Page 1 of Whispers of Wisteria (The Garden of Eternal Flowers #5)

Miles

I need a break. Wanna go grab a bite to eat?

Me

Stop goofing off and finish your work.

“Who are you talking to?” Damen asked, trying to peer over my shoulder. His voice was casual, but there was an edge that hadn’t been there before. “Is something wrong?”

I pressed the screen against my chest, shot him my sternest look, and walked past him. “You shouldn’t read other people’s messages,” I told him. You’d have thought he’d learned by now. “Come on, you’re going to be late for Dr. Stephens.”

“I’m not,” Damen said, although I wasn’t sure which of my statements he was addressing. He didn’t follow immediately, lingering in place. “You looked concerned just now. Then you smiled.”

I stopped and studied his expression. Damen had been acting strange lately, and I couldn’t figure out why. The silent and brooding lurking, the foolish looks. The neediness.

“Damen, what’s wrong with you? Are you…” It was embarrassing to ask, but I couldn’t ignore it. I’d seen men like this before, but it couldn’t be…

Not about me.

“You’re not jealous, are you?”

“What?” Damen stilled, and his gaze lingered a bit too long before he finally said, “That’s ridiculous.”

So he said, but his expression was still off.

“I don’t care if you talk to Miles,” he drawled, almost daringly, as his fingers twitched at his side.

So he did know who I was talking to?

Then this was just stupid.

“Good.” I had no time for this nonsense.

Miles had already replied.

Miles

But I love you.

Me

Not enough to finish your work, apparently.

I hit send and told Damen, “Because that’s exactly what I’m doing.”

Damen’s mouth dropped open, but I ignored him.

Now, what was Miles doing? For someone who liked to go on about how busy he was, there was no way he’d been gone long enough to put a dent in his studies.

Which meant he was procrastinating again.

Still… I could give him some incentive. He seemed the type to thrive on rewards.

Me

We’ll go out to dinner when you’re finished.

“Hey, Damen?” I put my phone back in my purse and walked, knowing he’d follow.

He was still sulking as he stepped beside me but hummed in response to the sound of his name.

“What’s the most romantic restaurant around here?” I asked.

Damen’s lips twitched, almost amused, but he touched my waist. “If you wanted a date, baby, all you had to do was ask,” he said.

I wanted to.

I stared up at him, unable to respond. However, our last date had ended rather badly—considering he took me to Colette’s restaurant and I’d found out they used to be an item—so I wasn’t sure this was a safe topic.

Besides, I couldn’t give in. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but there was something off about how he and the others had been treating me since we’d returned.

It was almost as if they were waiting for something to happen. But what?

I missed the way it was before, despite how flustered I’d been when he tried to seduce me. I didn’t like these random bursts of affection.

I wasn’t going to give in until he figured out what his problem was.

“No,” I told him. “I’m going to take Miles.”

Damen frowned. “But,” he began, leaning closer to me. I could smell his cologne, and a shiver shot down my spine as he spoke directly into my ear. “If you go out with me, I’d be sure to make it worth your while.”

My heart fluttered despite myself, though my logical side warned me not to fall for it.

Did this even count as a proper way to ask?

“Can you feel what’s happening between us?” Damen said, running his touch down my arm until he reached the tip of my finger. He leaned in, trapping me against the wall, and said, “You already have me. Let me show you what that means.”

Well, I would—let him, that was—if he’d stop being so moody.

“Mr. Damen.” Dr. Stephens’s stern voice drifted toward us. He stood in the doorway. “I’ve asked you to stop bringing your conquests here.”

Damen stiffened, but the older man continued, “In fact…” Dr. Stephens began, but then paused when he spotted me.

“Oh, my mistake. I didn’t realize it was you.

Apologies, then, for the interruption. I must have misunderstood.

After all, there’s no way Mr. Damen would be propositioning my great-niece in front of my office. He isn’t that reckless.”

Damen gaped at Dr. Stephens, completely thrown, while I glared at him.

Conquests?

I should have known. At our first meeting, Dr. Stephens assumed that I was looking for Damen. How could I have forgotten?

How many women had he ravaged against this very wall?

I slipped out from Damen’s embrace.

“Don’t listen to him, baby,” Damen protested as I moved toward my uncle. “He’s only trying to mess with me!”

Dr. Stephens would never resort to such tactics! He was only ever proper and very stern. The man hadn’t a mischievous bone in his body.

The man in question shifted his weight and studied Damen. “I’m very disappointed you’d think that of me,” he said, sounding quite so. “And after everything I’ve done for you.”

“Well.” Damen stood straighter, his composure slowly returning. “That’s not to say… I do appreciate that, but—”

“Good.” Dr. Stephens petted Damen’s shoulder. “Now that we’ve cleared that up, you can go to the teacher’s lounge and pick up some blank scantrons.”

