Free On Wicked Ground (Solsti Prophecy Book 4) by Sharon Kay

who she is. And where she is.” Ashina set her glass down and twisted her hands together. “When I touched each of them, I felt a connection. Like a strong, loving bond, not like the one I share with Raniero, but more of a family, relatives-through-thick-and-thin type of thing.”
    Alina waited, riveted, knowing there was more. “And?”
    “And,” Ashina took a deep breath, “I felt that same bond when I touched you tonight.”
    “Oh my god—” Anticipation shot like a lightning bolt up her spine. Is it me?
    “And, the fourth daughter’s name was Alina.”
    “What?” Alina sat upright and covered her mouth with her hands, rocking forward. Her breath wouldn’t come fast enough, her lungs felt too small. Oh my gods, oh my gods. How can this be? How had this happened? It repeated like a mantra. How? “But-but,” she gulped, unable to get enough air. “Y-you said the fourth sister died.”
    “That’s what the girls said. They even have her death certificate.” Ashina swallowed. “But we knew the fourth was out there, somewhere. What we didn’t know was exactly who she was. If maybe the girls had a distant relative they didn’t know about, or if…” She paused and shook her head. “It was a big mystery.”
    “And you think I’m…” Alina’s voice cracked.
    Yet she knew the answer, didn’t she.
    I am the fourth .
    I died?
    “I don’t just think it,” Ashina leaned forward. “I feel it. I’m certain.”
    The women in the mirror are really my sisters? Receiving confirmation of her family was what she had longed for, but with it came the confirmation of her true nature. The weight of reality, delivered with such certainty, settled heavily on her shoulders.
    Solsti. Legend. Power. She’d carried the kernel of possibility of who she might truly be, hardly daring to speak of it, and now it exploded into something far more vast than she could’ve dreamed.
    The memory rushed back of being trapped in a ravine, wedged under a tree and boulders…which she had somehow moved with the power of her mind. That’s when the questions had started, incessantly. And that’s why she had been compelled to look in that mirror. Which was why she was here right now. “Th-this is too much. I don’t know what to say.”
    “I’m sorry. I don’t know any other way to say this.” Ashina’s voice sounded like it was coming from far away. “If it makes you feel better, I know the girls will be dying to meet you. They’re sweet, caring, and tough.”
    “I-I need a minute. Or maybe longer.” Alina dropped her hands and lay back down. Her muscles were sapped of all strength. “I don’t believe this.” I do, but I don’t .
    “Neither do I,” Ashina murmured. “I can’t believe you just…came through the door.”
    “I-I don’t know what to say.” A hundred thoughts, memories, and possibilities zipped through Alina’s mind. I have family. I have a purpose.
    “The girls all said they felt the connection too—it wasn’t just on my end. Would you…would you mind if I held your hand, and you can see if you feel it too?”
    “Um…” Alina bit her lip. “Will it hurt?”
    “No. My enhanced powers are in the healing arts—they can’t harm anyone.”
    “Okay.” Alina turned her head toward the healer. Why not? Ever since Mulvari’s party, her life had spiraled from one heart-stopping situation to the next. Holding this woman’s hand couldn’t be any weirder than anything else she’d gone through.
    Ashina wrapped her smooth fingers around Alina’s. Instantly, Alina felt warm, soothing reassurance that resonated to her very soul. Like the woman was a source of guidance and comfort. Loving and accepting, like she’d known her all her life. Her lips parted. “I feel it. Oh, my gods.”
    Ashina smiled, her wide eyes brimming with tears. “My khali.”
    Alina sat up and Ashina leaned in to embrace her. Though hugging her felt like home, more questions hammered at Alina’s mind. What about