Chapter Forty-Seven

Rayne

“What can I do for you?” I ask Brumilda after Caddie has left.

She’s sitting in the edge of my bed and her hands are on her lap. She appears calm, so I can’t begin to imagine what she wants to say to me. She seems to take a liking to me, though I can’t imagine why. I can’t say that I’m nervous in her presence. It’s just it’s something about this feels…off.

“Meeting you the other day was unexpected,” says Brumilda. “You’re not at all what I was expecting.”

I nod my head slowly. I don’t know what to make of this. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

“When we heard of the mating accident, we were all very disappointed. Mind you, I wasn’t at the ceremony myself. I was not at all expecting someone like you.”

I’m still not sure what she means by someone like me, and I’m not sure I want to know. I say, “I’m glad I’ve surprised you.”

She offers me a wide smile. “I’m sure you’re confused by my words, and frankly, I’m not supposed to be here. If Veronica found out that I came here, she wouldn’t