She nodded. “After I died and when Aerén’s brother brought me back to life, it changed me.”
Hana’s eyes narrowed. “Changed you how? What? You’re a vampire now?”
Leya laughed. “No. I mean, I’m…I’m immortal. It’s a side effect of being resurrected by someone created in the flames of Heaven’s wrath.”
Hana’s jaw dropped. “Wh-what? I think I need to sit down.” She flopped on a chair adjacent to Leya. “So, you won’t grow old, won’t die?”
“No.”
“Okay, then,” she murmured, absorbing the new info. “But you’ll care for me when I’m old and gray and can’t walk?”
Leya laughed, emotions swamping her. “You and Appa, I will, with all that I am.”
Hana smirked, and Leya could almost feel the wheels grinding in her sister’s head as she made sense of everything. “So, you and Aerén are soul-joined. I mean, your souls are merged as one?”
“Yes.” Leya slouched back in the cavernous, woven armchair with its thick, cream cushions. “There’s probably so much more to learn about all this. Oh, and we can speak telepathically to each other, too, which I love since, since you know, no cell phones here.”
“Yeah, that’s a downer.” Hana grimaced. “Still, that’s a hard no for me. I don’t want anyone in my head. I don’t even want a mate. Gah, I’m only twenty-one. I need to live a little more. Date. There are so many pretty males here. I mean, it’s a smorgasbord.” Her grin was pure wickedness.
Leya snorted. “Good luck with all those dates if you do cross your true mate’s path. You are a Chosen, Hana. And these Empyreans are possessive as heck.”
She shrugged it off then smirked. “Appa is never gonna believe this.”
“I know. I have to go home, speak with him.” Leya sat forward. “Hana, what are we going to do about the business?”
“Wecan get someone who loves the garden center as much asyoudo to take over.”
“Saul!” Leya perked up. “He’s Appa’s friend, and he puts in more work than anyone else, even with a bad leg.”
“Yes.” Hana twisted a lock of her silky dark hair around a finger. “So?” She smirked yet again. “My sister is now a princess?”
The word clocked Leya like a bat to the head, sending her reeling. She sprang up from her seat. “What?”
“You married—or mated—a prince. What did you think you’d be?” Hana snorted. “Right. Being you, you would be more involved in the actualproblemsfacing you, and finding solutions, than thinking about what Aerén truly is.”
Leya narrowed her eyes. “I know what he is.”
“Puleeeease.”
The expected eye roll didn’t appear. Why would it when it saturated her sister’s tone?
“Let’s see… Your first meeting was a bit unconventional, and he didn’t tell you who he was straight off, about the royalty part, I mean,” Hana said, flicking up a finger. “I’ll bet the last hundred dollars I have in my savings, you didn’t think much about anything, let alone long-term with him, even if you wanted to shag him—”
“Hana!” Heat flooded her face.
Hana didn’t stop, on a roll now, pointing out all Leya’s so-called drawbacks. Another finger went up. “At least your return here led to a good thing. You found the asshat’s hideout, where he trapped Aerén’s father. And earlier today, you took on the rebel who wanted to kill you—”
“Well, I didn’t kill him. The Auras did.”
Hana rolled right past that with another finger up. “And you found out the truth about the sinking island, all this while unaware a mystical snake had bonded to you, too.” She shuddered. “Though I have an avid fear of them, I’m happy it saved you. Did I miss anything?” She arched an eyebrow.
Leya glowered but Hana was right.
“Oh, yeah, and the most important one of all,” she continued.
Jesus Christ.Seriously?
“There’s the dumbass of all dumbass things you did.” She rolled her eyes. “Breaking up with Aerén so he could mate someone else. I’ve never seen a man so tormented as I did back then, when you got that stupid flirt of a Darkrean, Taegér, to cart you around over the mountains in Dregarus like a cherished doll! Had Aerén planted him a right hook, he would have deserved it. I’m just glad Aerén brought you to your senses. So, stop worrying about everything. You’ll make an incredible princess—”
