Origin of Angels: Elemental Legacy Book 1 Read Free

night whether my eyes were closed or not. Would I ever be free of her? Did I want to be?
    I found myself in the maze which stretched around the council building. I asked Rayla once why she created it; she’d told me sometimes she needed to get lost in her thoughts, and this was the perfect place for it. I lifted my hand, letting my fingers drag across the boxwood as I delved deeper into the living puzzle. Both soft and prickly, the sensation distracted me for a time. The twists and turns came and went until I found myself gazing at a giant oak with a single red bench anchored below it. By this time, most of my energy was spent, so I took a seat, startled by the view before me.
    I hadn’t realized I’d traveled uphill, but here spread a panorama I’d only ever imagined. Gigantic snow-capped mountains loomed in the distance with the city sprawled from the base to where I sat. The buildings were a strange mix of modern and ancient, creating a patchwork of stone and steel. I’d never let myself admit to the beauty here, but it was now undeniable. My sister had done herself proud when she’d created the place. If only I could let myself care.
    I’d been here when it happened. One moment, I was in a field in the fae capital of Lombarda and the next, this valley came into existence. Seems both Rayla and I had genetics going beyond normal Elementals. Our bio-logical father had been for all accounts and purposes an angel. Supposedly, he and the other royal guards had been sent to make sure the fae didn’t step out of line. From what I’d heard, though, the guard ended up being glorified babysitters.
    When I joined Rayla after her battle with Valen, Nicco had given me a passing glance. It was the one and only time I ever saw my father.
    I couldn’t help but wonder why he’d abandoned his family, and I had no proof his reasons were anything but made of self-preservation or cowardice.
    What did I care? John Keller would always be my father, no matter what a DNA test said. Still, a part of me would always question how a father, angel or not, would allow another to raise his child. If it were me, I’d search every crevice until my offspring were uncovered.
Rayla
    EXCUSING MYSELF FROM THE COUNCIL, I followed my brother. Each day Travis became more despondent. I’d tried to talk to him. I’d even sent our mother to talk some sense into him, but he wouldn’t cave to the woman who gave him birth. When that didn’t work, I sent in my ever resourceful aunt. If anyone could get him to talk, it was Grace Keller, but unfortunately she’d come away empty, too.
    Something was eating my brother, and I intended to discover what. I reached out with my senses, using techniques Heath had taught me to locate Travis’ unique signature. Before I’d known anything about the fae, I used to notice things about nature and people. I’d always sensed when others were upset before I caught a glimpse of them. I loved being in nature. It’s why I’d taken to running. I’d never realized I had been picking up on the individual vibrations unique to every living thing.
    How many experiences had I missed because my mother chose to protect me from fae life? Knowing what I do now, I no longer blame her for abandoning me. The moment I saw her again, I mentally reverted to the four year old she’d left with Aunt Grace. She’d wanted me to have a normal life, but Elementals were not meant to exist among the mundane. We were created for a specific purpose: to balance the fae. I used to think their motivations selfish. When the lords came for me, each one claimed a connection to me. Each one captured my heart in one way or another. I didn’t know a heart could feel so much for so many people. Once in Faeresia, I instantly connected to several fae, servants and royals alike. I’d seen goodness and light mixed with selfish whims and darkness. Some claimed affiliation to the light court, some the dark, but the designation had nothing to do with actuality.