Page 19

Miles’s lips quirked, and he closed the door before stepping toward a panel on the wall.

“I would do almost anything for you, mon rêve ,” he said. The room darkened as heavy blinds lowered over the glass. “But this is as far as I can go to stop the sun from shining.”

I could see again!

I looked back to Miles, and my breath caught. Despite his playful words, his face was severe. Now he stood, bracing himself against the wall, his expression cautious.

I hadn’t forgotten last night. I’d yelled at Damen, Julian, and, by extension, him. Titus and I had already spoken, but was Miles angry?

I held the red-bowed kitten-patterned underwear in front of my face. I was so embarrassed.

“Don’t hide from me,” Miles said, moving closer. “And especially not behind those .” He grabbed the boxers out of my hand and tossed them to the side.

I tracked their path and the shirt that followed an instant later.

“I would rather not see Titus’s undergarments between us. Are you going to talk to me?” Miles asked as he crouched in front of me. He seemed wary and, if I wasn’t mistaken, afraid.

“Talk to you about what?” I asked. Was he bringing it up already? “What’s wrong?”

“About Bryce.” His mouth thinned. “It was my idea. And I know how much you dislike—”

“I’m not angry about Bryce,” I interrupted, meaning it. “It was a brilliant plan. Thank you, Miles.” My stomach twisted painfully, and I found it difficult to believe his biggest worry was Bryce.

Why wasn’t he looking at me with pity or asking questions?

He blinked, his cheeks darkening. “Are you sure? Because I’d rather you yell at me now—”

I touched his mouth, cutting off his statement. “I’m sure. I’m not going to yell at you.”

Relief entered his expression, and his tense shoulders relaxed .

“Besides, I don’t usually shout,” I said. “I’m not sure why you think so little of me. I’m a calm and rational person.”

Miles’s eyebrow rose, amusement dancing in his eyes. “You’re so self-aware.”

“I know. It’s a mark of maturity.” I nodded, moving to my feet and reaching for Titus’s clothes. He could learn so much from me. “It’s a talent that takes time to cultivate. Last night was a rare exception. Besides, I don’t get angry.”

No, there was no point in getting angry. Only uncivilized ruffians would let their anger control them. I was different. I got even.

It wasn’t the same.

Like my eventual showdown with Finn, we would finally be even after I pushed him through a wall and crushed him under my heel. Only then could I move on with my life.

Who knew, maybe we might be friends again one day? He hadn’t been terrible when Daniel Cole imprisoned us.

My insides twisted with conflict because now I owed him a debt. I didn’t like owing people.

Speaking of owing people… I needed access to my funds. Bryce was an obstacle that I would need to learn to navigate.

“Hey Miles, how do I…” My voice trailed off at the incredulous look on his face. “What?”

“Just now!” The witch had moved to his feet, pointing at me. “As you were turning away, you had a look on your face. Then you went tense. What were you thinking about?”

I pursed my lips. “What look?” Was he delusional?

“It’s an evil look—like you’re about to do something terrible!” Miles stepped back as his voice raised in a pitchy way. “You weren’t thinking about me, were you?”

I fought the urge to roll my eyes. “I wasn’t thinking about you,” I reassured him. “If you must know, I was contemplating Finn’s punishment.”

“Oh,” he replied, returning his arm to his side. “You’re still doing that? What is it this time? Are you still going to kill him?”

I frowned, looking at Miles disapprovingly.

“No,” I said. I couldn’t believe he would consider such dramatic extremes. “I’m going to stomp on him. Perhaps I might push him, too. Why would I kill him?”

“But…” Now, Miles seemed confused. “You said you were going to destroy him. You said you were going to kick him in the balls. What happened to that plan?”

Oh, that.

I waved my hand in the air. How simpleminded he was. “Plans are always subject to change depending on the circumstances. Punishments must always reflect the nature of the crime. And right now, he deserves a good slap.”

“You literally just said you were going to stomp on him,” Miles said. “And within the span of five seconds, you changed it to something less violent!”

“But I can’t hit him in the face…” I muttered, touching my chin. It was terrible enough Bryce had been ripped apart by a demon. I didn’t like to see so much pain and suffering.

I should probably wait until after Bryce was better. Just how did he become so damaged in the first place?

Whatever, he probably did something to deserve it.

“Where’s my money anyway?” I glanced back to Miles. “Damen said Bryce had my money. Where is Bryce? Is he at the school?”

Miles’s eyebrow rose slowly. He studied me as if he’d never seen me before. “Now you’re looking for Bryce? He’s canceled classes today.”

I nodded, pulling my hospital gown away from my body and glancing at it disdainfully. The smell made me gag. Why in the world hadn’t Titus insisted I bathe last night? “I need to take a shower. Where is there a shower? I need to go shopping.”

“What in the world is going through your head? You’re making all sorts of plans.” Miles sounded amused.

“I guess my classes can wait until Monday,” I added. “But I also need to go to the registrar’s office,” I said. Damen could cry all he wanted, but I would have the last laugh.

As I mentioned the school, Miles suddenly looked away, and my attention was directly drawn to him. I narrowed my eyes. Didn’t he have classes today? “Why aren’t you in school?” I asked.

His skin flushed as he clasped his hands together in front of him. “I wanted to make sure you were okay. I missed you.”

My mouth shut as the lecture died on my tongue, and my heart melted. How was he so precious?

And yes, I’d missed him, too. It should have been simple, but my lips wouldn’t form the words. It was easy to be with him, but had we ever discussed this strange arrangement? I’d talked to Damen, Julian, and now even Titus—but never him.

