Page 36 of Whispers of Wisteria (The Garden of Eternal Flowers #5)

And for the first time, protecting her felt more important than winning.

Miles POV

“Are you sure he’s not mad at me?” Bianca asked. She held an ice pack to her cheek, muffling her voice, but I could hear her well enough.

“Eh,” I replied, swinging her bag over my shoulder. “I told you not to worry about it. It wouldn’t matter even if he were. He gets mad about a lot of things.”

The late afternoon light cast shadows between the tall campus buildings, and even though I couldn’t see her mouth behind the towel she held to her face, it was obvious that she was frowning at me.

“That’s not comforting,” she said.

I shrugged. Feeding into her anxiety wouldn’t help. “Wasn’t supposed to be.”

I should lecture her—but the last time I’d done that was when we’d been washed downstream, and I really didn’t want to fight.

Besides, she obviously felt guilty enough.

Movement caught the corner of my vision, a flash of olive disappearing on the rooftop.

This wasn’t the first time we’d been followed, but I’d been waiting for a confirmation.

It wasn’t Jin. He’d been around off and on since I’d asked him to watch Bianca, but he was terrible at camouflaging himself.

At this very moment, he was across the courtyard behind a sign with his feet popping out the bottom.

No. This new person was good.

“Bianca,” I interrupted her spiraling.

She blinked, and I frowned.

Fae might be resistant to physical damage and slightly faster at healing than a regular human, but a bruise was still starting to deepen beneath her eye.

Julian would blame Damen for hitting her—he’d been waiting for another reason to hate him—but I was just as guilty. If I hadn’t been so distracted, I would have blocked him before he could have touched her.

I set the bags on the ground and held her shoulders.

“W-what?” She breathed.

“Go get a coffee,” I commanded.

She looked at me a moment, then narrowed her eyes. “Are you telling me what to do?”

“I’ll pay for it,” I reasoned. I pushed money into her hands. Not that I expected her to accept it, but hopefully the mention of her favorite beverage would—

“Of course you will,” she replied, putting it gingerly into her pocket. “You told me I had to get it.”

My thoughts stuttered.

That was seriously all it took? She fought every time we tried to do anything kind. But the moment she thought she didn’t have a choice, she caved.

Or maybe I was reading too much into this.

“Okay,” I said slowly. “I’ll meet you there.”

Bianca nodded stiffly, not meeting my eyes, and a sense of unease settled in my bones. She stepped beside me, floral scent wafting in the wind, and her gaze was downcast.

“Hey.” I grabbed her arm before she could move past me. She stopped, startled, as her gaze snapped to mine.

My resolve steadied. I wasn’t wrong; she was off.

“What’s wrong?” I asked. “Besides being punched.”

I held my breath as she opened her mouth.

“Not—” she began, but then paused. Her hand trembled before she said, “I’m fine.”

She wasn’t fine.

I narrowed my eyes. Fae couldn’t lie without consequence, but Bianca’s definition of ‘fine’ landed far differently than most people’s.

How much practice had that taken?

Even so, she stood without flinching while her discomfort pressed through our Bond.

I had to do something.

She made a sound as I gently tugged her to me, and her weight cut easily through the air. Her eyes widened as she fell closer. She caught her balance as I took advantage of her surprise and kissed her forehead.

The moment lingered, and when I pulled back, her cheeks were bright and her gaze clear.

“Don’t worry,” I told her, touching my thumb to the soft skin behind her jaw. “It’ll all work out. Damen could never be mad at you for long, even if he wanted.”

“Oh,” she said, blinking fast.

“Are you better now?” I asked.

“Y-yeah,” she said. But the space between us felt colder. She stepped back, tucked her hair behind her ear, and repositioned the ice pack with her other hand. “I am. I must have been tired from the enchantment.”

I pursed my lips. “Right.”

“I—” she stammered, pressing her toes against the sidewalk. “I’m not feeling coffee right now.” I blinked at her, but she continued before I could ask, “You have something to do, right? I’ll wait at the car.”

She walked off before I could protest.

How long before she remembered she’d taken my money? I should say something, but it’d be funny to see what she’d do once she realized.

Later.

I moved the instant she disappeared around the corner.

He knew when I arrived, but I expected nothing less from Zane Papadakis.

