“I cannot say for sure,” the mage murmured. “We…” his voice lowered, and Leya missed his words. “Nothing’s guaranteed.”
“Then I will leave Empyrea and live on Earth with her.”
“You don’t know what you’re saying,” the elyon bit out. “It’s just lust, and that dies in a matter of time. The Council allows mortalChosento mate with us, but a non-Chosen? Urias! They will banish you! There is no coming back from that!”
“So be it.” Aerén’s voice morphed to granite.
“Stars, you’re just like our sire! Did you even think this through?” the elyon demanded. “You are eternal; she’s not. What happens after her few decades are up? You cannot come back once a banishment takes effect. Even I cannot change an ancient law. You will live alone forever, elsewhere, without access to the mountainsyouneed to Ground!”
Leya shut her eyes.Or he will self-destruct.Aerén had told her so.
“Dammit, Ren. Yes, she’s beautiful, and I see the draw. You will choose a blink of a life with her—”
“In case you’ve forgotten,Elyon…” his voice lowered, icy. “I make my own decisions.”
“Free will was never ours!”
“I am aware. After all, we do have another brother who lives in exile, don’t we?” Cold laughter. “Did you ever stop to think about him and what you all did?”
“I’m not responsible for his banishment. I don’t want that for you—”
“Leya?” At the soft voice, she lifted her head to meet Eve’s eyes, dark with compassion. “Come. Hana’s in the kitchen, talking to Izzeri.”
She hooked her arm through Leya’s.
“No, I don’t want Hana to see me like this.” She swiped her damp face with the back of her hand, hadn’t even realized she was crying. “I need some air.”
CHAPTER28
Leya grippedthe railing and shivered despite the sunlight streaming onto the wraparound balcony, an immense chill and crushing pain constricting her heart.
“Here,” Eve handed her tissues and a Band-Aid.
She had to swallow several times before she could speak. “Th-thank you.”
“I’m so sorry,” Eve murmured, her troubled gaze skimming Leya’s face. “It’s the first time something like this has ever happened.”
Leya swiped her wet eyes on the hem of her t-shirt. She cleaned up her wound and stuck on the Band-Aid. It was useless to pretend she didn’t know what Eve was saying.
“I knew we didn’t stand a chance at anything permanent, I mean, for obvious reasons. But I was the fool to believe we’d have some happiness, even for a little while.” She shook her head, still in a state of shock. “I never realized we humans without the magic were so intolerable to those angels. I’m just glad Hana was spared hearing what happened, and my humiliation.”
She swallowed hard, her fingers squashing the used, bloody tissues. “I know my sister. She can be stubborn. If she’d heard them, she wouldn’t go. Aerén doesn’t deserve that.” More tears flooded her eyes. “By a twist of fate, I gave away my chance for happiness by saving my sister and giving her my blood and the magic—and I’d do it again—but Cidéra deserves a chance. At least Hana will be treated better.”
Her eyes damp, Eve gently rubbed Leya’s jacket-covered arm. “The intolerance is one of the reasons why Reynner hasn’t taken me to his homeland of Ademéras yet. But with the order from the elyon, it seems we will be going there anyhow.” She exhaled deeply, her troubled gaze on the vista. “I wish I could do something to help. We never expected anything like this when the search for the rest of the Chosen started.”
“I guess no one did.” She gave Eve a wan smile, then straightened her spine before Hana came out and saw her, or worse, Aerén did. She couldn’t handle him witnessing her falling apart.
Feeling like a rock had jammed in her throat from the tears she couldn’t shed, Leya stuffed the blood-smeared tissues in her pocket.
“Would you like something to drink?” Eve asked.
She shook her head, casting her burning gaze on the green forest far below. “You’ll have nothing to fear if you go,” she told Eve. “They worship the Chosen. I’ve seen it when they thought I was one—”
“Leya, you havta try this!” Hana hurried outside and handed her a glass of amber liquid.
Leya accepted it and sipped some of the familiar, sweetish tart juice, but bile chugged up, threatening to choke her. She swallowed hard. “Nice.”
“Nice?” Hana rolled her eyes. “It’s beyond nice—”
