Page 44 of Whispers of Wisteria (The Garden of Eternal Flowers #5)

Otherwise, Norman would file a complaint that I’d eaten his uncle. The Council would get involved.

Then it wouldn’t even matter that he was a spy. They’d say excessive force might give people the wrong idea. Make people fear us.

Plus, there was so much paperwork.

“Should I swoon?” Maria asked, so low only we could hear. “I don’t know. I didn’t prepare!”

“Do whatever you want,” I told her. “Just follow the rules.”

I turned away from her as she shook. I hoped to get this done quickly. Normally, I wouldn’t be bothered at all—not with everything going on with Bianca.

She was physically unstable and emotionally fragile. I had to protect her innocence as long as possible.

But I planned to follow up on every lead, no matter how small. Plus, we’d get the added benefit of, maybe, learning the location of the Guild’s headquarters. The Triarch had been looking for it for ages without success.

I breathed in, sorting through the smell of oil and rust, before I found them.

There, hiding in the overhang—with nets, of all things.

It wasn’t even going to be fun this time.

They descended upon us, dropping the black-threaded traps from the sky. I stood as one fell over my head, covering me to the ground, and ignored my cousin’s dramatic display beside me.

A slight burning tingled against my skin—a sign that someone had the foresight to bespell the trap.

Okay, so they weren’t as incompetent as I’d previously assumed.

Still, it was Albert. He’d consistently overestimated his capabilities. And he rarely noticed what was in front of him. I didn’t hold out much hope.

Norman got the best of that line’s stock.

“You idiot,” Maria hissed low to me. She’d dropped to the ground in a painful-looking position, arms and legs askew. “You’re not being convincing at all.”

I sighed. It wouldn’t even matter, but she’d never shut up otherwise.

“Oh no,” I deadpanned. “I’m trapped.”

“Not like that!” she growled. “I’ll kill you if you ruin this for me.”

I didn’t even bother to respond.

A victorious laugh sounded, and I looked up just as Albert Yates stepped from behind the building. The lanky, red-headed man tossed back his head and declared, “At long last, I’ve captured the dragon!”

I raised my eyebrow.

Just how long had he been trying to capture me? Usually, he’d run away during social functions.

Honestly, I was surprised the Guild even accepted his application. Someone had to have spoken highly of him.

“I, Albert Yates, have accomplished what few onmyoji have before.” He pointed at me.

“You thought I wasn’t good enough for your Officer club, no.

But in the end, I have prevailed! We have learned to harvest the power of the Underworld, and now, with the secret magic that has been bestowed upon me, you, beast, will meet your doom.

Without you to defend them, your organization will fail! Then, next, the world!”

“I’m so scared,” I responded.

“Silence!”

I had better things to do; this edition of Taken was already disappointing. “Can we move on?”

“I said silence!” Albert stopped in front of me. “I’m in charge now. If you become hostile, my co-conspirator and I will be forced to take extreme measures.”

And who was that? Last I’d heard, the Guild didn’t have very many onmyoji working for them. Maybe this would be productive after all.

“What about the information you promised?” I asked.

As expected, Albert shrugged flippantly. “A ruse,” he said, brushing his shoulder. “Meant to befuddle someone with your reptilian brain.”

For some reason, that seemed to offend Maria. She rolled onto her stomach and placed her chin over her hands as she watched him.

“You know he’s crazy smart right?” she asked, lifting her eyebrow. “He collects doctorates for fun.”

I rolled my eyes. Like I needed her to defend me.

I didn’t care about any of that.

“Anyway,” I interrupted before Albert could speak. “What other onmyoji are you working with?”

It was worth a shot, but I didn’t expect him to answer.

Hopefully Bianca was having more success on her mission than I was. Someone ought to have a good time tonight.

“The most fearsome of our kind,” Albert said ominously. “And He has decided I am a worthy peer. That should tell you everything you need to know.”

But that didn’t tell me anything.

“Fine,” I sighed. “Are we moving on or what?” At least, if he kidnapped us, we’d finally discover where the Guild was hidden, or something else useful.

Hopefully.

Albert visibly deflated, probably because I wasn’t crying or struggling. But he got over it quickly enough.

“Yes.” He held up his wrist and pressed a black button. His smirk was almost unnerving. I felt a flicker of alarm for the first time.

Albert wasn’t the threat.

My shoulders stiffened, and I was about to shrug out of the net when the burn shot through me.

This…

It wasn’t regular magic—it was deeper, older, than anything I expected to encounter here on earth outside of Damen.

Hellfire.

I grit my teeth as my limbs locked, and his grin widened.

“Sleep, dragon,” he said as my vision began to sway. I was vaguely aware of falling to the ground. “All will be revealed when you wake.”

My sight faded, and I knew. This time the game had been a mistake.