Chapter 22

22

Over the last week, Vega had slept better than she had in years, but she wasn't sure if it was the training or the fact she somehow felt safe—even though she was in more danger here than she'd ever been in any of her lives on Earth.

They would be leaving to meet with a witch in Fraus tomorrow morning. Vega was hours from getting her memories back.

Her room was small, similar to all of the bedrooms here in Castra. There was nothing of importance in it, which led Vega to ask why she had nothing from her original life—or any of them for that matter.

It was Marlena's ultimate goal to make sure Vega had nothing, even if that meant she took the pictures her sister was trying to hold on to.

The small bed creaked as she tossed and turned. Tonight, sleep eluded her. The anticipation of what was to come kept her brain from slipping into the deep slumber she'd been spoiled with lately.

Vega huffed, giving up. Her memories would just have to excuse the sleepless brain they were re-entering.

The brand on her wrist itched, an inkling of pain slipping through here and there, like one of the other three was trying to scratch the damn thing off. She knew the others could feel it too.

Vega opened her small closet and let her fingers dance over the clothing hanging inside. There was an extra training uniform, the flannel she'd worn on her trek back from Earth, and a few other odds and ends that didn't strike a memory. These pieces were all she had from her lives over the years—outfits she was sure had meaning behind them, big or small.

Vega gripped a dress, velvety black with a dramatic slit up the leg. She pulled it out of the closet and held it up, taking in the low-cut V down the chest. She had never owned anything so beautiful.

She had to try it on.

Quickly, she stripped out of her sleepwear, and it pooled under her feet as she stepped into the gown. The sleeves were long, cutting just along the wrist. Parts of the fabric were singed with marks that looked like lightning.

Vega lightly traced the outline of the streaks, feeling the roughness under her fingertips. The mirror in her room allowed for a full view of the dress. She gaped at the reflection staring back at her.

The fabric was slightly baggy on her, her body not filling it out like it might have once. Over the last year, she'd been fighting demons she hadn't even let her husband see.

A wave of sadness washed over her.

Chase.

Shouldn't she still be grieving over that loss? Grieving over the fact she left a life behind that she'd once loved? That wasn't your real life.

Vega had no idea what to feel anymore, not when her life took a turn she couldn't have hallucinated in her wildest dreams. She wrapped her arms around herself, meeting her gaze in the mirror at the same time someone tapped on the metal door to her bedroom. It rattled, a familiar voice coming from the other side.

"Vega." Khort had been avoiding her since their last encounter, going as far as to have Arlet take over her training the last few days—excusing himself while he handled an issue in another territory.

An issue no one seemed to want to tell her about.

"Shit," Vega muttered to herself. "One sec!" Vega spun in circles, gathering her pajamas on the floor and holding them against her chest. She bumped her hip on the side of her bed and dropped the clothes with a hiss of pain. Fuck, that's gonna bruise. She bit her lip to keep from cursing out loud.

"Is everything okay in there?"

Vega didn't answer, continuing to spin in circles like a dog chasing its tail. The handle turned, and it was too late to hide.

"Ve—" Khort's eyes landed on her.

Her cheeks burned red, embarrassment canceling out the feeling of sadness that had consumed her moments earlier. "I couldn't sleep," she admitted. Vega watched as his eyes roamed over her body, and she wished she could disappear forever.

"I remember the night you wore that like it was yesterday." Khort stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed, his hands behind his back. "I, uh—I…" He paused, and Vega wasn't sure she'd ever seen him so flustered. Khort cleared his throat. "I had a little itch that you weren't able to sleep."

Khort pulled his hands out from behind his back, holding up a couple of crystal glasses and a bottle of deep red wine with no label. "Your favorite wine from Solum."

Vega forgot all about the dress and smiled, moving forward to grab the bottle. The dress rustled as she walked. She couldn't remember the taste, but any wine was better than none on a night like tonight when her friend insomnia came back to visit. "Come to Mama," she cooed, rummaging through the drawers in her room for a bottle opener.

