Page 174 of Whispers of Wisteria

Then, suddenly, I was there.

The shaky, rolling floor was under my feet, and I was cast into darkness when the door slammed shut behind me.

I nearly fell as the plane moved faster and took off from the ground.

But it didn’t matter. I could feel it more than ever, although I couldn’t explain how.

Somewhere in here, Titus was in trouble.

My breath escaped in smoky bursts as I rushed toward the light. A dreamlike feeling washed over me. My legs felt sluggish and slow, and the distant doorway never seemed to grow any closer.

It was so far away, until it wasn’t anymore. My ears popped, and I was there, crossing into the bright room.

Julian POV

An unknown number came through the controls. Gregory picked it up on the first ring. The call connected to the speaker, and Maria started without greeting.

“They’ve been taken by the Guild,” she said. “For real this time.”

A ripple ran through the room while Gregory stood, unblinking. His features were carefully blank when he spoke. “Who?”

“Bianca and Titus,” Maria replied, sounding breathless. “We’re at a stronghold sixty miles west. I’ll send coordinatesnow, but it doesn’t matter—it’s too late. They abandoned the drop, and all the tech has been wiped. It must have been done remotely.”

“We have to track that plane,” Ada said sharply.

“Good luck with that,” Maria replied—it sounded like she was typing. “We don’t even know what direction it’s headed. They know who they have. They’re probably going right to headquarters.”

“We should have made her leave when we had the chance,” Ada spat back.

“This is pointless,” Gregory cut in. He placed his hands on the table. “I want facts. How long ago were they taken? Where is Gloria?”

“Not even ten minutes ago,” Maria answered quickly. She sounded winded, like she was moving even as she spoke. “Biancablinkedonto the plane when we were fighting. Titus was already in there. Gloria is here. She’s still ripping up wolves—she’s in a frenzy.”

Gregory tensed. “What do you mean?”

“She was cursed or something,” Maria replied. “Bianca broke it. Now she’s pissed and eating faces. She’ll snap out of it in a bit.”

Gregory and Pops looked at each other, probably wondering how Bianca had done it, but that was the least important thing right now.

“Check for any flights in the area,” Brayden said, turning to Finn.

But Finn was already on his laptop. “I am,” he said dryly. “But if Jameson’s involved, he’d have prepared for this. We’re not going to find them.”

“Bianca’s hurt.” Damen sat forward. “What happened? What is her condition?”

There was a pause, and the cold pushing against my chest grew stronger.

“She’s not in great shape,” Maria said finally. “Both Jameson and Albert fed from her.”

That… They’d taken her energy? It was never supposed to happen. Not to her. Not ever.

Damen’s eyes blazed as he pushed back from the table and stood. “What?”

Meanwhile, Miles had gone still, and the slow darkness that he normally kept hidden—that the others refused to even acknowledge—began to gather beneath his feet.

“She got roughed up too,” Maria added. “But she killed them before they got too far. After that, she fixed Gloria, and we escaped.”

“There are no necromancers here,” Ada added sharply. “And she has no reserves left. If she keeps at this same rate, she’ll die.”