Page 30 of Glimmer and Burn (Unity #1)

Chapter Eight

M iranda climbed through her window, numb and drained. With any luck, her parents had decided to sleep in and hadn’t checked on her yet.

She began to undress, slipping out of her clothes—now torn and rumpled and full of memories that made her blush—until she was bare to the cold air of her room. She stoked the fire in her hearth, only embers remained from when the maid had lit it before heading to bed for the night.

Miranda needed to scrub the day from her skin.

She stepped in front of the mirror as she grabbed a towel and sloshed it into the water basin beside it, then rubbed in a healthy lather of soap.

If she asked for water for a full bath, her parents would know and they’d come interrogate her. Right now, she just wanted to be clean.

As she set to scrubbing and rinsing, Miranda took assessment of the damage. Bruises were setting in, a few purple ones on her legs and arms from taking hits. Her eyes lingered on her hips, where Devin’s hands held her, grasped for her, burned into her skin like a brand.

She lifted the mirror and turned it around. She was determined not to think about Devin Drake. Or his hands. Or his blue eyes. Or his wicked, annoying, pleasing mouth.

That didn’t last long.

There was a knock at her door.

“Miranda?” Her mother’s voice. Ugh.

“Yes, mother, give me a moment.” She hurried to throw a dressing gown over herself. Miranda barely secured the ties before her mother burst inside.

“Where the hell were you?”

Oh, no. If her mother swore, that was a very bad sign. Just past her mother’s shoulder was Miranda’s father—he’d at least waited to make sure she was decent before barreling through the door.

“Well?” Her mother said, crossing into the room like she was on the attack. “Where were you?”

Miranda swallowed, too tired to answer or pretend or lie. Her misery must have showed on her face, because her mother softened. Her father, however, did not.

“Tell me you weren’t off seeing him again,” her father said, not masking the accusation in his tone.

Miranda couldn’t meet his eyes, but that answered the question well enough.

“Damn it, Miranda, you’ve been reckless before, but never like this.

I should challenge him so that we don’t appear complacent in his corruption.

Your entire future could be ruined if word of this got into the wrong hands.

He may not understand what such a scandal could do to your life, but you know better.

” Her father narrowed his eyes, spine straightening further.

“Or. I could solve everything if I killed him with my bare hands. That sounds good, too.”

“James,” her mother warned.

“Don’t…” Miranda took a breath, her weak outburst caught both her parents’ attention and Miranda sighed. “I’ve been trying to find information on Yarrow Graves that will end his engagement to Cordelia.”

She expected exasperation. An overflow of outrage. Insisting this was a lost cause, that there was nothing to find, and how could she do this to her sister? What about Cordelia’s future? It was such an amiable match.

However, her parents were silent.

They exchanged looks, their postures shifting.

“James, get the door,” her mother ordered. Her father obeyed without a word. Her mother’s nose flared and urgency replaced anger. “Does he know?”

Miranda must have been delirious. She could hardly process what her mother asked. “Does…who know?”

Her mother rolled her eyes, mirroring Miranda for the first time in recollection. “ Graves . Does he know you’ve been investigating him?”

Her father hung his head. “Of course, that’s why they were in his private office. They were spying.”

“Miranda Olivia Wilde. How could you do something so foolish?”

There it was. The disbelief. The denial.

They would never believe her, and she felt so lost and hopeless and tired.

Divine above, she hadn’t slept more than a moment for two days.

Hot tears trailed over her dusty cheeks.

Her sister was in danger and there was nothing she could do.

If Graves wasn’t vengeful before, now he would make sure she never got in his way again.

Her parents would never trust her or believe her again.

And, even if it wasn’t love , Devin had broken her heart.

The sobs started quiet, slowly building until her body shook.

Her mother rushed forward and held her. “There, there, darling. I’m sorry if I sounded harsh. I’m scared. Graves is so dangerous and I feared the worst.”

Miranda choked on her tears.

What ?

“It’s not looking good, Cicely. Graves knew why she was there.

He’d have done heaven knows what to Drake if I hadn’t intervened.

Thankfully, I was truly angry and in need of a private word with the rake.

