Page 19

19

The visit to Professor Hamway’s house went without incident, and since the ghost seemed to be hiding, we’d even lingered a little while to clean.

I wanted to be assured there was no trace of myself or my visitors in case she returned.

Miles told me I worried too much, which was not encouraging coming from a man who jumped at the slightest provocation and the sound of the house settling. And Damen was useless, as he much preferred lounging to work. Although he did enjoy commenting on the value of my professor’s antiques. I was honestly worried that he might try to nab something.

They were—at least some of them—the worst paranormal warriors ever.

Then we returned to Damen’s house. Miles left to cook dinner, while Damen disappeared into his room. I had nothing else to do while we waited for Titus, so I grabbed my biology book and entered the living room.

There was a fire burning in the hearth, and the soft light illuminated the space. A welcoming burgundy couch sat empty in front of the fireplace, and I’d taken a cashmere cream blanket from Damen’s linen closet.

I was ready to study.

It wasn’t until the heavy door closed behind me that I spotted Julian sitting at the furthest corner of the room. He’d been reading but stopped at my entrance.

“Hello,” he greeted, and suddenly, I was shy.

“H-hello,” I said. Had I interrupted him? “I was going to study, but I can go somewhere else.”

“No,” he replied. “You’re fine. I’m studying too.”

I glanced at the round table beside him and at the stack of ancient-looking texts perched precariously close to the edge. I stayed still, hugging the folded blanket in one arm and my biology text in the other, and felt out of place. Older books were sometimes hard for me to understand—he must be really smart.

Julian was still watching me, and my skin began to hum. “Are you sure?” I asked.

He looked to the fireplace, to the seat I’d been coveting, and answered, “Why don’t you sit down over there? We’ll try to get some work done before Damen decides to grace us with his presence.”

Of course, that was my plan. But Julian asking me to join him made my skin feel tingly. “O-okay!”

No other words were spoken, and Julian left me to my own devices after he watched me settle in the chair. He buried himself in his studies like a man running low on time. Soon, though, my shyness passed, and the atmosphere shifted into quiet contentment.

Julian was the perfect study partner. He was adept at focusing on his own work and not asking a million questions about mine. A companionable silence had fallen over the two of us as we remained in our own corners. There was a lazy feeling of contentment settling around me—a similar familiarity that might have taken years to build with anyone else.

What stood out to me the most, though, was the shift that’d taken place since earlier this afternoon. Before, being alone with a man would have left me with residual tension. Yet now, even the smallest hint of worry refused to touch me. It was strange that my remaining anxieties about these boys and our friendship had been settled with Miles’s admission about their dating life. There was solace in the simple knowledge that, no matter what happened, I was safe.

Especially with Julian, who was so quiet and demure.

My thoughts began to drift from my studies, and I peeked at him over the top of my book, noting his serene, proper posture. It wouldn’t be as warm over there, but he didn’t look cold. In fact, he didn’t seem to be aware of much of anything outside of his work.

He had a book laid over his knee as his attention moved over the words, and every few moments, he licked his finger as he turned a yellowing page.

I really hoped that the book wasn’t borrowed—that seemed terribly unhygienic.

“Is everything okay?” he asked, and the quiet atmosphere vanished.

I was horrified—embarrassed—that, once more, I’d been caught staring at him.

“Yes!” My voice squeaked, and I raised my book to cover my mouth. “I was just thinking.”

I hadn’t been sure how to discuss what had happened during Miles’s practice. The ghost had followed me—but was that normal? Miles, obviously, wasn’t the best person to talk to about this topic, and I hadn’t been able to get Damen alone before he ran away.

“What are you thinking about?” Julian asked. He crossed his arms over the now-closed book. A white library tag was faintly visible from the spine, and I inwardly cringed.

Being a powerful mythical being must make one impervious to germs.

But even more importantly…

“What”—I hoped this didn’t come across as being ungrateful or inpatient—“what are we going to do about the ghost?” Did he have any ideas? I shouldn’t ask, but I did not like to leave things incomplete.

Besides, who was overseeing this investigation? I chewed my bottom lip, uncertain. I was used to working with Finn, and he’d always followed my lead. I’d just assumed Damen had a plan—but I’d begun to see that he was a bit more impulsive than expected.

