Page 39 of Whispers of Wisteria (The Garden of Eternal Flowers #5)

Damen POV

Bianca was rattled when she practically came running out into the hallway. She didn’t see me, obviously couldn’t hear me, and walked quickly in the opposite direction.

Whatever Gregory had spoken to her about must have really bothered her, because she was in the stairwell before I caught up.

“Bianca,” I said, grabbing her arm.

She jerked, but then looked at me, already masking, and my guilt grew.

There was a bruise where I’d hit her.

“Um…” Her voice was shaky, and my attention moved to her mouth. She touched my wrist. “Y-yeah?”

I grabbed her hand. “Come with me.”

She didn’t protest when I led her down the stairs and pulled her into an empty classroom.

When I let her go, she began to pull on her sleeve. I didn’t think she realized she was doing it.

Something in my stomach twisted.

“I’m sorry,” I told her, and her gaze lifted from the floor. Her back was to the door, and she leaned back slightly when I cupped her cheek. I touched my thumb to the corner of her mouth as she blinked up at me. “Gregory was right, I should have been paying more attention.”

“Ah—” she began, looking away. I knew what she was about to say before she said it. “It’s not a big deal.”

It was.

As if I didn’t feel guilty enough, Gregory’s not-so-subtle reminder rang through my head. We were human, but not. And she was a fae.

She had no idea of her worth.

“I’ll decide that,” I said. I touched my forehead to hers and closed my eyes.

“I—I should have stayed out of it,” she began. “I didn’t think.”

“Next time, think,” I told her. “But I still should have seen it.”

“You’re not mad at me?” Bianca asked, her voice wavering.

I opened my eyes and leaned back.

She was watching me, tight with tension, and I realized she really thought I might be.

“No,” I said. “As long as you don’t do it again, baby girl.”

Bianca sucked in a breath and nodded.

“I never want you to look at me like that again.”

She froze, but then I could see her fraying. She pulled on a piece of her hair. “I—I’m not s-sure…”

“Never,” I interrupted. I didn’t need her to explain—not if it made her that nervous. I just needed her to know. “I won’t be the cause of it.”

She looked at the floor, blinking. “O-okay,” she said softly.

She’d agreed, but I didn’t think she understood. No matter how long it took, I would make her feel safe again.

Bianca POV

My phone chimed in the early afternoon the following day while I was lurking in the library coffee shop.

Unknown Number

Please come to my office when you have a moment.

I bit my lip. Did Uncle Gregory get a new line? He hadn’t let up on his messages and calls demanding that I see him. So it wouldn’t surprise me.

I thought about ignoring it, but then… what if it wasn’t?

Me

Who is this?

Unknown Number

Gloria.

I leaped to my feet. I’d been summoned! Quick as I could, I dismantled my little café-camp and scurried out of the building. I had to hurry. This was the moment I’d been waiting for.

“Bianca,” she greeted me. “Glad to see that you could get away without raising suspicion.”

“Get away?” I asked, hanging up my coat alongside hers.

“Gregory.” She didn’t look up from her knitting—another new project. “Did you know the man dared to approach me outside the science building this morning?”

What was this fascination that stalkers had with the science building?

“I honestly believe that he’s lost his damn mind. I haven’t seen him this worked up since Michael crashed his precious Camaro through the precinct’s holding gate,” Gloria continued, mouth curling. “And do you want to know what he was saying?”

I shifted my weight to my other foot. “That you’re not able to protect me?” I guessed.

“He was blathering on about how the time was finally right for us to—” Gloria had begun speaking at the same time as me, and once my words registered, she froze. Her golden eyes shot to mine. “He’s still going on about that?”

“Oh.” I bit my lip. Well, this was awkward. “What happened to his Camaro?”

“Did you hear that?” Gloria asked, glancing past me. My heart jumped into my throat as I looked over my shoulder. I hadn’t even noticed that we weren’t alone. “And he thinks I should give him another chance. Hah!”

Dr. Sartore had been standing behind the door. “I don’t care,” she replied, brushing off her crimson pant suit as she slipped past me to the chairs.

“I’m sure I misunderstood.” It was possible, but I doubted it. “You wanted to see me?” I held my notebook in front of me, ready for orders.

“Yes.” Gloria pursed her lips, suddenly serious, as she set her knitting to the side and straightened in her seat. “I need your eyes.”

My pulse began to race in both horror and excitement, and I held the notebook close to my chest. “What do you mean?”

“You’ve agreed to be my protégé. That requires trusting me while we prepare to embark on a mission.” The wolf gestured to the only other open seat in the room, which happened to be directly next to the angry-looking hyena.