Khort cleared his throat. "Vega." She paused, turning to look at him. "Come here." He nodded his way .

She closed the distance between them. Vega held out the wine for him to take, but he shook his head and placed his hands around hers on the bottle. She met his gaze.

"This was always your favorite party trick." He looked down at their hands. "Focus on the air at the very tip of the bottle."

Vega groaned. "No training! My brain hurts."

Khort tittered a laugh. "It's easy, c'mon. Focus."

She huffed, closing her eyes. The air at the top of the bottle was the temperature of the air around them, and when Vega's mind wrapped around it, she could feel the pressure build. A breath whizzed through her teeth as she focused, and it only took seconds for the cork to shoot out of the bottle with a pop. Vega jumped back, almost dropping the wine. Thankfully, Khort still had a hold over her hands. "Whoa!" A laugh sprang from her lips.

Khort picked up the glasses and poured them both a fair share of the tempting dark wine.

Vega swirled the liquid in the glass, taking a whiff once it settled. The notes of tobacco and black currant hit her like a sucker punch. Her mouth watered, and she was unable to hold off any longer from taking a sip. "Mmmm." She held the glass close, the flavor taking over her senses. "Glad to know I've always had good taste."

Khort smiled, taking a seat in the plush chair at the corner of the room. "Arlet and I crack a bottle of this every year on the anniversary of your first death." His radiant smile faded as he spoke.

Well, that's morbid. Vega wanted to tell him so until she realized what he was saying. "Today?" she asked, biting her lip.

Khort nodded in silence.

"Oh," Vega said, slinking to the bed. She sat on the edge, staring at the glass in her hand. "Fifty-five years?"

Khort nodded again. "Yes." His lips met his glass, but he didn't look up at Vega—she could see the sorrow etching the lines of his face.

Vega moved over to the chair where Khort was sitting. She lowered herself onto the arm, twisting to sit comfortably where she could view his face. "Cheers to fifty-five years." Vega held her glass out and waited for him to clink his against it.

"That's morbid," Khort said, taking her words from earlier right out of her brain.

Vega took a sip and chuckled once she swallowed. "So is popping my favorite bottle of wine on the date of my first death."

"Touché." Khort's laugh was light, though his eyes showed the lingering sadness behind his gaze.

"You said you remember the night I wore this?" Vega gestured to the dress she was still wearing. "What was it for?" Vega still asked questions, even though she'd be getting all those memories back soon.

Khort looked like he didn't want to answer, taking a long sip of his wine. But whatever he saw on Vega's face when he looked up made him sigh. Vega didn't take her eyes off him.

"You wore it the night your sister started her attack on the Curia. The night she'd been inducted and took over your mother's seat," Khort admitted while his eyes dragged from the bottom of the dress, lapping up her exposed leg draped over the side of the chair. His gaze made it to hers, and Vega did her best to hide the feeling that boiled inside her—his stare felt like a heater, scorching every inch of skin.

Vega wasn't drunk enough to blame it on the wine yet. She licked her lips and focused back on the conversation, not Khort's wandering eyes. "Were you there?" she asked as he ran a hand through his shoulder-length hair. It was down today, freshly washed and still damp at the ends.

"Of course. The four of us were inseparable at that time." Khort showed zero emotion.

"So you two were friends?" Vega asked, pushing for more information. Everyone liked to dance around the topic of the man who broke her heart.

"Eventually. It took some time with us," Khort answered as he finished his first glass. When he moved to get up, Vega placed her hand on his chest.

"I'll get it." She popped up and moved to the bottle. The glass in her hand was still half full. Vega's attention had been on Khort and not the wine while he talked. She topped hers anyway after filling Khort's glass. "Why?" she pushed, putting the bottle down within her reach before she settled back into her place on the arm of the chair.

Right now, hearing stories of her life felt like just that: a story. Something she didn't have to believe but chose to dive into anyway. Her memories were the stories that kept her moving across the country with Arlet, but anytime she'd asked about Khort, Arlet gave her the bare minimum.

It was time he got the chance to tell her what Arlet wouldn't.

