Free Enchanter's Echo by Anise Rae Page B

to maintain her distance. An embrace would not. She’d have to bestow true forgiveness. Her heart felt hollow, as if it might shatter to dust if she moved, but she didn’t have a choice. She hesitated for one more moment, then pulled in her energy, and wrapped her arms around Bronte’s delicate frame. “He wanted death and peace more than anything. He used you in an awful way to get it. So, let go of this. And let yourself find peace, too,” she whispered. Her vibes calmed.
    “Thank you. Please believe this was all me. Don’t blame Edmund.” Bronte whispered. “He really likes you.”
    Aurora stepped back. Edmund had the power to wipe her father away...to wipe her away. She put her hand over her heart as if she might hold its cracked pieces together. “You’ve misinterpreted what’s between Edmund and me.”
    The door slammed open, just missing her. Edmund burst in. He glanced among the three of them. “Do you know how many bathrooms there are in this place?”
    Allison bounced. “We’re friends!”
    “That’s great, Al.” He replied, sincere and tolerant.
    She could feel his gaze on her, but she couldn’t meet his eyes. He was involved in that false story about her father’s death. She knew it down to her last vibe. She was out of her league with these people and it didn’t matter how much she craved his touch or the shine of smile, he played games she’d never win.
    Aurora stepped away and grabbed the door before it closed.
    He caught her, wrapped his fingers around hers, and pulled her back in. “Overseer Wasten,” he stated. “You’re not pleased with his appointment.”
    “What?” She jerked her head up to face him. For a moment she couldn’t understand his comment, her mind drowning in her father’s death. Wasten…her real secret, while her father had been the Rallises’ secret.
    He narrowed his eyes. “How long has he known there was an enchantress in our Drainpipe?”
     

Chapter 4
     
    He’d watched her from the stage, seen her shock as Wasten stepped up to the platform. “You could have had a say in the choice, you know. You could have been the overseer.” His enchantress kept too many secrets—Wasten was yet another. “Your power grants you celebrity status. If you want to help the Drainpipe, quit cowering in the junkyard and do something. I’ll help you.”
    She straightened, stiff as a new wand, and looked away.
    “Come on,” he coaxed her, gently this time, burying his own tension. He tugged her closer, holding her hand. “Why don’t you like him? What’s he done?” Ripped a fissure in the bond, perhaps?
    She swallowed so hard it practically echoed around the small room. Though her lips parted, she didn’t speak and she wouldn’t meet his eyes. He’d never wished to be a mind mage so badly. “Ror, if there’s trouble brewing, let’s fix it before it boils over.”
    “Don’t you prefer when things boil over?” She spoke to the wall. “Doesn’t that make the game more exciting?”
    “Not when it comes to you.” He delivered the truth with more harshness than he’d intended. From the corner of his eye, he saw Bronte and Allison stir at his tone. He took a breath and lifted his hand to Aurora’s cheek, coaxing her to look at him.
    She studied him, but only for a moment. “Justin Wasten is a fine choice.”
    Crickets.
    “As for knowing about the Drainpipe’s enchantress,” she continued, “didn’t he just start the job tonight? You already knew I was there, so he’s not violated your trust. Please don’t bother him about me. He has enough sadness in his life. He doesn’t need more stress.” With that, she spun away.
    “Where are you going?” he asked.
    She stopped to the right of the door, her gaze bounced to Bronte and Allison before landing on him. “It’s almost midnight.”
    “I’d gladly give you a ride home if your coach is about to turn into a pumpkin, though I’d dance with you even if you were dressed in rags.” He smiled at her,