CHAPTER 57 MILI
I t’s the break of dawn after the battle and there is a soft knocking at my bedroom window. I gasp and sit up with a start – that’s how Aurora used to let me know she was leaving, if she had to head out in a rush in the evenings.
With a spinning head, I turn to the window and see that it’s really her. I motion for her to come to the front door, and she hesitates before nodding.
After that, I crawl out of the bed (where all three shifters slept with me for the night) and throw on a gossamer robe that Cory gave me, all those months ago in the volcano. I wrap it tightly around me and try to ignore the chill in the air. It’s almost Autumn, after all.
When I open the door, I see Aurora standing at the front gate, turned away from me. I sigh heavily and walk gently over to her.
Once I reach her, she holds up a finger to stop me from speaking. I close my mouth and wait for her to speak first, even though the waiting is agonizing.
Finally, she exhales slowly and turns to me. “I’m leaving.”
My eyebrows shoot up. “What? Why?”
She shrugs. “Why would I stay?”
“Why would you –everything you love is here, Aurora. You love Ethelinda! Why would you give that all up?”
Aurora laughs sadly, then sighs. “I thought that, too. But how can I stay if it doesn’t love me back? How can I stay if you don’t love me back?”
I don’t know what to say to that. It’s true that I don’t love her back anymore, if I ever did, but I do care about her. Maybe that’s enough.
“Isn’t it enough that I care for you? Maybe not romantically, but–”
“It’s not,” Aurora says through gritted teeth. She rubs her face with her hands and forces herself to breathe, then says slowly, “Look, I’m sorry for being angry. It’s not your fault. You can’t force yourself to love me. It wouldn’t be fair to either of us, and –I don’t know. Maybe I don’t even know what love really is, either.”
I feel my brows furrow and my voice quivers slightly as I ask, “What do you mean?”
She smiles and a single tear falls down her cheek. “I just mean that I don’t think love should feel like this.”
I feel, suddenly, like she’s hit me across the face, or shot me in the heart with an arrow. It hits me just how badly I’ve hurt her, even though I didn’t mean to. I still want her to stay, though, perhaps for selfish reasons. I want to right the wrongs, to settle the scores; I want her to be my friend again. Perhaps that’s not fair, though – to either of us.
Instead of saying any of that, I settle for, “At least write to me.”
She wipes her cheek and stares at me with a level gaze. “You know I can’t. But I will miss you.”
“I’ll miss you, too,” I whisper.
She stares at me for a moment, and I could swear she smiles sadly. Then she turns around, unlatches the fence, and heads off down the road. After a few paces, she lifts gently into the air, and I watch her fly away on the late Summer breeze.
“Are you okay?” Max’s voice says softly from behind me.
I turn around to see all three of the shifters huddled in the doorway, watching me. “Did you listen?” I ask defensively. I know Aurora wouldn’t have wanted that.
“No,” Port says quickly. “We couldn’t hear through the door. Well, we covered our ears, too, when we saw who you were talking to. Then we couldn’t hear.”
Despite myself, I chuckle softly. “Well, thank you.”
Cory walks over to me with open arms, and I walk until I’m enveloped in his embrace. It feels right. It feels real.
For as much as I’ve lost this Summer, at least I’ve got Cory, with his snark and his fiery passion and his boundless love. I have Max and Port, too, with their endless compassion, their lighthearted banter, and their genuine care for each other. They know too, now, that they have me. Maybe that will be enough.
“So, Mili, not to pry or anything” Port grins, clearly enjoying himself, “But are there any other ex-lovers we should be bracing for? You know, just in case we need silver weapons by winter?”
Max and Cory exchange a look, their smirks widening.
“Yeah,” Max chimes in, “Maybe a rogue vampire ex, lurking around waiting for a dramatic midnight showdown?”
Cory pulls me a little closer as we walk back into the cottage, pretending to look serious. “Or a shape-shifting warlock who’ll pop out of a mirror with a grudge and a love poem?”
I roll my eyes, and I start laughing. “Oh, please, like I’d date anyone that dramatic.”
Port raises an eyebrow. “So that rules out fae princes and cursed demigods then?”
“Maybe, maybe not.” I shrug, playing along. “If you want a straight answer, don’t ask me, ask a straight girl.”
They all laugh, but Port gives her a sly grin. “Ok, in that case, we better prepare for all eventualities.”
Cory chuckles. “Better yet, let’s just leave a guest book at the door: ‘Welcome, jealous exes. Weapons, curses, and grudges, please check them at the entrance.’”
“Well, now that you mention it boys—any ex-girlfriends of yours I should be worried about? Preferably ones that don’t breathe fire or send a tsunami my way?”
The three of them burst into laughter, talking over each other, pointing fingers, trying to shift the blame. And in the middle of their chaotic banter, I feel this deep, unexpected happiness, like I’m finally at home. Maybe for the first time ever.