Page 14 of Hidden

It was obvious there was something I was missing, and that knowledge nagged at me.

And where was he?

The hours lagged by, and I reflected on the mystery of Julian’s existence rather than the reality of what was happening.

A soft knock sounded through the room, breaking through my thoughts. My head snapped up in time to see Julian closing the door.

His eyes briefly met mine before his attention moved to the untouched tray at the foot of my bed. “Darling, you didn’t eat again?”

“I’m not hungry,” I said. Tasteless prison food held no appeal, and I didn’t trust anyone to not try to kill me—even if they were afraid of Julian. Death by food would be a poetic way to die. It was becoming ever apparent I would have to take poisoning lessons from Bryce.

That was, if I would be allowed to leave.

Darn it, I was even starting to misshim. Glaring at Bryce had been such a fulfilling pastime. And things would be better between us now. He had submitted. I could order him around to my heart’s content. It would be great.

I was losing my mind.

“Bianca.” The bed dipped as Julian sat. A long moment later, the weight of his arm draped my frame and he pulled me to him. “I brought you something.”

The familiar words, spoken by Titus not so long ago, caused a pang to shoot through my chest. With everything that had happened, I had forgotten to follow up on his mother’s hairpin. Surely it was destroyed, and I had made such a scene over it. He had to know.

But why hadn’t he said anything when I saw him in the hospital?

I missed them all so much.

I wanted to ask Julian about the others. Not knowing was driving me crazy. He was close, and it was impossible not to miss the pain in his eyes. It was a look that caused my heart to ache. “What’s wrong?”

He blinked, stunned at my question, but a moment later the emotion vanished. Completely replaced with a serenity that I knew, now, to be a lie.

“Julian?” Something had happened, I was certain.

Julian sighed, pulling out a small cloth bundle and handing it to me before he continued. “There’s a lot going on right now, and it’s stressful. Titus has destroyed his mansion, and—”

“Why did Titus destroy his home?” I asked. I no longer watched him, opening the handkerchief to find a small, yellow cake. “You brought me food? What is this?”

“It’s a honey cake,” Julian said, breaking off a piece and placing it in my mouth. “Miles made it for you. Titus was upset, but he’s under control now. We’ll figure it out.”

My lips tingled where Julian’s fingers touched me, and the sweet flavor of the cake spread through my mouth. I’d been ravenous, and this was one of the first things I’d eaten in a while. But how did Miles know my favorite food?

“Thank you.” I licked my lips. “I didn’t realize what it was. It looks different from the way Finn makes it. Honey cake is my favorite.”

Julian’s brows furrowed. “Finn made you cake?”

I nodded, holding my hands out in the shape of a small circle. “Every day he’d give me one like this. It was flat. I’ve never seen one look like a muffin before.”

Julian pinched his nose. “Finn made you cake.”

My heart jerked. I’d never thought anything of it, but what if this was a bad thing? What if everything was part of Finn’s sinister plans? “Shouldn’t he have?”

“It’s a sign of affection.” Julian sounded put out, his face still hidden beneath his hand. “It’s tradition to leave offerings to the fae. Usually those offerings are in the form of small cakes, milk, chocolate, and fruits.”

My face flushed. I wasn’t sure what Julian was saying, but for him to speak about Finn without death threats… This wasn’t like him. “I thought you hated Finn.”

“Oh, I still dislike him immensely, don’t worry.” Julian dropped his hand as his eyes met mine. “But I’ve also become aware there are some things that need reevaluation.”

Reevaluation? What did that mean?

He watched me as he raised his hand, almost touching my face. He seemed almost afraid.