Chapter 15
Sammy
“Okay. I need to stay connected to Blaze during this. You guys stay here, make sure we’re safe. If anything seems to go wrong, no matter what you think is happening…” I glared at each of them in turn. “Leave us alone.”
They nodded, so I sat beside Blaze on the sofa and took his hand before sinking into his visions and memories.
First thing, I was thrown onto a school playground.
I recognized Bluewater Elementary. Jace hung upside down on the monkey bars while Anthony and Blaze—Knox back then—swung back and forth opposite each other, carefully maneuvering around Knox.
I took my eyes off of the boys and looked around.
And to my surprise, I saw myself walking toward the boys.
I glanced at them, my attention straying for a few minutes, but then I curved my walk and headed off to the side. Where was I going?
I didn’t remember this particular day, but I just spotted Anthony’s dad and mom sitting at a park bench off in the corner. I’d been headed to talk to them.
“She’s my witch,” Anthony said.
Swinging back around, I looked at the boys. They’d all hopped off the monkey bars and were watching me walk away.
Knox glared at Anthony. “Shut up. She doesn’t belong to you.”
“That wasn’t what I meant.” Anthony gave Knox a confused look. “But she’ll be my witch when I become alpha. She’ll take care of me and the clan and we’ll take care of her. She’s special.”
My heart squeezed to hear Anthony talking about me like that… and for Knox to feel that sense of possession with me. Not that I thought my mate should feel possessive, but whatever… it made me feel good.
Blaze’s dragon chanted in his head. Dragons couldn’t talk, but somehow, this connection I had with him, I heard the giant lizard’s voice. As Knox watched me talk to Anthony’s father in the past, the present-day dragon chanted. “Mine, mine, mine.”
We lurched from the playground into a living room. Brown paneling, brown carpeting, brown sofa, brown coffee table. Ugh. I remembered this house all too well. I’d been to it several times to try to talk Knox’s mom into leaving Knox’s dad. Not that it had helped. She never had, as far as I knew.
“Stop!” Knox screamed at his father. He shoved at his dad, then ducked a flying fist. His mom wasn’t fast enough to miss the same swing.
She went down in a crumple on the carpet while Knox ran out the back door and into the woods.
Since I was in his memories, I was pulled along with him.
His fury washed over me, followed quickly by defeat. He didn’t know what to do.
Oh. Oh, now I remembered this. We went deeper into the forest, and then he collapsed on a fallen log.
Seconds later, I appeared beside him. He looked up at me, shocked, but then relaxed when he realized who had sat beside him. A sweet blush spread across his cheeks.
I’d felt his fear and frustration back then. That’s why I’d come. I’d wanted to help the poor boy. “I’m sorry your dad can’t be a good man,” I said softly.
Blaze had the instinctive reaction to defend his father, so Knox must’ve back then, but he didn’t. He couldn’t. There was nothing to defend.
Past-me spoke again. “When you grow up, you have to be a better man than your father.”
Knox nodded vigorously. “I will be. I’ll never hurt my wife or my child.”
My face softened thinking about Blaze in the present day. He was a much, much better man than his father.
Past-me grinned indulgently at Knox. “I know you will.”
His dragon’s thoughts overlaid the memory again. “Mine, mine, mine.”
Blaze’s memory shifted again. This one was happy. The boys ran along the sidewalk on Main Street toward the ice cream shop. They ran inside, so I followed. Anthony paid for ice creams for all three of them, then they went back out to sit on the bench out front and swing their legs.
Bluewater had always been a place where we could let the kids roam free. I was proud of that, because I was the one who made sure it could be that way, for humans and dragons alike.
Blaze’s memories pulled me out of my moment of pride.
“Sammy went over there and threatened to turn his body inside out if he ever laid a hand on you guys again.” Anthony slurped up a big dollop of melting ice cream while Knox’s heart exploded.
The memory made Blaze’s heart thump a few extra times, too, especially as Knox said, “Sammy’s going to be my mate someday. ”
Anthony and Jace laughed. Jace bumped into Knox’s shoulder. “You can’t. Humans and dragons can’t be mates.”
Knox’s mood got a little sad. He wondered why he couldn’t just mate with whoever he wanted to.
Instantly, we were back in the all-brown living room. “It’s final. No amount of sniveling will change things.” Knox’s father, a sleazy, slimy dirtbag of a man, stared down at the poor little boy as he fought back tears.
Knox bucked himself up and straightened his spine. As he swiped the tears off his cheeks, he found the nerve to speak. “I hate you.”
Before his father could try to hit him or anything like that, Knox ran out the door and into the woods, following the same path.
I’d met him on this downed tree many times over the years, always trying to cheer him up, buck him up, or anything I could do to help him with his father.
I watched myself touch his shoulder. “This is your clan. When you’re older, you can always come home,” I whispered to eight-year-old Knox. “There will always be a place for you here, don’t ever forget that.”
We shifted to a home I didn’t recognize.
It was lighter, airier, and Knox was happier than he’d been since he can remember.
He missed Bluewater terribly, but it was worth it to miss his clan for his mother and father to be in a better place.
