Page 36 of Tamed By Air (The Nature Hunters Academy 4)

Aston took her hand and followed as she led their group deeper into the house. The group followed a long corridor that made several turns before they finally reached a set of double doors. Rory grabbed a knob with her free hand and twisted it, pushing the door open. The stale air washed over Aston, and he could practically taste the dust in his mouth.

Rory released his hand and then lifted both of hers before muttering something under her breath. Instantly, every candle and oil lamp in the room came to life. She turned to look at them. “I really don’t like this. But”—she stopped and took a deep breath—“I understand how desperate Ra must feel to get Shelly back. That is the only reason I’m allowing this. I’m going to do my own research, though not on demons. I’m going to see if there’s some other way we might get into the underworld.”

“If it makes you feel any better,” Tara said, “none of us relishes the idea of summoning a demon. But Shelly is my best friend. I will do anything to get her back.”

“Even if that means innocent people will get hurt?” Rory challenged. Aston knew his female was as stubborn as they came, but he heard a note of understanding in her voice.

“I don’t know,” Tara said. “Shelly wouldn’t want that. But I don’t want her beholden to Osiris. I won’t allow her to be stuck with him for eternity.”

Rory nodded, her eyes softening, then she sighed. “All right. I can do the same thing as the witch who helped Ra. I’ll light up the titles of the books that pertain to demons.”

“While we work”—Tara turned her eyes on Aston— “you are going to elaborate on what you meant when you attempted to explain why Ra’s eyes turned black.”

Aston thought back to how angry Tara had been only minutes ago in the foyer when she’d mentioned Shelly cheating. He didn’t look forward to seeing her reaction when he revealed his suspicions—the suspicions Ra obviously shared.

As the group moved about the room, grabbing books that showed glowing words on their spines, Aston’s gaze followed Rory. He wanted to touch her, to reassure himself that she was here with him.

She knelt to examine the lowest row of shelves, and her fingers ran along the books. He saw her forehead crease as she appeared to search the titles, and her lips moved as if she was reading the titles to herself. She seemed to search for one book in particular, and Aston couldn’t help but notice again how beautiful she was. He took an almost involuntary step in her direction. His hands itched to pull her to him, but he stopped when Tara called his name.

“Aston, quit ignoring me. Tell us what you meant about Ra,” she pleaded.

Rory glanced over her shoulder at him. Her eyes softened and her lips turned up in a small smile. “I’m not going anywhere,” she told him softly.

Aston imagined he looked like a man dying of thirst, and she was the last glass of water on earth, but he couldn’t help it. Her soul called to him, and his longed to answer.

He cleared his throat and turned to face Tara. If he let himself stare at Rory much longer, he might end up opening a portal and dragging her through it just so he could be alone with her.To hell with everything else.Rory was the only thing that mattered.But Aston couldn’t do that. Ra needed their help. Shelly needed their help. And frankly, he and Rory needed the support of people who cared about them. They’d already proven isolation was not the best thing for their relationship.

“As I was saying before Ra left…” Aston walked over to a stack of books sitting on a table next to Liam. He picked one up and read the title to himself—The Truth and Lies of Demons—before handing it to Liam. “That one might contain some good information.” He looked back at Tara. “Ra’s eyes are solid black. There is one and only one supernatural being with completely black eyes.” He gestured to the glowing books around him. “Demons. But regarding Ra, we have to consider his family history.”

“His ancestors,” Tara offered. “Elias has told me some of the history concerning the pharaohs. But he never mentioned demons.” She glanced at her soul bonded.

Elias shrugged. “Ra never said anything to me about demons.” He glanced over at Liam.

Liam held up a hand and shook his head. “Don’t look at me. The only thing he shares with me is how often he wants to kick my ass.”

“It’s not often enough,” Gabby muttered, to which Liam blew her a kiss.

Aston folded his arms across his chest and continued. “When I’m finished explaining, you’ll understand why he doesn’t like to talk about it. And when he told me, it wasn’t necessarily on purpose. He let something about his ancestry slip. The historian in me wouldn’t let it go.”

“You nagged him until he just wanted you to shut up,” Liam offered.

Aston smiled. “Pretty much.” He turned so he could see the entire room, Rory included. She and Gabby knew the least about Ra. “Ra is the last line of the great pharaohs of old. Specifically, the line of Ramses.”

“Wow.” Gabby’s eyes widened. “I thought they died out a long, long time ago. How can he be the last of the line?”

“Every bloodline gets watered down or dies out if there aren’t enough people to continue it,” Aston said. “But Ra’s situation is unique. Somehow, his blood has remained pure. I’m guessing it’s a supernatural thing, and it probably has something to do with the dark elementals. But there’s no way to know for sure.” He paused, considering what Ra had shared with him. He tried to organize the thoughts into a coherent explanation that would help the group grasp the significance of the situation, and hopefully help Tara understand why Ra said what he’d said about Shelly.

“You can read in most history books about their religious beliefs and the gods they worshiped,” Aston went on. “Above all the gods, they held Osiris in the highest esteem.”

Gabby snorted and shook her head, continuing to flip through book after book. “How can a civilization that is ingenious enough to build the pyramids be so ignorant as to worship that evil ass-hat?”

“Power-hungry people make poor decisions.” Aston stepped around the table where Liam was reading and moved to a large window draped in dark velvet curtains. He pushed them aside just enough to look outside. The day was slipping away as the sun began to sink. Muted grey clouds dominated the sky, obfuscating the purples, oranges, and reds of the sunset. “What you won’t find in any of those history books is the deal the Egyptian kings made with those gods. Specifically Osiris.”

“This is the part Elias told me about,” Tara interrupted. “They believed Osiris to be the most powerful god because he had dominion over the dead. The Egyptians thought that if they showed him special treatment, he’d give them some sort of preference in the afterlife.”

Aston nodded. “Yes, that’s true, but it’s much more complicated.”

“I’m guessing the whole demon thing is what complicates it,” Gabby said dryly.

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