Eros
I can barely stop myself from groaning. As tired as I might be, I can't bring myself to sleep without knowing the whereabouts of Alec and Becca. They can hold their own, I know this - however no matter how much I try to rid the thought, something isn't sitting right. Especially not after the events of the day. I know that Alec was in the vicinity; he had informed me of his presence when I extended my senses out. I suppose I was searching for his or Becca's mind in a fashion. Something to confirm that I had backup should we be ambushed. Considering that he was close-by though, it stands to reason that he and his sister should have arrived by now. Even with having to maintain a distance for most of the way, they surely know that we would have reached Darius's home by now, and they can travel much faster than my group could ever wish to without riding on Venus. Unless something has happened.
My stomach twists at the thought.
Yes, they can fight. But can they hold off a bunch of elven folk on their own? Or, I suppose, Roma could have managed by some miracle to find us. That I do doubt, but the behaviour of the townsfolk today was out of sorts. It's not common for anyone to be so confronting with any member of court, let alone a member of the actual monarchy. What of the fact that nobody stopped the man? Should my parents have caught word, everyone present would have been imprisoned, the man most likely executed.
Though, there is time for that.
Not that I'd be the one to tell them.
Often times, the walls have eyes.
It's why we chose the home of a warlock to be our safe house in such a place. My parents themselves would never suspect me of anything and are often too arrogant to listen to the people that would, especially if they are not of high rank. But precautions never hurt. Especially with the new threat of Roma.
Sighing, I pick myself up from the floor, giving up on my quest for sleep. Darius's home is nothing short of empty where entertainment or interesting food is concerned, so I decide to occupy myself with a carrot I find in the fridge, quietly munching out of boredom.
This man really needs some chocolate in his life.
A gentle knock at the door startles me, slightly rousing Kata causing her to fidget slightly before nodding off again.
As silently as possible, I creep to the door, looking through the peep-hole to find one of the causes of my lack of sleep staring off into the hallway.
"Quietly," I whisper as I open the door to Alec. While I'm glad that he is here, his forlorn expression and the missing presence of his sister immediately unsettles me.
"I can't find her anywhere. She was right behind me in the city, she saw everything that happened. I don't understand where she could have got to," he runs his hand through his blond hair, slumping against the door.
Beckoning for him to follow, I find a spot to sit. "Were you being followed?"
"Not to my knowledge," he sighs, "She took up the rear though. She was on my tail up until some point after that man confronted you and Ria."
"Anything suspicious out there now?"
"If I thought there was, I would never have come here. Too risky for that."
I nod in agreement, but I am still far from satisfied. "Something isn't right."
"I'd say so too. This whole trip has been strange," Ria stirs a little, curling up. Alec meets my eyes, pursing his lips. "What are you going to do about Ria?"
"What do you mean, Alec? Isn't it your sister we should be thinking about at the moment?"
"Well yes, but as soon as Ria wakes and realises there's only one of us back there will be a barrage of questions, you know that as well as I. And you can't keep her in the dark about absolutely everything no matter how much you want to."
I raise my brow at his defiant tone. "I will tell her however much I please, that is not up for negotiation."
"You can't just hide how bad this is getting from her!" She stirs again at Alec's loss of control, but after a moment of quiet, she continues sleeping peacefully. "She will know something is up. It's a miracle if she hasn't already figured that our original plans, that she still doesn't bloody know much about, have gone wrong. And how do you plan on discussing anything properly with any of us in this place if she isn't involved? It's not like you can just tell her to go for a walk, who knows how safe it is out there right now."
"I do not need you questioning my methods, Alec, I will make plans regarding Becca in time. I suggest you watch your tongue," despite whispering, I know my voice is firm at hearing his demands. Usually this would have caused him to back down, but this time, it only continues to anger him.
"With all due respect, this cannot wait," Leaning closer to me, he points towards Ria. "Her sister is under threat and she doesn't know why. You," he points at my chest, "orchestrated said sister's kidnapping and are expecting her to trust you wholeheartedly when she wakes and finds that one of our own is missing, with no explanation as to what the fuck is going on-"
"Now you hold on a second-"
"No! I will not hold on, my friend is in danger because of all of this without even understanding it and my sister is now missing. How are we supposed to do anything about this if you're too stubborn to say anything in front of her?! Do you think Kata and Kellen deserve to be left in the dark too now? This affects them as well. Have you even told them about the man from the city?"
"They know what they need to-"
"Have you told them about the man from the city, Prince?"
"I was waiting until I had contemplated what happened further."
"That's bullshit."
"Isn't this entire conversation? I understand your concern regarding your sister, but a random human girl is not worth this amount of arguing Alec."
His eyes flash purple. "She is a friend, it doesn't matter whether she is human or not. Surely you can comprehend that?"
"Friend? The majority of her memories of you aren't even real!"
"What?"
*****
Adriana
Wiping my eyes, I sit up straight, watching as the prince turns to me with his eyes wide. Kata, having been roused a few seconds before, stares blankly at the two men before flitting her gaze to me, her expression still unreadable. Kellen is slightly less stoic, now resting on his elbow on the bed, looking worried as he holds Emily's hand.
"You see? You would never have been able to continue with this, Prince," Alec sighs, looking down at his feet.
"Continue with what?" I pull myself to my feet. "Alec?"
"Nothing, Ria, we were just having a debate, that's all," Eros calmly explains, although I see right through it in an instant.
"Bullshit."
"Ria-"
"What exactly is going on here? And don't tell me nothing because I've already heard enough. What the fuck do you mean, my memories of him aren't real? I've grown up knowing him!"
