Page 37 of Balance

A numb sort of horror rushed through my chest, and I shook my head, slapping my cheeks. What in the world was wrong with me? What happened to my sense? I truly must be desperate for good food if I overlooked evil and was willing to befriend just anyone so long as they could cook.

This wasFinn, and I could never forget what he’d done to me. This was the man who preyed on my innocent, trusting nature for many years. He’d hurt me—physically and emotionally.

There could be no redemption for him. Yet. Not until the stakes between us were evened out. Balance existed in nature, and it was not within my right to defy the laws of nature.

And…

He’d already given me one gift, even though it was for my birthday. And there was now this… favor. What game was he playing?

“Go upstairs then,” he said, flipping the rag over his shoulder and grabbing my almost-empty plate. “If anyone asks, I’ll tell them you’ve gone to bed already.”

He crossed the room, leaving me staring after him in despair, my heart racing like a rabbit and cheeks growing warm.

What waswrongwith me? Why was it becoming harder and harder to stay angry?

And why—even though I’d finally gained family and friendship in others who treated me right (except Miles, with whom I was getting rather annoyed)—did I miss the way Finn and I used to solve mysteries and puzzles together? All this sleuthing had brought back memories of our high school days regarding a certain bully, and the way we’d tracked his activities together.

Darn it.

Chapter Nine

Titus

Distraction

My vision blurred as I stared, unseeing, at the bright screen of my laptop. So far, our research has been unsuccessful on all accounts: locating Eric Richards, finding out more about his operation, findingMiles, the corruption in my own company, andeverythingwith Bianca.

She seemed to have fallen into a depression at Miles’s disappearance. Her countless hours hiding in his room, the moping…

I’d been hopeful that she’d perk after finding Miles’s Andreina Bellini stash, but she didn’t seem to make the connection yet. It was surprising, actually, but she did seem to be blocking Mu, and basically anything that had to do with affection.

However, she was readingSinful Response—the trashiest and most terrible of his novels—and she was smart. Hopefully, she’d pick up on the fact that Andreina was one of Tu’s many nom de plumes, and the witch had thwarted all efforts to destroy the books once more.

I shivered at the memory of their gross games. In every life, Tu recorded their exploits in terrible fictional form, completely changing the nature of their relationship. When he found out, Mu would become angry—especially after it continued with the creation of a new novel—and the two of them fought, and then, once it was all over, they’d disappear into the woods for a week or two.

It was a pattern as predictable as time itself.

“Titus?” I barely looked away from my laptop as Maria stepped into my office and softly closed the door behind her. Her golden eyes flashed as she moved through the rubble, making her way through the dark room with ease. “You’re going to hurt your eyes.”

I didn’t respond—my eyesight would be perfectly fine.

“How’s Bianca?” she almost whispered, touching her fingers to the corner of my desk.

I paused, hands hovering above the keyboard. My concentration shattered at her loaded question. She watched me with a quietness that didn’t suit her; something that might be explained as exhaustion or nervousness. After all, both were thick in the air.

It put me on edge.

“She’s fine.” Or she wasfineenough. At least for now. But it was becoming harder to control my instincts as I watched her go deeper into depression.

Everything in me stirred with unease. I was used to Mu’s independence; but with Bianca, I was fighting against my own nature. She’d already bonded with Julian, and would, eventually, with Miles.

I was next, but things were different now. I had no ideawhatto expect. Our normal bond was simple—the ability to connect and monitor each other from a distance. But with the wholematething thrown into the picture, who knew how that would change things.

“Are you sure?” Maria chewed on her lip, finger tapping nervously on the wood.

“Why don’t you just text her?” I asked, grabbing the small remote and turning on the lights. Closing my laptop, I pushed back in my seat, watching my cousin blink as her eyes readjusted to the light. Maria was clearly in a mood, which meant that nothing would get done until I fixed this.

But it was also the time forthis; we’d banked on Maria becoming Bianca’s friend, even though the others hated the idea of the lioness being around more. My cousin was strong, protective, and one of the best people to have on your side. But I refused to ask her to do it.