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long line of aristocrats, and her father was the most doting, concerned, and protective man anyone had ever seen. Amaryia had a twin sister named Lillyiah. People called her Lil or Lilla. Lillyiah was far fiercer; she delegated, demanded, and tortured men who wished to call her theirs. She was not one to be trifled with, and no man ever seemed to look past her beauty to what lay beyond, in her soul. Lillyiah was not a good person. Her soul may have been sweet and gentle before, but in that lifetime, it was wicked and dark. Sweet Amaryia was beautiful inside and out. And only one man saw that of her.” Sebastian had a sad, faraway look. He stared into the space around him before shaking his head and continuing his story. “Amaryia had taken a liking to him, but when the time came for him to ask her father’s permission for her hand in marriage, she fell ill.
    “Her father took the man aside and told him if he didn’t want Amaryia any longer, he understood. But the man protested and said no one else would do. He wanted her for his wife, no matter what. So her father agreed to allow the marriage proposal to go on. Months went on and Amaryia got better, and they married. Her father made a small cottage for them at the edge of the property, and they decided to have children. Amaryia had begged the man to think about what could happen if she conceived and the child was born. She had always been sickly, and her sister Lillyiah always tried to help her. He understood what would happen and told her he was going to find a doctor who could heal her. The sweet Amaryia did not know that he was of supernatural beings and he knew a healer. She told him it was okay, and he left. Amaryia cried for days while he was gone, and when he finally returned a week later, she had fallen terribly ill again. The healer pulled the man aside and said there was nothing he could do for the girl and walked away. Amaryia’s husband fell to his knees and begged for help and mercy, but it was not granted right away.
    “Amaryia fell asleep one day and never woke again. The man cursed the skies and everything else until the day of the funeral, when he found a small note in his pocket. When he read the words, he smiled with heartbreak. They were a promise that he hoped would come true in his lifetime. And it did.”
    When he finally came back to the present, Sebastian smiled at me with such conviction and shyness that it made my heart ache.
    “What did the note say?” I was scared to ask, but I had to know.
    “That is another story for another time, little AubrieAnna.” Sebastian gave me a half smile, and my heart flopped around before finally settling in its correct place.
    “I am not little. Well, not anymore anyway.” I fought the urge to stick my tongue out like a two-year-old and prayed that he wouldn’t notice my small struggle.
    “Trust me when I say that to me you are. You are young and therefore you are little, little AubrieAnna.” He smiled a smile that dared me to argue, so I stuck my tongue straight out in pure defiance. His laugh filled the room and a sense of déjà vu washed over my skin, making me shudder. Sebastian must have thought that it meant I was cold, because he got up, walked to the fireplace, and lit a small fire that heated the room quickly.
    When I finally stood, my muscles felt sore and achy, and I realized we had been sitting there just talking for hours. Sebastian looked out the window and sighed. After he stretched, he led me back through the hallway, into the kitchen, then out through the small sitting area and into the tunnels once more. The walk back to Clamora’s house seemed to take less time, and when we finally reached the door to her house my stomach let out a ferocious growl. I peeked at Sebastian to see if he noticed, and he did. He was smiling down at me and took me to the kitchen. He shuffled around in the large fridge until he came out with some sandwich ingredients. With his back turned to me, he began