Page 110 of Of Blood and Banes
“And you couldn’t trust me or Archie to keep it a secret?” She takes a step out of my grasp. “We’re supposed to be yourfriends.”
“You are! It has nothing to do with how I feel about either of you. I trust you.”
“Then why not tell us?”
I blink. Then shift my gaze to the floor as I consider an answer. “I’m…I’m not sure. Honestly, I just wanted there to be one less thing you had to worry about. And keeping a secret felt like piling more on top of everything else going on and…I don’t know…I’m sorry, Melaina.”
“You know what…fine. Your love life is really nobody’s business, anyway.”
I flinch, taken off guard by her response.
She continues, “I won’t say anything to anyone about it. You have my word.”
“That’s…kind of you?—”
“No. Don’t think it’skindof me. You’re right. Nolan already doesn’t trust you, and Gavin is too quiet for me to discern what he thinks. But the fact of the matter is, if this prophecy really is about you, we need to make sure nothing else throws off our plans of getting to Vitalis and finding answers. And if we do everget back to Arterias…” her eyes narrow, “you’ll come to clean. To everyone. And that includes Celeste.”
The words stick to my throat before I force them out, “Cole and I aren’t together, if that’s what you’re implying?—”
“No. It’s not about love. She was never in love with him. But she was in love with theideaof him. She gushed about how elated she was to have you as a sister, since Darian never loved her. She has no one, and Cole was the answer to her prayers. To having a family of her own. She deserves to know it’s no longer an option.”
Before I can answer her, she brushes past me. “I’ll get you that pennyroyal.”
CHAPTER 36
THE FORBIDDEN FOREST
The Forbidden Forest is thick with humidity and sprawling with every green flora I’ve ever seen. Soldiers at the front of our group lead through the thicket, tapping aside vines that hang like mangled curtains.
Archie is in front of me, his gaze sweeping left, right, and up to the canopy. He stumbles over a vine on the ground, and I catch him before he can fall. When he turns his beaming smile on me, it twists that pain in my heart of how I need to come clean to him about Darian and Cole.
A soft song of crickets chirp near and far, while distant birds whistle in the trees. Most of the forest is shrouded in shadow, sunlight choked out by the overgrown trees above, but streaks of golden sunlight leak through, casting enough of a glow for us to see.
Daeja walks beside me, snorting and then shaking her head as dragonflies attempt to land on her neck, then buzz around her snout. When they still linger, she blows a breath out of her lips and the two bugs tumble away and flit off.
“Wow…are you alright?” Archie mumbles in front of me, his attention stuck on Darian. “Did you fall or something?”
Darian is to his left, with Melaina holding his chains on the opposite side. Both of which meet Archie’s wide, concerned gaze.
Darian’s lips lift into a smug, arrogant grin before he tugs his collar down to reveal a set of purple bruise-like markings decorating his strong throat. “Oh, this? You should see her.”
I swear all my blood rises to my face, and I might pass out from the mortification. And the asshole turns his head only slightly over his shoulder to wink.
To fuckingwinkat me.
I stop in my steps a split-second before Daeja bumps me with her shoulder as she passes, encouraging me to ignore it and keep moving forward.
“Oh…I see…” Archie drags his rounded eyes back ahead to the path, his spine straightening. “Hope…hope she’s…okay…”
“I’d argue more than okay,” Darian tosses back.
I’m going to fucking kill him.
“Please do. No one is stopping you,”Daeja chuckles.
I toss her a wary glance.“Stop doing that.”
“Not my fault you’re a little loud with your thoughts. Shut the door if you don’t want me to hear.”
