Chapter 13
Julian POV
I left Bianca to bond with Bryce. With that, my good deed of the day was complete. He’d acted foolishly in trying to rile me up, and I could make him pay later. Right now, though, he and Bianca needed all the help they could get to foster their relationship.
Miles’s analysis hadn’t been wrong: those two were more alike than Bianca wanted to admit. It was almost painful to watch them interact. It was also clear from how she looked at him that she was already beginning to see him as a brother.
Now, it was time for Bryce to step up.
In any case, it was time to focus on the more unpleasant plans for my trip.
She had to expect I would visit her soon. The Officers used their stupid app to gossip about everything else; there was no way the ‘inside’ group wasn’t keeping each other up to date in a similar way .
Finn definitely would have set something up.
I approached the open-walled store and spotted the tall, dark-haired woman leaning over a countertop, deep in conversation with Hanah Grier.
“Kayla!” I snapped, not waiting for my cousin to notice me first.
She jerked upright, then frowned and addressed me similarly, “Julian!”
I’d closed the space between us in an instant. “Why are you ignoring me?”
“Because you’re acting like a brat,” Kayla said, touching her earring. She was already on the defensive, hiding her fear behind snark. “I won’t reply when you send me demanding messages. You should respect your elders. Why are you visiting me at work anyway? You hate the mall.”
No. I hated crowds. And malls tended to be full of crowds made up of people.
Whom I hated even more.
“I’m here with Bianca,” I told her, waving off her attempt at redirection. “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”
“I figured,” Kayla said dryly. “That much was obvious when you said we had to discuss my ‘deep betrayal.’ So dramatic, by the way.”
“Bianca’s here?” Hanah stood, her eyes searching past me. “Where is she?”
“She’s with Bryce. Are you planning to run away?” I asked, noting the way her skin paled. “You should stop hiding.”
Hanah returned her gaze to me, and the ordinarily soft-spoken girl replied, “I’m not hiding from her. And stop posturing; you don’t scare me.”
I frowned at her. It was true, though, that besides my quintet and my family, the only people who didn’t fear me were a handful of witches.
It was a bit refreshing. But Hanah’s personality was so mild that I’d always wondered, “Why not?”
“It bothers you when others are frightened of you,” Hanah replied. She sounded so confident that it made me pause. “You like to take care of people. That’s why you’re studying to be a doctor. You want to be seen helping others, not only the scary bits.”
I frowned at her. How very wrong she was.
There was only one person in the world whose opinion I cared about.
“I’m in medical school because it teaches me the best way to destroy people,” I explained. I’d do my job as a doctor and do it well, but the knowledge gained was most advantageous for my real purpose.
Hanah laughed. “Sure, Julian. Whatever you say.”
I wasn’t lying.
“I’m pretty sure it’s true.” Kayla raised her eyebrows as she studied me.
“What I said?” Hanah asked. “Or him?”
Kayla was scowling at me. “I wonder if someone should intervene?”
“Okay, both of you stop.” I ignored their teasing and pointed at my cousin. I changed the subject before Kayla decided to run to our grandfather. “I’m still waiting for your confession.”
She pulled at one of her black curls. “What is it that you want me to confess to exactly?”
“You tell me,” I said. “In Finn’s brief, he said that you were helping. How much did you work with Bianca?”
“Not a lot,” she said, avoiding my eyes. “I’ve been mostly focused on Finn lately—helping him contain his emotions. We have an understanding.”
Her cheeks darkened, and her continual refusal to look in my direction caused alarm to rush through me.
“Don’t tell me that you have feelings for him?” Even though I asked, I already knew. “Kayla, how could you?”
“It’s really none of your business, Julian,” Kayla said, her tone somewhat snarky. “You don’t own me.”
“Kayla, he’s violent, unpredictable, and already put one man into a coma.
Then, when his victim was on the verge of recovery, he broke into the hospital, misused his power, and paralyzed him!
There could be no possible reason for that,” I lectured.
I couldn’t believe her stupidity. “Why are you all acting like this is no big deal?”
Instead of helping her understand, my words caused her expression to turn fierce. “You’ve got some nerve!” Her eyes glittered with anger.
“Kayla?” I stepped back.
“You may be my superior, and you may have more power than I do, but that’s no excuse.
” Her eyes flashed as she pressed her finger into my chest. “You don’t control my life, or what I do in my free time.
Finn cares for her; he would never harm her or me.
