Page 36 of Veiled By Smoke (The Nature Hunters Academy #5)

“I’ve lived with a hole in my heart for as long as I can remember.

I didn’t know what shape or size it was, only that something significant was missing from my life.

And now, I feel like I’m on the precipice of finding out.

I thought I’d be excited if this day ever came, but right now, all I feel is fear that has made me cold all the way to my bones. ” ~ Aurora

T he storm outside her window pressed in like a living thing.

Despite the fact that it was morning, the skies were still dark.

Aurora lay beneath her quilt, the old familiar weight of it suddenly too thin, too porous, as if the wind and the darkness could seep straight through.

Rain battered the glass–hard, insistent, relentless.

Every so often, a flicker of lightning would illuminate her ceiling, casting strange, leaping shadows that seemed to dance and writhe, as if the storm itself were trying to whisper secrets she couldn’t quite hear.

She’d tried reading, but her eyes wouldn’t focus on the words.

Instead, her mind kept circling to her thoughts-turned-dreams. She’d had two that had haunted her since she’d met Cordelia: one during a nap and one tonight.

In both dreams, she stood barefoot in a frozen field, curtains of green and blue light twisting overhead, a voice calling her name, shadows pulling at her ankles.

That voice was always so close, so achingly familiar, and yet she could never see the face it belonged to.

After her nap, she had tumbled awake, heart racing, and had caught the echo of other emotions entirely: longing–fierce and wild–and fear–sharp as shattered glass.

This time, she hadn’t tried to resist. She let herself float in the uneasy stillness, listening to the wind and the racing of her own thoughts. She didn’t know when Fern had slipped into the room, only that her foster mother’s presence was suddenly there, warm and solid beside her on the mattress.

Fern stroked the hair back from Aurora’s forehead, the way she’d done since Aurora was small. “You want to talk about it?” Fern asked gently.

Aurora shook her head, but Fern waited, patient as the sunrise.

After a long minute, Aurora whispered, “It’s the same dream I had from the nap I took yesterday.

I’m somewhere cold. There’s this . . . light, and someone’s calling me, but I can’t see them.

Then, something tries to pull me under. When I wake up, everything feels wrong.

Like I’m not supposed to be here. Like I’m supposed to be somewhere else. ”

Fern’s arms went around her, solid and reassuring. “Dreams can be strange, Honey. But you’re supposed to be here. This is where God brought you when you were just a baby. I promised to take care of you, and I always will.”

Aurora clung to her, breathing in the familiar scent of Fern’s sweater–lavender and a hint of cinnamon from the kitchen downstairs.

But even as she did, she couldn’t shake the prickle at the back of her neck, that odd sense of being watched, even here in her own bed.

She wondered, not for the first time, if the magic Cordelia spoke of was actually real and not just some ploy she put on for show for the tour of Blackhorn.

Later in the morning, Aurora finally made herself climb out of bed. Fern brewed tea, her hands trembling just enough for Aurora to notice, and set a mug in front of her. “You look tired,” Fern told her. She clucked her tongue and shook her head. “I hate that the dream kept you from resting.

Aurora nodded. “It’s weird how something that’s just a product of your subconscious can make you feel so unsafe.” She was glad it was Sunday and she wasn’t going to school–not just because she was tired, but because she felt so off. Aurora was sure she wouldn’t be able to concentrate at all.

“I declare, these storms . . . it’s crazy,” Fern said, sounding exasperated.

“The news is calling for more bad weather, and there’s been a spree of crime in some of the bigger cities.

I don’t know what this world is coming to.

Perhaps, it’s no wonder you’re having bad dreams. But, no matter.

” She waved her hand. “I’ve got something that will take your mind off things.

” There was a mischievous smile on her sweet face.

“Cordelia called,” Fern said, her voice a little too cheerful.

“She’d like us to come back to Blackhorn today.

She said one of her other coven members is back and after talking about how much you were interested in their history, maybe you’d like to talk to her? ”

“Umm, yeah, that’d be great.” Aurora nodded, though her stomach twisted.

