Page 40 of Reflections of Peonies
I stared at where she had disappeared, my mind still turning over the fact that Bianca had used her abilities to escape from us—her quintet. I had come across a bit strong, but something had to be said. It would have done her no good in the long run to believe that the people around her remained in the dark. That would leave her in no position to confront the past.
Miles and Titus hurried off my patio. Miles lingered while Titus started forward, but Julian reached out, stopping the dragon as he made his way past us.
“Leave her be,” Julian said. “She’s in the woods. She’ll be fine for a little while.” He turned, moving toward the house, and, after a glance at the treeline, Titus followed.
My thoughts were racing, and my body felt numb as I moved through the house. They said she’d been in denial—and had been for years. But I didn’t think it would have beenthatextreme. Should I have pressed the issue? I’d seen how upset she was getting.
But at the same time, I didn’t understand what she was doing. This wasn’t like her—like Mu. Mu had never been one to avoid a problem, and he’d always been a master of his emotions.
It was becoming glaringly apparent things were different this time around.
We lived in a violent society. However, we, the archetypes, were protected, trained, and educated by both the Elders and Paragons. Miles’s and Julian’s situations had uniquely made it past scrutiny for a time—Miles because of his physical location, and Julian….
Well, Trinity had been her husband’s primary target. It was only after Julian nearly killed him that the Council intervened.
This thing with Bianca, though. Well, her suffering had been far beyond any of ours. If she’d been with us, this never would have happened. But if she’d been with us, she’d probably be dead.
When I entered the room, the fireplace was already roaring and the air was hot. I stalked through the space. The fury I’d been suppressing left a bitter taste in my mouth. My focus zeroed in on the one thing that could help me think.
“Damen,” Miles began, his tone a warning, but he didn’t prevent me from picking up the mezcal and taking an initialdrink. But apparently, I’d lingered too long for his discretion, and he grabbed my hand, pulling the glass away from my face.
“No.” He looked as serious as I’d ever seen him. “You cannot have liquor right now.”
Why did he have to look like he understood? He seemed to have his shit together.
Why was I the only person close to losing it?
It pissed me off.
“Fuck!” My vision turned red, and I threw the cup against the wall, where it shattered. How could this have happened? I couldn’t get the sight of it from my mind. She’d panicked from a touch to her stomach. No matter how many more lives I lived, I would never be able to forget the look on her face. The sound of her cries still rang through my ears.
I kicked at the cart, causing the drinks and dishware to crash to the floor.
I wasn’t sure what I was shouting, but as the haze fell over me, it no longer mattered. I reached for anything and everything, but not even the destruction made me feel any better, even though it’d worked in the past.
How dare things be so orderly. Not when I wasthisclose to losing my sanity. It was unacceptable.
How dare that man still be out there!
Then, something tugged at my awareness, pulling me from the seductive call of destruction. I tried to hold on to it, reaching for the darkness, but the addicting sensation of fire and victory faded. A cold sense of reality settled in its place.
“No.” I gasped when awareness slammed into me.
I was pinned under Julian as he reached into the deepest part of himself to restrain me. His power continued to wash over mine, stripping away the familiar hum of my abilities.
The longer his hand pressed against the mark on my chest, the weaker I became.
“Stop,” I grumbled. “I’m fine now.” But Julian gave no indication that he’d heard me, and my blood chilled further.
“I’m fine now!” I repeated. I pulled away from Miles, who’d been holding my arms, and he released me immediately. The witch turned to Julian and touched the necromancer’s shoulder.
“Julian,” he said, watching the other man warily. “You can stop.”
The darkness scattered, and Julian ripped his hand away a second later, pushing back to his knees. “Good.”
Shame washed over me. The others silently watched me, disappointment heavy in their gazes as I pulled myself to a seat. The air was thick with judgment. I’d really screwed up this time.
“Whoa!” A familiar voice suddenly broke through the room. “What the hell happened here?”
