Page 147 of Balance

He was theultimatewitch. Of course he did.

Miles was covering his face now, and his voice was muffled when he responded. “Not always!” he protested. “And notright now. There’s a time and place.”

What time, what place?

“Stop looking so pleased with yourself.” He dropped his hand from his mouth and brushed past me. “You’re notalwaysright.”

No, but I wasmostlyright. Finn had said so himself.

Yet, there were still questions; questions I’d not been brave enough to broach before.

“What is it?” Miles sighed, turning back to me as he waved his hand impatiently. “Come out with it. It can’t be any worse than when you asked about my monkhood.”

“Do you bathe in mud too?”

I didn’t even realize I’d spoken until he face-palmed, groaning under his breath. “Let’s not talk about me anymore,” he muttered, stalking away. “Let’s talk about anything else.”

“Like what?” He hadn’t answered my question—my brilliant deduction had been on point once again.

“Your obsession with shiny things,” Miles said, half-distracted as he glanced around the surrounding woods.

How dare he turn the subject back to me. “I am not obsessed with shiny things.”

“Did you like the crown from the princess game?” Miles asked mildly, kneeling by the bag. It was obvious that he was not focusing on our conversation at all.

I paused, an image of the crown clouding my view. What a strange question, and one I couldn’t answer truthfully. I woulddiebefore I admitted to such an obvious weakness.

“You know, that belongs to you,” he continued mildly, pulling out various jars and herbs from the bag and laying them neatly to the side. He seemed to be searching for something, evident from the harsh furrowing of his brows and his thinning lips, but that wasn’t important right now.

The crown was mine? What were the odds? No wonder wearing it felt so right.

However, there was a problem with this bit of information, and a surge of possessiveness swelled in my chest. “Then why did Titus have it?”

He rolled his eyes with a smirk. “Most of those pieces belong to you. You gave some of your collection to Titus for safekeeping; dragons have the best hiding places.”

I pressed my lips together, biting back my reply.

This seemed an ill-formed plan. If dragons were so great at hiding things, then how did Maria gain access tomystuff? Titus and I were going to have to have a serious discussion about his security.

“And your phone,” Miles continued, mouth curling in the corner. “Do you like it because it’s pink, or because it’s bedazzled?”

“Don’t say bedazzled.” My heart was pounding. I wasnotthat predictable.

“It’s not so nice when people make assumptions about you, is it?” Miles stood, fully turning toward me. It was at his words my ire faded. Usually it was Damen who could take control of the conversation, to turn it against me. But this time Miles had outmaneuvered me.

I had no idea that Miles had it in him.

I pouted, moving closer to him as I shivered against the sudden breeze. “You’re mean.”

“I’m not mean. This is my expertise.”

What kind of expertise was annoying people?

“Beinghonest.” He stepped in front of me as he pulled a blanket from his bag and wrapped it around my shoulders. “Look, Bianca. I only want what’s best for you. Usually it’s not my job to guide you, but I’m doing it now. You have to stop jumping to conclusions.”

“Isn’t that supposed to be Julian’s job?” I asked, ignoring the way his words caused my heart to race. “To push me to be my best self?” I clarified in response to his raised eyebrow.

He nodded slowly, the warmth of the blanket chasing away the air’s chill. “But Julian is… confused. He sees you as a fragile flower in need of protection.”