Page 181 of Change

Chapter Thirty-One

Bianca

Voice

The room was dark when I woke up next. However, even though I was alone in my room, the house wasn’t empty or silent.

I could hear them now—the arguing voices that had pulled me out of my sleep—from down the hallway. At first, they didn’t make any sense. I sat up in my bed, dizzily looking around my room as I tried to understand.

Much too tired to make any effort.

Then, as the garbled sentences began to form discernable words, the argument made more sense.

They were voices I hadn’t heard in some time.

And they were fighting, about me.

“At least with us, she wastalkingand had some semblance of a normal life.” I’d grown up with this man since I was eight, and I’d never heard him sound so angry before. He’d always been the mild-mannered, easily swayed parent. “We might not have realized what she was going through at the hospital, and I take the blame for that. But this cannot continue. She needs to get out of here; she’s in a worse state than when we found her. I agree with Gregory, and we’re still, legally, her parents, so what we say has some merit too.”

“Indulging her has not been working.” My adoptive mother’s sharp tones echoed down the hallway. “She’s stubborn, and she won’t like it, but it always turns out better when she listens. She’s never been one to act in her own best interests and she’ll ignore the fact that she needs help. Right now, you have a rare opportunity to take her toWhisperwindwithout anyone finding out who she is. I say, do it. Give her some time to rest. Trinity can set up treatments there.”

“I swear to God, Gregory, if you even try, I’ll kill you. Bianca is not going anywhere.” Damen’s voice rang with a note of finality. “This is her home, and her place is with us. She said she wants to stay.Wecan help her.”

“I’m the one married to her, and I have legal power of attorney,” Bryce said. “What you three want doesn’t even matter. I’m going to leave it up to Bianca.”

“Is thatreallyhow it works in your culture though?” My adoptive father didn’t sound convinced. In fact, he normally had that same tone of voice when confronting me about something he already knew the answer to.

Like that one time I deleted his gaming account in anger when he wouldn’t let me go on a date. After he found out all his data was lost, I tried to convince him that the save drive might have been faulty.

I should have known better. The man worked in computers.

“There aretwoheads of household that outrank you and your ‘marriage’,” he continued. “No matter what legal rights you have here, you’re still obligated to your patriarchs. Does Oliver or Finbar have anything to say about this? They’re both traditional.”

“I’m speaking on behalf of Oliver,” Uncle Gregory replied. “My older brother has left me in charge of things in this realm. He’ll want her to be safe, especially since he’d already lost Alyssa. He’ll want her home.”

“Well, too bad for you. We’re Dubois,” was Bryce’s quick reply.

“So, then, what about the Dubois family?” my adoptive mother asked. “Does Finbar even know about her? Heisa member of the council.” A chill shot down my spine at a thread of hope caught in her question, and a growing sense of hopelessness was clawing my skin.

I had no idea who these people were, and yet they were being discussed as if their decisions could change the course of my life.

I should have asked Brayden to tell me more about my family, but I’d been avoiding it.

And now look at what was happening. Stupid, stupid fae traditions.

“She’s the first female born in our bloodline in three generations,” Bryce quipped. “So, yes, Grandfather knows about her, and he won’t sell her out. He’s, however, a bit slow on the uptake. He’s still coming to terms with the marriage agreement that allowed his precious son to wed to a woman with Unseelie blood.” Bryce’s voice was almost sarcastic now. “So, until he makes a decision, he’s not going to have much to say. He justis.”

My adoptive mother gasped, probably covering her mouth in that certain way she normally did too. “It’s been almost thirty years! And he’s still going on about that?”

“What can I say?” I could almost imagine Bryce’s arrogant shrug—and this time, his overconfidence brought me comfort. From the sound of it, Finbar Dubois was no one to worry about. “He complains about the Unseelie, but he can certainly hold a grudge longer than most of them. But he is loyal to family.”

Their words did little to reassure me, even though—for a brief second—my pulse soared at the words spoken to my defense.

But then that feeling was quickly overcome by shame.

This shouldn’t even be happening.

Why was I so weak? Damen, Bryce… Nobody else should have to fight my battles for me.