Cassius blinks several times with his mouth open, while Roman seems frozen for a few seconds. Drax, however, grins brightly.
“I’m so proud of you, Auri.”
Auri looks slightly put out even as a tiny smile pulls at his lips. “You were right. We could use some more quality time as a team. I mean, including me.” He clears his throat. “If that’s agreeable to all of you.”
I throw my cards into the middle of the table. “Hell yeah.”
Cassius scoops up the cards, while Roman snaps out of his stunned stupor.
“Texas Hold’em?” Roman asks while Cas shuffles.
“Perfect,” Auri purrs.
RUNE
When I enterthe coffee shop where we agreed to meet, a sense of relief washes over me. It’s right in the heart of the French Quarter, so it’s nice and busy. There won’t be any awkward silences.
I spot Rhiannon already seated at a table near an open patio. She’s people-watching with her hands wrapped around a cup. Across from her is a drink that looks exactly like the iced café mocha I love so much.
“Hi.”
She looks up and smiles. “Hey, Ign—uh, Rune.”
I sit across from her, taking her in now that we’re not in the midst of a conflict. She’s very pretty, and it wouldn’t be hard to peg us as siblings. We look so much alike it’s almost uncanny.
“I got your favorite drink. Unless it’s changed.”
“It hasn’t. How did you know though?”
“We’re connected. I’ve felt you drink it several times since I last saw you. You don’t feel me at all?”
My brow crinkles. “Do you have a thing about cheesecake?”
She laughs softly, nodding. “Yeah. It’s a problem.”
“That explains a lot. I’ve had these weird cravings for it, but I rarely eat it. That must have been you.”
“Kind of cool, right?”
“It is.” I sip my drink, contemplating what to say next. The only thing that makes sense is the truth. “I’m sorry, Rhiannon. Ishouldn’t have left you the way I did. I should have reached out and tried to be a brother to you.”
“I understand now why you did the things you did. I researched a lot, and our family weren’t good, were they?”
“No.”
“But you spared me.”
“You didn’t show any signs of your magic maturing. Not even hints of it. You might not remember, but our folks basically ignored you because you had no value to them in their eyes. They focused on me and what I could do.”
“Oh, I remember.” She sips her drink, dragging a hand through her long tresses. “I guess they couldn’t see that your magic was draining everyone else’s.”
I tilt my head. “What do you mean?”
“Grandmother. She cursed me and all of us. She depleted us so that it would all go to you, making you even more powerful than you were naturally. You didn’t know that?”
I shake my head. “No, but it makes so much sense. She used to anoint me with these herbs and oils, and at night she would chant spells to me. I never lost the powers though. Not after she died. Not at all.”
“That’s because it was permanent. I went through a lot of shady stuff to get my ability and it’s still very muted unless I harness ancestral magic. Once I learned about us, I closed the portal to them. They didn’t like that, but they can’t reach us anymore, Rune. We’re done with that chapter.”
