Page 157 of Brambles and Bellflowers
“Of course!” Brayden exclaimed, horrorstruck. “Why wouldn’t we?”
“We’ll meet you at the center.” Bryce released Damen. “You can walk for your repentance.”
“What?” Damen snapped. “I’m not walking back. That’s bullshit.”
I stepped back as Bryce approached and hid my hand behind my back before he could touch me. “We can’t leave them,” I told him.
Bryce paused, narrowing his eyes, before finally looking at the sky. “Fine,” he said with a sigh, signaling to the helicopter. Someone opened the door and tossed down a ladder. “I guess we might be able to take them along.”
“We are,” I said, and Bryce frowned harder. Before I could protest, he shoved headgear over my ears and grabbed my arm.
Before I could move, the air around me shifted—a ripple, as the space itself had folded inward—and suddenly, we weren’t standing in the clearing anymore.
I pressed my back against the cold metal of the helicopter as the world snapped into place.
They had brought me with them? Was this what Miles meant—the fae could jump through the air?
I barely had time to process before Brayden was beside me, steadying me as I swayed. Unbothered, Bryce crossed his arms, his gaze sweeping the cabin before he glowered at the rest of my quintet as they climbed the ladder.
“Hurry it up,” he said, glowering. “We have a schedule to keep.”
“What schedule?” I asked.
It was Brayden who answered.
“We’re going back to the hotel,” he said, still brushing off my sleeves. “They’re prepping a recovery suite for you.”
My breath caught in my throat and I stepped back. “R-recovery?”
He blinked at me, hand still raised in the air. “Not a doctor,” he said slowly, and I could feel everyone’s attention on me. “Just pampering. Like a spa day.”
“Oh.” The tight knot in my chest loosened. “O-okay.”
That I could handle. I didn’t even want to think about trying to detangle my mess of a hair, or sort out these nails, on my own.
“And then Bryce will probably lecture you for a few hours.” Brayden sighed, touching his head. “But that’s the price you pay for jumping into a river.”
What…
What was that face? Was he upset?
I swallowed.
Maybe Damen was right—we should have extended our vacation just a little bit longer.
Titus POV
Damen stewed the entire ride back. It was late when we pulled into the driveway, and Bianca—still reeling from Bryce’s not-so-subtle attempt to disguise a medical check as a spa treatment the day before—had gone straight to bed. She hadn’t even realized it wasn’t pampering.
None of us had seen it coming. But we should have.
As soon as she was asleep, Damen called the emergency meeting we’d all expected. We’d barely closed the door to his office before he rounded on Miles.
“You deliberately disobeyed me,” he said, turning toward Miles.
My stomach turned with unease with his darkening mood. This didn’t bode well for the witch sitting across from him.
Miles hardly looked away from the unlit fireplace. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” His shrug was light, almost dismissive and his tone was absent, like his mind was elsewhere.
