Page 75 of Change
Even in our childhood, the two of them had never been close. Bryce always had an irrational fear of reptiles and avoided Titus as much as possible.
It was the one secret that—even though we were no longer friends—I still carried for him. Not even Brayden knew Bryce’s weakness.
I once toyed with the idea of telling Bianca—just to get on her good side. She’d been so moody toward me lately, and I needed leverage. But then she’d get a certain gleam in her eyes, and I wasn’t sure I entirely trusted her with this information.
Besides, Bryce and I had pinky sworn. Keeping his secret was a matter of honor.
Low-key taunting him? That was something different.
But Bryce was something else entirely—right now, Bianca.
I stepped between the two of them, placing my hand on Bryce’s arm. “It’s fine.” His muscles were taunted with strain, and it was only through our years of knowing each other—of sharing our secrets—that I could tell just how affected he was by Bianca’s outburst.
How was I supposed to know that he hadn’t just been wishing for a sister, but that he was grieving the one he already had.
I’d moved past blaming him already, but he still blamed himself—he probably had all this time.
Goddamn it. It was easier to just hate him. But no matter what had happened between us, I couldn’t stay angry.
“She’s afraid of you,” Bryce finally told Titus.
Internally, I groaned. Why couldn’t he have phrased it differently?
In response, Titus’s eyebrow lifted, but he didn’t speak.
My fingers tightened, digging into his arm—a silent waning. Bryce was lashing out to cover for his own frustration. But he ignored my plea, continuing, “Do you really thinkyoushould be going after her?”
“It’scertainlynot going to beyou.” Titus’s response was cold, the hum of his anger quietly vibrated through the air. “I only brought her here because I’m on my last resort in trying to fix the mistakes thatyouand your family”—he lifted his chin at Gregory, who was watching the scene in caution—“have made. Rest assured, I’ll track down every piece of shit who has ever touched her, and what will happen when Idofind them is nothing that your dark little Unseelie heart can conjure.”
Gregory’s eyes narrowed. “You’re angry at us?”
It was obvious, but I could understand his confusion. Titus normally had the patience of a saint. Yet he could also be cold outside of his outwardly naïve persona.
“Angry? I’m not angry.” He pulled at the bottom of his jacket—clearly itching to shift. His glare landed on the stairway. “This goes far beyond that. I’m going through the files now, piecing together Bianca’s history before us. If I find anything that makes me believe thatyou’vehad anything directly to do with her situation, I will kill you.”
I dropped my hand back to my side. Bryce had paled considerably, and even Gregory seemed mildly ill—but not with guilt.
Titus had never threatened someone this close to our circle before.
“Titus…”
But he was already lumbering up the stairs. I only paused a second—shooting the two fae one quick glance—before following the dragon.
I still didn’t know where she was, and neither Kasai nor Kiana offered insight to her location. But Titus said heknew. So it either had something to do with their pending mate bond, or she’d simply reappeared.
Titus moved quickly, passing through a wide alcove and storming his way through one of the second floor doors. He’d been here before and had mentioned in passing that he’d discovered the location of Bianca’s childhood bedroom. However, he never could bring himself to tell me the details.
It was impossible to ignore this growing sense of foreboding.
Bianca had been in distress—caught in the throes of an anxiety attack—while clearly suffering from some sort of flashback.
She had no control of her abilities yet, but she’d run to the closest place where she felt safest.
There was no time to take in the surroundings except in passing. It was difficult to miss the charred ruins littering the long, thin hallway lined with broken doors.
Titus turned left, purposefully stepping into one of the rooms at the very end of the hallway, and my heart pounded. I followed him, expecting this to be the end. That, once we crossed into the room, Bianca would be there.
I hadn’t wanted to think about what condition she’d be in, and my stomach twisted in preparation for the very worst.
