But Esha wasn’t similarly calm, not after what Aurora had just said. “Our mother’s death?”
Aurora nodded, her eyes sad. Sad, but not black, and that was an important distinction that Esha was beginning to recognize.
“Before you were born, we fled the Burnings to live near the mortals, hoping we would be hidden from Mytheans who wanted to kill us. But the mortals hunted us, as well. Warren was supposed to help her escape Scotland, but he turned her over to the witch hunters. He let her die at the hands of bastard mortals.” Her eyes darkened again, and clouds rolled back across the horizon, but her familiar frantically rubbed against her, purring like a jet plane. Aurora reached down to pet it, and her eyes cleared again.
“No,” Esha said. “He told me about that. He tried to save her, but he was too late. He could only save her baby.”
Holy shit. It hit Esha then, for the first time since Aurora had told her about their mother. She was the baby that Warren had saved and sent to America. She had to get back to Warren, had to ask him about it. And he’d spent long enough in that ice palace.
“Hey, I really need to get back. Can I come back tomorrow?”
“Sure. You will come back, right?”
“Of course.”
“Good. Without Warren.” Her eyes flashed dark and Esha scrambled up. “Just go back to that spot on the beach where you arrived. It will take you back. To get here again, you can aetherwalk with your familiar. Just think of me like you would think of a place and it’ll work.”
Esha said her goodbyes and walked back to the beach. Getting Warren’s soul back was going to be a hell of a lot harder than she thought. And it wasn’t the only thing she had to worry about.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
When the ice walls disappeared, Warren spun around, his gaze racing around the temple. The Chairman hurtled toward him, a black blur that dodged around the mysterious shade that had stayed by Warren’s side during the thirty interminable minutes Esha had been missing. But where the hell was she?
“Warren!”
He whirled at the sound of Esha’s voice and found her in the middle of the temple.
“Where the hell were you?” His voice shook with anger and fear. He had her in his arms before he realized he’d even moved. The terror in his heart was a live, wild thing that calmed only when he felt Esha’s warm body in his arms. “I was so damned worried about you.”
He felt her arms creep up around his back and squeeze. The cat had launched itself at Esha and was now twining about her legs.
“Sorry.” Her voice was muffled against his chest.
“What happened?”
“She enchanted the altar platform. Made it so that I couldn’t bring the Chairman in case I meant her harm.”
“We need to get out of here.” He dragged her out of the temple, then came to a stop outside the doors. “Damn it. I canna fuckin’ navigate with whatever magic has been put on this place!”
“Come on.” Esha grabbed his hand and led him through the city. He hated the damned feeling of needing her to do it, especially when all he wanted was to be the one to protect her.
“Fucking finally,” he said when they pushed through the front door of the house. Frustration over his powerlessness in this soulceress city surged within him, making a toxic sludge with the fear for Esha that filled his insides. He’d never been this helpless, not when he wanted something so badly.
He rounded on Esha. “Damn it, Esha! You canna take risks like that again.”
Her jaw dropped, then snapped shut. “Wait, what?”
“You canna see her again. She’s too damned dangerous. You were never supposed to be alone with her. You were never supposed to fucking meet her.”
“You were seriously going to try to keep me from her?” Her eyes looked stricken.
“Of course! Your life is at risk!”
“She’s my sister!”
The ground felt like it dropped out from beneath Warren’s feet. “What?”
“Oh, don’t act like you didn’t know.”