Chapter 52
Elariya
“What the Moon Saw Between Us”
My hand swept across the cool sheets of Wolfe’s bed, searching for warmth that wasn’t there.
His scent still clung to the linen, but the space beside me was empty. The faintest trace of his heat lingered, proof he’d been here not long ago.
Outside, the world was steeped in that deep, heavy darkness before dawn—at least, I thought it was dawn.
The last two days had bled together until I couldn’t tell night from morning. Wolfe and I had hardly left this bed, devouring each other until the frantic edge of our hunger eased into something slower… deeper.
Somewhere between shadows and light, I’d lost all sense of time. But now, I was alone again. Or… not.
A faint shuffle came from the window. I turned onto my side and found Wolfe sitting in the bay, bare-chested, a cigar smoldering between his fingers. Pale light painted whispers of silver over his skin, mingling with the blue embers at the tip.
He’d been watching me, staring at me with that possessive intensity that made my pulse trip. My heart swelled at the sight of him, and for a fleeting moment, I let myself forget everything that wasn’t him. I didn’t want to return to reality yet.
Because in that space where truth waited, I knew my time was running out. The reset was approaching, and with it, I’d lose all memories of him.
“Missing me, Ziyka?” His voice was low, edged in smoke. He exhaled a ring of blue haze that drifted toward the window.
The sound of him, the sight of him, pulled me right back into the fantasy. I sat up and smiled. “I am.”
“Then come here.”
I wrapped the sheet around my body and padded over. He stubbed out the cigar, set it in the ashtray, and pulled me into his lap.
Wolfe gave me a quick kiss, then looked me over, slipping his arm around me to pull me closer. The usual fire in his eyes was muted, replaced by something darker that spoke of trouble. Something must have happened while I was asleep.
“You’re awake early,” he murmured, brushing his nose against mine.
“So are you.”
His lips curved faintly. “This isn’t early for me. Some nights, I don’t sleep. I like to be up before the sun. It’s easier to think when the world’s quiet.”
“You sound troubled. What’s happened? I mean… aside from the obvious.”
“We shouldn’t talk now, Ziyka.” His hand brushed my cheek. “I’d rather you rest. That way, I can watch you until sunrise and pretend we’re not down another day. I can pretend I have more than eight days left before you forget.”
The sadness in his voice pulled something tight in my chest. I glanced at the shadowed trees outside, forcing back the sting in my eyes.
I looked back at him and pulled in a slow breath. “These were the best days of my life, Wolfe,” I whispered. “The very best.”
“Mine too, Ziyka.” His gaze didn’t waver. “And I’ve lived for a very long time.”
“That means a lot to me.”
“Maybe more to me.” His voice roughened. “If I could keep us locked in these past days, I would.”
“What’s happening, Wolfe? You’re worrying me.”
He exhaled slowly. “Don’t worry.” He tried to look positive, but his shoulders slumped.
“Please tell me what’s going on.”
“The Heartflame crystals I ordered will be ready by tonight. So, we can attempt the spell again tomorrow. The crystals are rare, infused with the echoes of an Aetherflame dragon’s roar. When activated, the vibration they produce anchors spells that cross dimensions and planes of existence.”
Hope flared in my chest. “But that sounds good.
“It is.” His thumb traced my jaw. “Theoretically, it’s foolproof. We’ll repeat what we did before, but the dragon’s magic in the crystals should shatter whatever barrier has been blocking us from finding the ring.”
“But…” I searched his face. “You sound like something is wrong.”
His silence was heavier than the darkness outside. “It may not work, Elariya. I’m prepared for that. And for what we’ll have to try next. But the truth is…” He swallowed hard. “I’m running out of options. We all are.”
“Then we’ll just keep trying.” I tried to sound positive. “And it may work. The spell just might work.”
A flicker of a smile played on his lips, but it was gone before it could fully form. “Indeed. Either way, there are still some matters I have to consider.”
Like my father. My dear, dear father who loved me so much he’d do anything for me.
My father had killed Wolfe’s, and if we found the ring, he needed to be dealt with. I just didn’t want him to die.
Gods…I was such a hypocrite. Look at me, sitting on Wolfe’s lap, still thinking of saving my father when his was dead. I was sleeping with him, my enemy, and I was so lost in him I never wanted to find my way back.
Wolfe gazed at me, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t hide the conflict warring within me from his sight.
“There’s a lot to consider,” I breathed, my voice whisper soft.
“There is, but the essential things remain unchanged.”
“Essentials? Like… what?” My heart sped with trepidation for his answer.
“That I’m selfish.” His stare pinned me in place. “I’m selfish when it comes to you.”
I swallowed past the lump clogging my throat. “That’s not such a bad thing. Maybe I want you to be selfish with me.”
“It’s not a good thing, Elariya.” He shook his head slowly, unyielding. “You could have someone better. Someone safer. A mortal man. Or a gentle mage with a kind heart who’d give you a life free of ruin. But I want you for myself.”
“Wolfe…”
"I mean it, Ziyka. I don't want someone safer for you. Everything between us has changed, and I should set you free…” He paused for a beat.
“I should release that shackle from your wrist and set you free, but I can't. I won't. Even Hades gave Persephone some freedom, but I want you so tangled in my darkness you can't find the way out. "
My heart warmed, and every desire I had for him stirred with need. Maybe greed because I craved him just as much as he wanted me.
"What if I wanted that? What if I already want to be with you? What if I wanted to keep my shackle because I always want to feel you?” I pressed my palm against his chest, feeling his heartbeat beneath my touch.
