Page 196 of Whispers of Wisteria

But it was Titus he addressed with his hurried words, “She’s alive.” He pressed his palm against the dragon’s chest, speaking to him as if he were a hurt animal. “Titus, it’s okay now. She’s still alive.”

Everything stopped.

I couldn’t breathe. The world seemed to still as I dropped my arm and moved to my knees.

I looked at where Julian had taken her. He was kneeling now, Bianca cradled in his lap like something broken.

She was alive. Miles had just said so.

Then why didn’t it look like it?

She was so still, limp, with her clothes shredded, soaked in blood, and barely covering her. I’d never seen her so pale. Her skin was covered in handprints, bruises, and bites. Her face was swollen, her hair matted to her forehead.

I felt the fire rise in my throat before I could stop it.

I’d thought she’d be safe, and now she looked like this.

My observations drifted lower before I spotted them.

“Her wings…” I said numbly. They were a limp gold and green that rested over Julian’s leg and on top of the grass like a blanket.

My vision blanked at the edges.

I’d known that she’d had them, of course, but they weren’t accessible every lifetime. Sometimes, there was just never a need.

And with me, in less than two months, her survival instinct had already been triggered.

I collapsed to the ground beside Julian. I’d failed.

Julian pressed his forehead gently to hers, his whole body tense, and a ripple of magic passed between them. A coldness crawled across the ground, bringing goosebumps to my skin.

She was barely breathing, and so still.

How was she even alive?

“What’s wrong with her?” Miles asked, kneeling on the other side of her. “Should we take her to the hospital?”

“No,” Joe answered, stepping forward with his hands behind him. He was uncharacteristically serious as he gazed at Julian. “It’s too late for their help. Let her stabilize before we move.”

Gregory stopped staring at Bianca and looked at him.

“She was dead,” Joe continued, seemingly talking to him more than any of us. “Still is—spiritually. She’s breathing because Julian has tethered her to him, and he breathes. She has to be near for him to maintain it. Modern medicine won’t help. It’s not ethical magic, but it might work.”

“Might?” Gregory’s voice was cold. Still, he stepped forward and placed his coat over her, shielding her from the cool morning air.

“She has to want to come back,” Joe said, shrugging. “She’s in rough shape, but it’s the energy depletion that’s your real concern. But between us, we can fix that.”

Julian was still holding Bianca to him, but now his focus was on her face. He ran his thumb along her jaw, and his expression dropped further.

The only indication of his own discomfort was in his stiff movements.

“Where are the others?” Titus spoke suddenly.

“Maria, Ada, and Gloria called in. Declan’s group is there now,” I answered. “They’re safe.”

“I don’t care that they’re safe,” Titus snapped. “They’re made to handle it. I care that Bianca wasalone.”

Ah… I’d forgotten how ruthless shifters could be.