They rarely fought anymore. They’d started calming down and his dad hadn’t been drinking.
Knox missed his talks with me, but when he was older, he’d go back and find her and make her his mate.
Knox’s mom shouted from the living room. Knox ran downstairs to see what was wrong and walked in just in time to see her floating in the air as she grasped at her throat.
A woman, a witch, held his mom up like that. Knox ran for her, screaming, which diverted the woman’s focus, but the witch dropped his mom and turned her magic on Knox.
And suddenly, he couldn’t breathe. Panic filled the air, both in the memory and Blaze’s. He panicked for his young self, terrified and sure he was about to die.
Knox’s father came in the front door just then. She didn’t seem to want to drop Knox, giving his father an opportunity to rush her and swipe his claws across her chest.
I wanted to jump in so badly it hurt. But I was just seeing a memory. There was nothing I could do as the witch turned on Knox’s father and killed him within seconds.
Knox still hung in the air with his mind growing darker and darker as he lost consciousness.
“Please,” Knox’s mom gasped. “Please spare his life. Send him home.”
The witch squeezed her hand and instantly killed his mother, then she turned to Knox. He’d watched his parents die, and fury replaced his fear and agony. “You’ll pay,” he gasped.
The witch looked at Knox with her hand raised and she began to squeeze her fingers into a fist, but at the last second, she stopped. “I can’t do it.”
Knox dropped out of the air and collapsed on the floor, but he was full of anger and drive. Even though his throat felt like it was on fire, he raised to his feet and pointed at the witch. “You’re going to pay.”
She sighed. “One day, you might be able to make me pay, but until then, I’m sparing you. Killing a child is a line I just can’t cross.”
She waved her hand and a flame rose around the two of them. Everything went dark.
Then, Knox woke up in an orphanage and had no recollection about who he was. He spent days with the people who ran the orphanage, trying to remember anything he could. They even called in doctors.
But there was no pain. No grief. He wasn’t hurting about the death of his parents.
My heart was shredded, watching that, feeling his pain, however brief it was.
Even as a little boy, he’d been drawn to me.
And I hadn’t realized it, but I’d been drawn to him, too.
I’d never helped any of the other clan kids with their problems. To be fair, none of them had problems quite as severe as Knox had, but still.
I wouldn’t have dreamed of comforting any of the other kids.
I never even did anything like that for Anthony.
Without warning, I left the orphanage and was in my own body, blinking and looking around Anthony’s living room.
Blaze opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling for a solid minute before he moved. “Sammy,” he whispered.
I leaned forward and grabbed his arm with both of my hands. “I’m here, Blaze. I’m right here.”
He turned his head and met my gaze with pain-filled eyes. “Sammy,” he said in a soft, growly voice. “I’ve been in love with you since I was six years old. Maybe even before that, I’m not sure. It’s a little fuzzy. If you won’t be my mate, I’m pretty sure I’ll die of heartbreak.”
Anthony and Jace chuckled behind me, but they at least tried to stifle it. It was done quietly.
“Knox talked about Sammy all the time,” Jace said. “We just figured it was a crush.”
Blaze sat up and pulled me over to sit beside him so we could face the lifelong friends he now remembered.
Anthony wiped at his eyes and sighed. “Everything came full circle.” The guys stood and Blaze pulled both of them into a group hug with a lot of laughter and slapping on shoulders and backs.
Anthony gripped the back of both Blaze’s and Jace’s heads and grinned broadly. “My right- and left-hand men.”
Gage watched with a mixture of sadness and pride on his face. Blaze turned to Gage and nodded toward the door. “Can we talk?”
They both stepped outside. Blaze stuck his head back in the door and raised his eyebrows at me. “You coming?”
Oh. I was supposed to go, too. That was nice. I hurried out and sat in the rocker between the two men.
“You’re not coming home, are you?” Gage asked Blaze. “Bluewater was always your home.”
I nodded in agreement. I’d told Blaze exactly that when he was a little boy.
My heart thumped like crazy. I’d always felt like Bluewater was where I was meant to be.
I’d suspected it was more than because of Anthony, too.
But I couldn’t ever figure out why. Now I knew.
Fate was showing me, even before I knew Knox. Blaze. He’d always been my fate.
I left the guys to talk and to give Blaze time to come to terms with his new memories.
Somehow, I made my way to the spot where I’d comforted little Knox so many times. I sat on the log and thought about the times I’d been here with him, unknowing what he really meant to me.
A few minutes later, Blaze walked through the forest and sat beside me. Except now he towered above me instead of being a little bit smaller than me.
He took my hand. “It feels so weird. Knowing who I am and everything that’s happened all my life. I’m Knox, but I’m Blaze. And I’ve been Blaze a lot longer than I was Knox.”
I leaned into my mate. “A name is just that. A name. You’re still you no matter what name you choose to go by.”
“Thank you for helping me remember.” When he looked at me, a new emotion came off of him.
I held my breath and waited for Blaze to speak again.
“I meant what I said. I’ve loved you for almost all of my life, even though I didn’t remember it for most of it.
I understand it now. And I’m determined to make you love me back. ”