Page 37 of Whispers of Wisteria
We could help them rekindle their flame, and I wouldn’t have to feel guilty about abandoning Uncle Gregory.
“I originally thought there was a love triangle.” I cupped my hand around my mouth, whispering even though no one would overhear us. “But now I think she was involved withbothof them. I think they had a polyamorous relationship.” It was only thanks to Uncle Gregory’s earlier comments that it’d occurred to me.
Bryce’s arm jerked so harshly I thought he might swerve the vehicle off the road. Then he looked at me and burst out laughing.
This was the second time. I had no idea the man knewhowto laugh, and it was strangely pleasant to hear. But I was still offended. I leaned back in my seat and frowned at him.
“Uncle Gregory said that having more than one love interest isn’t uncommon among the fae,” I reasoned.
“It’s not.” Bryce’s laughter died. “But you’re forgetting two critical things.”
“What’s that?”
“Gloria isn’t fae. A shifter being involved with more than one person would be a scandal—shifters have only one mate,” Bryce pointed out, shrugging his shoulders as if this declaration made my analysis any less accurate. “Secondly, even withoutthatpressure, you must consider location.”
I pressed my fingers into my lap. “Location?”
“Shifters cannot live in our realm—where this is not frowned upon—so they’d have to be here. Ifyou’re right, it means Uncle Gregory and Uncle Caleb would have put Gloria in a position where her people would harshly judge her. That doesn’t sound like love.”
I bit my lip—it was a good argument, and Bryce surprised me with his sudden insight into love and relationships. He was wiser than I’d previously thought.
But…
“I still believe it,” I finally replied as Bryce pulled into Damen’s driveway. He hadn’t been there. He hadn’t heard the way Uncle Gregory had sighed her name. “There’s more going on than we know.”
“Isn’t there always?” Bryce shrugged, not bothering to argue with me. “But don’t worry about it. Whatever they do isn’t our concern anyway.”
Wasn’t it? Something pulled at the edges of my awareness, and my fingertips grew hot.
I had a feeling that their saga would affect us very much.
But we were home now, and I wasn’t up to arguing.
“Okay,” I agreed, opening my door. Bryce moved to do the same. “Never mind.”
“Why do I get the impression you’re not listening to me?” Bryce asked.
Because he was wrong, and he would need to learn to trust me sometimes. But for now, my skin was starting to itch, and I needed to breathe.
The cold air brushed against my face as I exited the car. Whywasthis bothering me so much? Why couldn’t I let this go?
Why did thinking about it make my head hurt?
A door slammed shut, echoing through my ears as static fell over my thoughts. The sound of my name reverberated through the air, and lightning flashed across my vision. The world swayed, and I stumbled sideways, falling to the ground onto stone and moss.
Hazy shapes shadowed across my vision as my breathing hitched.
“Bianca?” The voice sounded slightly more panicked now, and a hand pulled at my arm, snatching me from the scene. My eyes blinked open, and I was on the gravel driveway, resting against Bryce’s side as he snapped his fingers in my face. “Bianca, are you okay?”
My skin felt clammy and cold, and my stomach cramped and churned. The earlier pain had returned with a vengeance, and a red shadow hovered in the corner of my vision.
“F-fine.” I shuddered. “Just cramps.” It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t my menstrual cycle causing me to feel nauseous.
What just happened?
“Cramps that make you faint?” Bryce asked in disbelief.
“Yeah.” I waved my hand weakly. “Happens all the time. ‘Tis normal,” I muttered, trying to right my thoughts.
