Page 25

“That’s not how any of this works!” She stood up quickly. “Now I’m angry, and it’s time for a break.”

“Maria!” Damen frowned at her. “Don’t be rude.”

She ignored him, tugging me to my feet. “And we’ll change into our pajamas. You two change as well. And Miles, figure out what your plan is going to be.”

“Not everyone has to be at one hundred constantly.” Miles crossed his arms and turned away.

I glanced down at my lounge pants and tank. I’d changed after my bath. “But I’m already in my pajamas.”

“Those aren’t proper pajamas,” Maria stated, grabbing her bag and pulling me with her. She paused at the doorway, glancing back at the boys. “I remember your pieces. No cheating.”

Damen frowned, almost pouting. “Do you honestly think that I would— ”

“Absolutely,” she cut him off. “You always break the rules. That’s why no one will play Monopoly with you.”

“Now, come along,” she told me. She was so forceful I could only follow, swept up in her whirlwind of motion.

“Why am I wearing this?” I asked, looking at the black, long-sleeved top and matching pajama shorts Maria had forced me to change into. “Isn’t the back of this see-through? And this is a lot of skin… Weren’t you changing into your pajamas too?”

“Men,” Maria said, not answering my question as she glanced over me appraisingly. “They’re not great at protection detail, are they?”

I released the bottom of my shorts and glanced at her. But she had already moved on, circling me as I stood in front of Damen’s full-length mirror.

This was the umpteenth comment she had made about the boys. It almost seemed as though she hated men. But I found that hard to believe—she was so beautiful and graceful. Surely, men fell at her feet, trying to impress her.

So why the hostility?

Unless… My mind raced through explanations as she circled me like a predator evaluating its prey. It was a bit disconcerting, but even though women weren’t usually kind to me, I was generally more at ease with them. So, I ignored the prickling at the base of my neck.

A horrible man must have broken her heart. It must have been another lion shifter, leaving her for another lioness. Such things sometimes happened in the wild, and male lions were the animal counterpart of whorish. I could see how such a thing would make a were-lioness mistrustful .

Poor Maria.

I would have to teach her that my boys were good. Surely, she knew that, though. “Maria—”

“No.” Maria stopped behind me and began to braid a ribbon into my hair. “To answer your question, it’s not entirely see-through. And I’m already in my pajamas.”

I glanced at her plaid pants and spaghetti top. They were similar to what I had worn earlier, which she had told me was not appropriate.

Maria continued before I could bring it up. “And don’t worry, no one can see anything. You look elegant. And the dark green against black will look amazing when you win this game.”

“I—”

“I hadn’t planned on taking it this far.” Maria tied off my braid. “But we must distract them. Desperate times.”

“What do you mean ‘distract’?” I asked. “That isn’t a strategy game. You’d look better in this than me.”

She dropped my hair, talking to face me. “Besides, you like this style, don’t you? In the daytime, you wear cute clothes. But at night, you’ve been hiding behind bags. I refuse to believe that there isn’t a reason for that.”

I wasn’t sure how she knew what I wore at night, but her observations weren’t incorrect. There were two reasons for that, though. But for the main… “I have different pajamas with me,” I told her. “But I don’t want anyone to make fun of me.”

Maria burst into laughter. “Why in the world would anyone make fun of you?”

“Because I look weird,” I muttered, finding it difficult to maintain eye contact. “And the thought of people looking at me is scary. Even Finn makes faces.”

“Scary? Okay, just stop.” Maria put her hand in front of her. “ What are you scared of? And don’t mind Finn—he makes faces at everything.”

“Are you close to him?” I asked, happy for this perfect distraction. From her tone, it didn’t sound like she hated him. “You’re both Er Bashous?”

Maria’s face froze briefly, and when she spoke, there was hesitance. “Well, yes,” she said. “But he hasn’t been around much.”

I paused, reflecting. “You know, I’ve been wondering,” I began, and for the first time, a stab of guilt twisted in my stomach. “Do you think it was because of me?”

She stared at me, pursing her lips.

“I mean, he was always with me at school. And he had...” I paused, glancing at the ceiling. How to describe this without seeming like a weakling? “We did a lot of things together.”

She glanced away, grumbling. “ ‘Just a friend,’ my ass.”

“What?”

“Yes.” Maria sighed. “Honestly, it is probably why. But I wouldn’t feel guilty over it—now that we’re starting to know the whole story, none of the Officers hold it against him. It is a part of his job to protect the Xing.”

“A… job?” I glanced at the floor. He’d said once—that I was a responsibility.

Did that mean that he never did see me as a friend?

“Don’t overthink it,” Maria said, rolling her shoulders. “We’ve managed. Finn is my controller, and I’ve compensated by working with Titus. Being near Titus—and seeing Damen—helps me.”

“What would you do if you didn’t work with Titus?” Now I felt bad for her.

Maria’s grin faded, and a thoughtful expression crossed her face. “I wonder.”

“What?” I prodded .

She blinked, her focus returning to me. “Something more suited to my personality. Now, speaking of. Don’t think I haven’t noticed,” she said, circling to face me.

“You didn’t answer my question. Why are you scared?

Why won’t you wear what you want when you are alone with the boys? Why do you even have Finn’s pants?”

Oh my Lord, she could smell him. It was true—somehow, his pants had gotten mixed with my clothes, and I had worn them for modesty’s sake. Did Titus know their origins too? This was so humiliating.

“Bianca?” Maria peered at me, and my face warmed under her look.

I couldn’t keep a secret from her. “I don’t want to give anyone the wrong idea,” I said, pushing my toes against the carpet. “At first, I thought they were monks, so I didn’t want to get in between them and their mission. But now…”

I paused, tugging on the bottom of my shirt again. “I like this style, but…”

Maria sounded as if she was torn between seriousness and humor. “But what?”

I couldn’t answer her question. There was no way to describe my feelings, and I still had no idea if the boys even were flirting with me for sure. Things had been so much better when I thought they couldn’t have sex.

I had nothing to offer them. My life was a mess.

In a perfect world, it might have worked.

I would have been confident and fearless.

A self-assured woman who was comfortable in my skin.

I would have married a man who loved me and had multiple children.

I really did long for a house to call home, complete with a white picket fence in a lovely forest setting.

I’d have cooked and gardened and made sure my family was happy.

I would never have hurt my children. I would have given them everything I’d lacked .

I wanted normal. But, even before the revelation of my magical identity, it wasn’t possible.

Maria sighed. I glanced up to see she was pinching her nose. “Who cares about what they think? In the end, it comes down to you doing what you want. If they weren’t here, would you want to wear these pajamas?” she asked, gesturing toward me.

“Yes…” It felt stupid, but perhaps this was the first step toward becoming a new woman. Maria wasn’t wrong. I really shouldn’t change for others. I knew that. After all, Jiayi wore what she wanted, and she was confident.

“Good.” Maria was back to touching me, returning the jewelry to its previous place.

She ended by placing the crown on my head—as I’d already acquired it throughout the game—then grinned, pulling out her phone.

“You look adorable. Now, it’s time to get back.

Hopefully, Miles has proven himself to be a man. ”