"You were looking for these, weren't you?"
Talia's voice carried a faint, almost gleeful lilt. The smile on her lips wasn't unkind, just amused, like someone watching a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar.
She seemed to relish Xion's momentary disbelief. But it wasn't his fault that he wasn't able to control his expression as well as Talia.
Yes. I have been looking for them. These cursed blooms were the very reason he'd stepped out into the snow, leaving behind the comfort of his room and Darius's warmth.
But this wasn't how he'd planned it.
He was supposed to examine the plants discreetly, gather evidence, and hand the matter over to Darius. Let him deal with the fallout. Yet now, Talia was handing it to him on a silver platter.
"I was," Xion said, offering her a smile just as genial. "Thanks for showing them to me."
For whatever reason, she'd made this far too easy for him and there was nothing free in this world.
