Page 126 of Balance

She grunted softly as she sank to her knees in the dirt. “Are you still going through with it?”

I lowered the copper-colored pitcher, setting it back to soak, and wiped my hands on my lap.

While it was true that I’d gotten somewhat used to her since last night, I still couldn’t dispel the twisting sense of unease buried deep in my stomach. Her deep, wise gaze did little to battle my discomfort—and my attention moved from her unsettling eyes, to Miles’s pants.

If she had his pants, did this mean he was naked?

“W-what do you mean?” I asked instead; perhaps it was best to not have his nudity confirmed.

“Your plan.” I could hear the frown in her voice. “The reason why you chose…”

Her voice trailed off, surprise flickering across her face as I met her eyes. The fine lines on the edges of her pale lips deepened as she frowned, and her round face moved in sympathy. “You don’t remember.”

“I don’t remember what?” My heart raced with an unfamiliar excitement, and my shyness vanished.

Mu had a plan.

I knew it! Of course there was a plan. My past self was a brilliant warrior who solved riddles for fun—as all fae did—and saved all of Damen’s previous incarnations from certain disaster. We would never doanythingwithout a plan.

Nowwe were getting somewhere.

She shook her head, and my excitement diminished. “I can’t tell you. You would never disclose the bigger picture; you only assigned tasks you expected everyone to complete before your next rebirth.”

We had given directives? That was terribly bossy. I would never…

Actually, that was probably something I would do. I was mature enough to admit this. There was nothing wrong with delegating work. After all, most people could benefit from a helping hand and divine guidance.

But still, who was ‘everyone’?

“Who—” I began, but she shook her head again, regret deeply etched in her face.

“I don’t know,” she said, smoothing out Miles’s pants over her lap. “Obviously the fae have been up to things, but not all of them. There’s been a lot of corruption there recently. But you can always trust Gregory, and probably Caleb. But I’m not sure outside of that.”

Interesting.

I’d known that Dr. Stephens worked for me, but this elevated our relationship to a new level. He was a secretive man, but if I demanded answers as someone of higher rank, would he even listen?

“What’s your task?” I asked. “How did you get assigned to it?”

Once again, her hand moved to the chain around her neck, and this time I saw what she’d been playing with—a small golden ring, with a large stone that twinkled in the light.

“I never really knewyoupersonally,” she answered slowly, her focus drifting away from me. She twisted the jewelry through her fingers. “I only watched you from a distance, and you’ve always been intimidating.”

Yes, I could imagine Mu was intimidating. You never knew what unhinged, deranged individuals might get up to next. And the man was a psychopath.

“Gregory needed my help, and I needed his,” she continued. “I agreed—and I’ve upheld my end of the bargain—but still, I ran away. However, it doesn’t really matter now, does it?”

So I had to question Dr. Stephens. But why couldn’t she at least say why he needed her help?

Dr. Stephens was not very friendly and had, hopefully accidentally, almost killed me. I really wasn’t in the mood to have a one on one with him again. Maybe if I asked them, the boys would tell me.

“Does Miles know?” I wondered. He’d be the fastest to spill the tea; besides Damen, Miles was the worst at keeping secrets. And he was so easy to fluster. Everyone had a weakness.

All I needed to do was make some cookies, and maybe feed them to him—

“No!” Kathleen’s eyes widened and she dropped her hand back to her lap. “Gregory said that your quintet wasn’t supposed to know.I’mnot even supposed to know.”

Goshdarn it. I frowned as my one last hope disappeared.