Khort hesitated, choosing his words wisely. "I lived in a fantasy world before he came into the picture."

Vega rolled her eyes. "This is all a fantasy world to me right now." She chuckled, brushing her hand against his arm as she spoke. Khort stiffened but quickly settled into her touch. Vega watched his eyebrows twitch as his hand fluttered above her exposed thigh before finally settling down. His touch didn't feel odd or misplaced—it had the opposite effect on Vega, comforting her.

"Why do I feel like you're trying to tell me that he got the girl?"

"Because he did," Khort answered quickly.

"Oh." Vega was joking, and Khort's response made this conversation a little more serious than she intended. "Khort, I-I don't—" Vega stammered.

"Stop. We don't have to get into this." He squeezed her thigh before returning his hand to his little bubble.

Vega felt an emptiness in her chest when his hand left her leg. "You have to let me make my own decisions. I know you're trying to protect me. You have serious golden retriever energy."

Khort's eyebrows creased. "What's a golden retr?—"

Vega interrupted him before he could finish. "Shit, forgot about the whole different world thing. A dog. You know what a dog is, right?"

"Yes, Vega… I know what a dog is." His badgered tone was enough to make Vega smile cheekily as an apology. "I just meant that we don't need to get into this before you get your memories back. There's more to this than I have time for," Khort said.

More to this.

What did their shared past look like? Vega glanced down at the dress, finally noticing the shorter sleeve on her right side. "I wore this when I summoned Remus, huh?" Vega changed the subject, willing to give Khort the space from this conversation he needed. For now.

"Yeah, it was in better condition before that. We danced all night long under the moonlight. Your parents knew how to throw a party."

Vega offered him a smile as she asked, "Will you tell me about it?"

"It doesn't have a happy ending." His tone was laced with warning.

"That's okay. Sometimes the best stories don't end how we want them to."

Khort met her eyes, and Vega did her best to keep her expression soft, understanding. He nodded and drew in a breath before starting off the story.

Vega closed her eyes and leaned away from Khort, her back resting against the wall beside the chair. If she concentrated, Vega could pretend she was there—that she remembered.

The music from the band beat against Khort's chest. The current song was loud and rowdy. Everything about tonight had started off slow. The Curia swearing in the next generation of leaders always dragged on for hours longer than it needed to.

As of tonight, Marlena had taken over her mother's position as the seat of Amora, and in a few years, she would take over her father's seat too, becoming the first in Tolevarre's history to rule over two territories. Her mother had stepped down early, allowing Marlena to get a jump start while Ryanna enjoyed her early retirement.

"And to hopefully plan a wedding!" She'd beamed, eyes on Vega and Bridger as she addressed the other leaders of Tolevarre in her final speech.

Ryanna had finally accepted Vega and Bridger were in it for the long haul. Her father had yet to come around.

Khort twirled Vega in a circle, her dark velvet dress rustling against his leg when her back was to him. Her smile lit up the whole room as she laughed the happiest sound Khort had ever heard. Vega moved along to the beat perfectly, backing up into Arlet, who was dancing with Bridger. The girls turned to each other, singing along to the song without missing a single word.

They took breaks from the dance floor to grab glasses of wine from around the realm—Vega always choosing the red from Solum. Her lips were stained, giving her succulent pout an unmistakable lift.

Vega leaned against the bar, her dress sparkling under the moonlit sky. "Have you seen Marlena?" She was cuddled into Bridger's side, her arm wrapped around his hip as she leaned in to hear Khort's and Arlet's no's.

Vega pouted. Not having Marlena out here celebrating with her was bumming Vega out whenever she stopped dancing long enough to think about it. She would have to learn to accept the fact Marlena wouldn't be able to be around as much—it had been a hard transition for her since her sister began to pull away over the course of the last year.

"I'm sure she's being hounded, getting all the attention she loves," Arlet answered, reaching out to tap Vega's hand comfortingly.

"Sure," Vega said as Bridger kissed the top of her head.

