Chapter Thirty-One

Laia

 

My name is Laia Llary, and this is the Coven House, in Veda of Winfyre.

I was sitting at the window, hugging one knee up and letting the cool air, spiced with the scent of the sea, wash over my face. Letting my eyes trace over the landscape, I remembered every bump and dell, every tree, and every color. If only I could remember something—anything —else.

Anything except the rote memorizations that were as meaningless as lining up colored blocks in the same pattern, over and over again.

The people here had been so kind. I was fed, clothed, and taken care of. But there was a sharp, driving ache in my chest for all that.

I’d lost something precious—I knew that.

Sometimes, in the middle of the night or before waking, there would be strange echoes in my mind. Laughter and snatches of song. Voices. But it was like they were coming from behind locked doors, and I was trapped in a dark hallway, stumbling and trying to find a way in.

“Hello, Laia.”

“Beylore,” I said, turning and watching the woman enter the room.

Her eyes were scintillating, the color of summer sunshine on dark green pines, offset by her warm brown skin and silver hair, now messily piled on top of her head. I’d asked her about it, not thinking, and she’d laughed, telling me how it had changed after the Rift.

That word had sent a shiver straight through me. While no one would tell me, yet, what it meant, I knew it had something to do with the strangeness of this world. The magic in Beylore’s gaze. And whatever had happened to me.

“Anything new?” she asked.

“No,” I sighed. “Just that sense of almost remembering.”

“We’re still trying to find a way,” Beylore said, coming over and letting her fingers hover at my temples. The first day, this had alarmed me, but I was used to it by now. “It’s only been five days. Try to be patient with yourself.”

“Feels like a lifetime,” I said and played with my hair as she lowered her hands. “Anyone else coming today?”

“You mean your cousin, or…”

“No, your assistant,” I said, hoping my voice didn’t betray my eagerness.

“Oh,” Beylore said, and she paused in that strange way everyone did. “Rett.”

“Rett,” I repeated. “Why is that so hard to remember?”

She didn’t answer, only lightly said, “You know, he has been by every day.”

I frowned and then brightened. “Oh, yes, he has. So nice.”

“In fact, if you’re feeling up to it, Rett is going to take you outside,” Beylore said.

“Sure,” I said. “Why not?”

Beylore chuckled, then checked me over for a few more minutes before leaving. Once again, I was alone and had to shake off the feeling of being locked in. Sometimes I didn’t like the look of the closed door, and I’d check several times to make sure the doorknob could turn.

Walking over to the bed, I lay down and closed my eyes, just resting them until he came.

The tall, handsome man who made my heart flutter, my knees go weak, and my cheeks flush. There was no way he was single—hell, no. Not with that face and his kind demeanor. And that smile. Whenever he smiled, my heart pounded in my ears.

As much as I liked my cousin Tristan, with his jokes and easy laugh, Rett was my favorite visitor. I snuggled into the pillows, wondering what it would be like to be held in those big, strong arms. A scent of pine, bergamot, and cinnamon tickled my nose, and I let myself drift away…

 

Sitting up, I looked around and shook my head. The light in the room had the deep tint of a late summer afternoon. I must have dozed off. Then I jumped when I saw a man sitting in the chair next to me, a book in his lap, and a tentative smile on his face.

Dark-haired, blue-eyed, with big shoulders…I frowned at him.

“Hi, Laia,” he said in a deep, resonant voice, and a shiver went through me.

“Rett?” His smile widened. “Hi.”

“How are you feeling?”

“Okay, I think,” I said and rumpled up my hair. “Kind of hard to tell, since I don’t have much of a metric to measure it by.”

“Sure,” he said. There was such tenderness in his face, but sadness, too. Deep lines cut under his eyes and around his mouth. Something about that always struck me as wrong. “Beylore wanted me to take you outside. Get some fresh air, stretch your legs…you up for that?”

“Oh, yes,” I said and scrambled down. “Let’s go.”

“Shoes?” Rett asked.

“Do I have to?”

“It’s colder than it looks,” he said, and I grumbled, then shoved my feet into some soft flats.

Rett handed me a hoodie, and I tucked myself in, wrapping it around me. It smelled good—that scent I always found myself wanting more of. I wondered if it belonged to him.

But I was too shy to ask.

Cupping my elbow in one big hand, Rett led me down a few hallways and out into the sunlight. I smiled as the wind lifted my red hair and blew it around my face.

“This is nice,” I said as Rett led me away from the house and into a small park of sorts, with winding paths and benches. “Thank you.”

“Anything for you, Laia,” he said and tried to smile.

“Careful,” I said. “Might take advantage of that.”

Rett stiffened and then plastered a smile on his face, giving me a tight nod.

I tilted my head and blurted out, “I just can’t understand it.”

