Chapter 29 Monroe
MONROE
Iunderstand now why Blooms rejuvenate once they’ve completed their spring duties. The work never ends. There’s checking on the plants, slowly drawing more sunlight to each region, ensuring there’s adequate hydration and shade.
I’m already exhausted.
It keeps me busy, but other than creating something beautiful that occasionally elicits awe from passersby, it doesn’t feel like I’m making an impact.
Not in the way I’d always believed I would.
All those years of school, starting my practice, growing the Painting Hope community.
..and now I’m meant to devote myself to bringing spring.
Maybe that’s why Blooms are so focused on getting a mate.
They think it will fulfill them. But love isn’t a substitute for purpose.
So many of my clients allowed their own goals and desires to fall away when they fell for someone else.
Nothing against love or romance, but they won’t nourish you on their own.
Purpose is sustenance—the further we get from it, the more our well-being suffers.
Being able to nurture nature was a skill my black-thumb self never believed I’d possessed. Still, I can’t help but feel like there must be more to eternity than this.
While we see a few Frosts, they only come out at night since it’s cooler and they’re phasing out from winter.
Keukenhof is in the twilight of its tourist season, so a third of our time is devoted there.
While it would be easier to split off and work separately, we’ve been given explicit instructions not to.
I know it has to do with the Storms, but summer isn’t for another few months.
Regardless, Skylar and I are both rule followers—at least for the most part.
No sleep and sticking together means lots of quality time with the bubblegum-haired harbinger. With how strong her magic seems to be, it’s hard to believe it took so long for her to graduate.
Keeping everything growing despite the changes in weather and interference from mortals takes a lot of effort.
Every flower that’s plucked, we try to replace or replant.
The only small reprieve we get is traveling on our floracycles, hair whipping behind us, zigzagging with and through traffic.
So long as we are in our harbinger form, no one can touch us, though I’m sure they wonder where the petals flying on the wind come from.
At first, I tried to wander alongside the crowds and weave around the other cars on the road.
It was unsettling anytime someone or something brushed through us, but two weeks in the mortal realm and I’ve gotten over that initial discomfort.
It reminds me of the pressure you experience when your body’s numbed for procedures.
You can still feel everything, but it isn’t painful.
A dull throb rattles up from my sternum and echoes along my jaw. I swallow, hoping it doesn’t escalate into anything more. There’s only been two instances so far where the pain came on so strong that I doubled over from the force of it, like being struck in the ribs.
With the last few weeks away from Florezca, I’ve become more adept at discerning Briar’s emotions from my own.
It makes it easier to do my job with less chance of blockages with my magic.
But every day that throbbing returns without rhyme or reason.
While the first few times were alarming, I’ve learned not to be concerned.
The calm that follows within minutes is reassurance enough.
I’m not able to be rid of the bond, and I’m not going to claim it either, so I try to acclimate to Briar’s unavoidable presence.
Revving my engine, I zip through a Volkswagen and pull up beside Skylar.
We’re a pair of pastel prima donnas in our blush-colored leather jackets Skylar whipped up for us last week.
My ex had a motorcycle, but I never really rode on it.
I always thought it was too dangerous, an unnecessary risk.
Turns out, the real danger was just crossing the street.
We pull up to the curb and get off our bikes, hopping across the grass. With a slip of magic, the floracycles disappear.
“She should be here,” Skylar says after about ten minutes of us standing around. Frowning, she rubs up and down her arms, scanning the area.
“There.” I point toward a silhouette spilling from behind a large birch tree. A moment later, a second shadow joins her, slightly taller and devoid of her subtle curves.
Briar places a hand on Corrigan’s shoulder and whispers something that has her smirking. Guess he’s a bit distracted. A jagged stone drops in my gut watching them together. So close and intimate, in on some secret no one else understands.
I hate how much I want to.
This was my choice, keeping my bond a secret. I haven’t earned the right to be jealous, so I train my face into a mask of indifference. Let him think Corrigan is the only one who feels his jumble of nerves, his riot of excitement, the subtle wave of awe rippling through Briar every time he visits.
I’d be lying if I said it didn’t sting when I remember those emotions are for her.
