Page 167 of Whispers of Wisteria

Still, Gloria was shaking, and quite frankly, it was disturbing to see an adult—at least one older and more responsible than you—panicking. That didn’t tend to instill much confidence.

Still, she had to shift. She had to know this.

So why was she fighting it?

‘Because she can’t.’

The realization caused my breath to catch.

Mu was still there, so faint that I could barely discern him in the distant recesses of my thoughts. But at least, with this answer, came understanding. The looming darkness vanished.

The room spun, and the ground pulsated under me. My fingers burned where they’d become coated with Gloria’s blood.

I’d felt this energy before.

The Cole family. It smelled of burning flesh and left an iron taste in my mouth. The edges of it prickled at my skin like a low, humming current.

She’d been cursed, andtheyhad something to do with it.

It made sense. It was clear that she had a particular aversion to them. But right now, that wasn’t important.

Could I break the spell?

Gloria jerked when I grabbed her left wrist. However, it took only a second for me to realize that I’d never be able to break it, not even at my fullest strength.

“Bianca, it won’t work,” Gloria sighed, placing her right hand over mine. “It’s blood magic. We’ve been trying to break it for a long time, but there’s nothing that can be done. I’m never going to be able to shift.”

Her words sounded like a spell, and Maria and Ada’s arguments faded at Gloria’s statement.

Blood magic.

My attention was pulled to the place where our skin touched. My fingers were stained and sticky with dark crimson.

“That’s why we need another plan.” Gloria looked back at the others. “I might be able to do something before they’re shifted, but once they’re changed I can’t stop them. I won’t be able to challenge them in the way that matters.”

She was already spiraling into excuses and apologies, but…

That didn’t make any sense.

Fae controlled witches and magic and stuff—that’s what everyone said. So why did it feel like something was blocking me?

It almost seemed like it was Gloria herself, even subconsciously.

How to get past that, though?

My breath caught.

We need a necromancer.

Notmepersonally—even though technically, I kind of did too—but Gloria.

‘That’s right.’Mu sounded distant. ‘Do you remember?’

The full moon shone bright in the clear sky. The water was dark, and the salty air whispered across my face. A wave beat against the sand, crashing over the boulder where we’d sat.

Just the two of us, in this secret place of ours.

Shui—my private, silent assassin who hardly spoke to anyone—was complaining about Tu’s involvement in his personal affairs.