Page 43 of Brambles and Bellflowers
The others had dispersed throughout the room, some headed to the facilities, and others lingered in the space, stretching and chatting.
“Damen isn’t trying to hurt you,” Titus said, shoving his hands into his pockets and leaning against the wall. “But he is trying to push you.”
I needed to crane my neck to meet his eyes, and my throat tightened at the restrained emotion there. A faint ring of red circled his irises, and the pulse at his temple beat steadily.
“Sometimes, though,” Titus continued, “he loses track of things—like emotions or subtleties—when he’s focused on his goal.”
I sighed. “Isn’t that the exact opposite of what a psychologist is supposed to do?” What an ill-suited career choice.
Titus’s mouth twisted, and a low growl laced his response. “Maybe. But he wants you to get angry.”
“Why?” I asked. None of this made any sense to me.
“Anger means you’re healing,” Titus explained, brushing his thumb against my cheek. “It means you’re one step closer to fully accepting your role.”
I looked away, half wishing I could shrug off his words.
“Why do you want me to antagonize Damen?” I murmured, a shiver trailing down my spine. It felt silly to be affected like this—Titus and I had touched countless times before. So why was I breathless?
“Because part of your role is to inspire him,” Titus replied. “That includes pushing back. You’re the only one whocan. Hewantsyou to yell at him.”
Did he truly want to fight me?
That made sense. He’d mentioned that we’d clash. But was that wise? It certainly couldn’t be healthy, for I was the prankster queen. We were about to go hiking, and what a shame it would be if something… unfortunate happened to him.
“Speaking of yelling,” Titus said, tucking a lock of my hair behind my ear. He lingered near my ear. “Go easy on Miles, okay?”
“What?” I narrowed my eyes. What did they think I was going to do?
“He’s nervous about bonding with you,” Titus replied. “Even though you’ve done it a million times before.”
Well, that was stupid. It wasn’t like I was scary.
“What—” I started, trailing off as my fingers brushed his wrist. I hated to admit it, especially as I’d already taken this step with Julian, but I had to ask. I could feel his pulse as I whispered, “What does… I don’t understand what the connections, or bonds, are. I thought it was just me feeling your emotions?”
Titus’s thumb traced a line along my jaw, and I leaned in to him.
“I don’t know what it means for us in this lifetime,” he murmured, and the red ring around his irises deepened. “While we’ve been together countless times, we’ve never been mates. That detail is probably going to change the nature of our connection.” His voice dipped, resonant and warm. “But for our quintet to reach our fullest potential, you’ll need to create Soul Bonds with all of us.”
“A Soul Bond?” I asked.
“It’s a connection unique to our group that differs from the Quintet Bond. Quintet Bonds are about working relationships and balance. Soul Bonds are about absolute trust,” Titus replied. “You’ve already entered into a Soul Bond with Julian, and Miles is naturally next. Our connection is always centered through you.”
My heart hammered against my ribs. “But if Damen is the leader, why me?”
“Damen leads the quintet,” Titus said, his voice calm. “But you’re our heart, and the Soul Bonds aren’t about authority. You are the emotional center of the group.”
“How do we become bonded?” I asked.
Titus grinned. “Don’t worry about us. It’s not time yet. Just focus on Miles for now.”
“You act like he annoys you,” I breathed, the rest of the room falling away. It was hard to think past the imposing aura surrounding me. The longer he stayed at my side, the more I felt his presence clawing inside me.
My skin buzzed as he smirked and leaned down to me.
“What are you doing?” I asked and tugged a lock of his hair.
“Seeing something,” he replied, a faint red tinge leaving his eyes.
