Page 128 of Whispers of Wisteria

I paused, allowing myself more than a quick gaze.

Was she going out? Why else would she be wearing shimmering makeup? A light jingle came from her as she skipped past me to the pantry—a second later, I spotted the tiny bells and fuzzy balls hanging from the bottom of her pigtail braids.

What was she doing?

“Hello!” she greeted, not looking at us as she rooted through the shelves. She radiated anxiety as she pulled out various candies and put them in a small backpack.

“Where are you going, baby girl?” I asked.

She glanced over her shoulder, meeting my eyes. “Out with Gloria.”

“And where is she taking you?” I frowned.

“Um….” Her gaze flickered to the side. She stood, facing me, before answering in a much quieter voice, “I’m helping her find something.”

Miles lifted an eyebrow. “What does she need to find?”

She hesitated briefly before she replied. “Cécile.”

My blood froze, and I stood before I could stop myself.

“She lost that damn thing again?” I asked.

“It’s not a big deal,” Bianca said as she closed the distance between us and placed her hand on my arm. “It happens all the time.”

“That’s exactly the problem,” I pointed out.

She stepped back and cocked her head. “There’s no reason to get so upset,” she said calmly, and something surged through me. “She’s just a little cat. She won’t hurt anyone.” I clenched my jaw, but Bianca was gazing off into the distance now and touched her face as she added, “Except maybe she might eat a shifter or two. But other than that, harmless.”

“You’re still on this? Do you even know what a shikigami can do?” I snapped. “They’re a highly efficient weapon system that—”

“What about this?” Bianca held up a can of tuna. “Would this work?”

I blinked at her. “Work for what?”

“To bribe Cécile,” she explained earnestly. “Gloria said to be prepared.”

“You don’t need to feed it!” I raised my hands in the air. “It’s not alive!”

She held the can to her chest and gave me a disapproving look. “That’s not what Dr. Sartore said.”

I didn’t even have time to care about how she knew Titus’s Tongjun. This was more important.

I forced my voice to calm as I placed my hands on her shoulders. I led her to the table and guided her to a seat. “I forbid you to go anywhere until we’ve reached an understanding.”

“What understanding?” she asked.

My pulse began to race as she blinked up at me with her big green eyes.

“I’m going to teach you about shikigami,” I told her, ignoring the way her pink lips turned down. “I’ll even provide illustrations to make it more interesting for you.”

That should do it—people were always requesting my artwork.

“No thanks.” Bianca stood and brushed off her skirt. “I’m leaving now.” She looked at Miles. “I’ll see you later.”

“Stay safe,” he replied with a ridiculous smile. “Have fun looking for Cécile. Tell Gloria, ‘Hi,’ from me.”

I stepped in front of her. “She’s not looking for Cécile!” I crossed my arms. “And she’s not going anywhere with Gloria if this is how she’s going to act.”