falling onto my knees onto the darker-gray carpet. It happened so fast I didn’t have time to shout.