“Why?” Damen looked between us before settling his focus on Dr. Stephens. “We don’t even have class until tomorrow afternoon. Why do you need them now?”

“Goodbye!”

I didn’t realize what happened until Dr. Stephens ushered me into the room and shut Damen out. “That boy needs a long walk,” Dr. Stephens muttered. “And maybe a few good hits to the head.”

Now I knew I was hallucinating.

“But…” I stared at the closed door. “What was that?”

“Just another Abernathy learning to live amongst us normal folks,” Dr. Stephens said, and I, belatedly, realized I’d spoken out loud.

“Don’t worry, learning a bit of humility will be good for him,” he continued.

He walked around his desk and dropped heavily into his seat. “And it’ll keep Declan off my case.”

Declan.

I clenched my fists as my heart began to race. His presence seemed to follow me everywhere.

Dr. Stephens was glaring at his desk instead of further engaging me. My skin began to prickle at his tight features. This was the first time I’d seen him anything other than composed.

Why was he mad?

“Dr. Stephens…” I began. Hopefully, it was nothing I’d done. “Are you okay?”

I didn’t expect him to answer, but he sighed and gestured toward an empty seat.

“I’d forgotten the shock of losing a quintet member,” he said after I sat and tucked my feet under my chair. “It’s been ages since the last time.”

Kathleen.

My breath caught. Even though she’d left it for Dr. Stephens, I still carried the ring she’d given me in my pocket. I hadn’t been able to work up the courage to speak to him alone.

“Kathleen asked me to give you something.” I looked at the cookies on his desk.

“I know,” he replied, pushing the tin in my direction, but I wasn’t hungry.

His expression turned from mild curiosity to something that seemed almost… expectant.

He did know, though I wasn’t sure how. Why hadn’t he said something earlier?

“I’m sorry….” I pushed my hand in my pocket. “I’ve been avoiding you.”

“That much was quite obvious,” he replied, tilting his head. “Are you done now?”

“Y-yes…” I flushed. I pulled out the ring and dropped it on his desk. “Here.”

“It’s interesting,” Dr. Stephens replied. “I’d left it to her for safekeeping many years ago as a test, and Michael’s prediction was correct again.”

My warm skin cooled, and I blinked at him.

“Who is Michael?” I asked. Kathleen had mentioned him too.

“Michael Abernathy was the onmyoji in my quintet. He was also my best friend and a talented seer,” Dr. Stephens responded. “He died during a mission.”

I bit my lip. Dr. Stephens was an Elder Er Bashou—mine, actually—so, “Is that why you’re helping Damen?”

Dr. Stephens tapped on the desk. A tense second passed, and my blood rushed to my head as I wondered if I’d, perhaps, been insensitive.

An apology sat on my tongue.

“Yes,” he said, and for a quick instant, his expression seemed to crumble. But then he shook himself out of his reverie. “Thank you for bringing this back to me.”

Dr. Stephens picked up the ring and held it to the light. “I’ve been waiting a long time. You know you get only one. The magic hasn’t faded, it seems.”

I’d kept my left hand in my other pocket, and the ring Bryce had given me—which I’d taken to wearing since our return—suddenly felt heavier than before.

It was magical?

“Bryce gave me a ring,” I began. “Is it…”

“That’s Alyssa’s ring—from Declan,” he said. “Bryce didn’t explain anything?”

“No,” I flustered, and my shoulders slumped when he lifted his eyebrow. “I don’t know much. Brayden and I’ve only started talking about customs. I’m sorry.”

“Stop apologizing all the time.” Dr. Stephens put the ring on the center of his desk.

“But it’s just a ring, though, right?” I asked, touching my toes to the carpet.

Dr. Stephens’s head snapped up.

For a second, he just stared at me. The air in the room shifted, and his jaw tightened as he pressed his fingers against the desk.

“I have no choice,” he exhaled sharply. “I cannot believe they left you this ignorant. They are supposed to be teaching you.”

“Um…” I shuffled in my seat. “What don’t I know?”

Dr. Stephens let out another breath, this one measured, as if trying to rein in his temper. “Fae marriages are not like human marriages, Bianca. They are an alliance of bloodlines and a transfer of inheritance.”

“W-what does this have to do with my ring?” I asked.

“Your ring is a Heritage ring, as it belonged to Alyssa. A Heritage ring was once a Lineage ring. It turns into a family heirloom after the woman dies,” he replied. “These rings are a symbol.”

“Rings are a symbol in human marriages too,” I countered.

Dr. Stephens sighed. “A fae man is required to have a Lineage ring in order to marry.”

I still didn’t get it. “That’s also kind of like human marriages.”