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“Sometimes I wonder how we're related,” he drawls, smirking.
“Same, Brother, same.” She winks at him.
“I missed this,” Aria whines, skipping toward Clara.
“If you opened your mouth and asked, we wouldn’t have to come here to track you down,” Clara chides, opening her arms for my sister.
As they embrace, the adrenaline I’ve been running on drops. I’m glad Aria doesn’t have to deal with a betrayal from the people she loves. Having them on our side is good news, considering we don’t know what Griffon is going to do. Yet, I still have to tell her about Betty and Travis. Her reaction will probably be mild since she barely knew them.
“I don’t want to be rude, but it’s the middle of the night.” I step toward Aria. “Archer, will you walk them out while I speak to Aria?”
“Yeah, Wild One,” he says.
Aria freezes, and Mateo glances at me as he passes.
“Let us know if you need anything,” Clara says, squeezing my arm briefly before walking away.
My sister stares at me, and we wait until the sound of their footsteps fade away.
“Tell me,” she whispers.
“Betty and Travis are dead.” I pause, but her expression doesn’t change. “Archer saw their death in his spell. Griffon killed them.”
“Where?”
“I’m not sure. It was in the woods. We can do a spell for them so we can bury them,” I say, and she crosses her arms.
“Does Granny know?”
“No. Everything happened so fast. Archer was in no shape to explain afterward. I found out in his dream, and then Clara and Evander showed up.” I move closer. “Are you alright?”
She rolls her lips. “I didn’t really know them, at least not since I was a kid. They didn’t try to find me or care where I was. They thought I didn’t have magic, so I was not valuable to them. Sometimes, I'd wonder about them when I lived with Clara and Evander, but they were more like parents to me.” She exhales roughly. “I hid it, but I would have been devastated if they were trying to hurt you. They're family. You are my favorite person in the whole world, sister or not, and I would love you no matter what. Even if you became evil, I would join you because I can’t live without you.” She blinks rapidly, and I wrap my arms around her.
“Same,” I whisper, pressing my cheek to hers. “I love you.”
“I love you.” She tightens her grip. “How do you feel? You spent more time with them.”
“I don’t know how to feel. Somehow, I feel bad because I don’t feel enough. Not having to deal with them makes me relieved, yet I feel guilty for having that emotion.” I sigh. “I’m tired and feeling emotional. I’d rather get lost with Archer and not think at all.”
She pulls back. “Then that’s what you should do.” She pats my cheek. “It’s time to think about yourself and what you need. Archer is the one who will make it all go away. I’ll take Evander and Clara to the cabin if that’s alright, and give you some time.”
“I don’t think he'll mind.” I roll my shoulders. “Maybe we can get some sleep. I want to go to the store tomorrow. Granny needs to know. Betty was her daughter, even though their relationship was challenged. I need to prepare for her reaction.”
“I’ll come too. We can do it together.” She smiles, and I nod.
“Thanks, Sis.” I grab her hand and squeeze. Turning with her, we walk through the plants, and I stop at the gate, release her, and watch her leave.
Rubbing my hands up and down my arms, I stare at the lawn and wonder when life will get easy. I wanted to love them. I tried. As a child, you're supposed to look up to your parents. When the bubble of adoration pops, it’s a rough fall, and hard to accept. All of their actions showed me that they didn’t care about Aria or me. Our lives were better without them. My childhood looked different than other kids, and I’ve tried to be at peace with that, yet there's lingering pain. I’ve hidden the effects well, assuming that if I force myself to act the opposite, someday I'll believe it.
I shake my head and focus on Archer walking toward me. I bite my lip and try to hide my emotions. He stops in front of me and studies my face. We stand still, and I blink. Then again, and again. He slides his arm low across my back and lifts me. I wrap my legs around his waist as he cups my ass, and press my face against his neck.
Closing my eyes, I cry.
Everything is too much, and all I want is my soul bond.
Chapter Nineteen
Savy
