Page 217 of Whispers of Wisteria

That was close. Too close.

“She needs to know,” Julian said.

“I’ll explain it to her.” Damen had braced his arm on the desk and held his head. “She has to realize how important she is.”

“That’s the problem,” I said quietly. “She doesn’t believe that.”

She was life. Her existence was essential. Not only to us, but to the fae. She was the center of everything, and she still didn’t see it.

Because no one had ever taught her otherwise.

Damen ran his hand down his face before he finally said, “Then we’ll need to show her. She cannot go on believing she’s anything less.”

33

Bianca POV

I wasunder house arrest until Julian was sure I wouldn’t drop dead.

That moment came a few days later, when Detective Kohler arrived and gave the all-clear. Still, it was taking me longer than usual to recover physically, and there was a lingering numbness in my thoughts that wouldn’t go away.

Eventually, though, I migrated from my bedroom to the living room. Yet, it was still equally unstimulating.

Then one evening, something changed.

I was sitting by myself, a mindless show playing on the baking channel, when Bryce and Uncle Gregory walked past the doorway.

They’d been meeting privately, but now they paused when they saw me. My shoulders tightened as Bryce’s gaze dipped to the rabbit clutched against my chest.

He’d already made fun of it enough. I’d kill him if—

“What are you watching?” he asked instead.

I glanced at the TV, where a giant rainbow cake tower collapsed in slow motion and the contestant burst into tears. “Nothing important.”

“Well, I’ll put something on.” Bryce stepped past me and grabbed the remote. He was holding a familiar daisy-patterned paper cup, and I looked at the frothy drink.

“Where did you get that?”

Bryce looked at me curiously. “The coffee machine in the kitchen.”

I pursed my lips.

So that’s the reason my caramel syrup had been running low. That was my coffee setup! It’d been one of the few things I’d allowed Titus to purchase for me. He’d said it was okay, since it was technically a food item and didn’t count as a gift.

How long had Bryce been raiding my spot?

Uncle Gregory sat in an armchair, a similar drink in hand, while in the other he carried the newspaper.

“We’ll watch this,” Bryce said, turning to a station I’d never bothered with before. “It’s Brayden’s favorite show.”

What was—

The title ‘Wild Oaths:An enchanting fae reality show with the perfect blend of romance and entertainment’ appeared on screen in sparkling gold letters over a woodsy background.

“Is that really the whole title?” I asked. I kind of liked it—so practical and informative.

“What’s wrong with it?” Bryce asked.