Page 47 of Whispers of Wisteria (The Garden of Eternal Flowers #5)

Julian POV

“You’ve been taking it easy,” Pops said. “But Mai is going to be back soon, and she’s going to expect results.”

The corner of my eye twitched as I studied the runes on the floor between us.

He’d decided to go over some of the lesser-known aspects of the practice today.

It’d felt like we’d been here forever. My vision blurred as I sat cross-legged on the hardwood floors in my grandmother’s kitchen and listened to him lecture.

His lessons weren’t my favorite, but they were still better than Mai’s. It’d been a blissful two years.

“I thought we had another year,” I replied, trying to keep my expression neutral even as a restless heat climbed the back of my neck.

There’d be no way to hide Bianca from her, and, as a result, from Jameson.

Damen’s plan to keep them in the dark wouldn’t work much longer.

“She’s done with her research early,” he replied. “And she said she had a feeling that you’d fallen behind. If you’d kept up with it, maybe you wouldn’t be so afraid.” He pressed his hands to his knees and cracked his neck.

“I’m not afraid.” I scowled.

He raised his brow and tilted his head. He didn’t believe me.

“Well, I’m not,” I emphasized, ignoring the chill at the back of my neck. Even now, she could be stalking me. Waiting.

“If you’re ready, then you should know all about Veilcraft,” Pops said. My stomach sank as he gestured to the writing on the floor.

I hadn’t reviewed the banned magic in ages. “What about it?” I asked. “I thought we were going to do something useful?”

He gave me an annoyed look, but before he could respond, his phone chimed. He stood, abandoned our setup, and moved to the seventies-style kitchen table.

“Rude,” I muttered.

He’d never let me ignore him for a message.

“I have important business, boy,” he replied mildly. “Not everything revolves around you.” He frowned as he looked at the screen, and his expression darkened.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, not expecting him to answer. He never talked about work unless it involved one of Damen and Gregory’s cases—or he needed my help.

“It’s Lee,” he said, not looking at me as he typed a response. “Gloria disappeared during a job, and Cécile has returned to him. It was unable to follow her.”

I watched, trying to ignore the low hum thrumming in my ears. “And?”

“Bianca was with her,” he said. “She’s missing too.”

Numbness spread from my fingertips before I realized I’d curled my hands into fists. Lee Sao… I’d almost forgotten that he knew who Bianca was—he’d played a part in keeping her from us for the last ten years.

And now Bianca had vanished again.

“You’re sure?” I asked, my voice flat.

“Lee’s sure,” he said, not looking up. “Something’s wrong.”

“But…” I pressed my hand to my chest.

Our Quintet Bond with Bianca wasn’t working. It was supposed to be a connection of the threads that bound a quintet together. When in danger, a ripple moved through the line, affecting the rest of the group.

That was why the Soul Bonds were so important right now.

But—

I still didn’t understand. I hated feeling helpless.

“Why…” I muttered, more to myself than my grandfather. I hardly noticed him pause through the rising rush in my head. “Why can’t I feel anything?”

“There’s nothing to do about it now,” Pops replied. “Let’s continue.”

I stared at him as he returned to his seat across from me, picked up the thick brown towel, and wiped the floor clean.

He held up the chalk. “Veilcraft.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” The anxiety that’d been held back burst through the dam. “I’m not listening to your dumb lesson when Bianca’s missing! I need to find her.” I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone.

I didn’t care if he had a fit.

I had a message from her. She’d sent a photo of herself in a black skirt and turtleneck, and had asked my opinion of her glitter eyeshadow.

And I hadn’t responded yet. I hadn’t even known she was leaving.

Bianca.

“And you’re useless,” my grandfather replied, his calm voice grating against my thoughts. “Until you complete your assignment.”

“What are you…” I glared at him.

“Write the runes,” he told me, sliding the chalk toward me. It rolled across the floor and came to a stop at my knee. Meanwhile, he pulled out a knife from his pocket.

“Now,” he commanded. “Otherwise, your Bond is as dead as you fear.”

My blood chilled as I looked at the knife.

“What are you talking about?” I asked, though I suspected. I’d seen that blade a long time ago in my earliest childhood memories.

Alyssa Dubois had been pregnant. I’d still lived in Texas. However, we visited my grandparents because we knew Alyssa carried Mu. Pops asked for my help with a ritual. He said it was to protect someone special.

It was the first time I’d used blood in my magic—at least, in this lifetime. I’d been so proud.