“I don't want safer, Wolfe. Or easier. Maybe I'd rather be yours in the dark than belong to anyone else in the light. "
Something raw and desperate flashed in his eyes, like he’d been holding his breath for centuries and could finally exhale.
“If I’m what you want, then you can’t be my prisoner anymore. You’d have to be something more to me.”
My heart stuttered. “What would that be?”
His thumb brushed my jaw, lingering over my skin. “You’d be my lady. Lady of the dragons. Lady of this manor and everything that breathes in my world, including my heart.”
My lungs locked, and my pulse faltered in my throat as the magnitude of what he was offering crashed over me.
Those words… they seared into the marrow of my bones and burrowed deep in my heart, marking me his in ways that went beyond this world.
“Wolfe.” I searched his eyes, trying to steady the rush of emotions crashing through me, but the tenderness I found there made my chest tighten even more. “That’s…that’s more than everything.”
“Looks that way.” His answer was low and reverent.
I wanted to scream with joy, but the ugly complications between us choked my elation. “But…” My voice trailed off.
“No. There is no but.”
“There is.” The words caught in my throat. “Because we can’t ignore what I am. I’m still the daughter of your father’s killer. And you will have to punish my father for what he’s done.”
"I won't kill him, Elariya," he said, his tone surprisingly tender.
My heart stalled, riddled with shock. I blinked at him. Surely, I'd misheard. “What?”
“I won’t kill him. I won’t execute your father because I don’t want you to remember me as the person who took someone precious from you. So, I’m going to imprison him instead.”
“But your father—”
“I’ll have to live with that. The punishment is my choice. Imprisonment is how I choose to honour what we have."
A tear ran down my cheek. He caught it and wiped the rest away. “I want to thank you. But it doesn’t seem right.”
“I understand, and it’s okay. You can still thank me.”
“Thank you, Wolfe. Thank you so much.” A massive weight lifted from my shoulders, and for the first time since Wolfe came into my life, my mind loosened, unraveling from the darkness that had shrouded my hopes.
"You're welcome, Ziyka." He nodded. "I guess that's me being positive we'll find the ring."
I smiled. "Yes. I'm going to be positive, too, because I'd love nothing more than to remember you."
"I'd love that, too." He cupped my face, his smile soft before it faded. "But if it doesn't work... I've been thinking of taking you back to your family."
"What?" My stomach plummeted, taking all my joy with it.
"Just so the reset won't be as difficult for you."
I shook my head fiercely. "No. I don't want to go back to Stormfell. I'm staying here with you."
He gave me a knowing look. "I figured you'd say that.
But hear me out—maybe we leave together on the last day.
You stay with them for a week, maybe longer if you need it.
Then I'll come get you." His voice gentled.
"I just want what's best for you. Maybe being with them will help you form better memories of me. "
"I don't need better memories of you."
"Maybe not, but you'll need your family when the curse resets.
" His conviction was absolute. "When it happens, you'll think you're fifteen again.
You'll have the terror of watching your father disappear into that vortex fresh in your mind.
You should be with people you know and trust." His voice cracked slightly. "That won't be me."
The truth of his reasoning silenced my protest.
He was right. No one could care for me better than my family in that moment. Even Thayden had failed to understand that. Regardless of what I wanted now, and how badly I wanted it, I’d be different when my memory reset. Wolfe was making the best choice for me.
"I won't stay long," I whispered, accepting with reluctance.
"Good. Because I couldn't be without you for too long." He brushed his lips over mine. "And I don't want Thayden anywhere near you."
I laughed despite everything, then sobered when I thought of the dynamics of the plan. "Wolfe, how would it work? What about Dreynthor? And I've been missing all this time. What do we tell my family?"
"I'll handle those details. I'll need to rework my plans to keep things secret from Dreynthor, and I'll figure out what to tell your family."
“When… when would we go?” I was afraid to ask.
“I’ll leave that part up to you. We can go a few days before or on your last day. I just think we need to go before the curse kicks in. You said it knocks you out. It would be best for you to wake from it with your family around you.”
“I suppose so.”
“I’d place you in a deep sleep, so you wouldn’t have to feel the pain. Then I’ll take you back to your family.”
I couldn’t imagine it. Going to sleep and knowing that was the last time I’d see him before this version of me forgot. “I want to go on the last day. As close as possible to the moon rising, so I can spend the time with you.”
His brows furrowed. “That’s cutting it close, Ziyka. Are you sure?”
“Yes. I’m sure. I don’t want to use that time doing anything else when I could have spent it with you.” I held his gaze and touched his cheek.
“Alright. That’s what we’ll do.” Pain flickered across his features. "I'd hoped we could have everything sorted by now, but..." He shrugged. "If we're going to find that ring, I have to do what's best for you at all times, regardless of what it costs me."
I sighed, the weight of our fates pressing on my shoulders. "I pray the spell works. I truly do."
"Me too, Ziyka."
"I just want to get on with my life. But there's just so much to worry about."
"There is. But let's take it one step at a time."
I nodded. "One step at a time."
He leaned in to kiss me slowly, mellowing my mind with the softness of his lips.
"Are you tired, mage?" His voice held that familiar warmth, turning what had become our ritual into something that felt like a caress.
"No. I'm not."
"Good. Because as lady of the dragons, you should know they love singing at this hour. And they prefer an audience."
"They do?" Hope bloomed inside my chest. I hadn't seen the dragons in over a week, had been waiting eagerly for him to allow me near them again. Or to fly Hedion.
"They do. So, I think you should come with me today."
I gasped and threw my arms around him. "Thank you! I would love that."
"Then let's get dressed and go."