Page 75 of The Witch's Shifter
My entire chest constricts. How can that be? My focus shifts to the window, but it’s a cloudy night, and the moon is obscured, making it difficult to tell how close we are to midnight. But Selene doesn’t need to see the moon in order to feel it, and given the look in her dark blue eyes, I know we’re both dreading having to say goodbye... again.
Alden slips his arm from around my shoulders, and Rowan looks up at me as I drift toward Selene. I pause to squeeze his shoulder, then whisper to my sister, “All right.”
Selene takes my hand, and we return to the parlor. As we step through the doorway, I find my mother standing by the fire once more, shoulders hunched forward a bit. Auntie stands near her, one hand on my mother’s back. The casual touch shocks me; I’m not sure I’ve ever seen them touch before, even hug each other. My whole life, they’ve acted more like enemies than they have sisters, and I became so accustomed to their behavior that even one small touch between them makes my breath catch in my chest.
Auntie looks up at me, wearing a gentle smile. At least she’s not frowning. Perhaps their conversation went well, then. Though I wonder what Auntie wanted to speak with Mama about. And will Mama even tell me if I’m to ask?
“Selene, Aurora.” Auntie holds her arms out, and we step into them. The fire flickers at our feet, and I feel its warmth crawling up my calves, making my chilled skin tingle.
“I don’t want you to go,” I say into her neck. Her smell is comforting, like stepping into a beautiful childhood memory, one bathed in sunlight and warmth.
“I know, little sprout.” Auntie presses a kiss to my head, then to Selene’s. Though Selene doesn’t speak, I can feel her crying, feel the subtle trembling of her shoulders as she holds Auntie close. “I want you to remember how much I love you and how proud of you I am. You’ve both grown into lovely women, and your families are fortunate to have you. Be strong for each other, okay?” Auntie pulls back to look into our eyes.
“We will,” Selene whispers. Her hand finds mine, and she squeezes it as tears streak down her moon-pale cheeks. “Always.”
I want to speak, to communicate to Auntie everything I feel for her in my heart, but when I open my mouth, all that comes out is, “I love you so much.”
Because, really, what else is there to say? Love is all, and that’s all there is.
Then tears blur my eyes, and my chest hitches with a barely contained sob.
“Oh, my darlings.” Auntie hugs us tighter. “I know this is hard. But it’s nothing to fear. There’s so much more to this than you could ever imagine. And it’slovely.” She presses a kiss to my cheek, then to Selene’s. Her lips must be salty with our tears. “Come now, it’s almost midnight.”
Taking our hands, she guides us back into the circle around the altar. Mother follows behind us, and now that she’s finally turned away from the fire, I can see her cheeks are moist with tears, which stuns me even more than the casual touch she and Auntie exchanged. In all my life, I can’t recall ever seeing my mother cry; I naively wondered if she was even capable of shedding a tear. There’s so much about her I still don’t understand.
Auntie stands beside the altar, upon which the candles have burned low, with wax dripping down their sides and gathering into little puddles I’ll later have to scrape clean. There are footsteps in the foyer, and then the men ease quietly into the parlor, joining us one by one. I’m surprised to see Faolan has returned from wherever he went; perhaps he felt my grief and was called back by it.
“It was nice meeting you all,” Auntie says to the assembled men. They respond with a range of kind words and soft smiles.
Meanwhile, I twine my fingers into the soft skirt of my dress and try not to sob. Tears trickle down my cheeks and drip from my chin despite my fight to hold them back. I knew seeing her and then having to say goodbye would be hard, but I didn’t realize just how hard.
Auntie stands beside the altar, hands clasped before her, and takes a deep breath. Her silver hair gleams in the firelight. “It was nice being back. Thank you for inviting me.”
She says it with such casual joy, like she’s returning home to Wysteria and isn’t about to disappear back to the Otherside, where we won’t be able to follow.
“Are you okay there?” I finally bring myself to ask, though tears make my voice thick.
Auntie’s green eyes are soft as she regards me. “I’m more than okay. You don’t have to worry about me, little sprout. All is as it should be.”
“O-okay,” I choke out.
Selene wraps an arm around me. I’d reach for my mother, but she’s never been a source of comfort for me, and she doesn’t seem interested in being one now. But at least she’s here. At least she and Auntie had a chance to speak, even if I may never know what words were exchanged.
A ripple goes through the air, causing us women to start.
“It’s midnight,” Selene whispers.
Midnight. Time for Auntie to leave. The veil between our worlds will not remain this thin for much longer, and so she must return from whence she came.
“I’ll see you again one day,” Auntie says. “But not a day too soon.” Eyes sparkling and long hair gleaming, she turns toward the altar. With a deep breath, she steps toward it, and as if she stepped through a doorway and out of view, she disappears, leaving a hint of orange curling through the air after her.
And in the resulting quiet, I fall apart in my sister’s arms.
Chapter 40
Alden
I THINK WE ALL KNOW that Aurora needs a bit of space. We left her in the parlor with her mother and sister, and now I’m seated on the back porch, Rowan beside me. Wyland took Fletcher upstairs, and Faolan is pacing the tree line. It’s so dark, I can’t see him moving through the inky blackness, but I can hear the crinkling of leaves and dry grass beneath his feet. And I’m surprised he’s still here. But I’m glad too. I know Aurora wants him here. She wants all of us here. So here is where we’ll stay.