She liked Cordelia, and she was interested in knowing more about the coven, but the idea of stepping outside, of facing the thickening gloom that seemed to have settled over Salem, made her want to curl up and hide.

But instead of hiding, she ate a quick breakfast and then went to her room.

She dressed quietly and let Fern braid her hair, the motions soothing in their familiarity.

Outside, the wind had picked up, flattening the grass and sending brittle leaves skittering across the sidewalk.

The streets felt emptier than usual, as if the whole town was holding its breath.

When they reached Blackhorn Mansion, Cordelia was waiting on the porch, her russet curls plastered to her cheeks by the rain, her smile tired but kind.

“Thank you for coming,” Cordelia said, ushering them inside. The house felt warm and inviting, but the air was thick with something Aurora couldn’t name. Maybe it was magic, if that was even real, or maybe just old secrets.

Cordelia led them into the parlor, where the fire crackled, and offered them chairs.

“Thank you for coming back. Penny, a friend and coven member, who’s been out of town, is back, and I was telling her about you.

She loves to share history about Blackhorn, and she’s a wealth of knowledge.

She’s a fifth generation witch with tons of knowledge. ”

“There’s no need to brag about me, but by all means, continue,” said a petite woman, with brown hair pulled up in a messy bun, bright, green eyes, and a friendly smile that naturally invited others to return it.

“Hello, beautiful girl, you must be Aurora. I’m Penny.

” She held out her hand and Aurora took it.

Penny’s hand was warm, and she had a firm grip, but not painful.

After a couple shakes, Penny simply held her hand and studied Aurora’s face.

She tilted her head to the side as if needing a different angle, and then said, “Hmm, you are unique.” She released her hand and then took a seat in one of the other chairs in the room.

“And you must be, Fern,” Penny looked at her foster mom.

“You’ve done a good job protecting your very special charge. ”

Fern frowned for a minute, no doubt as confused as Aurora by the statement. Then a hesitant smile appeared. “Thank you. I agree, she is very special.”

“So,” Penny rubbed her hands together and leaned forward, resting her forearms on her knees. “Aurora, how are you feeling? Since you came here and met Cordelia, anything weird happening?”

Aurora’s stomach churned. Why would she ask that? How could she possibly know that she wasn’t okay? She twisted her hands in her lap. “That’s a weird question to ask.”

Penny blew out a breath, her eyes widening a bit as she shook her head. “That’s actually the least bizarre question I’m going to ask. So, you should probably prepare yourself.”

“What happened to easing her into this?” A deep voice came from beyond the doorway. It wasn’t menacing, but it held a darkness, as if the person who owned it could be dark if they wanted to be. It was powerful and confident.

Aurora had never heard any man sound so sure.

Then he stepped into the room and Aurora totally understood why he had that kind of voice.

His appearance and presence was even more confident and bold than his voice.

He was tall, broad-shouldered, and made the room appear to shrink as he took up space.

He had a very distinct, exotic look, definitely not caucasian.

His face was handsome, but Aurora only noticed that for about half a second before her eyes met his.

Black. Solid black. She sucked in a breath and scooted back on the couch.

“Way to go, King Tut,” Penny said, her voice dry.

“You’ve managed to terrify her simply by standing there.

I was going easy. I didn’t bring you into the room for a reason.

” She pointed up at his eyes. “Those two reasons in particular, not to mention the whole I-could-kill-you-without-even-trying vibe you have going on.”

He didn’t seem amused, or angry, or anything. He was just there, existing.

“You do have that sort of vibe,” Cordelia agreed and then looked at Aurora, as if wanting her agreement.

“Yep,” Aurora said quickly, “definitely a killer vibe.”

His eyes turned back to her and his face softened just a tad. “You have nothing to fear from me . Ever.”

It was a declaration. He said it with such conviction that Aurora didn’t doubt it for a second.

Whatever this man was capable of, he would never turn that violence on her.

Why did she feel so sure of that, even though he still terrified her?

No one should have eyes like that. “Are those contacts?” Please say those are contacts, she silently begged.

Because if they weren’t, then that meant she was about to confirm her suspicions that there was more to the world than what you could see.