Page 115 of Brambles and Bellflowers
Miles lowered the mug, eyebrows raising. “They were our first—and longest—lives and defined all the others,” he said. “Would you like me to reference the rest?”
“No thanks,” I muttered, looking away. “I don’t even know what that means.”
I could feel Miles’s frown directed toward me. But he didn’t understand; I didn’t care. In fact, I’d be more than happy to forget about Mu too.
“Maybe it’s time to move on?” I grumbled.
“Bianca?” he asked. “You can ask whatever you’d like. Kathleen would be more than happy to explain anything I don’t know yet.”
“It’s not important,” I said, letting my attention linger on the tiny window. Asking—knowing—made things more real. Instead of the past, my time would be much better served by focusing on the here and now—my current abilities, relationships, and connections.
How could I explain the lingering darkness clouding my thoughts when I reflected on my previous lives? Perhaps, for now, I was better off not knowing. I wanted to be normal for a little while longer.
My attempt todistance myself from the imp that was my past life failed when Kathleen cornered me shortly after breakfast while I was alone washing dishes in a rustic basin and water set up outside her cabin.
She sat beside me on the ground over the dried leaves. “Are you still going through with it?” she asked.
I lowered the ivory-colored pitcher before wiping my hands on my lap. “W-what?” My attention moved to her hands, where she was holding his pants.
Did this mean he was naked?
“Your plan,” she said, lowering her voice. “Remember, you chose…” Her voice trailed off, and surprise flickered across her face as I met her eyes. The fine lines on the edges of her pale lips deepened as she frowned, and her round face moved in sympathy. “You don’t remember, even after I’ve set everything up.”
“I don’t remember what?” My heart raced, and my shyness vanished.
Mu had a plan.
I knew it! Of course, there was a plan. My past self was a brilliant warrior who lived to save Damen’s previous incarnations from inevitable disaster. We would never doanythingwithout a plan.
“Tell me!” I commanded.Nowwe were getting somewhere. This, I was interested in.
She shook her head, and my excitement diminished. “We Elders were children—and you never disclosed the bigger picture. But you did assign tasks you expected everyone to complete before your next rebirth into this form.”
I touched my mouth. Had I given directives? That was terribly bossy. I would never…
Actually, that was probably something I would do. There was nothing wrong with some delegation. After all, most people could benefit from a helping hand and divine guidance.
But still, who was ‘everyone’?
“Who did I—” I began, but she shook her head again, regret deeply etched in her face.
“I don’t know everything,” she said, smoothing Miles’s pants over her lap. “The Elder fae—Gregory, Dustin, and Caleb—have all been up to something.”
“Dustin?” I asked. I did not know of this Elder.
“Dustin Dubois,” she replied, tilting her head. “Your Elder Jiangjun.” When I didn’t reply, she answered. “He’s your paternal grandfather.”
Oh… I leaned back.Declan’sfather.
The one that Bryce said wanted me dead.
“What was your task?” I looked at her.
She touched the chain around her neck, and my attention moved to the small, golden ring she’d begun to twirl between her fingers. It had a large stone that twinkled in the light, but I couldn’t place what it might be.
“Well, technically, you didn’t ask me to do anything directly,” she answered slowly, her focus drifting away from me. “I used to hide and watch you from a distance. You’ve always been intimidating.”
Yes, I could imagine Mu was intimidating. The man was a psychopath.
