Page 144 of Whispers of Wisteria
My heart dropped.
“What?” Damen turned, perturbed, to the shikigami. “How is that possible?”
“Someone with more spiritual power than you has shielded her,” Kiania answered.
Damen stepped back.
My head went light.
Right now, there was only one person more powerful than Damen—at least until he finished his training.
“Jameson?” Finn asked, surprised. “Now, why would he do that?”
We all stared at him.
Of course. Finn had always thought the other Er Bashou was the best thing ever. Everyone else, however…
Jameson was a pain in the ass.
“What I mean is,” Finn snapped, neck turning red, “even if he’s with Bianca and learned who she was,whyshield her? He wouldwantto help her.”
Gregory’s phone chimed then, and we paused as he answered. There was a heavy weight when he read the message, and I couldn’t pinpoint his expression.
Finally, he spoke, voice even.
“Cécile has been forced to return to Mr. Lee,” he said. “It seems that Dr. Duff has taken Bianca, Gloria, and Dr. Sartore captive. There’s suspicion that Dr. Ducharme and Ms. Maria have been kidnapped too.”
But wasn’t Titus supposed to be working?
“The Guild,” I muttered, touching my chin. Everyone but Damen—who’d already cloaked his expression—looked at me. “Titus was tracking the Guild tonight.”
The lights flickered as the air seemed to disappear.
“This is now outside your jurisdiction,” Gregory said as a chill descended over the room. “I’m taking charge.”
No one argued, not even Damen.
Bianca POV
There was an almost-secret, damp corner I could barely reach with my chains. I huddled there with my forehead pressed to my knees. The two female shifters conversed in tones I couldn’t follow, and I could probably have read their lips, but at the moment, nothing they might say seemed to matter.
I just wanted to escape this place. My head swam, and my skin crawled as a strange, cold sensation swept over me. The shackles at my wrists hadn’t stopped burning.
Suddenly, the voices stopped.
I shivered as the dungeon door opened, and Jameson entered, his cold gaze scanning the room. He ignored Ada completely, stepping past her as his attention lingered where I had been when he left. His gaze followed the chain until he found me in my corner.
“Why are you hiding?” he asked, his scowl deepening. “Nothing has happened to you yet.”
Yet…
The foreboding in that word had my heart pounding. I pulled my knees closer to my chest.
“What are you plotting?” Gloria asked, pulling against her chains.
“I’m working on a project,” Jameson replied smoothly, rolling up the cuff of his sleeve. “But reserves are low. I require a bit of help.”
“You need help?” Gloria narrowed her eyes, glancing between him and me. “What kind of help?”
