Reynner gave them a half bow.
“Hi.” Leya held out a hand, but Eve hastily wrapped hers around her waist. “I’m so sorry I can’t touch anyone.”
“Eve can see another’s thoughts through skin contact,” Reynner explained. “And it leaves her in pain.”
But Leya had already seen the burn scars marring Eve’s hands to her wrists, and her stomach churned. Images of the day a decade ago broke free, bringing it all back in crystal clarity, along with guilt. “I’m so sorry for everything that happened.”
Eve’s eyebrows tipped together. “What?”
Aerén moved closer and caressed her back, his touch soothing. “Leya was in the car behind your parents on the day the artifact crashed.”
Eve’s gaze widened. “Ohhh, I’m so sorry. Did you get hurt, too?”
“No, not really,” Leya said. “The cab just spun like a top and ended up on the other side of the road, crashing into a light pole. I…I saw you. I wanted to help you.”
Hana finally stepped away from the railing and joined Leya on her other side.
Eve sighed. “No one could, not with that blaze.”
“Still, I’m sorry.”
“Is Luc here?” Aerén asked.
“He’s somewhere,” Reynner said. “Communing with his inner self on the mountain. Should be back soon.”
Leya bit her lip, hiding her smile at the man’s droll comment aimed at the stern mage she met during her first visit to Exilum.
Eve pulled the edges of her long sleeves over her fingertips. “Come.” She waved them into the house.
Aerén and Reynner disappeared into the living room, but Eve stopped in the kitchen where Izzeri worked, his hair pulled back into a ponytail, revealing the pointed tips of his ears.
A fae? Whoa.
“Izzy, you met Leya, right?”
“Indeed, my lady.” He gave a half bow. “It’s delightful to see you again.”
Eve laughed. “And this is her sister, Hana.”
The fae man bowed again. “Mistress.”
“It’s great to meet you,” Hana piped up, seeming to take everything in her stride now that she had proof. “I love this place—OMG!” She stopped at the window, gaping outside at the majestic waterfalls. “Do you mind if I go out there?”
“Not at all. The balcony is a wraparound.”
Alone now, Eve turned to Leya. “I’m so glad Aerén found the both of you. Finding two Chosen at once is a miracle.”
Leya swallowed. She didn’t want to go into this again, but she liked Eve. “I’m not a Chosen. Well, I think I was, but now I’m not.”
Eve went statue still, then she shook her head as if to clear it. “What? That’s not right. You did the test—”
“But the scroll didn’t absorb my blood.”
Eve continued staring at her.
Leya rubbed the scar between her finger and thumb. “The day of your accident, my mother and I were on our way to the hospital…” she told Eve about Hana’s illness, then about donating blood to save her sister.
Small vertical lines formed between Eve’s eyebrows. “And you and Aerén?”
