Page 80 of Inked in Bloom
“Unfortunately, we had one rogue Bloom who returned earthside.”
Well fuck.My nails dig into the desk’s woodgrain.
She doesn’t need to say who.
I thought something had shifted between us when I’d shown her my family’s home, that she’d come back to Florezca after spring and things could be different. Not that she would want me, but at least be open to have a relationship beyond her initial hatred toward me. It was a stupid hope—like the one that traces my sternum, permanent and unclaimed. Each time I checked on her, keeping a safe distance so as to not alert her, she’d dutifully continued her posting. She hadn’t tried to run back to her former life.
Not until now. The fucking worst time to. Where had I gone wrong?
“How did she manage it?” I ask, needing to understand.
Fate unfurls her hand. Only the lavender stone remains, dulled with cracks along its edges. “With assistance from a fellow harbinger.”
“Cherri.” I grit the name out between my teeth. I’ve always liked the young Bloom, but that was before she put Monroe at risk out of some misguided loyalty to her friend.
“We’ve detained Cherri for questioning.” Fate gestures toward the hall. “Radix Daneel is with her now.”
“That won’t be necessary.”Or useful. I ignore the sting of my palms, my lip. My months of planning would have to wait. Monroe’s stubbornness is both a strength and a formidable hindrance—especially when she has no clue what a ticking clock she’s under.
That webothare.
I frown at my cracked palm. If anyone understands how dire it is to be stuck in the mortal realm during Summer’s rule, it’s me. She’ll be dealing with worse symptoms than this. Much worse. “How soon can I go?”
“Immediately,” Fate says, and my chest unclenches the vise wrapped around it. I’ll get there quickly and returnbefore things take a drastic turn. “I’m granting twelve hours of special permission. Then I’ll be forced to notify the Storms she’s there.”
I stand, fill up my water one last time, drink it in three gulps, and slam it on the desk. “What if she refuses to return with me?”
What if shecan’t? Her magic has to be sapped…or nearly.
“Then that’s her choice.” Fate’s expression is somber. “And I suppose you’ll have an important decision to make for yourself.”
“You know what I’ll choose.”
She merely nods as I pass her and get on my floracycle. I compose a message with my magic, sending it off to Dani, hair whipping in the wind on my ride toward City Hall. I wish I could go home and see my girls before I leave, but time’s already working against me.
I won’t risk Monroe.
She’ll be weak from her work, and if our bond isn’t hindering her yet, it will. The searing between my ribs is proof enough. That’s not even taking into account the additional symptoms that will come the longer she’s out in summer. As someone who recently recovered from seasonal sickness, it’s the last thing I’d wish on anyone, much less my mate.
She made it clear she doesn’t want to acknowledge our bond, and I’ve honored that—at least I’ve tried to. Now she doesn’t have a choice.
Doesn’t she realize? There’s nowhere she could go I wouldn’t follow.
Even if it potentially damns us both.
34
MONROE
Of course I wasn’t dropped directly into the DC-Metro area. That would’ve been too easy.
I zip down from Philly, through bumper-to-bumper traffic on I-95, the honking of angry drivers, waving of middle fingers, and pounding bass of stereos blurring past. Every sound reverberates against my skull.
The first place I stop is my apartment. I shrink into a ball of fur, bounding into the building and up the stairs until I’m on the fourth floor. I’m panting and breathless by the time I reach my door, its gildedDglinting down at me.
Why am I even here?
I glance around to ensure no one else is in the hall, shift back, and glide into the apartment. It’s been months since I’ve been gone, but it still stings seeing all my belongings removed. The walls bare and white, the furniture modern and pristine.
