Betrayal Read Online Free PDF

to think Yoshiro’s right.”
    â€œWho are you?” I asked, eying the woman. She looked about my parents’ age, tall and dark haired with hazel eyes. And vaguely familiar. “Do I know you?”
    She smiled in surprise. “Actually, yes—though we haven’t met since you were a little girl. Or maybe it’s simply innate recognition.”
    â€œBecause we’re both ghostkeepers?”
    â€œNo,” she said, “because we’re family.”
    â€œI don’t have family,” I told her. “Only my parents and brother. My grandparents died before I was born, my mom’s an only child, and my dad’s not in touch with—”
    â€œHis sister,” she finished.
    â€œWait,” I said. “You’re my dad’s sister?”
    Bennett glared at her. “You never told me this.”
    She nodded. “I’m your aunt.”
    â€œRachel?” I asked, astonished. She looked a little like my father around the eyes and in the way she smiled.
    Her face glowed with pleasure, and she stepped forward like she wanted to hug me. I would’ve let her, except Bennett was glowering—and I was trying to remember why she and my father weren’t in touch anymore.
    Instead of the hug, she sat beside me and squeezed my arm. “I’m so pleased to finally meet you—again.” She laughed. “The last time I saw you, you were still in diapers.”
    Great. Just how I wanted Bennett picturing me: in princess-themed Pampers. At least he hadn’t kept this from me. The tapestry paled in comparison. Rachel seemed okay and all, but did I really need an unexpected aunt cluttering up my life? I had enough going on with dead friends, ghostly vendettas, and an untouchable boyfriend.
    â€œDo my parents know you’re in the Knell?” I asked. “Where are they? Does my brother, Max, know about you?”
    â€œWait, wait—one question at a time,” she said.
    â€œI’ve got one,” Bennett said, his face hard. “Do the others know you’re her aunt? I don’t like this, Rachel—springing this on Emma without any warning. She’s been through enough surprises already.”
    â€œThis is a family matter.”
    â€œIt’s a Knell matter,” he said. “Let’s bring this to Yoshiro and William and Gabriel, then we’ll all hear you answer Emma’s questions.”
    â€œThey know. I wanted a moment to speak with her privately,” she said.
    â€œEmma doesn’t need—”
    I cut him off. “I’m good, Bennett. I want to talk to her. She’s family and the only one who hasn’t run out on me. Well, if you don’t count when I was a baby.” Plus, for all I knew she was the key to Max’s and my parents’ disappearance. “You go ahead; tell them we’ll be there soon.”
    â€œYou sure?”
    I gave him a look. I liked how protective he was, but I needed to do this on my own, and I sensed Rachel wouldn’t talk with him around.
    He smiled wryly, reading my expression. “Okay,” he said. “Back in five minutes.”
    After he left, I turned to Rachel and waited for her to begin, conscious of a vague feeling of disquiet. Maybe due to the tapestry or the proximity of so many ghostkeepers. Or maybe I was just picking up on Rachel’s anxiety.
    She licked her lips and looked from the tapestry back to me. “Your father didn’t take your mother’s powers, Emma. Neos did. They— we were all working for the Knell, the four of us as a team. Nobody dispelled ghasts better than we did.” Her eyes flashed at the memory. “Then your mother and Neos fell in love, and she started losing her powers. When she became a liability, the Knell wanted her out. Neos immersed himself in the old lore, searching for a way to help her regain her abilities, but nothing worked. He even dabbled in Asarum.”
    â€œWhat’s