Aethan knelt near the bed. “Don’t tell him I was here.”
“Why not?”
“Ren, I came for you and have already broken the law. I don’t want to be beheaded, okay? I have a mate to get back to. But, send me updates on how he fares, and when you find ourmateri.” He pushed to his feet. “Be careful of the sorcerer. From all you said, the fucker’s bad news.”
Indeed. The face-off with the sorcerer was drawing closer. Aerén could feel it deep within his bones. But he didn’t say anything. It wasn’t Aethan’s problem.
“I know. It’s why I hope we find ourmateribefore our sire awakens. He’ll bring down realms to find her.”
“He will.” A ghost of a smile tugged at his brother’s mouth, then faded. “I wish I could stay and help, but—”
“I know.” His brother was a Guardian and bound to the human world.
They returned to the living room again. “I’ll see you when I come to Earth. Leya still has family there.”
“Good. You can come to the castle and meet my mate, too.”
“Count on it.”
Aethan opened the door to the deafening sounds of rain splattering on the balcony. He glanced back. Smiled. “Later then.”
And his brother, who gave Aerén back his reason for living, vanished in a stir of molecules.
The door behind him opened. Aerén glanced over his shoulder.
Daén strode inside, wiping the rain from his face on the sleeves of his equally drenched tunic. “This had better be important, Ren. Thiorr dragged me away from tracking rebels who had the gall to set up base near Nehendem—and the one I caught remains annoyingly silent.” He stopped near Aerén. “What’s going on?”
The irony. For the brothers to miss each other by mere seconds.
But with Daén’s hardass attitude when it came to rescinding the rules, so Aerén could claim Leya officially as his mate, he chose not to mention Aethan just yet.
“We found him.”
Daén stilled.
The hope in his eyes had Aerén easing down on his ire. “Come.”
Oh, but there was much he had to tell his hardheaded brother and knock him on his ass, especially about his beloved mate and what she had done and was capable of.
CHAPTER37
“Damn idiots!”Growling, Aerén stalked into the bedroom, pulling off his drenched tunic and squashing it into a ball, the action doing little to lessen his irritation.
“It’s been a damn long day,me’morae. The council are asses. They believe that with a Chosen here, the storm will roll over, and all will be well. The ornery oldfossers.” He flung the shirt on a chair, rain dripping from his hair. “They don’t understand we need all of the Chosen on Empyrea to make a difference.”
While Empyrea rejoiced at having their king back, a pall still hung over them due to the missing queen and a comatose Chosen. The latter, he didn’t correct anyone about yet since Hana was here. Aerén had sent Lykon and Thiorr back to Earth to track for more Chosen and to discreetly keep an eye on Leya’s sire.
But Aerén was close to losing his mind. Two months had passed, and Leya remained deep in a healing sleep, unaware of all that had happened.
Exhaling, he summoned a towel and rubbed his wet hair, then he stopped at her side, his gaze tracing her beloved features.
Stars!He missed her. Missed her smile, her no-nonsense attitude so damn much. Gently, he traced her warm cheek, longing for her to open her eyes.
Sighing, he kissed her brow, then made for the dressing room to change into dry clothes.
Moments later, he buttoned his shirt and walked out to find his sire standing near the bed, staring at Leya’s unresponsive features.
The spell on his father had finally been unraveled and voided a few days ago, and weak though he was, he’d insisted on seeing Leya. And he’d done so every day since. He hadn’t asked anything, just sat at her side.
