“No, I didn’t—I mean, I did.” Nate shook his head, his raven hair so like Echo’s, shifting about his shoulders, caught Ely’s attention.
“I lost my memory of everything,” he said, voice like gravel. “And that of my family, too.”
Wait,what? Ely gaped. And then the pieces fitted, the familiarity when she first saw him. Goosebumps flooded her arms, her heart beating violently as if it would crash through her ribs, too scared to believe the truth glaring at her, but hoping—gods, hoping it was true.
Aethan stepped closer to Ely. “You know anything about this?” he asked.
Ely shook her head, her mind still reeling.
Then Nate was speaking again. “I’m so sorry, Esha. I only know that now because of…” He looked at Ely, and with a tender smile, he held out his hand. Ely crossed to him, and he drew her close. “It was because of this female, my mate. She gave me back my life, and now you.”
His joy flared brighter than the sun, like a galaxy of stars coalescing within her.
“Ely, this is my sister, Eshana.”
CHAPTER37
Dead silence fellas if a wind had swooshed in and wiped out every sound at his revelation.
Nate kissed Ely’s head. Oh, he might have been talking to his sister, but the peril nailing him from the warrior with eyes like titanium bullets, as if he would rip Nate apart, had him snorting. Like any female could take the place of his incredible mate.
A wave of her warmth seeped through him, and he hugged Ely.
“Actually, it’s Echo now,” his sister said with a wan smile. “I was adopted, and my name changed.”
Right. He only hoped she had a better life than him.
Hissister. Hell, it hit like a punch in the solar plexus. She, he realized, was whom he’d been searching for in the memories from last night! Hers was the face of the child he dreamed of recently because he now recalled those bi-colored eyes, the shallow chin dimple…
“Ely?” His sister held both of his mate’s hands, her wet silver and gold eyes bright with happiness. “It’s a miracle that the Fates led you to my brother and brought him to me eventually.” She dashed her cheeks with her knuckles, glanced over her shoulder to the blue-haired male, reached out, grasped his hand, and towed him over.
“Keta, this is my mate,” she said with a shaky smile. “Aethan, my brother, Ket…Ketan—” Her eyes widened. “I remember your full name.” She laughed.
“It…feels familiar…” he murmured, gripping Ely tighter. Her presence alone kept him focused and upright because this discovery of his sister made him feel as if his knees would cave.
I’m always here for you,Ely telepathed.
He cast her a quick, grateful smile.
“You feel different from yesterday,” Aethan told him, brow furrowing, the death glare gone.
“Yeah. The change,” Nate said.
“Wait, wait.” Echo held up a hand to her mate. “Youknow my brother, too?”
“No,me’morae, I don’t.” He brushed her overlong bangs falling into her eyes, and Nate could feel the warrior’s concern. Despite her honey-gold color, she appeared far too pale, almost ashen.
Was she sick?
“What change, Keta?” she asked Nate, distracting him.
“Long story. Later, I’ll fill you in.”
“Whoa—” She swayed and grabbed onto Aethan’s arm. “Don’t feel so good.”
“Yes, because you shot out of bed like a bat from hell, running around when you should still be in a healing sleep,” Aethan muttered his displeasure, sweeping her up into his arms.
“I wasn’t running around.” She sighed wearily and settled against him. “I felt this pull and couldn’t stop myself.”
