Chapter 11 #3
My throat tightened. “But he called me Mistress. He was really nice!”
Julian nodded. “Xavier knows you’re his better and defers to you. But honestly, is that something you think you can handle?”
Miles chimed in, “She’ll have to handle it one day. She can’t avoid Xavier forever; he’s her Tongjun.”
“She doesn’t have to avoid him,” Julian shot back. “But he’ll need to be briefed on the situation. He’s not the concern, but what he might involve her in, is.”
“That’s what they were arguing about,” Titus added, nodding toward the door. “Xavier wants to take Bianca to the Unseelie realm disguised as a nymph.”
Julian’s hand twitched. “Has he lost his mind? What did Bryce say?”
“Bryce said he’d rip out his heart,” Titus replied, shrugging. “I offered to help.”
“What’s a nymph?” I asked.
Julian’s gaze returned to me. “A nymph is a sexual servant shared among high-ranking officials. You would have free access to almost everywhere, and being with Xavier should protect you, but it’s still too risky.”
Just the thought made me nauseous. “Oh…”
I looked away, feeling their eyes on me, waiting for me to respond .
“T-t-that’s probably not a good idea,” I stammered.
The following silence was heavy in the air—almost as if no one knew how to break the mood. But then Miles, thankfully, changed the topic.
“It’s about time for your pain medicine and to shower.” He leaned toward me and tugged a lock of my hair.
I looked at him and frowned. Was he implying that I smelled?
“Miles has a point.” Damen stepped back, glancing at Titus as they further insulted me. “And we have plans to make.”
Damen crossed to the door, then paused, turning back to me.
“This is your room from now on.” He waved his hand, and I glanced around at the generic-looking space. “You’re between Julian and me, and Titus and Miles are one floor above. The bathroom’s through that door,” he added, pointing to a side entrance. “We can decorate it however you want, just don’t—”
“Change the bathroom,” I finished.
Yes, I remembered. Damen had an antique fetish, and the building integrity was important or something. I didn’t even know what to do with him anymore. But honestly, none of this hard work would pay off unless he renovated the house’s exterior.
His gaze narrowed. “How do you know that?”
I resisted the urge to look at Miles. From Damen’s reaction, I suspected this might be a sensitive topic. “I know everything,” I told him.
“Real convincing.” Damen frowned, turning his attention to the others. “Someone’s been complaining.”
But when no one offered to take the blame or deny their wrongdoing, Damen sighed. “No matter, we have rules. If you want to hire a decorator to come in and redo the space, feel free to do so. You can put it on the house account.”
I studied my surroundings. Now that the space was mine , everything had begun to take on new meanings. The canopy bed was my style, but the gray and white fabrics weren’t so much.
But this wasn’t exactly the most opportune moment to be redecorating. “It’s fine. Thanks.”
“Are you sure?” Damen raised his eyebrow. “Don’t you want to paint everything green?”
I frowned at him and picked at my fingers. “I am not a walking stereotype. Green works much better as an accent color. If you do too much, you ruin it.”
“Then what color would you choose?” There was a thread of hope in Damen’s voice. I couldn’t imagine why.
Besides, wasn’t it obvious?
“Pink, maybe some flowers.” I pointed at the windows. “Cream curtains would be nice. Some crystal chandeliers and lamps, a white vanity over there.” I waved toward an empty corner. “Lots of soft things, sheer fabrics, and glittery lights…”
My voice trailed off as Damen’s expression turned into something disturbing. “What?” What was wrong with him now?
“I have things to do.” Damen turned abruptly and left the room. Titus, with a wink to me, followed him.
“What things?” I asked once the door had shut behind them. What was suddenly so important that he had to storm out?
“No idea,” Miles shrugged. “It could be one of two things. The first is not something I want to think about. And the second is something else entirely. In that case, I’d rather not spoil it.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked him.
“It doesn’t matter,” Julian interjected as he patted my thigh. “Now it’s time for you to take a shower. Then medicine and fresh bandages.”
