She blew overlong bangs away from her eyes to glare at the sword-wielding guy. “Týr said to find you here, and you tell menot now?”
A tic pounded on his jaw. “I didn’t mean that for you.”
“Aethan,” she breathed. “Why is your Gaian sword free?” She slammed the door shut and rushed to his side, her short, spiky hair jumping in all directions. She touched his biceps, then his face. “I know that’s like ripping off your skin! What happened? You have blood on your face!”
Her otherworldly, bicolored eyes glittered in the gloom. She cast them all a lethal glower as if she would hurt anyone who’d caused this horror to occur to her man. Her gaze landed on Nia, and her brow furrowed.
Nia had the oddest feeling that she’d seen the woman before.
“Aethan, what’s going on?” she said without looking away from Nia.
“Good question,” he growled and drew her to him, pressing his face in her hair as if to calm himself. Then he looked up, his glacial stare matching his tone. “Lore, Michael, why don’t one of you fill us the fuck in?”
With a wave of Michael’s hand, the wall sconces came on, light flooding the place.
Nia blinked at the sudden brightness and couldn’t stop staring. Sword guy—Aethan—his hair wasn’tdark, but a deep blue, as if an artist had layered all the colors of the bluespectrum, along with some light hues, into his messy, tied-back hair.
Michael leaned against his desk, his gaze shifting between them. “There’s a lot to explain.”
“You don’t say?” Aethan bit out, sarcasm heavy. “If you think I’m going on patrol with this shit hanging over us, yeah, not happening.” His dangerous weapon shifted in a smoky flash and resettled on his thick biceps in the form of a tattoo.
Nia blinked, feeling as if her eyeballs would pop out and ping-pong between everyone.
A gasp flooded the room. Then she was yanked away from Lore, and the woman, whose name Nia didn’t know, grasped both her arms, staring at her. “You…”
Nia gaped. The blood drained from her head. It was like looking in the mirror, except for their eyes and hairstyle. They even had the same shallow chin dimples. A wrecking ball slammed into her chest, demolishing all the air in her lungs. “You…you’reme?”
“We’re the same,” the woman breathed.
“Echo, maybe we should let Michael or Lore explain this secret, one they doubtless protected for decades since they’re the only ones who seem in the know.” Aethan drew her back to him.
“How is it that we look the same?” Nia demanded, her gaze whipping to Lore. His expression remained inscrutable; she didn’t care. She’d get her answers. “Lore?”
“Let me explain,” Michael interceded, “before this becomes a tangled mess.”
“Because this isn’t already one?” Aethan bit out. “Yeah, my bad. But go on, explain this simple, straightforward occurrence of how my mate has a twin she never knew about, but you apparently did.”
Michael ignored him, his attention on both Nia and Echo. “When your parents died?—”
“Died? I didn’t even know I was adopted,” Nia said, expression tightening. “Until recently.”
“That’s because, after the attack that killed your birth parents, an angel found you wandering the alley, bleeding from a gunshot wound. He healed you and took away your memories of what happened,” Michael said. “He left you with a couple, a childless couple who longed for a babe. Memories were implanted that they adopted you from an agency.” He circled the desk and dropped heavily into the swivel chair. It squeaked beneath his weight.
“Why were we parted?” Echo demanded. “Why didn’t they leave us together?”
“Echo,” Aethan murmured. “Let him finish?—”
“No.” She spun to face him. “I told you something wasn’t right. And you said I should rest, and I’d feel better. Better?” she breathed, rubbing her arms. “You meant I wouldn’t sound like I’m losing my mind, like some mental case.” Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears.
His tawny features paled. “You know that’s not true,me’morae.”
She shook her head and turned away. It was instinctual for Nia to offer comfort, to put her arm around her sister’s—her twin’s—waist. Her pain, Nia’s own.
Echo sagged into her. They were strangers, and yet it felt so right.
“Finish this!” Aethan moved to the fireplace, his stare like daggers aimed at the archangel. “Why weren’t they left together?”
“Yes, why?” Nia asked, tightening her hold on Echo.
