Page 145 of Whispers of Wisteria

Jameson crossed his arms as he studied me in a way that numbed my thoughts.

“I need to borrow from her,” he said, seemingly coming to a decision. “Don’t worry, it won’t be much.”

“That wouldn’t be wise,” she replied. “Then again, you’ve gone and joined the Guild, so I’m reassessing my beliefs about your intelligence.”

Jameson ignored her and stepped toward me.

I squeezed my eyes shut. My thoughts were already slipping. It was hard enough to catch my breath as the knot around my throat grew tighter and the wind moved around my feet.

Could Iblink? I wasn’t sure. I had to get out of here. I had to—

My thoughts scattered as white hot flames exploded down my arms. The burning spread under my skin as my rushing thoughts stopped, and I made a sound of pain as I covered my head with my arms.

“Well, that was interesting,” Jameson said, sounding intrigued even through my muffled hearing. “A grand effort, but even the high-ranking fae wouldn’t be able toblinkout of those restraints.”

I winced, curling further into myself. Dots flashed behind my closed eyelids.

“Now I’m beginning to see why the Dubois family wanted you,” Jameson said, stroking his chin as he addressed me. “But you’re not mute, are you?”

The shifters tensed, and Jameson closed the distance between us.

“Wait—” Gloria began as Jameson knelt in front of me. I flinched as he grabbed my neck and turned my face toward his. My heart felt like it might stop as his gaze held mine.

“It doesn’t matter,” he said finally, and the pressure released as he looked at Gloria. “Whatever your plan might have been, her inability to speak is real enough.”

Gloria’s eyebrows shot up, and Ada moved closer to the bars.

“What do you mean?” Gloria asked.

He didn’t answer—instead, he looked back at me, considering.

I felt myself shaking, and my pulse raced. The urge to escape became all-consuming. There was a humming in my ears, growing louder. My chest swelled with urgency.

I couldn’t do this. Bianca was useless.

But Mu wasn’t.

Where was he? Why couldn’t I feel him right now when I needed him most?

I tried to pull away. Jameson, who was so much stronger than I, turned my wrist up. His touch was like a white-hot iron against my skin, and a slow haze began to move over my thoughts.

Stop.

I wanted to speak, but no sound escaped my numb lips. His eyes were sharp and unreadable as he pulled my wrist closer to his mouth. His touch burned, and the touch of his breath moving across my skin made my flesh grow cold.

When he ran his thumb over the pulse point, something dark passed behind his expression.

He didn’t look at me as he spoke. “You’ll feel this.”

I didn’t have time to breathe before he sank his teeth into my wrist.

The pain was white and shattering, but beneath it, heat rushed through me.

My back arched as I tried to escape, but his hold was too strong. A dragging wave moved through me as a fiery sensation pulled from my consciousness. He drank my blood, his mouthmoving against my wrist, and it felt like I was being torn from the inside out.

There was a light flickering at the edge of my vision. For a moment, a part of me fought back.

But it was no use.