Skylar stomps across the ground in her boots, and I hurry to catch up to her. She doesn’t seem to give a single shit about giving the Radixes any privacy. Honestly, I’d prefer staying back. It’s safer for us all that way.
Radix Corrigan takes a step forward, noticing Skylar thundering along the pavement. “Thanks for coming.”
“Not like there was a choice,” Skylar mutters. “What’s this about?”
She crosses her arms and I mimic her wide stance for solidarity.
“You’ve earned your transport privileges.”
Finally, I can see Cherri and figure out next steps to get back home.
“Great,” I say, trying not to let my excitement show. “What do we need to do?”
“You’ll need to be back at your drop point and in your earthside form.
Look for a shift in the soil and place your palm on your sternum, picturing where you want to land in Florezca.
” She demonstrates the motion, and Briar’s throat bobs.
I quickly avert my gaze. It’s not lost on me that the exact spot she’s pressing is where our mate marks are.
I wonder what hers looks like— No, actually, I don’t.
“City Hall is usually a strong place to visualize since it’s where you entered from. ”
“That’s it?” I ask.
“Yes, that’s it.” The Radix straightens out her dark-purple leather jacket. “It’s a privilege to visit home for short periods. You’ve both proven you understand the scope of your assignment. So long as your spring duties don’t falter, you’ll be able to travel between realms as you please.”
Skylar cocks her head. “What happens if they do?”
“Your privileges will be revoked and you won’t be allowed back to Florezca until the end of the season.”
Staying out here, tending to spring’s needs, keeps me busy.
Too busy to worry about my unclaimed bond.
If it weren’t for Briar’s appearance, I could almost pretend there’s nothing tethering me beyond the veil.
I may be drawn to him, wonder about him more than I care to admit, but it’s easier when he’s not standing in front of me, peeling back my layers with his haunting lavender gaze.
The sheer proximity of him swallows up the evening breeze, a looming taunt of what I’ll never choose.
I haven’t reached the people I love yet, but I’m closer than I have been since my death.
“What’s Professor Briar doing here?” Skylar asks, gesturing behind Radix Corrigan as if she’s only just noticed him.
Briar shoots her a glare that reflects her disdainful tone.
“Official Radix business,” Corrigan tosses in response. She smiles at him and it’s probably the warmest expression I’ve seen from the ice queen. “Checking in before he has to teach the next session at the Conservatory tomorrow.”
“Wasn’t sure if we were getting another chaperone.”
“No. Just myself.”
“Great,” Skylar mutters.
Anticipation swirls with Briar’s nerves rippling through me, amplified by his proximity when he takes a step forward, next to his fellow Radix. “If you need anything—”
“We know how to reach you,” my partner interrupts. “If that’s all, we’ve got a few hours on the road before we get started again.”
“Enjoying the floracycles?” The corner of his mouth kicks up, ignoring Skylar’s frustration. Warmth spreads from between my ribs, butterflies fluttering along my nerves. His attention drops to my smile and lingers.
I flatten my lips into a line. “We are.”
“Thank you for providing them for us,” Skylar says to him, though the words are hollow, which is odd considering how much she enjoys riding. “They aren’t as hard to conjure as I thought they would be.”
“Of course. I’m glad to hear it. It’s a much more fun way to get around.” He brushes something off his jacket, the moon spotlighting the rose covering his hand and the marks twining up his neck. “With such a big area to tend, it saves time.”
I’d assumed we all got floracycles, but I never asked when Skylar first summoned them. Why did he go to the trouble?
“Speaking of time,” Skylar says, “we really should get going so we can continue to thaw the last few wintry patches left behind by the Frosts.”
“Looks like you’re on top of things.” The richness of his tone sucks all the moisture from my throat. His attention flicks over me, and he gives an approving nod.
“We always are,” I reply, my chest lifting like a balloon, filled by the warmth of his praise.
The subtle sweetness of powdered sugar sifts on the breeze. I clear my throat, ignoring the tiny flares of heat drifting into my pelvis.
Pheromones are a bitch.
Briar holds my stare, but I don’t miss Corrigan rolling her eyes behind him, pricking the balloon between my ribs and deflating it in a matter of moments.
“Well, you both better run along, then.” She crosses her evergreen arms. “Wouldn’t want to keep you from your work, isn’t that right, Radix Briar?”