"I don't understand," Syrra murmurs.

I glance sideways at her. "What are you talking about?"

She shrugs and shakes her head. "I just don't get it. They took your brother and his mate only to return them safe and sound months later? It doesn't make any sense."

"Safe and sound? You're kidding right?" I scoff.

"Well I mean—"

"They're covered in open wounds and new scars, they look like they haven't had food or water since they were taken, not to mention the fact that neither of them have woken up since they got back."

She sighs, putting her hand over mine. "I'm sorry Kaine, it's just that after everything Jada said, I was almost expecting them to be dead when we finally found them. The angels are a powerful people and we had no way of even attempting a rescue. I didn't have a lot of hope so this seemed like a win," she explains.

My chest tightens a little. She was right. This should be a win. Of all the possible ways this could have ended, getting my brother and his mate back alive was definitely one of the better outcomes. But the longer I sit beside Jaxon and Ash, the more my hope waned.

Their bodies were absolutely emaciated. Ash had a nasty open wound on his chest. It was almost right over his heart and I'm not sure how he is still alive much less breathing normally. Jaxon was better off but not by much; he was covered in large bruises and what looked like dozens of knife wounds. And then there were the festering blisters around both of their necks—it was like they had been wearing burning collars that were much too tight.

All I could think about was how I desperately wanted my brother to wake up, but somewhere in the back of my mind, I was afraid that the brother I lost wasn't the same one they rescued.

******

"I was instructed to obtain information about dragon territory as well as the new witch queen. And before you ask I didn't hurt the boys," she says with a small half smile, glancing pointedly at my mother, "I have been doing this for a very long time and I learned pretty quickly that physical pain is one of the least effective ways to get information when you're dealing with beings as powerful as dragons.

"Besides, torture isn't really my thing," she finishes, taking a slow sip from her wine glass.

My mother rubs at her temple then sighs. "Who hurt them then?"

The woman's eyebrows pop up for a second as a quiet snort escapes her lips. "A stupid man with tiny wings named Dorin."

The woman beside her leans over with a scowl. "For the love of the gods Aurelia will you let that go?" she growls almost inaudibly.

"Tiny wings? What does that mean?" Syrra asks, but the woman ignores her. In fact, she seems to ignore everyone except for my mother. So far she has only answered her questions.

"Am I supposed to know that name?" My mother asks.

She shook her head. "I doubt you would. He was a high ranking member of our civilization that oversaw the angelic guard. He was very close to our very corrupt leader so he took over my job of questioning the boys and he is far less kind."

Everyone goes quiet, but it is clear on their faces that everyone was imagining the same horrors. Aurelia stayed silent for a few minutes as she returned to her food, but then she set down her fork and looked back up at my mother.

"You know, I think Ash might have known him actually."

"What makes you think that?"

"I've never seen anyone look at that weasel of a man and be that terrified. The poor boy almost had a panic attack before Dorin even pulled out a knife," she sighs.

I barely even comprehend what she says, all I can think about is how calm she seems. She continues describing everything that happened to my brother and his mate, all the while eating and drinking wine as if she were simply chatting about the weather.

It's unsettling.

"Kaine?"

I turn to Syrra beside me. "Yeah? What's up?" I ask in a low voice.

"Who is that with your mom?"

I frown a little as I follow her gaze across the table. Beside my mother is a warrior I vaguely recognize. I noticed him earlier but I didn't think anything of it.

I glance around at the table and realize his presence is extremely odd. Not only is he sitting beside my mother, but he was allowed in this room to hear the woman explain what happened to Jaxon and Ash when even Fara was denied that opportunity.

I lean close and lower my voice a little. "I don't remember his name, but I know he was a sky warrior like my mom. He was one of the strongest and most skilled warriors of his time, although now I'm pretty sure he just makes weapons," I tell her.

Syrra continues staring and I feel a slight twinge in my stomach when I realize the look in her eyes in awe. What the fuck? He's like three times our age, I growl in my head.

He's basically a war hero, Lucifer comments.

I look back at him and notice all of the scars that disfigure his face. There are a series of very bad ones that run across his entire face, tearing through an eyebrow and mangling his earlobe. One even goes over his eye—and it looks like that one cost him half his sight. One eye is a pale blue while the other is dark brown.

Syrra smiles suddenly. "You know it looks like your mom trusts him an awful lot do you think maybe they—"

I shush her gently. "I don't really want to think about something like that and besides, it's not really any of our business," I tell her.

"She is your mom, shouldn't she talk to you about something like that?"

I shake my head. "She needs someone just like the rest of us. I know she's not going to try to replace my dad so it has nothing to do with me. I'm not going to interfere with her being happy."

Syrra just nods and says nothing more, so we turn our attention back to Aurelia. She is still describing what transpired during their escape and my mouth twists in horror as I listen to the story.

She explains that Ash was hit by a spear in the chest and Jaxon took a few blows from swords and other assorted weaponry. The spear put Ash down and Jaxon went out immediately afterwards. I don't know what kind of weapons the angels use but they must be made with some kind of magic if they only inflicted wounds on one of them.

She falls silent again but nobody else speaks. My mother keeps looking down at her lap and my first thought is she is afraid to ask the one question that has been stuck in my mind since my brother was rescued.

It slips out. "Are they going to be okay?"

All heads turn to me, then immediately back to Aurelia. She looks distressed for the first time tonight. "They should have died several times by now, and yet they're still breathing, so I truly do not know. I'm sorry Kaine."

******

Both of them look dead, but their chests slowly rising and falling informs me that they're still alive. Jaxon's eyes even seem to be moving beneath his closed eyelids.

"How could you do this to them?" I growl under my breath.

She sighs. "I told you I didn't. I got them out because I couldn't keep that idiot from hurting them," she mutters.

She paces around my brother and his mate, glancing at them every few steps. She looks so unbelievably guilty but I can't tell if her nervousness is why I don't trust her. The power radiating off her is unlike anything I've ever experienced. Lucifer is freaked out and my wolf has absolutely no idea what she even is.

"Are you an angel?" I ask.

She pauses, then smirks slightly. "Not exactly."

"Hey."

I turn to see Syrra in the entrance to the tent. "Hey, where have you been?" I ask. I glance around quickly but the woman is gone.

"I was talking to the woman that came with Aurelia and that other lady at dinner," she says.

"What? Why?"

"She's Jada's mother."

My eyes fly wide. "What? Are you serious?"

She nods. "She disappeared around the same time my parents did so I wanted to ask if maybe she knew what happened to them."

"Oh, what did she say?"

She just shakes her head. "I thought maybe they were taken like she was but no."

I bite my cheek, furrowing my brows in confusion. "How she could do something like that? How could that woman help cover up the kidnapping and torture of Jaxon and Ash and so many others?

Syrra gives me a sad smile. "She did it because she wanted to see her daughter again."