Page 19 of Brambles and Bellflowers
He frowned, thin brows furrowing with confusion. “But you just—”
“It’s fine,” I interrupted, showing him the white paper cups. “I-I’m going to meet Damen. Come with me?”
I had serious questions for him anyway. For example, how did he come to own a book on advanced demonology that was also bound with human skin and written in blood? Did it magically make the book more legitimate?
“Gladly.” Xavier half-bowed, and his pale mouth curled in the corner. “I am yours to command,” he said, stepping beside me. “Although I am surprised you’re not with Bryce.”
“Why?” I paused.
“Well, because you’re married,” Xavier answered. “Because you’re brother and sister. Because he’s your Er Bashou, which makes him your confidant, and it’s his job to take care of you. He’s a terrifying warrior and relentlessly stubborn. While he acts foolishly on the surface, it’s a façade to throw off his enemies. I am surprised, therefore, that he is letting you wander about unchaperoned.”
My skin heated—all of those things were true. But that wasn’t the Bryce that I knew.
Besides, who would act ignorant to lull their foes into a false sense of security? That wasn’t normal behavior.
“But I suppose he’s not perfect,” Xavier finished, frowning. “In any case, his lack of foresight has given me the perfect opening.”
My heart began to race as the boys’ warnings echoed through my thoughts. I already knew what he was going to say before his mouth opened.
And sure enough…
“Please, Mistress.” His expression was apologetic, and there was a worry line on his forehead. “You must visit the Unseelie court.”
Oh no.
My throat closed, and I blinked at him as I tightened my grip around the paper cups.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, my chest swelling with a feeling I couldn’t quite place. I didn’t know precisely what this relationship between me and my Officers entailed, but I wanted to help Xavier.
Funny, this was almost the same as when Bryce and I were shopping, and he looked sad at the game store. I only wanted to make him happy.
Was this normal?
“The Queen is dead,” Xavier said. “And the King has begun to behave very strangely. People are being killed every day in grand rituals. Asyouappointed the rulers to their roles, you’re the only person who can stop him.”
A flash of memory passed over me: rough walls, moss-covered stones, and a fleeting glimpse of grinning black teeth.
“Mistress?” Xavier’s voice cut through the darkness, and he grasped my upper arm. My vision cleared, and by a random miracle, I hadn’t dropped either of the cups. But still…
Nausea was thick in my throat, and the world, outside of Xavier’s concerned expression, wavered in my vision.
The memory faded like sand falling through my fingers, and with it came the sense that something—or someone—was being forgotten.
A crucial detail that I needed to remember.
But I couldn’t focus. My attention moved to the feeling of Xavier’s touch on me. Even though he was doing nothing wrong, I couldn’t catch my breath.
Sickness swelled in my chest, and my cold sweat had nothing to do with the strange phenomenon after his announcement.
“Mistress,” Xavier began. “Do you need to sit?” he asked, lightly pulling my arm as he nodded toward a concrete bench between two rose bushes.
The sun seemed clouded over, and the temperature had dropped.
But I doubted it had anything to do with the weather. There was something very wrong with my head.
“N-n-no,” I began as he pulled me with him. I couldn’t show weakness; otherwise, Xavier would never trust me.
I shook my head. “I’m not sure how I can help you. I don’t know what to do,” I whispered. “I didn’t even know about the fae until recently.”
