Page 36 of Brambles and Bellflowers
“Um.” I bit my lip.
What was he doing? Come to think of it, why was Bryce always the one serving my food during mealtimes?
Perhaps he was fulfilling some long-forsaken sibling daydream. Or it was some weird fae custom that I didn’t know about.
Oh well.
“Sure,” I said.
Bryce placed two pieces of bread on my plate, and I ate in silence while he, Damen, and Finn discussed school matters that meant little to me. By the end of the meal, it almost seemed as though Bryce and Damen were old friends.
I looked between them. They were getting along much too nicely now. I could only escape for the evening if I capitalized on their rivalry long enough to distract them. Together, they were more than annoying about not leaving me ‘alone’ lately.
As Finn began to clear the table, I knew I had to make my move.
“Hey—” I interrupted Damen. “Who won your last chess match? I wasn’t able to tell…”
It was true. They’d been tied before Damen threw a hissy fit and swiped his arm across the board, scattering the pieces across the floor.
“I did, of course,” Damen replied, puffing up his chest. “Why do you ask?” he suddenly blinked at me, leaning his face toward mine. “Were you impressed?”
I fought to keep my expression blank—this wouldn’t work if I hurt his feelings. That wasn’t exactly the word I’d use to describe my thoughts. It was more like… disappointed.
They both had room for improvement.
“Don’t lie,” Bryce said, pressing his forearm into the table. “I was about to beat you when you threw a tantrum.”
“You wish,” Damen replied, turning back toward Bryce. “There’s no way you could win against me.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“Um…” I began. “Why don’t you play again? That way, you can know for sure.”
“I already know for sure,” Damen growled, glaring at Bryce.
“Stop embarrassing yourself.” Bryce waved his hand. “Everyone knows you have no idea how to protect your queen.”
Damen flushed, shooting to his feet. “I dare you to say that to my face!”
“Iamsaying that to your face.” Bryce examined his fingernails.
“Let’s go.” The onmyoji made a rude gesture and pointed toward the door. His eyes sought out mine, expectation heavy in his voice. “Bianca, want to watch me kick his ass?”
Usually, I would love to witness Bryce’s defeat, but this…
It was like watching unskilled toddlers attempt to box. They really should be stopped for their own safety.
But this was all part of my plan.
“Why don’t you go ahead first?” I offered, twirling some leftover pasta onto my fork. “While I finish up here. Maybe I’ll help clean the kitchen.”
Finn, who had been stacking the dishes near the sink, paused and shot me the strangest look, but neither boy noticed. Instead, they’d glared at each other as they pushed through the doorway and left the room.
“Okay.” Finn stepped beside me and slapped his hand beside my plate. “So what are you planning? I know you’re not staying here to help me.”
“I’m going upstairs. I have things to do.” I set my fork on my plate.
