Page 59 of Reflections of Peonies
“I can’t believe you!” I glared at him. “I was nervous because I wanted you to believe me! This is so stupid! You’re the worst best friend ever!”
“Wow,” Brayden, who’d been silently watching the conversation until now, chimed in as Anthony nodded. “Finn, you need to work on your communication skills.”
“I don’t want to hear that from you two idiots!” Finn turned on him.
“Why in the world would you think I was afraid of ghosts?” I asked him. “Why are you telling people this?”
He looked at me and narrowed his eyes. “Because any time someone asks you about the first spirit you saw, you freak out! Everyone else brags about theirs.”
“Wh-what?” I asked. The fight fled from me as his eyes held mine, and his expression dropped into regret instantly. The sound of insects screaming through the air of a hot summer night echoed in my ears, but no one else seemed to be able to hear it.
“See!” Finn pointed at me. “Why are you afraid?”
“Shut up! It’s fine…” I could talk about it—I was just like everyone else.
“Then how old were you when you first saw it?” he asked.
“I-I don’t know?” I touched my shaking hand to my mouth as I stared at the floor. “She was a-always just there.”
“ ‘There’ where?” Damen’s question sounded loud, and I moved my hands to my ears.
“Home,” I said, biting my lip.
“And where—” Damen began, but his inquisitive expression dropped when I looked at him. He stepped to me, closing the distance between us, and touched my head before he said, “Never mind. You’re okay, baby girl. This is enough. Why don’t we move on?”
I stared at him, still struggling to regain my composure, but he had already taken control of the situation.
“Julian,” Damen began. “Isn’t she due to have her bandages changed? That was why we interrupted breakfast to begin with. We can discuss what to do about Kiania afterward.”
My breathing evened out as I looked at him.
Julian’s attention was redirected to Damen’s statement. “Yes, she is,” he said, moving to my side as he touched my elbow. “Why don’t we move to the living room where you’re more comfortable?”
I looked at the table, and my heart sank. It didn’t matter anymore; I was no longer hungry, and the food was definitely cold.
“O-okay,” I said, leaning into Julian’s hold.
“You three stay here,” Damen replied, gesturing toward Bryce, Brayden, and Anthony. “We’ll let you know if we need you.”
“What?” Bryce began to protest. He stepped forward, glowering, as he moved toward us. “I have every right to—”
Damen scowled at him. “You forfeited that right.”
“How dare you!” Bryce seemed just about ready to throttle Damen.
Titus moved between them. “You’re staying,” he said, and the others shot him a curious look—as if they were surprised he’d stepped in. Bryce, too, seemed stunned and backed up a step.
“But—” he began again.
“I’m irritated—I haven’t tasted blood in a few days.” Titus stood firm, eyeing Bryce. “Maybe an obnoxious fae will scratch that itch.”
“You’re not going to eat me!” Bryce snapped, although was it my imagination, or did he seem more pale than usual?
Still, just how often did Titus kill people?
Bryce, however, did not seem to be the wise sort, and after sucking in a deep breath, he moved forward, ready to argue. But before he could, Brayden stood between him and the dragon.
“Hey,” Brayden said, grabbing Bryce’s arm. “Stay here with me. I need to talk to you.”
