Page 84 of Speak No Claim

“On that particular morning, she slapped the belladonna out of my hand, warning me to never touch them again. She made sure I understood just how poisonous they were. Except I never understood how they could be so beautiful… it didn’t make sense how something so beautiful could poison you.”

I frowned.

“I remember she made sure I was listening. Even as a kid, I was a little shit, always trying to be independent, but Deja would never leave me alone. She was my shadow. My mother always harped about how much Deja looked up to me. She used to say I was her hero… our father, he’s never been an affectionate man. He’s always been hard on us, more so on me, but Deja has the shoes she has to fill.”

“What do you mean?”

Still not looking my way, he replied, “She’s promised to a man she’s never met.”

My eyes went wide. “Excuse me?”

That was enough to break the spell he was under. Shifting his stare to me, he stated, “On her twenty-first birthday, she’ll meet him for the first time.”

“Oh my God… is he a Brotherho⁠—”

“The Devereauxs wouldn’t have it any other way.”

I firmly shook my head, adamantly arguing, “No, Onyx. You’re not like them.”

“You’re right. I’m worse.”

“That’s not⁠—”

“My mother made sure I knew that some of the most dangerous things in the world didn’t look dangerous at all.”

Something about the way he said that made me extremely sad for him. Everything he was telling me was devastating.

Poor Deja.

I couldn’t imagine what it’d be like to have to marry someone for anything other than love.

“When I asked her why she would grow something so poisonous in here, especially if it could hurt her…” His jaw clenched, swallowing hard for a second. “She said it didn’t matter how dangerous something is. Knowing that it’s harmful didn’t mean you had to fear it. It just meant you had to respect it.” He reached down, stopping his fingers before he grazed the flowers. “Every time I walked past them, any time we watered them, she’d remind me that beautiful things can still kill you, if you let them.” He looked back at the flower. “I didn’t understand what she meant by that…”

Silence.

His gaze flew to me. “Until now.”

“Onyx…”

He tugged on the ends of my hair. “Until you, Hennessy. It’s quite the coincidence you both share the same name.”

There was something different in his expression. Despite confessing something so sweet and kind and so unlike him, he was distant. His walls were already back up. He might have been looking at me, but his mind was still somewhere else entirely.

I faintly smiled, trying to lighten the mood. I gave him the only peace I could.

“Your mother reminds me of someone. Yacumama, it means Mother of Water. There’s an old legend in the Peruvian Amazon about her. She’s a serpent that lives in the rivers and lagoons. She protects the water, but she can also be deadly if you don’t respect her home.” I paused for a moment. “Where I’m from, we’re taught from an early age to respect everything: elders, family, nature, food… We’re raised on honor, respect, and pride, to never forget where we came from.”

He listened to me so intently, and I found that extremely endearing, him wanting to learn about my culture instead of making me adapt to his. It was the first time there was this deeper connection between us. It wasn’t just superficial anymore. We were adding pieces of ourselves to each other. Our souls were now communicating in a way they weren’t before.

“Your mother saw something beautiful and dangerous, and instead of getting rid of it, she taught you to respect it. That’s what mothers do, Onyx. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

He narrowed his eyes at me, nodding slightly. “Different memories, stories, worlds… same warning.”

Needing him to hear this, I reminded, “If you forget everything else she’s ever taught you, just remember she was trying to keep you alive.”

We stayed quiet for a minute, taking one another in, in a way we never have before. I loved everything about this moment, both of us understanding where we came from. It didn’t matter that they were worlds apart. We still managed to find common ground.

* * *