Page 205 of Whispers of Wisteria
“We do not require your permission,” he said, looking at Damen. “We will be leaving forWhisperwindonce Bianca is ready.”
Damen placed his hands on his desk and stood. “You can’t do that!”
“I have the authority, and Bryce holds conservatorship through marriage,” Gregory said, a sarcastic edge lacing his voice. “We are aligned.”
Bryce, who—along with Brayden—had been silent this far, only nodded.
Their expressions could have melted steel.
Jonathon suddenly looked at me. I tensed as my skin crawled.
“The decision would default to me if this ‘marriage’ were to mysteriously dissolve. I’d give everything to Declan,” he said, eyes flashing. “So there’s no use trying to scheme your way out this time.”
I crossed my arms. “Noted.” There was no reason to threaten me; I wasn’t going to stop them.
And it wasn’t scheming.
Julian, who’d been watching from a corner behind Damen’s desk, looked at me with a sour expression. Meanwhile, Titus, standing next to him, glared at the floor.
“I said no.” Damen’s voice turned sharp. “She’s not ready.”
He was scrambling, trying to think of anything that might help. But we were outranked, and he knew it.
This—and the Council—was what we’d been trying to avoid.
Yet, he tried. “With Jameson gone, I—”
“I am in charge.” Gregory squashed the last of his hope. “If you wanted to lead, you would have completed your training while you still had the chance. Besides, she hasn’t been publicly exposed as Mu yet. The families are already moving, but it still isn’t safe until Dustin and Oliver finish preparations.”
Yeah. Preparations likeZane. And probably the Council, which would actually be helpful. But still… they had to pick the Papadakis?
This was turning into a nightmare.
“What?” Bryce spoke for the first time, stepping back. “When did he—”
“Dustin knows about her?” Abigail asked, wringing her hands. “But he’s so…” Her voice faltered. “Intense. They can’t meet; he’ll frighten her.”
“Too late. She’s already met him,” Brayden said.
“What?” Bryce repeated, sounding significantly angrier. His skin flushed at the neck as he rounded on his brother. “When?”
“It happened more than once.” Brayden shrugged. “She went through the Dubois library wards. They talked. He likes her. I guess she likes him too, because she keeps going back.”
Bryce looked like he was about to explode.
“She doesn’t know who he is,” Brayden added, as if that made it better.
“The details don’t matter. He’s an Elder and her grandfather,” Gregory said. “She needed to meet him either way.” He turned to Damen. “He isn’t going to drag her toRavenswatchright now. And if she could face Dustin, then Declan won’t even phase her. There’s no longer a reason for delay.”
“You’re making a mistake,” Damen warned.
“No,” Gregory replied. “The mistake was made when Kieran never checked in. Now we can only attempt to fix the rest.”
31
Bianca POV
There wasnobody in my room when I woke. It probably shouldn’t have bothered me, it never had in the past. But lately, there’d always been so many people around—and I hadn’t slept by myself in weeks.