For a few seconds, nobody says a word, though the silence says a million things.
I remain glaring at Eros, waiting for whatever bullshit answer he comes up with, but I notice a tiny movement. His hand, twitching, with a faint purple glow radiating from his palm.
Alec must have noticed this, because within seconds, Eros is pinned to the wall, Alec grasping his wrist, his eyes glowing a deep purple. "Don't you fucking dare-"
"Alec-" Kata approaches, reaching out to him.
"He can't keep doing this!" Alec snarls, fangs protruding from his mouth. I back away.
Suddenly, a loud crack resonates across the room as Alec stumbles backwards. Kellen jumps from the bed, standing protectively in front of my crying sister, growling.
"Who the fuck do you think you are to challenge me?!"
Nose bloody, Alec moves to stand in front of me, his back arched slightly. "I won't let you wipe her memories again," his voice is low, almost animalistic, and I fear he might be close to completely losing control. Kellen must agree, as he inches over slowly, reaching his hand out and gently touching Alec's shoulder. Finally, Alec breathes deeply, some tension leaving his back, but doesn't move from in front of me.
It is now that it finally hits me what Alec just said. That glow, in his hand, right before Alec grabbed him. He was going to wipe my memories.
Again?
I can't help the sudden wave of anger bubbling up inside me. Not only has this man been keeping secrets and being dishonest, but he was just going to make me forget all about it? I've known there were things that I wasn't being told from the start, and while it did bother me, it was something I was willing to put up with at least for the sake of my sister, even if not keeping quiet about the irritation I felt at it. But to go as far as taking my memory away whenever it suits him...
Has he done it much before? Someone must have done it at least once, if his comment about Alec and I's relationship is to be believed. But why? And why would Alec allow it?
Is he even truly my friend?
Kata steps forward, approaching the prince. "Eros, maybe he's right. Listen, I don't like this either, but it may be the only fair thing to do here."
He grits his teeth, looking off to the side. Something tells me that if he could, if he wasn't being blocked by Kata, Alec and Kellen, he'd still try to follow through with his enchantments. Though I can't explain fully why, even through the anger that I feel, that fact, that betrayal, hurts more than any insult he could throw at me.
He looks at me, his expression unreadable, before sighing and looking away. "You're right. You should talk to her."
"Shouldn't you also do some talking, Prince?" Alec sneers.
"I will..." He pauses, glancing around at us all. "I need to clear my head," with that, Eros leaves us, without any further protest from Alec.
Kata clears her throat, scratching at the back of her neck. "I'd ask if you pair wanted some privacy, but it's too risky for many of us to be gone right now..."
"It's fine. There's some things you and Kellen should know too," Alec's voice is still rough, but now more controlled as he finally begins to regain composure. I remain silent, still thoroughly confused, not only by what has been said, but from the feelings crashing through me as a result. "You should take a seat, Ria," I follow his direction, perching myself hesitantly on the corner of the bed, Emily crawling over to my side. She is shaking slightly as she leans into me, my arm around her shoulder.
Kata takes a seat next to us. "There are some things that we can't explain right now. About certain younger members of the group, away from their ears," she glances towards a clueless Emily, "But you will be told soon. We will keep Eros to his word."
I nod, silently willing them to continue with anything they can tell me presently.
"You're probably wondering what Prince meant with what he said about your memories..." Alec begins awkwardly. He sighs, not meeting my eyes. "The truth is... Becca and I haven't really known you for very long. You'll know why soon, but we were both sent by Prince to watch over Emily, to keep her safe. We actually only lived in that house for about a year and a half," he pauses, and I try to process what I have just heard. The twins, who I have vivid memories of, have only really been in my life for a year and a half? "Mahlia and some of her associates cast a spell affecting the area, a memory-altering charm that planted fake memories in all our neighbours, so as not to raise suspicion when we suddenly moved in and started hanging out with you and Em. Course, she had to get the original owners of the house out first, and then more effort was put into you and your family... So I guess what I'm saying is, there might be a lot that you think you remember about us that never really happened..."
Looking down at my feet, I feel my face heating as my eyes become damp. Thinking back, I can't even tell now what's real and what's not. First, two of my closest friends turn out to be supernatural creatures having a part in my own sister's kidnapping, then it appears they might not be close friends of mine at all... although perhaps that would explain Becca's recent cool demeanour. I suppose we might never have got on as well as I'd assumed.
"We're actually... kinda old too, not that it matters much," Alec forces a laugh, trying (and failing) to break the tension. "Either way... I know how this all sounds, and you'd have every right to hate us right now. I wouldn't blame you. What I can say is that, at least for me, that year and a half that I have known you has been amazing. I do consider you one of my closest friends, and I wouldn't give that up for anything. I understand if you can't forgive us, but please don't think that you don't matter, because you always will."
A tear slowly rolls down my cheek as I nod. "Okay," I almost whisper. He stands, grabbing my hands and pulling me to my feet before engulfing me in a hug. I collapse into him, more tears erupting from my eyes, my mind whirling with feelings of betrayal, grieving a friendship I never had, but also relief that regardless, he is still here for me, I can still depend on him.
"I'm sorry you had to find out like this. I love you, don't forget that, yeah?" he whispers, rubbing my back.
I nod into his shirt, not having the willpower to speak, but hoping that he knows I share his sentiments. I am undoubtedly angry that my memory was tampered with, still not knowing the entire reason why, but deep down I want nothing more than to forgive him and move on. All this does make me wonder, though, where Becca stands, and if I might end up losing a friendship after all.