Page 58 of The Last Aether

“Ciela was born to an aether line,” Janine explained.

Even knowing that had to be the case, my heart rate still sped up.

“Her family had managed to keep their tie to the line secret for generations. It made them complacent.”

“Someone found out,” I supplied.

Janine nodded. “Someone tried to take her on her way home from work one evening. But she fought.”

My stomach twisted as I pictured a faceless woman fighting for her life.

“Ciela was clever and had always been a fan of those old-school martial arts movies. She kneed her attempted attacker in the balls and got away.”

The corner of Riven’s mouth kicked up. “That move must run in the family.”

Heat hit my cheeks as I ducked my head.

Janine looked between the two of us, a frown pulling the corners of her mouth down. Something about that didn’t sit right with me. For the first time, I felt a protectiveness over Riven. Misguided as he may have been, Riven had done everything he could to help us.

I met her gaze, letting Janine see the disapproval there. She pulled away, looking down at her swirling tea.

“What happened after the attack?” I asked, trying to bring us back on track.

Janine took a sip of her drink. “Ciela waited several weeks, but when she caught sight of someone following her to work one morning, she knew it wasn’t a random attack. She packed a bag and took off for the human realm that night. She hid in plain sight there, working in a bookstore and renting a small apartment above it.”

A wistful smile spread across her face. “That’s where she met my brother.” The smile grew. “Jake was a book nerd. I swear the only time he looked up from the pages was when he met your mother. She was the only one that had the power to captivate him. Well, her and you.”

A pang lit along my sternum. I could feel the love in Janine’s words. Hers for her brother. And her brother’s for me and my mother.

“They loved each other?”

Janine took my hand, squeezing it the way she always had when I’d needed to know she was there. “I’ve never seen a love like theirs. It was like it was fated by the Universe. The way they moved…it was as if they had some sort of pull on each other.”

My throat tightened as I struggled to keep my tears at bay.

“And they loved you so. From the moment you were born.”

I held tight to my aunt’s hand, needing that grounding in something real. “Were you guys close?”

Janine’s expression reminded me of a Monet painting, a million different smears of color to create one heart-stopping image. There was joy, sorrow, heartache, hope, and countless other things I couldn’t identify. All of them came together in the picture of love. “We were the closest. They were my support system when John passed away. Your mom was in the delivery room with me when Charlie was born. We practically lived at each other’s houses.”

A shadow passed over Janine’s eyes. “I’ll never forgive myself for not being there when they needed me most.”

The slight shifting in his seat was the only sign that Janine’s words had affected Riven.

Atlas’s hold on his mug tightened and I could tell he wanted to comfort his friend.

Janine released my hand as she sat back in her chair. “They would’ve done anything to protect you. They knew that any child of theirs would be at risk to be hunted down the way Ciela had been. They thought they were so careful.”

“But someone found them,” I said quietly.

Riven’s eyes flashed. “My father. I don’t know why he was so obsessed with the aether line. I can only guess that he sees it as a threat to his power.”

Anger blazed across Janine’s face. “His father killed your parents, and he won’t stop until he kills you too.”

33

I glanced to my left as the SUV rounded a curve in the country road, Phoenix behind the wheel. Riven hadn’t said a word since we’d left the cottage and I didn’t blame him. We could all feel the hatred coming off Janine in waves.