I might have to start with some gentle urging.

Whatever the next steps were, though, we’d have to start soon. It was growing harder to ignore the pressing desperation prickling along the edges of my nerves.

“Did something happen?” I jumped as Julian took my book from my hands. I hadn’t noticed him crossing the room.

How long had he been talking to me?

“Um…” I muttered as he sat beside me.

Our thighs were touching. He wouldn’t hurt me—I knew this. But that didn’t mean that I’d been prepared for the jarring warmth of his body pressing against mine.

I sucked in a choking breath, willing my pulse to slow. There was no need to be afraid.

They couldn’t date.

Julian inched over and bent toward me as he urged my attention to his face. My heart was racing, but his presence gave me courage, and my nervous energy disappeared.

I couldn’t look away from him.

“What happened?” he asked.

“I saw her again.” Why were my defenses crumbling so easily? He said nothing in response, and I added, “The ghost.”

“The one that attacked you last night?” Julian suddenly seemed so serious.

“No.” I shivered and shook my head. I would rather not see that ghost again. “Another one. She’s trapped, but she-she doesn’t want help,” I admitted.

His blue eyes flickered to meet mine, and his lips turned down. “She doesn’t?”

I shook my head ‘no’ again. “I think she’s trying to protect me, so I want to help her anyway.”

Julian frowned deeper.

“Shocking,” he replied. I pressed my toes against the thick, woven rug as he added, “What did Damen and Miles say?”

“I didn’t get a chance to tell them. I didn’t see her at the house,” I clarified. I grabbed a loose lock of my hair and twirled the curl around my finger. “I saw her in the bathroom while Miles was at practice. He didn’t notice.”

But even if he had, I would have done my best to protect him. They could count on me!

“That’s unusual,” Julian mused. “But it’s not entirely unheard of for a ghost to shift locations either. She could feel a special attachment to you. Was she warning you away?”

I nodded but emphasized. “But I’m still going to help.”

“Yes,” Julian tapped his finger across the back of the sofa. “I’m aware. But that’s even more reason for you not to be alone. We’ll talk about it when everyone is here, but from what I understand, Damen is waiting to hear back before we decide on the next steps.”

“Hear back about what?” I asked. Damen did do something then.

Julian shrugged. “He asked Brayden to do some research for us so that we could focus on getting you safe. That was our priority.”

That was…

Keeping me safe was their priority? I was too flattered to be offended. “Who is Brayden?”

“Brayden is another officer for the fae. He’s second in command. His specialty is research and combat,” Julian answered. “He is also Bryce Dubois’s younger brother. You can usually find Brayden in the library when he’s not doing officer duties.”

“Oh…” How cool! He must be so awesome.

I spent time in the library, had I seen him already? And even more importantly, what made Bryce the first commander while Brayden is only second?

It must have been the oldest sibling privilege. I had so many questions, but it was hard to think.

“Makes sense,” I said instead.

I was still breathless, and I berated myself for my awkwardness.

“You don’t need to be nervous around me.” Julian touched my shoulder. “I’m really nothing like what they say.”

I looked at him, at his perfection, and the corner of my mouth lifted in derision.

“Well, then it’s good that I can’t hear most of what they say anyway,” I muttered.

Julian raised his left brow, lips parting. “What? ”

I realized too late that I’d slipped. “Nothing!” I pressed my hands to my burning cheeks.

“Bianca”—Julian grabbed my wrists before I could cover my eyes—“is there something you’re not telling us?”

“Sure.” I wasn’t telling them a lot of things, and I was certain they had secrets of their own too. Tit for tat.

Apparently, my thoughts were obvious because Julian groaned. “I mean,” he said. “About you, physically.”

I nodded. That was already established.

“That’s not what I’m talking about,” he was frowning at me, displeased. “And you know it.”

I shrugged. He could be talking about many things. I couldn’t assume—

“Do you have trouble hearing?” he asked.

“N—” I gritted my teeth, ready to lie even though it pained me. But his patient, assured focus made it impossible. He already knew.

“Yes,” I grumbled, looking away. “But it’s fine.”

“Bianca—” he began, and I gently slapped my hand over his mouth. He wasn’t even trying to disguise his sympathy.

