Chapter 46

AURORA

Selenia was quick to defend Rin. “What are you implying? You can’t seriously think Rin hurt Aurora on purpose!” she snapped.

Rayne didn’t back down. “The control spell wasn’t fully effective on us, and you know it. Rin’s actions that night were partly driven by his own jealousy. Why else would he lock himself in his room for days afterward? He was grappling with his own guilt and couldn’t face her because of it,” he argued.

Lana stepped in, her voice stern. “Enough, Rayne!” I’d never seen her so angry. “What’s done is done. It’s not your place to throw in your opinions or assumptions. If you’re upset about what happened, deal with it yourself. Don’t drag Aurora into your drama!”

Rayne glared at her but backed off. “Fine. I’ll talk to Rin about wanting to speak with Aurora alone, if that’s what she wants,” he conceded, before turning and walking away.

I watched him retreat into the palace, a knot of unease forming in my stomach. I tried to keep my face neutral. “What’s gotten into him? Is he really taking Aurora’s decision that hard?” Selenia wondered aloud.

“I’m not sure it’s just that. Something feels off. The Rayne I know isn’t like this,” I admitted.

Lana murmured in agreement. “It’s not like him at all.” Selenia shot her a worried glance. “You don’t think the Faerie’s still controlling him, do you?”

“I don’t know, but I’ll bring it up with Jekia. We might need to keep a closer eye on Rayne for a while, just to be safe,” Lana decided.

Their conversation left me feeling so unsettled that I decided to wait for Rin in the hallway near Jekia’s office. I positioned myself near some of Vishu’s web strands, just in case I needed to call for her help. ~No way~ was I going to be alone with Rayne until I knew what was happening.

Eventually, the door opened and Rin stepped out. Jekia wasn’t with him, which made me wonder if he’d stayed behind to talk to Emelio. I’d heard his voice in there too.

Rin noticed my discomfort as I pushed off the wall to face him. “What’s wrong? Did something happen?” he asked, his face mirroring his concern.

“I wouldn’t say something happened, but something didn’t feel right.” I glanced around before continuing, “Can we talk somewhere private?”

“Yeah, of course,” Rin agreed, sounding just as uneasy as I felt. We ended up in one of the sunrooms, where he closed the door before turning to me. “What’s going on?”

“I’m not sure how to explain it,” I confessed. “Just do the best you can,” Rin encouraged, sitting down next to me on the couch.

I took a deep breath before starting. “After you and your dad left, I was outside talking to your mom and sister. Rayne came over and asked if I could talk to him privately.”

Rin interrupted, “Rayne came back after we left?”

“Yeah. He just showed up, but he was acting strange. I can’t explain it, but he didn’t seem like himself,” I explained.

“What did he say?”

“We were talking about Lady Flora, and he said something about how she should’ve just come here for protection. He blamed her for getting caught. Selenia got mad at him for it, so he changed the subject and asked to talk to me alone. When I told him he should check with you first, he started saying that you’ve always been possessive and that it wasn’t all the Faerie controlling you when you hurt me. He said it was because of your jealousy.”

I expected Rin to get angry, but instead, he looked shocked. “Rayne said that?” he asked softly.

“He did, but it didn’t feel like the Rayne I know,” I insisted. I didn’t want to start a fight between him and Rayne. “Something wasn’t right with him, Rin. Lana felt it too, and I think Selenia did as well. Lana even said she was going to tell your dad because it worried her.”

Rin nodded, pulling himself together. “She should tell him, and I don’t want you to be alone with Rayne either. Rayne’s my twin, and we know each other better than anyone. Even if he’s jealous of you choosing me, I know he wouldn’t say those things. It’s possible that the control spell is affecting him more than we thought. Maybe it’s even wearing him down,” he reasoned.

The thought was frightening, but it made sense. “What do we do? If Rayne’s…,” I started.

“We do what we have to, whether that’s finding a way to free him completely or confining him until we do. We won’t let him go without a fight,” Rin interrupted.

“Then I want to help however I can. Even if I didn’t know it, I brought that spell here. I need to do something to stop it,” I insisted.

Rin wasn’t thrilled about it, but he knew he couldn’t refuse me. Not when I was this resolute. “I’m not sure what you’re capable of yet, but we’ll work it out. For now, just make sure you’re never alone. Whether you’re with me, my family, or even Vishu. The real Rayne would never dream of hurting you, but you’ve seen what this spell can make us do,” Rin cautioned me.

“I understand,” I concurred, “and I’ll do whatever it takes to keep myself safe.”