Page 108 of Brambles and Bellflowers
He was actually mad at her.
Kathleen frowned at him before she pulled her beige shawl over her shoulders and limped to a chair. Besides a small table and a bed that was only big enough for one person, the room held no other furnishings: only jars—so many jars!—and dried herbs hanging from the rafters.
“I had my reasons,” she replied, leaning back into her seat. “But be assured I’ve never not been one for the cause. Jonathon, too, would never abandon his place. There’s a logic behind everything he does.” Her attention moved to me. “Especially if he went so far as to cover Mu with protective magic and cloaking spells.”
Miles tensed and sucked in a breath. “You can tell who she is?”
“It took me a little while, I will admit.” She rolled her shoulders. “But, as good as he is, he’s cared too much about his curses to learn the gentler side of our craft.”
“C-curses?” I wasn’t going to ask, but I couldn’t resist.
“Jonathon’s specialty is in creating—and breaking—curses,” Kathleen glanced at me. “There is no one better than him.”
I frowned at Miles. The Cole family had almost killed me with a curse, and then there was that ring that’d gotten everyone all up in a tizzy, and nobody thought to mention that there might be a veryrealreason for wanting to involve my adoptive father.
Heck, I would have gladly conceded to his expertise in that situation!
“Don’t look at me like that!” Miles stammered, leaning away from me. “He’s already lectured me, okay?”
Kathleen sighed. “You’re still scared of him, are you?”
“I—” Miles’s face turned red as he stammered. “I’m not scared of him!”
“You should be,” she replied, pulling her mug into her lap. “He’s far stronger than you are right now. Haveanyof you completed your training yet?”
“We—we’re taking a break!” Miles exclaimed. “Plus, not everyone knows who Bianca is yet. We can’t go to the Council. You know what will happen.”
Kathleen made a sound of understanding. “The prophecy.” She touched her chest and twisted a silver chain in her fingers. Her gaze was distant, as if deep in recollection, and she didn’t seem aware of her actions.
“That was why she was hidden at birth,” Miles explained. “Bailey was a ruse. The fae were afraid of what would happen.”
She let out a soft laugh. At first, I wondered what was so funny. But then she squared her shoulders and sat forward, leveling a wizened and serious look at us. “You’ll learn, as I have,that youcan’tstop a prophecy from coming true no matter what precautionary measures you’ve put into place.”
“Damen doesn’t think it’s a real prophecy,” Miles said.
“It’s real,” she interrupted. “But he’d never admit it to you. You know Huo is relentlessly optimistic, but he’s not stupid. Are you Titus’s mate?”
The last bit was directed to me, but I couldn’t answer—
Damen said the prophecy was wrong. He’d sounded so sure. But now Kathleen was saying that wasn’t the case.
It said that we would have ababy.
I wasn’t sure about that. I could barely functionnow—romantic entanglements only added more complexity.
Besides, it still might not be possible.
Miles reached for me, squeezing my hand, and answered in my stead. “She is.”
She tsked. “Let me give you some advice. Most onmyoji lack attention to detail—they are big-picture personalities. Whatever you do, don’t allow the fear of some prophecy to stop you from living. You’ll learn that such things unfolding are usually greatly different than imagined.”
Tension radiated from Miles as he asked, “Do you have a lot of experience with prophecies?”
“Some.” Her reply was short, and her eyes guarded. “Let’s just say I’ve become somewhat of an expert in the last twenty-four hours. Where did Abigail find you?” she asked abruptly, once again trying to pull me into the conversation.
But my mouth went dry, and I couldn’t answer. Whenever she turned her attention to me, I felt like a cornered animal.
“I-in a foster home,” I began, so softly that I could scarcely hear myself. “While she was working.”