I still had a faint scar in the middle of my palm.

No.

“What did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything,” he replied, and when I didn’t move, he grabbed the chalk and began to write out the inscription. “You did. You did what is asked of all necromancers—whatever it takes to protect the rest of the quintet.”

“You had me dampen the connection.” I could hardly speak through my horror.

“So you do know what Veilcraft is,” he said dryly.

“She needed help.” I stared at my knees, dimly noticing the pressure of my shaking hands. “For years, she needed help, and we didn’t know because I sealed the Quintet Bond.”

“Technically, your first statement was more accurate,” my grandfather rebutted. “It’s more of a masking. It’s still there. Besides, your proximity to each other in recent weeks has begun to weaken the magic.”

A rising ice in my veins numbed my skin as her memories echoed in my ears—an aftermath from when I’d invaded her unconsciousness to pull her from the trauma loop.

Just hearing her screams had been enough.

“There were orders,” he said, and I lifted my eyes to meet his.

He pressed his lips together, tightening his posture, as he continued, voice firm.

“And she would have died had we not followed them. Do you understand? If you hadn’t done it, she would have been killed within days, and you’d have nothing left to protect. She wouldn’t be here at all.”

He was right. I knew he was right.

“How?” I asked instead, touching my head.

I vaguely recalled the bloodstone. It’d been the size of my hand, but other than that. I didn’t understand.

“Gregory was given the task—only to do if Mu was born female. He didn’t like it and refused. But he was then convinced it was necessary and that it was temporary.” My grandfather’s voice droned through the room.

“Who ordered it?” I would track them down.

There were only a limited number of people who could order an Officer—let alone an Er Bashou—to do anything.

Plus, “What even made anyone think she’d be a girl?”

We’d always been born as males.

“I don’t know.” He shook his head. “But Gregory came to me regarding the issue of your Bond. You all needed to believe her to be dead until it was safe. I created a puppet. Once I had your part, I only needed to add a piece, combined with part of her essence, and it became Bailey. That was who we buried—along with the heart of the connection.”

“But…” My lips felt numb.

Mu admitted he’d been born into this form on purpose. And Gregory had prepared for his arrival… as Bianca.

The picture was becoming clearer—and I didn’t like what I saw.

“Mu planned this,” I muttered. My muscles strained as I pressed my fingers against my thigh.

He’d give orders upon orders, and he’d make overlapping plans. The person who gave Gregory his instructions might not even know the whole story.

Only one person would know the whole truth.

“Why didn’t he trust me?” This was too big to hide. It affected all of us.

And she’d suffered in the aftermath.

“Mu has always trusted Shui,” my grandfather said. My attention snapped up. “That’s how he’s successful. He knows you’ll always support him no matter what, that you’ll perform your role, even if you don’t fully understand why.”

I blinked at him as the breath caged in my throat.

“You know I’m right.” He lifted a brow. “Her light cannot exist without your darkness. That is your purpose.”

“I can undo the spell,” I said, looking at my hand. “I have to be able to undo it.”

“Of course you can,” Pops answered. He pulled a small bundle from his pocket and held it out for me.

A pulse pushed in the air between us. My blood hummed as I took it and held it between my fingers. My skin buzzed at the touch, and the familiar energy moved over me.

I knew without looking that it was the artifact I’d created.

“It was always meant to be reversed.” Pops sounded so far away. “Now’s as good a time as any.”

I unwrapped the package.

A piece of the stone had been broken off from my original flawless creation, and my thoughts swam as the bright crimson shone under the harsh kitchen lights—

Hardened blood, spelled into something solid and strong enough to tether the Quintet Bond.

“It won’t take much,” my grandfather stated. “And the energy will be restored. But you’ll need to be brave enough to bleed for her.”

I’d do more than bleed for her.

I scowled and placed the stone on the floor in front of my knees. The runes were set, and the silent spell echoed in my mind. There was no need to chant—only intention mattered.

The thin runes shimmered with magic when I grabbed the blade. The world stilled as I placed the edge across my scar and pressed. Deep.

Blood welled in my hand, yet the pain remained distant. I squeezed my fist over the stone, coating it in the deep red of my blood. The color spread over the surface as my magic whispered through the air.

I would not let her stay lost a second longer.

The stone turned into liquid, and the runes flickered a deep blue before the blood disappeared into the floor. I waited, breath tight, for the faintest change.

Anything to let me know it’d worked.

Nothing, for a moment.

And then—