Things That Should Stay Buried - Casey L. Bond Page 0,27
“When we pressed our foreheads together in the sacred room, he gave me all the memories from each of his lifetimes. It painted quite a picture of how times and human history have evolved.”
That’s how he knew my name before Kes spoke it.
My brows rose. That meant he could sift through Kes’s memories and see… everything. That would prove to be embarrassing at some point. My middle school years were… ugh. I didn’t even want to think about it.
Aries gestured back to the grandiose bathroom. “There is no plumbing, but if you ask any Guardian for a bath, they will fill it with hot spring water. I’ll construct these among the new dwellings and instruct the Guardians to fill them periodically. And I will consider some of the other things you showed me. I appreciate that you had a market for food that you could store away, but ultimately would like to teach my people how to grow crops on the land and hunt the animals roaming it. In the meantime, I will provide for them. I would not see them starve.” He grinned. “And while running water and electricity are luxuries to which you’re accustomed, I’m not sure either is necessary.”
That was fair. We were, perhaps, too spoiled and lazy.
“You said you needed my help.”
He raked a hand over his horn. “Some of my people are gathered outside. Many have questions, which I will gladly answer, but I was hoping you might interpret for me.”
“I can only speak English,” I replied honestly. “I took Spanish and French, but sucked at both of them.”
He gave me a wide smile that took my breath away.
“I can speak every human language. I don’t need you to interpret their words, but the meaning of certain things eludes me. Slang is difficult for me to grasp, as is sarcasm. And I may need you to explain how things work, the way you did indoor plumbing.”
It wasn’t like I had anything better to do. Besides, maybe I could lob a few questions of my own at Aries.
“When do you need my help?” I asked.
“As soon as you are able.”
“I need a few minutes to get ready.”
He nodded and leaned against the wall in the hallway while I slipped back into my room. I planned to run inside and grab my duffle, but grabbed my chest instead. Aries had surprised me again.
“Oh my God,” I breathed. “How did you do this?”
As he was showing me the enormous bathroom, he’d transformed the room he’d given me into an exact replica of my old bedroom. He didn’t remove the hearth, though. It still crackled merrily in the corner of the room. For that, I was thankful. We didn’t use our fireplace at home that often, but the sound and heat was a comforting addition.
I crossed the threshold and turned in a slow circle, my mouth gaping, wondering how he’d done this. Even though we’d spent less than five minutes in my old room, this new space contained everything I owned, down to the familiar scar on my headboard. But it was the walls and ceiling that shocked me. It was like he’d stripped the paint from my home and reapplied it to the stone walls in this room. The stone was painted my favorite color – deep teal – and gold stars shimmered across the ceiling and slid down the walls. Even the ones I’d accidentally smudged held their imperfections perfectly.
My comforter and sheets were here in all their golden, disheveled glory, as well as my dresser, sans pictures. I would hang them back where they belonged. There was even a closet, though part of its contents lay wrinkled in my duffle now.
Aries braced his forearm against the door frame and watched as I took it all in.
Draped over my bed the way I left it, lay my glittery prom dress. I gathered the material in my hands and held it to my chest. The sequins scraped my cheeks, but I raised it to my face and breathed in its scent anyway. Did he conjure a replica, or did he bring it here? Did I just imagine that it smelled like mulberry?
“I’m not sure how… but thank you,” I croaked.
He inclined his head, but remained silent.
I finally laid the dress back on the bed and rifled through my duffle bag, quickly choosing clean clothes and toiletries.
I wanted to throw my arms around his neck, but kept them wrapped tightly around the pile of things in my arms. “This