Chapter 28
CHAPTER 28
brANDON
A few hours later, I’m still running over all the details I learned. I read over a hundred journal entries. Maybe my brain needs a break because I can’t seem to understand anything I’m looking at. My skin is itching to return. I need Lexi Blue to look at the journal. Her eyes will find things I can’t see. But now, it’s our time to keep our part of the deal. This means we are stuck here until the end of the day.
“This is quite beautiful, you know.”
Bianca is staring off into the pond where Mel and Gabriel are kayaking. They’re so deep that they look like small dots from this angle.
I stare at her profile framed by the sunlight. Casting a beautiful silhouette, I feel I have seen it before many times. I can’t think of a single person resembling Bianca’s beauty. It must have been in my dreams. The tilt of her lips and the softness of her skin make my fingers ache to touch her. She turns to me with an expectant expression. I snap from my internal thoughts to the present .
“The view… yeah,” I hurry to say. “How is your head feeling?” I touch her temple, remembering the first mission to the glass library—especially the toll it had on her psyche.
“There is a small ache, but it just started. I have a few hours left in me. It helps that we’re doing nothing but standing around.”
I kiss her temple. I know what she means. Not being physically exhausted helps how long she can leave her gift activated.
“We should have corrected Mel when he called me the future queen.” Her hands fidget with the bottom of her shirt. A nervous tell I learn from her. “Feeding false notions to the demon I’m indebted to for the next two years isn’t a good idea. Next time, I will come here alone.”
I clasp her hands and stop them from fidgeting.
“You will never come here without me. I’ll always accompany you.” Looking deep into her eyes, I try to convey how serious I am about this. I gesture to the beautiful surroundings. “This is an illusion. The underworld is a dangerous, dark place. Mel might have constructed this make-believe for his sanity, but it’s not real.”
I take her hands in mine and bring her palm to my lips. “Is it so bad to let him think that?” I look down as I take a shot in the dark. “I think you would make a righteous queen.”
With her mouth agape and blinking eyes, Bianca says nothing.
It’s crazy that I didn’t know this person existed a few months ago. Someone who now feels like a part of me. When I picture my future now, I can’t help but imagine Bianca right there, too. I allowed Mel to believe Bianca was mine for multiple reasons. I couldn’t get myself to correct him. There isn’t a part of me that wishes to deny it.
When she finally closes her mouth, she looks off to the pond instead of facing me. I search her eyes. They may give me more insight into what is happening behind her walls.
She asked to stay in The Black Castle after everything was done. Would she ever consider for this—what is between us—to be more permanent?
When I am about to ask her what she’s thinking, Mel and Gabriel return. Since we are due to return soon, I want to cover all my bases.
“Before we go, I need to ask. Have you heard whispers of an uprising in Puerto Quinn?”
I direct my question to Mel, but I don’t miss the stillness of Gabriel at my question.
Mel rolls his eyes, as if this conversation is boring him already. “No whispers carry this far. We will simply have to wait and see it in the rise or fall of your reign.”
“Since it’s in your best interest, I live to see another day.” Bianca jumps in, getting to her feet with a strong scowl firmly in place. “I see it prudent for you to let us know if you hear anything.” Her words warm me inside.
Mel nods with respect.
“Are you ready?” She asks Gabriel, who nods in return.
We make our way back to the gates without encountering a single individual. It has to be Mel’s influence. Perhaps everyone here already knows that no one is to bother him when his brother comes. Regardless, I’m glad my one experience here wasn’t of the nightmare kind. I’ve heard enough about the underworld to know what we have seen so far isn’t normal. At least not common to everyone who visits.
We find the gates soon enough and cross without a problem. The brothers say one last goodbye before parting. I couldn’t imagine only being able to see or hear either Roman or Jesse once a year. I would go crazy. Without a word to us, Mel turns and heads for the gates. His head is down, and his shoulders seem lower. Gabriel watches after him.
I can almost see the second Bianca lowers her gift. His eyes search around, lost for a second, before realizing why Mel has gone out of sight.