Page 90 of The Last Aether

Terror shot through me as a million memories flooded my mind. Screams. Smoke. Falling.

I struggled to breathe, to not lose it. I tried again to scream and there was nothing. My mind screamed instead. Reaching out for someone. Anyone. But I heard only silence in response.

A figure stepped through the flames, smoke swirling around them.

“I didn’t want to hurt you.” The corner of Aiden’s mouth pulled up. “You might not believe me, but I like you, Aura. And you didn’t deserve any of this. But my brother isn’t taking the throne. Not of the Kingdom of Ash, and sure as hell not the whole damn realm.”

“Don’t.” The word was only a croak, the only thing I could get past my lips.

Flames danced in Aiden’s hand. “Sorry, Aura. There’s only one solution, and that’s for you to die.”

50

The fire dancing in Aiden’s palm had me transfixed in terror. Memories of my flesh burning, of that excruciating pain, dug deep in my brain.

“Why?” The single word came easier, and I knew Aiden must’ve loosened the reins on whatever spell had taken hold of me.

Rage flashed in his dark eyes. “He couldn’t even protect his own sister. He isn’t fit to lead.”

“He was a child himself. The assassins almost killed him too.”

“They should’ve made sure they finished the job,” Aiden growled.

“He’s your brother.”

“He’s weak. Our parents babied him after that, spending all their time with him. My father would say he’d been through a trauma, and we needed to be understanding. Phoenix needed to man up.”

I dug deep, trying to connect with my magic, anything that could help me now. I felt nothing. Whatever this spell was, it was a powerful one. “He needed his family. He still does,” I said, trying to keep Aiden talking.

He scoffed. “Please. He’s despised me from the moment I was born. He knew I was stronger than him and he put me down because of it.”

I bit the inside of my cheek to keep myself from saying something that would only infuriate Aiden more. “You two need to talk. Hash out your differences.”

Aiden laughed, but it was an ugly sound. “Aura, my brother is a monster.”

“And you’re not?” The words were out before I could stop them.

His eyes narrowed. “If I was, you would’ve been dead long before now. I tried to just scare you off at first. Who do you think sent those letters? Who helped Drue hold you in place to teach you a lesson?”

I gaped at him. “But your powers hadn’t been unbound.”

“Please. I’m not an idiot. I’ve had my powers unbound since I was twelve. You can pay people for that sort of thing if you know the places to look.” He sent me a sympathetic smile. “I didn’t want to get The Network involved, but once I realized you were bonded, I didn’t have any time to waste.”

“How did you know?”

“Because I’m not a moron like the rest of this school.” The flames danced higher in his palm, swirling into a ball. “It wasn’t the way I wanted things to go, but you left me no choice.”

Aura! Where are you?

Riven’s voice sang through my mind, and I nearly wept with relief.

The clearing. It’s Aiden. There’s so much fire.

Hang on. I’m coming.

Aiden’s gaze narrowed on me. “What are you doing? Your magic won’t work.” A grin spread across his face. “I paid a pretty penny for that potion that would give me control of you for a short period. Just had to dab it on my knuckles for our fight. You’d go to sleep and poof. Total control.”

Not totally. I could feel Riven now and he was close.