The artwork above is not mine.

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Nascha followed Vaughan through the Bane's camp at a distance, sensing his dark mood. She hadn't bothered to ask what was wrong. Odds were, he wouldn't tell her, and asking about it might just make things worse. She couldn't help but wonder if being overwhelmed at the ball was part of the reason why he had stayed home the day before, and why he was acting this way now.

Nascha soon caught sight of Aeron, waiting with a group of novices. An unfamiliar female stood beside him. Their resemblance was unmistakable. Like Aeron, the female had blonde hair, but hers hung in loose waves around her face. Her skin was paler than his, although it held a sunkissed glow from her time at sea. Her eyes were a rich shade of gold. She was slightly shorter than her brother, with pointed ears and a brilliant smile. Nascha grinned and broke away from Vaughan, joining the pair.

"You must be Luciana," she said, offering a hand. "I'm Nascha."

The female shook her hand with a nod. "My brother mentioned you in a few of his letters. I didn't know he'd told you that I was coming." She flashed Aeron a mock frown. Aeron just smiled.

"I'm glad you made it here safely. Aeron told me about some of your struggles at home. I hope you'll feel safer here than you did there."

"I'm sure I will." Luciana crossed her arms. "Now, let me look at you. Aeron said you were stunningly gorgeous, and I want to see if he's right."

Nascha furrowed her brows as Luciana circled her. Aeron averted his eyes, an embarrassed flush creeping into his cheeks. "Don't let Fenrys hear you say anything like that," Nascha teased.

Aeron tilted his head and studied her, drawing in a deep breath. His smile grew brighter. "My offer to be your middle man still stands."

Nascha threw her head back with a laugh. "Of course it does."

Luciana skipped past, leaving a hint of citrus and lavender in her wake. "I have to agree with you, Aeron. She is very pretty." She draped her arm over Aeron's shoulder and leaned into him.

"So are you," Nascha replied. "I had no idea you'd look so similar."

"Neither did we," Luciana giggled. "We described ourselves in our letters, but it didn't prepare us for seeing each other in person."

"It never does. Aeron mentioned his secondary form is a lynx. Is yours similar to his?"

Luciana nodded. "In a sense. My secondary form is an ocelot."

Nascha knit her brows. "I've never seen one. What do they look like?"

"A much smaller version of a leopard," Luciana explained. "I'm close to the size of a leopard when I shift though, just like Aeron is closer to the size of a small mountain lion as his lynx. What's your secondary form?"

"A barn owl. I'm about five times bigger than what they actually are."

Luciana gave an understanding nod and began to reply. "Nascha!" Vaughan hollered, interrupting her. He joined them shortly, an irritated look on his face.

"I was meeting Aeron's sister," Nascha huffed. "Don't tell me I'm not allowed to meet people."

Vaughan rolled his eyes with a sigh. "Sorry. I haven't slept much the past two nights." He fixed his gaze on Luciana and a look of recognition flickered through his eyes. "I've met you before, haven't I?"

Luciana bit her lip with a nod. "A few times in Doranelle, when my father went to speak with Maeve. You're...Vaughan?"

He inclined his head. "And your father is..."

Aeron lowered his voice as he answered, "Brye Alburn. Luciana is my half sister."

Vaughan's eyes widened in surprise as he looked Aeron over. He ran his fingers through his dark hair, then rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I don't know how I missed the resemblance."

"My features are more Human than Fae," Aeron said. "It mutes the resemblance, and I go by my mother's last name instead of Brye's. Tariq."

"And Father keeps all mention of you locked up," Luciana added.

"That too."

Vaughan's gaze shifted to Luciana. "You're one of the Bane's new recruits?" She nodded. "You should go by Tariq instead of Alburn too. There are people here who hate your father with a passion, and wouldn't hesitate to take it out on you." Luciana nodded once more. "You should get to your training group. Kyllian and Elgan don't take well to stragglers."

Luciana glanced at Aeron, who gave her an encouraging smile. He squeezed her hand tightly before she pulled away. "It was nice to meet you, Nascha. And, it was good to see you again, Vaughan."

"I'll come find you later and we can do some sparring if you like," Nascha offered. "It will be nice to have another female in the camp. Hopefully one who is more focused on her skills than on impressing the males?"

Luciana grinned with a nod. "I'd like that." She pranced away, pulling her hair back into a ponytail as she went.

"Nascha," Vaughan called, already walking off. Nascha waved to Aeron and hurried after him.

"She seems nice," Nascha remarked as they made their way through the camp.

"She is, from what little I've seen of her. Considering how her parents are and how they treated her, it's a wonder she turned out so well."

"What do you mean? Aeron told me their father doted on her despite being controlling, and her mother is dead now."

"I only saw how they behaved in front of Maeve, but that was bad enough. Brye was a manipulative bastard who was well acquainted with Cairn. His reputation as a war General and Cairn's good opinion of him were what earned him a few audiences and assignments from Maeve. I remember he once attended a meeting with Maeve and had brought Luciana and her mother along. While Brye was speaking with Maeve, his wife was reprimanding and ridiculing Luciana without any cause that I could find."

"So her father was controlling and her mother was abusive? No wonder she wanted to leave."

"We'll see how long she lasts." Nascha narrowed her eyes, waiting for Vaughan to continue. "She grew up with everything she ever wanted handed to her on a silver platter," he said. "I doubt she's even held a sword, or learned to use her magic. If she doesn't prove to be a quick learner, it won't be long before Aedion sends her packing."

