Page 90 of Brambles and Bellflowers
“That’s not a good sign,” Finn continued.
No,really. The irritation was building up inside me. But, hopefully, I could keep myself composed a bit longer.
Bianca POV
“What were you doing in the water earlier?” I asked, watching Miles place the matches aside and tend to the small, growing fire.
I had been thinking about his actions during the ‘rescue’ for a while. These thoughts lingered even as he settled me into a corner of the cave and searched the entrance for something to keep us warm.
There’d been a stack of dried wood along with the matches already in the cave, which suggested that someone else might have camped here before us.
At my question, Miles paused, halfway to standing, and looked at me. “In the water?” he asked, his forehead creasing with confusion.
“When you jumped in after me?” I pressed.
He had picked up a roll of dark brown fabric and was absently running his fingers over it. Glancing up at me, he hesitated, a flicker of uncertainty crossing his face. “Oh…” He faltered, then met my gaze firmly. “I was trying to control it.”
My interest piqued. “You can control water?”
But Julian was Water…
“No,” Miles corrected quickly, shaking his head. “At least, not the water itself. I was trying to influence the earth nearby to make a dam, of sorts. I thought I could mitigate the water’s force so we could escape.”
I furrowed my brow, not fully grasping his meaning.
“But I have to be confident,” he continued, his voice tinged with frustration. “That’s why I suck at it.”
My stomach dropped at his desolate expression. I hadn’t brought this up to make him sad. “I suck at it too,” I offered, scooching closer to the fire. “I’m not confident at all.”
“You don’t suck.” Miles flopped to the floor beside me, laying the blanket in his lap as he unrolled it. “You broke Daniel Cole’s spell. I can’t do anything.”
“You made the magic circle,” I reminded him, drawing my knees to my chest. “Plus, that one time, you kind of threatened Julian.” Or he’d gotten Julian to calm down when he was angry at Finn after our connection with Kiania came to light.
He sighed, answering my questioning statement. “It didn’t matter—he only listened because of you. He knew I probably wouldn’t have been able to stop him. Maybe?”
“You could or couldn’t?”
Miles shrugged, tensing his jaw. Dried blood remained streaked over his cheek, and the cut and surrounding area had begun to turn crimson.
I looked away and shivered. “I’m s-sorry…” I hugged myself. We might have found shelter, but my clothes were still damp and cold.
I’d become unused to these sorts of situations. Could I even remember how to survive?
Miles’s attention snapped back to me, his thick lips turning into a deep frown as his gaze wandered over my face.
“You’re cold,” he remarked, ignoring my apology.
“It’s o-o-okay.” I meant it.
“No, it’s not.” He glanced at the blanket, which he had finally finished unraveling, and back to me. Something hardened in his eyes. “Strip.”
My throat closed, and I blinked at him.
“What?” I hugged myself so tightly that my fingernails dug into my arms.
Even without his explanation, I knewwhyhe was saying this. I wasn’t stupid.
Still, I never expected him to be so blunt about it. The man wasn’t even blushing!
