Chapter 28

"Are you sure, Simon?" Catlin asked, as she sat on the edge of his bed. They were careful to use their other names outside their rooms but when it was just the two of them it felt good to use what they thought were their real names. "I know we both want to believe what Jack told us was true, but what if we are just swapping one load of trouble for another?"

He couldn't explain it properly, but there was a coil of warmth in his chest when he thought about Robin, and when he'd met the man called Rob in the orangery, the coil had unravelled and reached out in his direction. "I just know. And after what Ralph did I need to get out of here as soon as I can."

Catlin shuddered. "He's a creep. It makes me so angry that everyone thinks he's some sort of saint."

"I'm sure he's why I'm here. The more I think about it the more I'm convinced Jack and Robin are telling the truth. If he develops the treatment he was talking about, I think he'll use it to make me forget again and keep me in a constant docile state so he can continue to drain my magic."

"He's an evil bastard, and you need to get away. I'll help where I can."

"You as well, Catlin." He squeezed her hand. "I won't leave you behind, we'll get you home too."

"Thank you. If my family didn't abandon me, then I'd like to know how I got here and why. I've not got magic to steal, I can't see why I'd be kept a resident long-term."

"I don't know either. But they do take a lot of your blood. Maybe they can use it for something. Ralph mentioned he did research, and we thought he was using money from those at the meetings but maybe those of us who are here serve another purpose."

Catlin's eyes were wide. "We should ask Jack. He might know."

"Yeah, and I'll see if Robin knows more."

He left Catlin, eager to be on time to meet Robin. He'd been calling him that, but what if he'd been mistaken? He'd heard from other patients that two of the new residents were a couple. The idea he was someone else's partner stung, it more than stung, it raged like a fire and he wanted to do horrible things to this faceless Will. The pull to Robin had been indescribable—he'd wanted to crawl into his lap and kiss him. His face wasn't right, but his eyes were, he knew those eyes.

Robin wasn't there when he arrived at the door, the disappointment was crushing, perhaps he had changed his mind. He stepped into the garden, the gravel under his feet an anchor to reality.

"Hello."

He jumped, turned to see Rob… Robin. "I wondered if you'd changed your mind."

"No chance. I was with one of the nurses, they were keen to ensure I had settled in, and seemed happy to know I was meeting you."

Simon was surprised he'd been so open. "You told them?"

"Best way, I don't want anyone to think we are hiding something. Now, I'm in your hands."

Simon wanted to get away from the house, the risk of being overheard greater the closer they were. "The lake might be a nice spot to watch the end of the sunset," he suggested.

"Perfect. I'd love to see the jetty."

There was no way he could've known there was a jetty unless it was Robin, but he had one last concern to lay to rest. "Is your friend likely to join us?"

"No, Will is busy meeting others. We thought it beneficial to spend some time apart." He smiled. "I've been looking forward to seeing the grounds with you."

Simon wanted to find somewhere private, away from prying eyes where they could talk. "How are you finding the place so far?"

"Not so bad, although I don't want this to be an extended stay. How long have you been here?"

"I'm not sure, my memory isn't particularly good and I've been having trouble anchoring myself. A few weeks or so as a best guess."

Robin nodded. "Would three weeks sound about right?"

"Yes, give or take."

They crossed the lane and Simon steered them away from the many thoroughfares, there weren't other patients around, most as far as he could tell weren't nocturnal and so they should be safe to talk. His magic thrummed at being so close to Robin—he couldn't be mistaken. "You're him, aren't you."

"Yes. I know I don't look like how I should, but in order to be here we had to take precautions."

"I want to hold you."

"Me too."

He felt Robin's fingers brush his as they walked, and a wave of desire flooded his body. He almost tripped over his own feet at the reaction. Robin stopped him from hitting the ground and they stood facing each other.

"Your face isn't right."

"I know, and neither is your hair, and once we're out of here we'll put everything back to normal. But I need to make sure you're safe first. Let's get to somewhere we can talk. Jack said he'd set up a dampened area by a willow tree near the lake."

"I know where he means."

They needed to be careful. He made no attempt to quicken their pace and they should be seen making small talk in case they were overheard. "Have you been given a tour of the house yet?"

"Of the bits they want me to see. I imagine there's parts that are staff-only. I guess you know your way around by now."

"As you say, I know where I'm allowed. But Ralph has invited me several times to his private rooms."