“What?”

“Why you look so sad,” I said, my fingers tingling with the urge to touch his cheek.

Rett’s eyes closed, and he turned, shaking his head. “It’s nothing. I’m sorry.”

“Are you sure?” I asked.

“Someone I care about is…”

“Sick?” I asked. “Oh, no. Are they here, too?”

“No. Not exactly,” he said. “They’re lost. And I’m not sure I’m doing enough to help.”

“I’m sure you are,” I said. “You help me so much.”

“Anyway, let’s walk around, huh?” Rett asked and held out an arm.

“Such a gentleman,” I said and took it.

We walked down the paths, the wind quieter here, and the roar of the ocean almost muted. It was like being enclosed in our own green space. I glanced over at Rett and saw him staring at me with a look I couldn’t decipher, but it made my heart skip several beats.

Flustered, with a fluttering in my belly and chest now, I stumbled. Rett caught me, and his eyes flicked over me in alarm. “Are you okay? Should we go in?”

“No, no, I’m okay,” I reassured him. That was the last thing I wanted. “I wasn’t paying attention.” Because I was looking at you.

Rett made a funny sound and nodded. “Still, maybe we should head back.”

“Oh, just a bit farther?” I wheedled. “Please.”

Making a face, Rett nodded, and we continued on. The path wound down to a meadow with a large tree at the edge of it, the leaves already starting to turn gold. I looked up, following its huge trunk all the way to the tips of its skinny branches.

“Now that’s a tree I’d like to climb,” I said out of nowhere.

Rett went to say something and was interrupted by a flutter of wings. We both watched as a blur dove through the sky and landed on a branch above our heads.

“A falcon,” Rett said. “Wow, can’t remember the last time I saw one of those.”

I stared at it, something rising in me and flooding my veins. It was like light threading through me, burning away the shadows in my mind. My eyes went wide.

The whisper of wind against feathers. The cities of clouds.

The falcon took off, and the doors in my mind swung open, all at once.

Blue eyes darker than the sky.

Energy flooded me as I gasped and let the wind take me.

A smile that was better than flying. And I would know.

The sunshine was on my face as I spiraled into the blue.

 

The wolf had been right.

I shifted, and everything came back to me.

So that I could come back to Rett.

 

A shout from the ground brought me back to earth.

Tucking in my wings, I dove at him and landed on his shoulder, nuzzling him. He was stunned—I could tell by the way his muscles were tensed, and he was breathing hard.

Shifting back, I kissed him on the cheek as I hopped down and laughed.

“Laia?” Rett’s hands shook as they hovered over my arms. “Do you…did you…”

“Hey, big guy,” I said and looped my arms around his neck.

He went rigid and, in a hoarse voice, asked, “Are you telling me?”

“Thanks for coming to see me every day,” I said. “It was more than enough.”

Rett’s hands gripped my elbows as he held me at arm’s length. “You know who I am?”

My lips curled up. “You’d better believe it.”

“No, I mean, you remember—you know—you remember?” He shook his head. “Me?”

“Yes,” I said. “And if you love me, you’ll shut up and kiss me.” The look in Rett’s eyes as he brushed back my hair made my throat ache. “Rett, it’s okay. I’m okay.”

“You promise you remember everything?” he asked in a low, intense voice.

“From the black eye to the black bear chasing me through Winfyre,” I said and swallowed. “That reminds me, I still have to get you back for that water fight and—”

Rett didn’t let me finish. He was kissing me wildly, lifting me right off the ground and laughing. I laughed, too, but tears slipped free. My fingers clenched his shirt, and my lips were frantic on his, reassuring me that I was here. I remembered.

“I love you,” I said as we pulled apart. “Even when I couldn’t remember my own name, that love was part of me, Rett.” Clinging to him, burying my face in his neck, I let out a sob, and then I couldn’t stop. Everything had come back to me, and now it was catching up with me. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to leave you. There was no other way—the shard was infecting you. I-I had to—”

“I know,” Rett said and rubbed his hand on my back. “You saved me and probably all of Winfyre. You came back. That’s all that matters.”

“I’m sorry for what I put you through,” I murmured.

“Thank you for doing that,” Rett said. “Thank you for being brave and selfless.”

“Stop it—you’re going to make me cry.”

“You’re already crying.”

“Still, Rett—these past five days, everything you must have…” I choked. “I’m sorry.”

“Shh. It’s okay. Besides, you’re a Llary,” he said. “I’m always prepared for hurricane-force winds." I smacked the back of his head lightly, and he laughed. "Laia, I'd go through hell and back for you." He slipped a hand up my cheek and wiped my tears. "I love you, too.”

I gave him a soft, trembling smile. “Hey, I ever tell you how much I like kids?”

Rett winked at me. “I had a feeling.”