He’d shifted slightly towards me, but didn’t look when I stepped beside him and crossed my arms.

Instead, his focus remained on Bianca as she trudged towards the library parking lot.

He was, however, the first to speak. “What is it, Miles?”

“Why are you following Bianca?”

“You should be able to figure that out yourself,” he replied. He frowned when she walked past the coffee shop. “What did you say to her? She’d normally stop.”

I pressed my lips together. Just how long had he been stalking her?

“It’s not your business,” I replied, looking him over. He wore his hair in that same regulation cut and, as always, his olive jacket and jeans were perfectly pressed.

“You’re wasting your time,” I warned. “You should just give up. She doesn’t want this.”

He side-eyed me, his look calculating, before he stood and cracked his neck. We were about the same height, but he still managed to look down on me.

“I don’t care,” he replied. “I’ve been officially reassigned. A good thing too; the witch you’ve got following her around is terrible.”

Chaperone duties were beneath his skill set. There was only one person who could approve him to be here.

I sighed. “How long has Dustin known?”

He didn’t answer, so I added, “You’re not much of a chaperone. She got hurt.”

“That was your fault,” Zane replied sharply.

“What?” I stepped back and clenched my fist. “How?”

“You goaded him,” he answered, always judging. “You escalated things.”

“Damen is the one who punched her!” Not that he’d done it on purpose, but Zane had a way of getting under my skin.

“Yes,” Zane replied. “He’s at fault too, and so is the other moron for not stopping it.”

Ah, he still hated Bryce.

“She jumped between us!” I wasn’t even sure why I felt the need to justify myself, but now…

Damn it, he’d tell Dustin everything. We’d have to be more careful if the Dubois were watching.

Zane narrowed his eyes. “Are you seriously blaming her?”

“No!” I stepped back. “I mean, yes, maybe. Why does anyone need to be at fault? It’s not like Damen tried to hit her.”

“You shouldn’t have been fighting in front of her in the first place,” he said evenly. “You should’ve had more willpower. You started it.”

Why was I getting lectured?

“You could have stepped in,” I snapped.

“No,” Zane replied, frowning. “I can’t intervene unless she’s alone and in danger. Bryce was there, and he chose to do nothing.”

I nodded. It seemed he didn’t agree with the rules. “Dustin doesn’t want Bianca to see you.”

Zane’s frown turned into a scowl.

“Bryce is going to be pissed when he finds out,” I warned. “Especially that it’s you.”

“Let him be,” Zane replied. “He can’t stop me. She’s my cousin. Blood trumps any grudge he chooses to carry.”

“Does Brayden know?” I cocked my head, trying to read him but failing.

“Yes,” Zane replied.

“He’s fine with this?” That was surprising.

“He doesn’t disagree with the need,” Zane said, not as strongly as before.

So, Brayden was fighting it.

He picked up his bag. “He sees what Dustin sees.”

Did I miss something? “What’s that?”

“That she’s alone.” Zane’s response was almost accusing.

“Then you’re both blind,” I scoffed. “If we’re not with her, then one of the Officers are.”

Zane flung his bag over his shoulder and looked at me like I was an idiot. “Yet she still gets hurt.”

My skin flushed. I couldn’t deny it—not after what just happened. “Why would he think that anyway?” I snapped. “It’s not like he’s met her.”

Zane looked at me blankly, and I knew.

“What, when?” Why wouldn’t she tell us?

“He says she’s endearing,” he replied smugly.

Oh no. For him to actually say something remotely nice… We were screwed.

“Bianca is not ready for Dubois politics,” I warned. “She’s healing.”

“I know.” Something flashed in his eyes. He lowered his voice. “I’ve been told.”

Shit. That was even worse.

“You know I need to tell Damen,” I said.

Zane shrugged, his gaze moving back to her. “Do it. It’s not going to change anything.”

Dammit.

“So, what—” I began. How much had the fae mobilized already that we didn’t know? “Do you follow her around everywhere then?”

“Only when she’s on campus,” he replied lightly. “For now.”

I wanted to scream. “What if I tell her?”

“Then she’ll be upset,” Zane said sternly. “And I’ll still be here. I don’t think you want that.”

I clenched my jaw. I didn’t know what scared me more: that Dustin had seen her, or that Zane had been watching this whole time… and this was him being polite.