Now stop acting like a fool and tell me your real problem. ”
“What?” I felt flush as my heart thundered. “You…” I began.
Why would she lie to me? Even my own mother. They’d kept Bianca a secret, and when she needed me most, I couldn’t be there.
All because no one could trust me. That’s what pissed me off the most.
If Kayla wanted to be stupid with Finn, that was her business. I just needed to know—was it my fault?
“It was after him , wasn’t it?” I asked, clenching my fist. “That’s why no one told us about her. They thought I wasn’t able to handle it.”
The snark left her expression in an instant. “Julian…”
It was all the confirmation I needed.
Kayla was silent momentarily but carefully said, “You were so angry back then—knowing what happened to her would have shattered you. Auntie wanted you to focus on getting past everything with your father.”
My heart sank as my deepest fears were confirmed. “So, I’m right.”
“There’s other reasons too,” Hanah interjected, her gaze traveling between us.
“Damen was still immature, and Miles was dealing with his anxiety attacks. Plus, after what happened with Kiania, no one knew if she’d survive.
Mom worried that anything paranormal would make things worse for her or draw the Council’s attention.
Then there’s the fact she’s scared of men.
We didn’t know how she’d react with the four of you. You’re all imposing.”
I could understand the last part. After learning everything, I was surprised she was doing so well.
Even in the beginning, she’d trusted me—she’d said so herself—even when she had no idea who we were.
I was so thankful the companionship we shared in past lives was enough to bind her to us without fear.
An earlier echo of Hanah’s words ran through my mind. And something else she said when she’d disclosed Bianca’s story to us now stood out. “But you never agreed on their methods,” I said. She’d been angry at the mention of her parents. “That was why you wouldn’t go home.”
“That’s true.” Hanah nodded as she crossed her arms. “I don’t think lying is ever justified, no matter what happened in her past.”
I agreed and was about to say so when she continued, “Besides, letting her avoid these things might be more dangerous. We don’t know how she ended up in the position we found her or even the details of what happened there.”
Kayla leaned forward over the glass countertop. “Bianca had no legal papers before Abigail was involved, and to this day, we have no records from before her adoption. Her family and medical history is unknown. We’ve been trying to locate anything, but haven’t had any luck.”
“Titus has copies of everything available so far,” I told them. I tapped my fingers against my bicep. Something wasn’t adding up. “Does anyone know how she was taken from Whisperwind ?”
“No,” Kayla replied. “I only heard that Declan had a major meltdown after Bianca disappeared. There’s no way he’d have let his daughter go without putting up a fight. He doesn’t seem like he’d be behind it.”
I frowned. “I asked Bryce, but he won’t say anything. It’s hard to talk to him about it; he’s been in a rage. But Gregory was obviously involved. Who took Bianca, and where did they go? And how does Bailey come into this?”
“Regardless of their reasons, I’m certain we can trust the fae,” Hanah said. “I doubt they expected this to happen. Nothing they were trying to prevent could be worse.”
“In any case, Declan knows about Bianca now,” I said, stroking my chin. “Bryce and Brayden went to him right away.”
“Did he say anything to you about it yet?” Kayla lifted a brow. “I’m surprised he hasn’t shown up.”
“I don’t know,” I replied. “Bryce won’t tell me, and he hasn’t contacted any of us. Bryce said he’s thinking .”
A foreboding air settled over us, and the two girls shivered.
“Hanah?” Bianca’s voice cut through our conversation, and I saw her standing near the entrance, Bryce behind her. She held her hands in front of her as she began to fidget. “Is that really you?”
Bianca POV
“Hanah?” I asked, studying one of the girls speaking to Julian. She looked different—the last time I’d seen her, her hair was longer, and she’d worn dresses and makeup. Now, she’d chopped off her hair in a style that suited her much more and had on torn jeans.
“Is that really you?” I asked.
Julian had said they knew my sister, but it was still surprising to see her here, talking so casually with him.
It’d been years since we’d last spoken. She and our mother had been fighting, and Hanah had been upset, and she stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind her.
Hanah grew even more pale, and her shoulders slumped as she ran her hands through her pixie cut. “Hello, Bianca.”
“Hi,” I said again, twisting my hands. I held my breath as I shifted my weight between my feet. What was I supposed to say now?
“Well, this is awkward,” Bryce said, stepping beside me. “I wonder how we could diffuse the tension? If only we had a source of comedic relief.”