“It’s fine,” I said again, trying to sound as blasé as possible. “I learned to manage. Usually, no one can even tell. You never noticed, right?”

I glared at him.

Julian’s gaze turned wary, and he took my wrist, releasing his mouth. “We are more observant than most. Who else is aware of this?” he asked, not answering my question. “Your parents, your doctor?” he paused briefly before adding, “Does Finn know?”

“Yes,” I answered.

He wasn’t getting the hint. Did he not find me menacing? It was a bit of a blow to my ego; I’d made Finn turn pale on more than one occasion .

“And what was the diagnosis?” Julian was determined to get answers. “Are you getting any treatment?”

“What’s there to treat?” I shrugged. “It’s nothing that can be fixed. Are you this determined to cure Damen’s eyes too?” Maybe he should be, if only so Damen would stop hitting on me. The man was blind. It was the only way to explain his painful obliviousness to body language.

“Well, no,” Julian said slowly. “But that’s different—”

“No!” I waved my hand. “It’s the same.”

“He has glasses,” Julian deadpanned. “And he doesn’t even need to wear them all the time.”

I opened my mouth. What was that supposed to mean?

“But I understand.” Julian placed his finger to my lips, interrupting my retort before I could even begin. “You don’t want to talk about it yet, and I can respect that.” My annoyance began to ebb away with every word, until he added, “To an extent.”

My blood went cold at his stone-faced expression, and he lowered his hand back to his side.

Would he… rescind our friendship over this? Could this be such a big deal to people?

Yes. I knew it as sure as I breathed. It could.

“Can you always hear me?” he asked. “How much do you miss?”

I was an inconvenience. He’d never said it wasn’t bothering him.

“I-I don’t know,” I answered. I’d just learned to live with it. “I guess… if I’m not paying attention or aren’t looking at your face, it’s harder. Then, I have to figure out what you’re saying based on context.”

“Are there things you don’t hear?” he continued.

“I-I don’t know?” I said again. How was I supposed to answer? I didn’t know what I didn’t know. “I’m sorry. ”

“Why are you sorry?” he asked. “I just want to make sure you’re comfortable.”

“What?” I wasn’t sure what he meant. “Why does it matter?”

Julian raised his eyebrow. “Because I want to be able to communicate with you?”

That didn’t make any sense. “You don’t want me to leave?”

“What?” His eyes widened, and he grabbed my arm. “No! Why would you think that?”

“Because it’s…” My voice trailed off. I was a weakness and a liability. Miles had said they couldn’t afford such things. While one of my problems had come to light, there were many more hidden in the depths. I really should come clean so they might know what they were getting into, but I couldn’t.

I didn’t need anyone to worry about me, and I didn’t want to lose them.

“As long as it doesn’t bother you,” I answered instead. “We’re still friends, right?”

Julian watched me before he answered, “Of course.” There was a heavy weight to his response, and I was unable to tear my eyes from his mouth. When he spoke, a tenseness uncurled from under my skin, replaced with hope.

“You’ll be hard-pressed to get rid of me outside of anything but your own request,” he said.

“Really?” I asked. I didn’t understand him very well yet, but I knew, without a measure of a doubt, that he was not lying. Still, I couldn’t calm my racing heart.

I grabbed his right hand with mine and held it against my chest. At this moment, I imagined that I could easily drown Julian’s ocean-colored eyes. His eyebrow lifted as I breathlessly asked, “Promise?”

I needed to be sure.

“Promise,” he answered and squeezed my fingers. His deep, smooth voice had a lulling darkness, and I knew, without being told, that Julian did not give his word lightly.

It was late by the time Titus arrived and we were finally able to eat.

Dinner wasn’t a quiet affair. Damen and Titus argued about some investigative work in a way that had to break some confidentiality laws. Meanwhile, Julian kept me up-to-date any time my involvement was needed in the conversation.

If anyone thought it was weird, they didn’t comment on it.

I was only a visitor, but sitting here amongst these four men, and their chaos, it felt I belonged.

Julian touched my arm, and I glanced up—croissant hanging from my mouth—as the sound of my name finally registered. I couldn’t speak but was able to meet Damen’s expectant gaze.

