Page 7 of Hidden

Three days had passed, and still I’d gotten no answers. At least I’d been able to visit Bianca. But the situation only made me anxious.

The part of her records I’d been able to access didn’t tell me anything new.

Bianca suffered severe anxiety. It was a condition especially bad for empaths. It was imperative that, early in their lives, they learned to filter the emotions of others. Otherwise, they were prone to psychological disorders.

The rest of her records were off limits to me.

That’s what concerned me most; what my mother wouldn’t let me see in those files. I couldn’t help Bianca without knowing.

The only thing Mother would tell me was when she had first met Bianca, she was in a crisis state. And that the damage had already been done.

That statement really didn’t bode well.

The last three days had shown a decline in Bianca’s condition. She was barely sleeping, and she wouldn’t eat. If nothing changed, they’d force her to do that, too. And they’d already started her on her medication. A lower dosage, but still…

And now, while our emotions were reaching a breaking point, an emergency conference had been called. However, despite all attendees being present, the room remained silent.

Damen had given up the pretense of calm a long time ago and was now pacing near the head of the table.

Brayden was present. Anthony, too.

But what goaded at me the most was Finn.

He was so close—this would be the perfect time to get answers. I only needed to convince Damen to give me time alone with the little blond freckle. He would tell me things that my mother continued to hide. He had to know more than he’d let on.

However, Damen would never allow me to murder his brother.

Shame.

“So.” Brayden rested his chin on his hand. “What’s going on?”

I was surprised Brayden had spoken first. It was Bryce who’d called us here, after all.

Bryce, instead of opening, appeared to be deep in thought. He stared at a vase in the middle of the table, the strangest expression on his face. Almost as if he was finalizing the pieces of a complex puzzle and wasn’t a fan of the result.

“You hardly know more than me,” I pointed out, meeting Brayden’s gaze. “Is there a point to this, or are we quite done? I have things to get back to, since you two were the ones who allowed her to be taken from the hospital.”

Brayden frowned. “What was I supposed to do, lay in front of the ambulance?”

I knew my accusation was unfounded, but it was getting on my nerves that Bryce hadn’t said anything yet.

“You weren’t the only one there.” I shrugged, hoping to goad Bryce into a response before Damen lost his temper. He hadn’t even wanted to meet today, so Bryce’s inaction wasn’t helping.

Damen stopped pacing, grabbed one of the phones, and threw it at the vase. Everyone across the table jerked as it shattered.

I hoped he was being strategic, and not losing his temper. Damen’s control kept Titus in check. Unfortunately, Damen wasn’t known for his ability to handle strong emotions. There was really no way to know how long our luck would hold out.

No one knew what to expect with Titus—he had never been in this situation before.

He wouldn’t talk to any of us. At the moment, he was in his dragon form, curled in a corner behind us.

Without Damen’s control, Titus might destroy everything to get to Bianca. And he wouldn’t be subtle about it. Mass murder tended to attract attention, which was the last thing Bianca needed.

When she embraced her role, she would have enough problems. The elders could not know about the mate bond.

Miles sat unmoved beside me—unaffected by Damen’s display. His face remained buried under his arms, and I knew he was either sleeping or plotting. My money was on the latter, but since he hadn’t slept much since she was taken, there was a possibility it was the former.

“Do you know who Bianca’s parents are?” Bryce asked, frowning at the shattered vase.