Page 154 of Whispers of Wisteria

There were only two ways he’d be strong enough: working with another onmyoji—and Albert barely qualified except in desperation—or…

The wrongness was mixed in Bianca’s scent.

“You took her energy,” I said, disbelief boiling in my chest.

Jameson straightened, and his voice was terse when he answered, “I had no reason not to.”

Horror shot through my blood. “That’s not meant for you.”

Bianca’s energy—Mu’s essence—had always been only for Huo. But because of Bianca’s condition and the fact that one wrong move could hurt her, Damen had decided not to even ask.

She was too important to him.

And now Jameson had taken from her.

Even more than the fae—who built a whole culture around protecting their women—and more than me, Julian, and Miles, who would kill for her…

Damen was going to lose his mind.

“Well, it’s mine now,” Jameson replied. He began to pace. “We must move on.”

I could hardly hear past the roaring in my head. “Is she alive?”

He paused mid-step, his reflection catching in the nearest mirror. “Do you think I’m that careless? Rarely has anyone died from this. She’ll live.”

“You didn’t even check beforehand, did you?” I snapped, baring my teeth. “You just took.”

“Check what?” he barked, his expression hardening.

I stared him down. “Aren’t you a doctor?” My voice dropped. “How could you not see it?”

He couldn’t be that stupid. Not Jameson.

Jameson didn’t respond, only glowered in a certain way that we were all familiar with, before he turned and left the room.

Bianca POV

It was quiet here, safe in this place where pain and feeling no longer existed.

But then something reached out to me through the dark, pulling at my arms and clothes while a sticky wetness pressed against my cheek.

It proved that I was still alive, even though my thoughts lingered on the fringe of awareness.

Something was burning in the distance—the smell of metal—and my nose twitched as the last of the comforting numbness faded. A door slammed closed, and the vibrations pounded in my throbbing head.

I must have been hallucinating, though, because a familiar sound spoke what might have been my name loudly through the space.

Then, with a burst of clarity, the words broke through the haze as Maria’s voice cut angrily through the air.

“What is she doing here?”

I opened my eyes, but the darkness still clouded my vision. My limbs felt heavy, and my body was weak. I rolled onto my side, finally spotting her.

She stood, face against the bars, in the cell across from me where Ada had also been locked up. The hyena had backed away from the door, but Maria ignored her cellmate and stared at me.

“Hey, are you okay?” she asked.

Slowly, I moved to my knees. My body was sluggish, and my skin felt raw despite everything seeming intact.