“We have enough information to move forward on your case tomorrow,” Damen said.

I nodded. Of course, Brayden the Librarian had come through. I would expect nothing less. I was content, basking in the assurance that all would be well, until he added, “Bryce wants to know what we’re doing.”

The warm, delicious roll turned into a tasteless lump of mush in my mouth.

“I already sent him away,” Damen responded. “But he’s going to be hard-pressed to keep out. However, he’ll listen to me for a little while.” He propped his arm on the table and stared past me. “If only Mu was with us. Bryce would submit without a struggle.”

“Mu…” I repeated, the word feeling strange on my tongue. Who was this person? Damen’s expression was filled with reverence and admiration. And he could command Bryce ?

This ‘Mu’ person had to be a legendary warrior if someone like Damen could admire them. But alas, we were on our own. The world had suffered a great loss to be without the presence of one who could defeat a person such as Bryce.

“Such a shame,” I answered. “Who is ‘Mu’?” I glanced around the table, and the hatred in my heart quelled at their solemn faces. Everyone, besides Damen, was now studying their plates.

“Mu”—Damen replied—“is the fae member missing from our quintet. We all are, alternatively, known by other names relating to our earliest, and first, life. I am Huo.”

Julian had stilled and was giving Damen the strangest look—an expression that only grew as the others joined him. “What are you—”

“Why don’t you introduce yourselves?” Damen interrupted and waved his hand to his left.

Miles jumped to attention and glanced between Damen and me. “I-I’m Tu…” It sounded as though he had no idea why he was doing this.

Which was probably true, because I had no idea either.

We already knew each other.

Titus and Julian glanced at each other before Titus shrugged, “I’m Jin.”

Julian was tense, holding his breath, as he watched the ceiling with a look of forced patience. However, finally, he let out a slow exhale and answered, “I’m Shui.”

“Okay…” This was extremely confusing—I was very bad at names, and I’d probably forget them as soon as dinner was over. Learning one name per person was enough. “I’m Bianca?”

What else was I supposed to say?

“Are you sure?” Damen was leaning on the table.

What was he going on about? At least I wasn’t alone in thinking he was peculiar. Everyone else was clearly in agreement. “ I’m pretty sure that I’m Bianca,” I answered. I took another slow bite of my chicken, allowing the flavors of the heavenly sauce to linger on my taste buds.

He was such a strange man.

“What about Bailey?” he asked.

“Damen!” Julian slapped his hand on the table, causing the vegetables on his sad, meat-free plate to bounce. “What in the world are you doing?”

“Isn’t that an alcoholic beverage?” I licked my fingers. I’d seen some in the kitchen earlier. Maybe Damen was letting his hobby get to his head. “It’s a cute name though.”

“Bailey was Mu,” Damen responded. “Before he died in this life.”

“Oh.” I twisted the cloth napkin resting over my thighs as my humor faded. Why would he bring up something so depressing during dinner? No wonder Julian was upset.

And I’d been ignorant. “S-sorry.”

“There’s no reason to be sorry.” Damen waved away my apology, remaining unfazed at the other three men glaring daggers at him. “I was just curious to know if you’d heard of him.”

I shook my head. Why would I have?

“On another note”—Damen looked at Titus—“we’ve been looking into some items regarding your identification papers.”

I straightened in my seat. Could they fix it?

“To be honest, it’s been difficult to track down anything without being too obvious,” Damen continued. He sighed and ran his hand over his face. “You have no copies of any documents at the main office, and we’re not sure where to begin. Are you sure we can’t just contact your adoptive parents?”

“No!” I shook my head. “I don’t want to rely on them.”

I was making things more difficult, but to be fair, I hadn’t asked them to fix my paperwork issues. That was something the boys had taken on themselves.

Besides, I was almost one hundred percent positive my adoptive parents did not have legal paperwork for me either. At least, not anything that would stand up to this group’s eagle-eyed scrutiny.

They’d ask questions. They’d learn more about me than I wanted them to know.

And no one would ever look at me the same way again.

Wouldn’t it be better if… “Can’t we just find replacements?”

“It’s possible,” Miles interjected, understanding dawning on his expression. “Do you know where you were born? What hospital?”