Damen POV
The house had become quiet as the evening progressed. Julian was still with Bianca, monitoring her throughout the night, even though I’d ensured she’d have zero effects from the bond. Miles, who was still struggling with his own anxiety, had stayed with them.
I leaned back in my seat and tapped the point of my fountain pen over my notes while my attention lingered on the cards scattered across the desk. The High Priestess, The Moon, and Ten of Wands stood out among the rest, and I caught myself frowning.
I expected everyone to have secrets, but I couldn’t get past the feeling that this wasn’t something I could overlook.
How were the two related?
“You’re going to hurt her,” Finn said.
I exhaled and looked at my brother as he slipped into the seat across my desk. I hadn’t heard him arrive, but I’d hardly been paying attention. Besides, Finn had always been the best at sneaking around and showing up in unexpected places.
“Shouldn’t you be in your room?” I asked. Because, of course, Finn had demanded to stay now that Bianca would live here.
Everyone would move in at this rate, and I’d never have a minute to myself again.
“You don’t even know how to take care of her!” Finn didn’t answer my question and instead launched into his grievances. He lowered his face into his hands and ran his fingers through his hair. “This is going to be a disaster.”
“What in the world are you talking about?” I asked, twirling my pen between my fingers. “You’re the one she’s mad at—not me. You should have said something two years ago when you had the chance, and a lot of this could have been avoided. ”
“It wouldn’t have changed anything.” Finn looked pointedly at me. “You’re still you .”
I almost dropped my pen. “What?”
“Again.” Finn sighed and leaned forward. “You’re going to hurt her.”
“This is the third time you’ve said this.” I narrowed my eyes at him. “And, quite frankly, it’s starting to piss me off. I’ve done absolutely nothing wrong, and I would never hurt her.”
“You’re obnoxious,” Finn said, shrugging. “And you’re an idiot because you keep avoiding Jameson because he hurt your precious feelings. You’re too flashy and touchy, and she can’t handle that. You’re going to do something stupid and hurt her .”
I felt my eyebrow twitch at the sound of the man’s name. “I think you’re greatly underestimating her,” I told him, choosing not to address the accusation regarding my training.
“You have no idea,” Finn said, slumping into his seat. “You’re going to undo everything I’ve worked for because you won’t stop flirting!”
Oh, so that was his problem.
“I will not hold back in showing her affection,” I said. “I don’t care if it bothers you. It’s not any of your business anyway. However, she and I have discussed this matter in detail, and I’ll have you know that she likes it.”
Finn scoffed and crossed his arms. “I know her better than you do.”
“And you cannot control her forever,” I told him. “She needs room to grow while maintaining a nurturing, supportive environment.”
“That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard!” Finn looked to the ceiling. “She needs someone to tell her no! Not to encourage her to push more boundaries. You seriously have no idea what you’re getting into. ”
I frowned at him.
“But also—” he glared at me. “You also need to think this through. She’s your weakness, and you’re just showcasing it—and at the worst possible time, too!”
My fingers went numb as my pen fell to the desk. I’d known this, of course, but…
I didn’t think it was so apparent to the outside world.
“Don’t look at me like that,” Finn said. “What do you think Daniel would have done if he knew you were in love with her?”
My mouth went dry.
Finn touched his head and closed his eyes. “Oh my God, it’s so obvious! And you’re too stupid to see it. If you really cared about her, the four of you would stay away—for more reasons than one.”
My heart began to pump once more, and my pulse thrummed. “I—I can’t.”
Finn let out a long sigh, and when he opened his eyes again, he braced his elbows on his knees as he looked to the floor. “I know that,” he conceded. “You guys need her, and she needs you. And, yeah, maybe she does need your brand of… affection. There’s no way I’d be brave enough to do it.”
I frowned at him again.
“But,” he began and looked at me. The earnest plea in his eyes made my throat close. “Please, please , be careful. It’d be way too easy to break her.”