” Her father let out a breath, squaring his shoulders.

“We’ll have to keep a guard on her. Make sure he doesn’t find her alone. ”

“Infernal blast it, James, I told you this was too dangerous. Your investigation is over. We can hardly keep up the pretense of this engagement now. Who knows what he might do if he thinks Miranda has found him out?”

Miranda followed the exchange like a child who hadn’t learned words, and could only sense tone and infer meaning. Was it possible she was wrong about her parents?

She stood up suddenly, shaking her head like that would shake reality back into place. “Wait, you both knew he was evil?”

“Of course, dear, do you think we’re so easily manipulated?

” Her mother urged her to the bed, petting her hair and easing the tangles free.

“Your father intended to get close to Graves to find enough evidence to see him discharged as alderman. When he offered for your sister, well, I was against it, but we thought we could manage the leverage and with luck he’d be taken care of well before any ceremony. ”

“We didn’t tell you because Graves has True Sight, it takes a special way of wording and intent to fool him. I grew up in politics. I’m very good at hiding my intentions and careful enough with my wording that I’m rarely telling an outright lie. Your mother, well, she would put me to shame.”

“Enough, it doesn’t matter now. We’re going to stop this whole thing and find a way to keep both of you girls safe. Alright, my darling?” Her mother gently wiped her cheeks. “You’re so strong, I forget you can be fragile, too.”

“But…” Miranda was having trouble following the conversation.

Retracing every interaction they’d had so far to find the truth of her parents’ words.

How her mother had never allowed Graves to be alone with Cordelia, even to talk in a corner.

There was always an excuse to keep them apart.

Her mother had been the one to suggest the flowers that were out of season that would delay the wedding.

Miranda was unraveling. “But why did you let her suffer over these few months? You had to know Cordelia was miserable. Why didn’t you stop it then or just tell her? ”

Her mother’s eyes filled with tears and anger.

“I had not known Delia would react so…defeated to the news. I thought she’d hate it, yes, but not to…

I hated seeing her that way. But there was no turning back once we started.

If I called it off, our plan would be ruined.

If I told her, there was no way your sister would be able to hide her true intentions from Graves’s Sight and we’d have been worse than lost. My only solace was that I knew this was not real.

That for all Delia’s withdrawn sadness, I knew she would never have to marry that man. ”

“Your mother was right. It had been a mistake to involve you girls at all. Graves’s power was growing and I feared something…something much worse than simple social climbing was coming. I wished to stop it before he got that far.”

Her father did not know how right he was.

Graves could create fae more powerful than any of them.

Even Miranda would struggle to hold off a properly trained fae with that kind of strength.

She considered telling them what she found, but stayed silent.

They had kept so much from her, and while she was grateful that her assumptions had been wrong, that didn’t change the undercurrent of betrayal sticking like a thorn amidst the relief.

“Why didn’t you trust Graves, Miranda? I knew you didn’t like him, but going so far as to scheme and put yourself in danger to investigate his doings all to save Cordelia?

What aren’t you telling us?” Her father asked the one question Miranda was afraid to answer.

She considered not telling him, continuing her silence.

She had been so scared they wouldn’t believe her and now…

They patiently waited for Miranda to speak.

Which was saying something as patience was not a family virtue.

Control or restraint when needed, yes, but not patience.

Her father was itching to get an answer, she could tell as he refused to sit, his every muscle strained.

Her mother soothed her hair, a distraction to keep her from pressing Miranda.

Did she dare break their hearts all the more?

Miranda took a breath. She had been silent for long enough. They deserved to know.

“Last year, Graves found me while I was getting some air during the Fairchild ball.” She swallowed, the full details catching in her throat as she held her parents’ rapt attention. “And, well, he…he proposed, in a way. Asked if I would consider marrying him.”

Her mother’s jaw flexed, like she was straining from speaking. Her father hadn’t moved. Neither looked away from her. Images and sounds…the sensation of hands on her skin…she had to close her eyes to keep it from spilling from her chest. Panic welled in her heart.

“When I refused…he grew angry with me and made threats. He, um, tried to attack me.” She pieced through the words carefully, selecting the tamest truth she could find. “Then I ran.”