"C'mon, baby. Smile. She'll find us as soon as she can," he told Vega, his hand resting on her chin to catch her gaze .

The sisters were always close, more like best friends than siblings, but as Marlena was exposed to more responsibility, it took a toll on their friendship. And everyone around them could sense it.

Khort looked away just before their lips touched. When he turned his head, a certain redhead caught his eyes, her pale skin reflecting the moonlight as her red lips spread over her face in a smile laced with lust.

Ivelle Fugere. The Caelums' cousin. Easily one of the most beautiful women in Tolevarre.

"Excuse me, ladies and gents. I'll be right back." Khort's lips twitched in a smile as he crossed the dance floor to her. Bridger and Arlet led in the hooting and hollering as he beelined for the woman who'd become his distraction while Vega fell deeper in love with someone else.

Before he reached her, a scream pierced through the room, echoing against the courtyard—the sound got lost in the mountains. Khort jumped on defense, his eyes turning to slits as his dragon form prepared to launch to the sky. His eyes shot over to Vega and Arlet. Vega's lightning sparked, dancing between her hands. Arlet stood behind Bridger, who was somehow already armed with two daggers.

Everyone in the room froze, new screams traveling through the air as their eyes landed on the spectacle on the balcony above.

Blood was splattered across Marlena's face, and she held her mother's head by the hair.

Just her head.

Vega's lightning fizzed out as her knees buckled. She crashed to the ground, her jaw distended as far as it would go. Not a peep came from her, the disbelief choking her to silence. Vega's eyes brimmed with tears.

Marlena's stare was fixed on Vega, her index finger sliding across her throat as her lips ticked up in a wicked smile.

The room broke out in complete madness. A woman barreled past Khort, knocking into his shoulder with enough force to snap him out of his trance.

He locked eyes with Bridger from across the room, and with the nod of their heads, they dove into action.

When Khort finished his retelling, the bottle of wine was finished, and their glasses were almost empty.

"So. Ivelle?" Vega asked, wiggling her eyebrows as an attempt to deflect from the pain on Khort's face.

"She was behind it all with Marlena."

"Of course she was. Let me guess… there was a promise of power in it for her?"

Khort nodded and then finished his glass. "Listen, I came here to apologize for how I acted at our last training session. I shouldn't have pushed you like that. I'm just tired of losing you."

Vega held the last sip of her wine in the glass, the rim resting against her bottom lip. Her mind was lost in the story, imagining the shock of seeing her mother's head hanging over the people of her land.

"I'm sure I'm sick of leaving," she finally replied, meeting his eyes again. "I want to experience something for the first time tonight before I get my memories back."

Khort hesitated, his lips parting before asking, "What?"

Vega laughed, shaking her head. "Get your head outta the gutter, Fera!" She popped him on the shoulder with her hand, giving him a playful shove. "I want to see you shift."

Khort's eyebrow rose. "Why?" His hand was back on her leg, his empty glass held in the other.

"I want to feel the wonder of this world one last time. When I get my memories back, it won't be new to me anymore. This brain cannot even comprehend a man turning into a dragon. I bet it's exhilarating."

Khort leaned back in the chair, removing his hand from her leg as he pushed himself up.

"There's nowhere for me to show you down here. I'm a little too big for any of the rooms we have here in Castra." He was trying to dismiss her request.

Vega shot up from the arm of the chair, her butt numb from the pressure of an uncomfortable position.

"Then let's go up. I could use some fresh air tonight." Her face was warm from the wine.

He shook his head, putting the glass down on the table by Vega's door. "It's not safe. Bridger and his soldiers have been sniffing around Imber lately, no doubt looking for you."

"Fuck him. I'll fry him to a crisp. Please, Khort." Vega batted her eyes, giving him her best set of puppy eyes. "I want one more piece of excitement in this life before it all gets serious."

He ran a large hand over his handsome face. "Fine, but if Arlet finds out, I'm blaming you."

Vega squealed, jumping once, trying to keep quiet so she didn't wake the mother and son who lived next door.

"I'm only agreeing because my wings could use a good stretch."