Page 82 of Brambles and Bellflowers
Julian’s gaze narrowed as he turned to Miles. “Well?”
Miles slowly blinked, and when he spoke, his voice held an eerie calm that made my skin crawl. “I’ll handle it.”
“That doesn’t mean anything,” Julian said, almost accusingly. “What are you going todo?”
There was a shadow in Miles’s gaze when he looked at Julian, and the ground seemed to tremble beneath us. “Do not underestimate me,” he said. “I am aware that there are witches that have become undeserving, which I seek to rectify. Why do you think it is so important that I graduate?”
Julian blinked, and the tension melted from him. “Okay then.”
“They deserve worse,” Damen replied, and Titus nodded.
However, neither argued when Miles added, “I’ll request your help if needed. Otherwise, leave them to me.” The others didn’t reply—or I missed it if they did—and he stood. “Let’s talk before you head out,” he said, offering me his hand.
I looked at it for a moment, my heart pounding, as Julian’s revelation about my ‘anxiety’ replayed in my head. Should I tell him? Or would it be better to pretend?
Either way, I couldn’t give up this opportunity to say goodbye.
“Okay,” I said, reaching for him. A warmth began to rush under my skin as his large hand closed around mine. I stood near him, unable to look away from the scattered patches of grass and dirt as the others wandered away. It was already getting harder to breathe, and the last thing I wanted to think about was Miles being out here alone.
But I had no choice but to be brave.
15
Miles heldmy hand as we stood by the river. My heart was racing—from his nearness, or possibly from dread of what was to come—and there was a tension in the air that I couldn’t quite pinpoint.
I wasn’t sure how to tell him what Julian and I had discovered. I wasn’t sure how to say goodbye without burdening him.
But… what if there was a way to make things a little easier?
“Hey Miles,” I said, breaking the silence. I tugged on his hand to get his attention as he drank from his canteen. Once his eyes moved to me, I decided to just say it directly: “We should do it before I leave.”
Miles froze, water washing over his face before he stumbled back and dropped the canteen. His face turned bright red as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “Dowhat?”
I frowned at him. “Our bond thing,” I explained. I sighed—I hated chasing after a man. Despite everything, I considered myself somewhat traditional, but Mileswasshy. If I had to take the lead for us to get anywhere, then so be it. “Is our bond going to be the same as Julian and mine?”
The shock dropped from his expression, becoming guarded, and his tone turned cautious. “No…” he said slowly. His fingers began to twitch, and he shoved his hand in his pockets, but his voice was steady when he responded. “Your Soul Bond with each of us would be different—representative of our relationship in this life. Julian is…” His features were strangely hard to read. “Julian’s bond lets him understand your emotions completely—more than you normally would as an empath. By touching you—or even being near you—he can read the smallest change in your emotions.Shuineeds you to lean on him without reservation—to depend on him.”
“I don’t depend on Julian…” I argued, even though in the depths of my racing heart, I knew it was true. Julian could calm me with just his presence—when had I started relying on that so much?
“Our relationship is, and will be, different,” Miles continued, his voice softening. “Our bond would let me ground you when everything feels overwhelming. It doesn’t hide or take away what you’re feeling, but gives you something to hold on to or can enhance your abilities when we’re together.”
“Nice,” I said. That sounded exactly like what we needed. “Okay, I’m ready.”
He gave me the strangest look, then stepped back as he ran his fingers through his hair. “That’s not going to happen.”
“What?” I pulled at his sleeve. “You don’t want to?”
“It’s not that I don’t want to.” Miles sighed. “But I can’t—at least not yet. Plus, you have to learn to trust me first.”
“But…” My pulse roared in my ears. “I do trust you.”
“No, you really don’t.” Miles shook his head. He rubbed his hands down my arms, expression softening as he met my gaze. “But that’s okay, I’ve never really given you a reason to yet.”
“Miles…” What was he saying? I felt lightheaded and queasy—I was losing him.
And then, just like that—he was gone.
His focus shifted from me, turning to the distance as his eyes shone brightly. This should be a sad moment, but even in tragedy, a growing excitement lightened the lines of his face. He was like an ancient knight of old—adventure called to him, and he had no choice but to follow his heart.