“What…” They looked at me, and my mouth went dry. I shook my head. “What about just making new ones?”

“New papers?” Miles was frowning—apparently, I was insulting his legal sensibilities. “You mean fake papers?”

“We can do that,” Titus interjected, not abashed. “But why?”

“But they’d need to be real!” I added. “Not fake!” Once I finally started working, I refused to go to jail for tax fraud. I was a law-abiding citizen! Plus, the thought of being forever locked away in an iron prison filled me with dread.

Titus’s lips turned down in disapproval. “That’d be harder.”

How hard could it actually be? All they had to do was bribe a few hospital administrators, a handful of people at the Social Security Administration, and some folks at the International Revenue Service. I was planning on keeping my own identity and was righting a gross injustice.

Would any of that, technically, be breaking the law?

I picked up my fork and turned my attention away from them. Why did Damen have to bring this up? “Let’s just focus on this ghost for now,” I said. I stabbed the bright green broccoli. How dare Miles make healthy foods look so buttery and delicious. “Then we can figure out everything else.”

“Sure,” Damen replied, and I looked at him. For someone who’d so eagerly led us into this awkward conversation, he’d been a lackluster participant. “You’ll be taking my room tonight.”

I most certainly would not.

“I can’t,” I told him. “I’m a guest.” I was perfectly able to sleep on the couch again.

“You must,” Damen replied. “Because if you don’t, Miles will just sleep on the floor to keep you company. He might hurt his back.”

“What?” I looked at Miles, who was staring at Damen in the most particular way. In fact, they all were. “Did you hurt your back?” I asked him. Guilt pressed in around me, and I bit my bottom lip. I should have noticed! The thin, fancy rug couldn’t have offered much padding.

“I did not.” Miles’s skin flushed. “Don’t listen to Damen. You can sleep on the couch.”

Damen leaned back in his seat and gasped in a display of feigned shock. “Are you serious? How ungentlemanly.”

“That’s not what I meant!” Miles responded, face red.

“Where will you sleep if I stay on the couch?” I looked around the table. That went for all of them. I was perfectly fine staying in the living room or, alternatively, back in my own bed at the dorms. Although, Jiayi might think I was a loser for coming back so soon after I’d made it clear that I had plans.

The most important thing, though, was that I didn’t want anyone to feel like they had to keep me company. And it wasn’t like I could stay in Professor Hamway’s house.

“I will…” Miles looked down at his empty plate, grumbling so low I almost couldn’t hear him. “I will sleep on the floor.”

Well, we couldn’t have that. They all had their own rooms, so there was no need for anyone to sleep on the floor. “I’ll sleep in your room,” I told Damen. “But what about you?”

“I’ll be fine on the couch,” Damen replied, a bit smugly. “I’m the one who bought it. Besides, it’s not like anyone is going to be scrambling to keep me company.”

“Well, not anymore,” Miles replied.

“Okay.” I didn’t know what to say to Miles’ statement, there seemed to be some bitterness between them, so I ignored him and focused on Damen instead. Honestly, this could all have been avoided if Damen had a guest room. There were more than a handful of unused spaces filled with old furniture around the house.

Why would he not have the foresight to prepare for visitors? It was like he was trying to discourage such things. And he was popular—he had to have friends that would qualify.

So what made me any different?

Damen’s bedroom was a cavern of rich fabrics, dark furniture, and expensive tastes. It was warm, which was expected as it was next to the chimney, and despite being comfortably buried beneath two extremely fluffy blankets, I still couldn’t get to sleep.

Maybe it was because I couldn’t get the image of the ghost girl out of my head. Or maybe it was that I was sure that while I’d been secluded away on my own to sleep, Damen and the others were talking about me downstairs.

What were they saying? I wish I could find out, but it wasn’t like I could easily eavesdrop. I would have to be pretty close to them to catch their conversation.

I looked across the dimly lit room. My only light was a candle, which was a bit of a fire hazard, and I hadn’t been brave enough to switch it for anything else. After tucking me into his bed—which was strange enough to render any of my requests speechless—Damen left with his room in a certain state. I intended to uphold his standards.

It felt like eons passed as I lay there, trying not to move. I turned my focus to soft moonlight streaming in through the window before, finally, my thoughts quieted