"Where will she go if he does? Aeron is the only other family she has, and she clearly can't go back to her father."

Vaughan shrugged. "That's not for us to worry about. She looks like a smart female. After a brief adjustment period, I'm sure she'll do fine. It's just these first few months that will be hard on her."

"Then I'll have to help her however I can," Nascha replied firmly. She elbowed Vaughan. "And so should you. Fenrys told me you're officially an instructor now. It's your job to make sure none of the recruits fail."

A small smile tugged at his lips. "I suppose so, but I can't seem like I'm choosing favorites."

"You wouldn't be. You'd be doing me a favor. I'm your favorite, aren't I, and I'm not an actual member of the Bane, so you wouldn't get in trouble."

"Hardly. The temptation to dump you on Rowan's lap and let him deal with your magic is increasingly tempting every day."

"I'll pretend you didn't just say that."

They reached their usual training spot and Vaughan motioned for Nascha to begin. "Start with shielding," he instructed.

She dredged up her darkness and let it enclose the clearing. Starlight soon followed, forming a hard dome beneath the darkness. Vaughan gave an approving nod. Nascha continued, forming her darkness and starlight into different kinds of shields. Some were large. Others were small. Some were elaborate, and others were plain.

"Why haven't you been sleeping well?" Nascha asked, squinting as she focused her magic.

"Dreams," he replied vaguely.

"Of Connall?"

"Of my parents and little sister."

"You never told me what happened to them."

"You never asked."

Nascha drew in a steadying breath, feeling a sudden spike in her power. She managed to maintain the magic and shaped another shield. "Will you tell me if I do?"

Vaughan sat on a log. For several long minutes, the only sound to be heard was the hum of Nascha's magic. "Maeve killed them," he said at last.

"Why?"

"She wanted me to swear the blood oath, but I refused. For months, I resisted her. She kept me trapped in Doranelle, with Lorcan and Gavriel shadowing my every move. Finally, she threatened to destroy my home and everyone in it if I didn't yield. I relented and swore the oath. When she let me return home, I found that every single person in the village had been slaughtered. Their bodies were piled in the center of the village, with my parents and little sister on top."

Nascha dispersed her magic and crossed her arms, listening patiently. "They were so...broken," he murmured. "I hardly recognized them. There were so many bodies there that I never could have buried them all, so I burnt the entire village to the ground." Vaughan lifted a hand, and a kernel of fire sparked to life. It was black and silver, and radiating coldness, rather than heat.

"I've never seen your magic before," Nascha said, inching closer. She knelt and studied the fire curiously.

"I keep it hidden." Vaughan clenched his fist and the fire winked out. "It's a dark gift. One I wish I never had. It's why Maeve wanted me so badly. It is a power descended from Vanth, the Goddess of the Dead. She was one of my ancestors, and I am the last person in my family to bear her flame. I knew how Maeve intended to use me, and I didn't want to be responsible for so much destruction, but..."

Vaughan lowered his head. Nascha fought the urge to reach out to him. "Lorcan told me later that it was Cairn who had tortured them. After I swore the oath, Maeve summoned him from his position in Rowan's army. He wasn't even blood-sworn to her yet. She sent him after my family and let him torture them for months to punish me for refusing her for so long."

"Did that bitch have nothing better to do than destroy the lives of innocents?" Nascha spat.

"It was her sole purpose in life," Vaughan replied.

Nascha sat down, letting her back rest against the log. "What were their names?"

"Niran, Evanora, and Larina."

"How much younger than you was your sister?"

He smiled faintly. "Eighty-five years. She was only eighteen when she died."

"Wow. Van was 152 years older than me. Zeno was twenty."

"I'm about 345 years older than you," Vaughan chuckled.

Nascha pursed her lips. "How old is Fenrys?"

"You've never asked him how old he is?" She shook her head. "137."

"So he's 112 years older than me." Nascha shook her head with a laugh. "How is it possible for him to be over a century older than me and still act more immature than I do?"

"Gavriel liked to say that Fenrys was still in his teenage years."

"That would mean you're still in your twenties."

"Yes. Technically, Lorcan is the one you should be calling old."

"How hard do you think he'd hit me if I did?"

"Hard enough to break your jaw." Vaughan tilted his head. "And then Fenrys would try to kill Lorcan and Elide would try to kill Fenrys. That would make things awkward for the rest of us. Don't call Lorcan old."

"Territorial Fae bullshit," Nascha laughed.

"Except Elide isn't Fae."

"Imagine if she was."

"I'd rather not." Vaughan stood abruptly. "We still have work to do."

Nascha nodded and rose. "Thank you for telling me about your family, and your magic. And don't worry, I remember. If I tell Fenrys, or anyone else, you'll rip out my tongue and shove it down my throat."

Vaughan shook his head. "Then Fenrys would kill me. I'd rather stay on his good side."

"Are you upset about...us?" She asked hesitantly.

"Why would I be?"

Nascha shrugged, summoning her magic. "Fenrys and I have been worried about how everyone will react, now that our relationship is official and noticeable."

"I'm not upset. I figured something like this would happen from the beginning."

"You did?"

"Yes. You've both been lonely long enough, and you deserve happiness. If your happiness lies with each other, why should I be upset?"

Nascha smiled, even as she gave Vaughan a pointed look. "Don't you think you've been lonely long enough too?" Vaughan stiffened, and she said nothing more.