They reached the willow and Simon followed Robin through the hanging curtain of branches. "We should be safe to talk in here, but Jack warned me not to be too long, there's likely to be measures in place to spot things that might look out of the ordinary."

"I gathered as much as one of the nurses almost caught us when we talked at the lake."

Robin grabbed him and pulled him into his arms. "I need to hold you."

Simon went willingly. Nothing had ever felt so right, he buried his face into the crook of Robin's neck. This was where he belonged. A warm purr swam around his body. Robin was his.

"My appearance has been altered, so has Jack's. You knew him before as well. Will is really Gwil, working with us. He's got certain skills and is looking into the best way to get you out of here."

Simon stepped away, he didn't want to, but if he didn't he might never let go. "I need to leave as soon as I can. I told you Ralph said he was my husband."

He saw Robin stiffen. "He's not. I am."

"He said it was to protect me, but last night he suggested we stop pretending and become a real couple." His voice cracked as he spoke. "I don't want to."

He saw the anger on Robin's face.

"I won't let it happen."

"He's also working on something… he said it's to help me restore my magic, but I think he's looking for a way to make me forget everything and be docile enough for him to continue to drain me." He held up his cuffs. "He put his fingers under the edge of these and he was invigorated by me, by my magic."

"We've a plan. But need to get to know the surroundings. Once Jack and Gwil have been able to scout everything out, we'll open a portal and remove you, but it's not easy due to the wards and those cuffs."

The relief was palpable, but he also knew it must be dangerous and it wasn't just him. "Catlin as well."

"Yeah, Ben would never forgive me if I left her here."

"Ben?"

"Her sired sibling. She was taken, her family have been looking for her for months."

Simon thought the risks were high. From what he'd seen Ralph ran a tight ship. "How confident are you that you can get us out?"

"We're not working on our own, there are a lot of people supporting us, so I am positive we'll get you out of here. I'm not saying it will be easy, but I won't allow this to fail. I can't. I love you, I've never loved anyone before and I won't lose you."

Simon wanted to be able to say that back to Robin, but without his memories it wouldn't feel right. "I know I'm drawn to you, but I don't remember much."

"At least you still have your wedding ring." Robin reached out and rubbed his thumb over the band on Simon's ring finger, which Simon had thought was a prop from Ralph. Now he would covet it as the precious item it truly was. "You will and then I can't wait to hear you tell me."

There was something about the way Robin had said it that made Simon think Robin had been waiting a long time to hear Simon say he loved him. They weren't in a position to go into their story now, but he hoped his memories would return soon.

"We should probably carry on, I don't think it would be good to linger here too long," Simon said.

"You're right, at least we've been able to connect now. We just need to be careful whenever we're together and you need to be ready to act. I might not be able to give you much warning."

He wanted to go home with Robin. "I'll be ready."

"Let's finish the loop around the lake and head back inside. I half expect someone to be waiting for us when we get there."

Simon thought the same. "Perhaps you can introduce me to your friend Will."

"I should warn you, that part of our cover is that he's my boyfriend and he's given me some nasty infectious disease, and I'm blindly in love with him so I've let him get away with it."

Simon laughed. "Somehow that doesn't strike me as being who you are."

"We thought we should make our alternative identities as least like our real selves as possible. Trust me no one would do that to me in the real world, not unless they had a death wish."

Simon didn't doubt it. While Ralph may have made up some of the things Robin had done to him, Simon was sure that Robin had done some terrible things in his time, and wouldn't have given a rat's arse if anyone cared or not.

They left their secret hidey-hole underneath the branches of the willow tree and continued on a slow amble around the lake, the conversation banal but Simon just enjoyed spending time with Robin. Sure enough, as they reached the French doors Nurse Teller stood waiting for them.

"Gentlemen, I hope you enjoyed your evening stroll."

"Nomis was kind enough to show me some of the grounds. You haven't seen Will, have you?"

"He's in the main lounge."

"Brilliant, I wanted to catch up with him, and see how he is." Robin's demeanour had changed to a lost puppy looking for its owner, he was a brilliant actor.

"I can show you the way if you like? You spoke so much about Will I'd like to meet him."

Nurse Teller seemed happy enough to let Simon lead Robin away, and he thought she'd been told to check in on both Simon and Robin, both of them an important resource needing to be watched. Now, even more than ever, he needed to keep his guard up. He could see a sliver of who the real him was and he didn't want to risk losing it by being careless and giving the game away.