Page 57 of The Last Aether

I hovered outside the vehicle as Riven, Kai, Phoenix, and the two royal guards got out. But I wasn’t waiting long.

The front door flew open, and Charlie raced down the cobblestone path. “Aura!”

A laugh startled out of me as he slammed into me, rocking me back on my heels. I wrapped my arms around him, squeezing him tight. I didn’t care if we didn’t share an ounce of blood, Charlie was my brother in every way that mattered.

I ruffled his hair. “If you’re not careful, I might think you missed me.”

He grinned up at me. “I guess I did a little. You won’t believe what happened! These guards that are like warriors or something came and got me and Mom and brought us to this awesome house…”

Charlie spoke faster and faster as he told me about their trip here and all the cool things they’d done since arriving. “Riven brought me books and games and we got to ride horses. Real horses, Aura!”

I glanced at Riven whose cheeks had gone a little pink. “Horses, huh?”

“It was the coolest!” Charlie exclaimed.

My gaze shifted to the doorway of the cottage where my mom stood. It was impossible for me not to think of her as that, even if that wasn’t who she was, not really.

Kai stepped forward. “Think you could show me and Phoenix the horses?”

I sent him a grateful look.

“Totally. There are carrots in the barn we can feed them.”

Charlie took off in the direction of his new animal friends without a backward glance at me, Kai and Phoenix in tow.

I swallowed hard as I watched the woman who’d taken care of me for as long as I could remember walking down the path. She was as familiar to me as the back of my hand, yet somehow now a stranger.

She came to a stop in front of me, hands grasped in front of her as if trying to keep herself from reaching out.

There was a twisting sensation somewhere deep, but I asked the question I needed the answer to most. “Who are you?”

32

The woman’s hands squeezed tight, her knuckles bleaching white. “I’m your aunt.”

Shock rocketed through me as I stared at her. I wasn’t sure why I expected her to be a friend of my parents, or someone Riven had pulled into this who had barely known me. I hadn’t expected family.

A deep ache flared in my chest. Hurt mixed with longing. “My aunt.” My voice sounded rusty, as if I hadn’t used it for weeks.

She nodded. “Your father was my brother.”

Was. God, that hurt. I had a father. I’d known him, even if those memories were gone from my mind now.

“Will—will you tell me about them?”

Mom’s—no, my aunt’s—face softened. “I’d love that.”

We started towards the house, Riven and Atlas following behind us. Janine led us into the kitchen where she had a pot of tea waiting. The familiarity of the tea and cookies was comforting.

As I sat at the worn kitchen table, I wrapped my hands around the mug and let the warmth soothe the worst of my ragged edges.

Janine traced a finger around the rim of her mug. “Your mother was an elemental.”

I’d figured as much, but hearing the words from Janine’s lips was still a shock to the system.

“She grew up in the air kingdom.” Janine’s mouth tightened as her gaze traveled to Riven.

He had the mask in place that I hated so much. The one that didn’t let me in on anything that he was feeling.