Page 44 of The Witch’s Shifter (Season of the Witch #3)

Aurora

OVER TEA AND PIE, I tell Auntie everything.

She gets a chance to meet Harrison, and he spends his time moving between her and Selene, though he avoids my mother entirely.

Those two have never been fond of each other.

I believe the only animal my mother has ever liked is her spirit companion, Vesper, though the elder raven didn’t accompany her on the trip here to Faunwood.

Like her, he can be cantankerous, and I imagine he wasn’t thrilled about being away from home for so long. He’s a homebody, that one.

Unlike my mother, Auntie is thrilled to learn that I’m pregnant with Rowan’s child.

She touches my belly and gets teary-eyed, and it’s yet another reminder of what my mother refuses to give me: affection, understanding, love .

One of the hardest parts about losing Auntie was losing one of the only people I felt ever truly knew me.

I’m not sure how I’m going to handle losing her again tonight.

“Three lovers,” Auntie says, sitting back with a chuckle. She sips from her teacup with one hand and pets Harrison with the other. He’s sitting upon her lap, eyes closed, a gentle purr rumbling from his chest. “You’ve always carved your own path, little sprout.”

Auntie and I are seated on the couch in the parlor.

Selene is in the rocking chair, Fletcher held to her breast, and my mother stands beside the crackling fire.

She cuts an imposing figure, draped in dark fabrics with her hair pulled tightly away from her face.

Though she isn’t looking at us, I know she’s listening, and I know she’s judging me, judging every word that slips from my tongue.

But with Auntie clinging to everything I say, I can’t bring myself to care.

The men departed the parlor so that we could have some time alone with Auntie. I can hear Wyland and Rowan speaking from the kitchen, though I’m not sure where Alden and Faolan are. Gwynn remains perched atop the mantel, watching us all from her high vantage point.

“They’re good men,” I say, feeling the truth of the statement in my heart. “Each special in their own way.”

I showed Auntie all the improvements Alden helped me make to the cottage, and she loves the idea of expanding the home to make room for everyone now living here.

With her approval, I’ll tell Alden we can get started on the renovations.

I’ve been hesitant to make too many changes without Auntie here to okay them, like the cottage is still hers.

And in a way, I think it will always be hers, but now I feel free to move forward with making the changes needed for my rapidly expanding family.

“Evelyn,” Auntie says, and my mother starts at hearing her name.

She turns slightly to regard Auntie over her shoulder. “What?”

“Come sit beside me. There’s much I wish to speak with you about.” Auntie gives me a gentle look, and I stand slowly from the couch, hesitantly vacating my spot to make room for my mother.

As I take a few steps away, Selene meets my eye. A knowing passes between us without words being exchanged. We will give our mother and Auntie time alone to speak privately.

“We’ll be in the kitchen,” I say, then give Auntie a smile before departing the parlor.

Selene and I step into the kitchen to find Rowan and Wyland playing a game of cards.

Alden leans in the corner, nursing a warm mug of tea.

Faolan is nowhere to be found. I glance out the kitchen window, but night has descended, and everything is painted black.

A short burst of fear goes through me. Has he run away again?

Almost immediately, the bond between us warms, and a feeling of calm eases my anxieties. I believe Faolan must’ve felt my tension through our connection and responded with a wave of reassurance. It makes my shoulders relax.

He’s not gone. He’s still here.

“She’s just as I remember her,” Alden says as I step up beside him, his arm rising to loop around my shoulders. His woodsy scent washes over me. Breathing it in, I cuddle against his side. “This is all a bit...” He trails off, seeming to search for the right word.

I look up at him, admire his dark beard and the thick brows arching over his eyes. “It’s a bit unsettling, I know. It’s my first time contacting someone from the Otherside.”

“You all looked like you knew what you were doing.”

I shrug lightly. “All witches are taught the ritual. But I wasn’t sure if it would work...”

My gaze flicks to Selene, who is now perched upon Wyland’s lap, Fletcher held in her arms. Without her and my mother, would I have been able to reach through the veil and guide Auntie through? Something in me says no.

“Can anyone be reached?” Alden asks.

Seated at the table, Rowan goes stiff. I see it in his shoulders, the way he suddenly sits up and stops moving, the playful smile slipping from his face.

And I realize what Alden must be asking me, what Rowan is thinking at this very moment.

When I meet Alden’s eyes this time, I see something in them that he doesn’t usually show anyone, that he rarely even shows me: sadness. It makes me want to wrap him tightly in my arms and hold him to my chest until our hearts synchronize and beat together as one.

“Are you referring to your parents?” I ask softly.

Alden clears his throat and nods once. My hand finds his, still holding the mug of tea, and I rub my thumb across his warm skin.

“The longer someone has been gone, the harder it is to connect with them. This is the first Samhain Auntie hasn’t been with us, so she was easier to reach, not so deep into the Otherside that she couldn’t feel us calling.

But someone who’s been gone for longer than a few years.

..” As I trail off, I can feel Rowan listening.

It breaks my heart to know he must’ve been wondering if we could reach Lucy, if he could see his little sister even one more time.

“I’m so sorry. I should’ve explained earlier. ”

“It’s fine.” Alden squeezes my shoulder, and I can all but feel him shaking off the gray cloud that gathered above him. “I’m just glad your aunt came through. I know how important this was to you.”

Though Alden seems to let it go quickly, I note that Rowan is noticeably subdued as he continues to play cards with Wyland, like he’s gone somewhere else in his mind.

I’ve been so focused on Samhain—and even on Faolan—that I failed to sit down with Rowan and explain why such a ritual wouldn’t work to reach his sister.

I feel foolish now, like I may have hurt him without intending to.

When I can get him alone, I’ll apologize for being so inconsiderate.

On Wyland’s lap, Selene sits up straight. Her eyes get a misty look as she turns to glance out the kitchen window. Slowly, she stands, then places Fletcher into Wyland’s arms.

“Aurora,” she says, meeting my eyes. “Our time is almost up.”

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’s lovely .” 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.