Page 123 of Reflections of Peonies
A growl reverberated throughout the room—Titus. “We just said that she’s terrified of hospitals!”
Gregory rolled his eyes. “Oh, stop being dramatic, Dr. Ducharme.Whisperwindis not a hospital; it is her family home.”
“She can’t go toWhisperwind,” Miles said, his voice low. “Declan is there. She doesn’t want anything to do with him.”
“I’m sure he would stay away,” Brayden murmured. “He’safraid of overwhelming her because of what happened in the past.”
Gregory’s interest was piqued. “What are you talking about? Declan doesn’t back down easily.”
Brayden’s face went blank, his eyes shifting to his brother, who looked uncomfortable, but neither spoke.
“Answer me,” Gregory commanded, his voice carrying the weight of authority he wielded when we were younger. “If you want my assistance, I must understand what we’re dealing with. Otherwise, I cannot treat her.”
Brayden sighed, his expression sorrowful as he glanced back at Bianca. “She wasn’t always with Kieran...”
A burning fury coursed through me. I hoped they choked on that guilt.
Brayden attempted to continue, “It’s unclear how she ended up in that situation. It’s just that—”
“Abigail Grier rescued her,” I cut in, unable to hide the sharpness in my tone. “She found Bianca during one of her investigations.”
Gregory’s face drained of color as he passed a hand over his mouth. He remained focused on Bianca, lost in thought. After a long pause, he finally asked, “I assume her father knows about this? This is the reason for his rampage?”
Bryce nodded. “Yes. He’s upset because the case was abandoned ten years ago, and we want answers.”
Gregory frowned at him. “And no one thought to consult with me? What specialists has she seen?”
“Well,” I began, my chest growing tight. “Do Yun is assigned to her, but she won’t talk to anyone. She’s avoiding therapy completely.”
“That answer doesn’t make me inclined to back your approach.” Gregory scowled. “She needs treatment, asevidenced by the current situation. What caused her to enter this state?”
Julian responded, “She saw a picture of Alyssa.”
Brayden nodded, and Gregory’s frown deepened.
“That’s it?” he asked.
“We think she knew her,” Julian said. He was gazing at Bianca again, and my heart twisted.
“Why?” Gregory sounded genuinely curious. “Did you see something?”
“I haven’t looked into her memories,” Julian answered instantly. “But it makes sense. Finn said she’s afraid to speak about her first spiritual encounter, and Alyssa died right after she was born.”
“Well, you could know for certain.” Gregory stroked his chin. “Why are you waiting?”
There was a collective intake of breath as the older man broached the subject we’d all been avoiding.
Julian’s features turned dark. His voice was menacing, causing the hair on my arms to rise. “I can’t.”
“Youcan.” Gregory seemed unmoved by Julian’s reaction. “But you don’t seem inclined to do so.”
Julian blinked, some of the force diminishing. “I promised her that I wouldn’t.”
“You know that matters little. It is your position to do what needs to be done to care for her. That being said, I will not wait until she reaches a critical point,” Gregory said. “I am prepared to relocate her so that she can receive more extensive treatment—the longer she remains in this state, the more dangerous it is.”
“But—” Julian began.
Gregory interrupted him. “However,beforewe resort to that, a necromancer could potentially pull her out of this condition, asshe seems unable to do it herself. Then she wouldn’t need to be moved at all.”