“O-okay.” My voice broke. I sat down and tucked my ankles behind the leg of the chair. It seemed that being confident involved a whole lot of faking. I pressed my notebook into my lap. “How can I help?”

“We’ve lost a being of great importance,” Dr. Sartore said gravely, crossing her arms. “It must be found at all costs.”

“A being?”

“Dr. Sartore, while I appreciate the sentimentality,” Gloria interrupted with a sigh, “Cécile isn’t for you to fret over. You may return to your regular duties. Bianca and I can handle this well enough on our own.”

Dr. Sartore pointed at her, eyes blazing. “Nonsense,” she said, voice firm. “I am invested in the mission to locate the beast.”

“I’d really rather you not,” Gloria replied.

“Cécile?” I tilted my head.

Did she run away again? She should consider keeping her caged.

“Yes. It’s missing.” Dr. Sartore nodded.

“I thought shifters didn’t like shikigami?” I frowned at her.

Dr. Sartore looked at me evenly. “It is a cat.”

“It would rather kill you than look at you.” Gloria was watching Dr. Sartore disapprovingly. She tapped her finger on her desk. “It is only attached to me. You’d be putting your life at risk over sheer stupidity.”

How strange. Uncle Caleb had also once made a statement about Cécile’s ferocity, but she seemed so harmless.

“Why is that?” I asked. Gloria turned her golden eyes to me, and I hesitated slightly before adding. “I… I mean, is there a reason why everyone should be afraid of Cécile? Un…” I glanced at Dr. Sartore and swallowed. “Mr. Weaver said that she was scary too. Should we even try to find her?”

Dr. Sartore glared at me.

“Oh, him.” Gloria waved her hand dismissively. “He’s never agreed with our efforts. You’re fae, a shikigami would never harm you. Now, we shifters, on the other hand…”

They both shivered.

“Okay…” I still didn’t know why they needed me. “How can I help?”

“We’re scouting the area now,” Dr. Sartore said, crossing her arms. “But if nothing comes up, we need to think outside the box.”

I tilted my head.

“We’re going to search graveyards,” Gloria cut in, her eyes darkening. “You can keep an eye out.”

What was I keeping an eye out for?

“Do you not like ghosts?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. Maybe it depended on which animal they shifted into. I’d seen videos of cats and dogs growling at what appeared to be empty corners of the room where spirits supposedly resided.

But Titus didn’t seem to have a problem with them.

“Maybe it’s just dragons that aren’t afraid?” I mused.

“That isn’t it,” Gloria grumbled. “Ghosts are a nuisance. When you work with them, there’s always a certain individual who tends not to be far behind.”

Was she talking about Uncle Gregory?

“But no, the reason we need you is that, ultimately, Cécile is a spirit,” Gloria replied. “It might be unable to take a physical form at the moment, and tends to lurk in graveyards. Plus, shikigami like fae, so it’ll be drawn to you. So that’s the next logical place to set the trap.”

“Oh.” I pressed my hands into my lap and pushed my feet against the floor. “That makes sense.”

Gloria blinked at me and inclined her head. “You have something to say?”

“If Cécile belongs to someone in your quintet, why not just ask him where she is?” I asked. “Finn told me that an onmyoji can always locate their shikigami in this realm.”

Gloria pursed her lips and said ominously, “That would require speaking to Lee.”

“Is—is that bad?” I touched my lips.

“She doesn’t want to admit she lost Cécile again,” Dr. Sartore scoffed and leaned back in her seat. “Doesn’t exactly paint her in the most responsible light, does it?”

“Oh, shut up, you,” Gloria snapped. “We’re perfectly capable of locating Cécile on our own.” She glanced at me and added, “With your assistance, of course. The weather is supposed to be nice tonight, so we’ll plan to meet unless otherwise stated. I will pick you up at nine.”

“Tonight?” I shifted in my seat. “What are you going to tell Damen?”

Gloria narrowed her eyes. “That we’re looking for Cécile.”

I hesitated, touching my fingertips together. “But—didn’t he say something about this before? When we first met. He told you he’d send her back if she kept getting loose.”

Gloria froze, and her fingers grew taut. There was a sharp pause in the air before she finally said, “I’m an Elder. I don’t need his approval.”

“You will eventually, though,” I pointed out. “Right?”

After all this training nonsense was complete. It would be only then that we would be assured full command, and on that glorious day, the lesser fae such as Uncle Gregory and Bryce would be forced to bow to my rule.

“On that note,” Gloria studied me. “You can tell him what we’re doing.”

“Me?” My voice squeaked. “Why?”

“Because he’ll let you do whatever you want,” Gloria said with a shrug, her tone nonchalant. “Ask in such a manner that he can’t recall anything else.”

“What?” I pressed my fists over my racing heart. “You want me to seduce him?”