Page 68 of Reflections of Peonies
I wasn’t sure what else Titus could learn except maybe how to eat people better.
Julian worked with his grandfather, which made sense, but why did Damen hang around Dr. Stephens so much anyway? He was mine.
“Don’t you have a Paragon Er Bashou?” I asked Damen. “Wouldn’t they be in charge of your training too?”
There was an uncomfortable silence as Titus, Miles, and Julian looked at the floor, and Damen cleared his throat. “It’s a long story. In any case,” he said. “It’s probably best to avoid Xavier for now.”
“But he seemed fine,” I said, and my thoughts flashed to the white-haired fae.
Julian’s mouth dipped as his form grew tense. “I’d forgotten you met him.”
“You should focus on Bryce and Brayden,” Titus interjected. “Do not train with Xavier.”
“Why?”
“All of our abilities have a more dangerous side,” Damen explained. “Xavier is a specialist in dark fae magic. Evenwedon’t know what allthatentails.”
“But—” Wasn’t that something I was supposed to know? “So?”
Julian touched his head and closed his eyes as he answered. “Bianca, he’s a sadist.”
Why did everyone look so severe? I blinked and cocked my head, watching him as I waited for the punchline. “Okay?” I asked. “What’s that?”
The temperature of the room dropped further, and Julian opened his eyes. He glanced at the others, but they were silent as they watched him. There was a slight grimace in his voice as he grabbed my hand. “Darling,” he said. “It means that his power is channeled through pain.”
I raised an eyebrow, still not understanding.
“Usually through some sort of sexual contact,” he added quietly.
My throat tightened. “But he called me Mistress. He was really nice!”
Julian nodded. “Xavier knows you’re his better and defers to you. But honestly, is that something you think you can handle?”
Miles chimed in, “She’ll have to handle it one day. She can’t avoid Xavier forever; he’s her Tongjun.”
“She doesn’t have to avoid him,” Julian shot back. “But he’ll need to be briefed on the situation. He’s not the concern, but what he might involve her in, is.”
“That’s what they were arguing about,” Titus added, nodding toward the door. “Xavier wants to take Bianca to the Unseelie realm disguised as a nymph.”
Julian’s hand twitched. “Has he lost his mind? What did Bryce say?”
“Bryce said he’d rip out his heart,” Titus replied, shrugging. “I offered to help.”
“What’s a nymph?” I asked.
Julian’s gaze returned to me. “A nymph is a sexual servant shared among high-ranking officials. You would have free access to almost everywhere, and being with Xavier should protect you, but it’s still too risky.”
Just the thought made me nauseous. “Oh…”
I looked away, feeling their eyes on me, waiting for me to respond.
“T-t-that’s probably not a good idea,” I stammered.
The following silence was heavy in the air—almost as if no one knew how to break the mood. But then Miles, thankfully, changed the topic.
“It’s about time for your pain medicine and to shower.” He leaned toward me and tugged a lock of my hair.
I looked at him and frowned. Was he implying that I smelled?