But… I bit my lip and looked at the ground.

I wasn’t brave enough to broach this conversation.

“Oh, come here,” he said in a gruff voice. He grabbed my smock and pulled me into him. The top of my head fit perfectly under his chin, and his arms held me to him. I could feel his heart pounding and hear the shuddering intake of his breath. “You don’t need to be the brave one this time.”

I curled my fingers against my cheek. What was this warm feeling spreading throughout my skin?

“I missed you,” he said again. “I skipped classes every day when you were gone.”

The heat fled from my face, and disappointment replaced my nervousness .

“Miles!” I tried to push him away, but he solidly hugged my shoulders. “You can’t. You’ll fail!”

“Oh, please.” Miles sounded amused. “I have the top grades in my year.”

His words did little to reassure me. “Did you really do that?”

“I’ll tell you after you shower,” Miles said, releasing me and turning me to face another door. He pushed me through the entrance and turned on the lights.

Unlike the bedroom, the bathroom retained the house’s style. Stone and marble covered the space, and a claw-footed tub with a shower was nestled in the room’s far corner. Behind it, a stained-glass window reflected squares of red and orange onto the floor.

I raised my eyebrow, glancing at Miles.

Before I had to explain, Miles picked up on my question. So, this had come up in conversation before.

“Damen doesn’t care what we do to our bedrooms except for changes to the framework.

But he says he doesn’t want to compromise the integrity of the ancient plumbing…

” Miles paused, rubbing his forehead. “Or something stupid like that. He’s slowly trying to repurpose the interior. He’s freaky about art and antiques.”

That gave me hope. “Is he planning on doing something about the outside?”

Miles sighed. “He doesn’t care what it looks like. I think he does it to keep the property taxes down, and he’s gotten no permits for remodeling. Sometimes, he and Titus go into the woods and shoot guns to make sure that the value of the area doesn’t go up.”

What in the world?

I stared at him as he turned on the water and pulled fluffy towels from under the sink. He set the towels aside. “It’s not that weird,” he argued .

No, it definitely was very strange. The guy owned a Jaguar.

“Don’t misunderstand. Damen isn’t cheap.

” Miles correctly read my expression. “He’s actually the worst with money management.

He does this because he doesn’t want neighbors or unwelcome visitors.

Damen is an extremely private person. When you first showed up, he was panicking.

If he didn’t like you, he might have killed Gregory. ”

“But…” Damen hadn’t looked upset. He’d been all charm and smiles. “He was flirting with me.”

“Damen flirts to redirect people from his true intentions.” Miles leaned against the sink, studying me with darkened eyes.

“You could spend lifetimes attempting to figure out the source of his passion, never to realize you were looking at the wrong place the whole time. He must be terrified right now. He’s never had such an obvious weakness. ”

His words almost sounded like a warning. I swallowed. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t want to talk about Damen anymore.” Miles shrugged, changing the subject. “I’m wondering, were you afraid when I got angry?”

A trickle of confusion passed through me, and I cocked my head. “You get angry?”

He frowned, almost looking offended. “You saw me fighting my teammates at practice… or did you leave before that?”

“Oh…” I bit my lip, glancing away.

That was true. He body-slammed a teammate into the dirt. But how could I tell him… “I did see that.”

“Oh no,” he said, concern lacing his voice as his expression crumbled. He closed the distance between us and rubbed his hands down my arms. “I scared you? I’m so sorry.”

“No, you didn’t scare me,” I told him. Perhaps I should mention it? He seemed so upset. “Your form is wrong. And the way you tossed the other guy through the air could be improved.”

“What?” Miles dropped his hands, his eyes widening.

I nodded; the future was already taking shape in my thoughts. Someone had to tell him, and I guess the person chosen for that task would be me.

“Maria wants to go to a WWE match,” I told him. “You should come. You lack passion when you fight. It’ll be educational to watch a professional.”

“Wait.” He frowned at me. “You want me to fight?”

“Not particularly.” I touched my chin, studying him. Miles had a bodybuilder’s physique, so he looked formidable. Yet, he lacked the sincerity in wanting to murder his opponent. If I didn’t toughen him up, he’d be a target for the rest of his life.

He was so sweet, so kind.

I would bet anything that people took advantage of him. They either took advantage of his kindness or flat-out bullied him. This was how stalkers targeted sincere men. I hadn’t forgotten the women picking on him during soccer practice.

I would have to save him before something terrible happened. Before I needed to hurt someone again.

It was my job to help him.

“You should hang out with me while we’re at school. It’s safer that way.” I tapped my chin. “Then we can begin your training.”

“Safe from what? What training?” Miles didn’t sound amused or happy anymore. “Didn’t we already establish that you’re escorting me to my classes?”

I wasn’t sure yet. Maria might have some ideas; she was tough.

“We’ll see…” I noted his wary expression. “You’ll like it. Let’s do our homework together later, okay?”

Miles frowned, stubbornness bleeding into his face .

“I don’t want…” he began, but his words trailed off. The stubbornness gave way to contemplation. “You want to do homework together?”

Something in his voice caused my heart to skip.

“You’ll have French!” he sounded so happy. “We can email your professor to get your assignments.”

Crap on a cracker!

My breathing had caught in my throat. How was I supposed to tell Miles I was dropping French for Chinese? This was horrible. The only way to avoid hurting his feelings was to pretend to take French forever.

But there was a problem with that plan—I wasn’t getting out of doing any work this way.

“Okay…” I whispered, putting off the inevitable. One day, I might have to break the news to Miles. But his face was glowing in a way that caused my pulse to spike.

There was no way I could do it right now.