Those topaz eyes snapped open, a searing yellow edged with silver. Of course, he was otherworldly, too. Maybe that was the draw?
“Who are you?” she breathed.
His throat worked as he swallowed. “Rania.”
Nia blinked. “How do you know my name?”
“Because the past comes to me in drips,” he whispered.
“Nia?” Echo sported a soft smile. “This is our big brother, Nate. Or Ketan. It’s what our parents called him. And I was Eshana.”
“You never changed your name,” he rasped, his gaze skimming her face several times. Then he glanced at Echo and back at her.
“It’s what my p-parents always called me…” Nia found it hard to speak. “He’s m-my—our brother?”
In a single step, Nate closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her. It felt like home, and the tears she could no longer hold fell.
He reached out and dragged Echo into the fold, and Nia hugged them both. Yet, deep within, her happiness wasn’t complete. The sheer desolation made her feel as if she were drowning, and there was no end to the suffocating pain.
With a wobbly breath, Nia stepped back and swiped her wet face with the sleeve of her sweater. “I-I have so many questions.”
“We’ll fill you in,” Echo said.
“Come, let’s get out of the cold.” Nate ushered them into the boathouse, which had been converted into a cozy apartment. Soft lights illuminated the couches, armchairs, and coffee table in the living room, and brighter lights lit the galley kitchen.
“Tea, coffee, something stronger?” he asked, his hands trembling slightly as he reached for the mugs. “It sure feels like we all need one.”
Nia shook her head.
“Cocoa,” Echo said, and Nia nodded.
“Just as well we have that here. Well, Hedori made sure of it, I should say. Three cocoas coming up.” He strode for the kitchen, stacked the used dishes, and put them in the sink.
“I didn’t know you liked cocoa, too,” Echo said, taking a seat on one of the bar stools with a low backrest at the counter separating the kitchen from the living room.
Nate glanced back, his gaze shifting between them again. “I don’t, but this is a family reunion, and I can’t be the odd one out, so cocoa it is.”
A little smile tugged at Nia’s mouth as she took a seat at the counter, watching her twin and their brother argue over cocoa.
God! She had family.
She lowered her head and rubbed her burning eyes.
“Nia?”
At Nate’s soft voice, she looked up.
“Do you recall how you were separated from us?” he asked.
“No. I always thought my late parents were my biological ones. I mean, they treated me well…” She tugged the sleeves of her sweater over her icy fingers, realizing Echo did the same thing, too. “Apparently, an angel found me wounded in some alley. He healed me, cleared my memories, and gave me to a childless couple in New Orleans.”
Nate’s mouth tightened.
“Do you know what happened to our parents?” she asked.
He raked back his raven hair. “I don’t recall much of that night, just bits,” he said. “We were returning from somewhere, and a mugging happened. I remember the gunshots. Our father died instantly, but our mother… She hung on to life and told me to run. I did.” Pain darkened his eyes, and lines bracketed his mouth. “What hits me hard is, how could I not remember you both? I mean, I’m older. It’s like all my memories were stripped away even before I ran from the attack. There are so many damn holes.”
He grabbed his cell from the counter and made a call. “My sisters are here with me. We need to talk.”
