Page 76 of Brambles and Bellflowers
The boys were silent, and no one met my eyes… except Damen, who looked directly at my chest.
I squealed, crossed my arms over my boobs, and glared at him. “Don’t you dare ask!” I warned, fighting back the growing heat in my face—it could have been from the fire, which seemedmuch warmer than the second before, but I doubted it. “For the record, crampshurt,okay? It’s the worst thingever. Sometimes, it’s so bad I can’t walk, and I throw up, or I get cold and dizzy, and I feel like I’m dying. It really sucks!”
“Wait.” Julian’s emotions moved to wary professionalism. “I don’t think that should happen.”
I glared at him—how was he supposed to know?
“For real this time,” Julian continued. “When do you get it?”
Why…
“Just humor me.” Our bond made it impossible for him to mask his concern, and it was that which broke through my embarrassment.
I groaned, swallowing past the lump in my throat and lowering my hands to my lap. “Whenever?”
“Whenever?” Julian frowned, cocking his head. “What is ‘whenever’?”
“I don’t know.” I shrugged. “Every couple of months?”
“Every couple ofmonths?” he repeated. “How could you not have told my mother?”
I shrugged again, chewing on my inner cheek. It wasn’t like it was a big deal.
Julian sighed, pinching his nose. “Youneedto be seen when we get back.”
“No.”
“Bianca!” He sounded exasperated, and the feeling brushed over my raw nerves. “Why?”
“I don’t want to,” I breathed, hoping he’d just let it go.
“That’s not an answer,” Julian pressed, his intense gaze holding mine. “Why don’t you want to go?”
“Because I said so!” I jumped to my feet and clenched my shaking fists against my sides.
Everyone else remained frozen, staring at the two of us with unreadable expressions. Julian held my attention—it was much easier to grasp his state of mind than any of the others.
He rested his weight on his ankles, loosely draping his right arm over his thigh. While his posture remained relaxed, the only outward indication of his emotions was his hand curling into a fist and the tight lines suddenly defined in his forearm.
A tumultuous wave of shadow and fury pulsed between us, threatening to drown me. And not for the first time, I wondered if, even though I could feel his emotions, I really understood Julian much at all.
“Bianca, please.” Julian’s smooth voice sharply contrasted the feelings continuing to pour from him. “That doesn’t sound normal. There could be a serious problem.”
“I don’t care.” I’d crossed my arms over my chest again. “I still won’t go.”
Julian watched me, cautious, and let out a low sigh. “Why don’t we shelve this conversation for later?”
How about we didn’t?
“I’ll make you a deal,” he said, getting to his feet. “Let’s see how you feel next time, and then you can decide from there.”
I nodded. Absolutely. I already knew my answer.
My experiences were perfectly normal.
“Okay.” His voice was weary, and he moved to my side, draping his arm around my shoulders. The prickling under my skin faded, and the constriction in my chest loosened. “It’s done then. Why don’t you sit and eat dinner?” he asked, guiding me into a seat on the warm dirt between him and Miles. “You’ve done a lot today.”
Hiking? That was nothing.
