Chapter 48
Chapter
Forty-Eight
Isat closest to Selene, my back to the windows rather than the door.
Laila sat next to me with Sabrina and Mike on the other side.
After introducing Laila, we settled into some small talk before the tea arrived.
Once the tea and food were distributed, they closed the door, and I felt a barrier go up.
Laila growled, but I put my hand on her thigh.
“It’s a sound barrier. No one can hear us in here now.”
Selene nodded, pouring another cup of tea for herself. “I chose this place because of that. Your devices won’t work now, and so no one can hear us. I’ve already had some interesting visits from Colt’s old pack. Not recently, but it was enough to put alarms up.”
“Sorry. I didn’t want you to get dragged into this.”
“Well, I couldn’t really give them anything. They were looking for information on you being an Omega. That was weeks before you sent me to vial. I haven’t seen them since.”
Nodding, I had to force my knee not to bounce. It was such a bad habit, but I was struggling with it. Instead, I reached out and took a sip of my tea.
“When we spoke, you told me they were using Marcus’ own scales.”
Selene’s lips thinned as she nodded. “They did. That was one of the easier ingredients to be picked out. There are some incredibly rare plants and even dragon bones used as ingredients. I don’t know how they were able not just to mix something like this, but have enough to test it until it worked.”
“Did you figure out an antidote? Or if it causes his memory loss?” Sabrina asked before I could.
“Regarding an antidote, ultimately, no. I can’t.”
I froze, my body stopping as I felt another piece of my soul crack and fall, shattering away. Laila grabbed my hand, which was still on my knee, and held it tightly. Selene gave me a look, pity or worry, either way, it just felt like digging the knife deeper.
“I did figure out most, if not all, of the ingredients and built something that resembled an antidote.”
“Wait…you just said…” Laila cut in.
Selene raised her hand. “The issue is that it won’t work.
If I put all those ingredients together, they don’t counteract like they should.
I don’t know why. I don’t know what I’m missing.
Just getting the opposite or the ingredients that nullify the effects doesn’t work.
It’s like the actual mixture shouldn’t work, even though it does.
Then again, it could be because we are picking apart two different poisons at the same time.
I couldn’t separate them all, and so I have no idea what went with what mixture of poison. ”
I leaned back in the chair after reaching out and taking a bite of my sandwich.
We didn’t have enough. Or we did; it was just impossible.
It worked, but perhaps its effectiveness was limited to Marcus.
They wouldn’t be able to mass-produce it because of that.
Or that maybe it was mixed with magic that we didn’t know. It could have been anything.
“Colt…”
Shaking my head, I let out a long sigh before giving her a small smile. “Thank you, Selene. I know it couldn’t have been easy. Not just dissecting all that from his blood, but testing out different things that would work. I appreciate it.”
Selene looked as if she were about to cry.
“I’m sorry, Colt. I’ve dealt with a lot of different poisons and potions over the years.
This just…doesn’t make sense.” She pulled out a stack of paper the size of one of my history textbooks.
“After all my findings, I really don’t think any of it is related to memory loss.
All the ingredients I found have nothing to do with memories. Removing them or altering them.”
“So, it caused the weakness, and it caused him to not feel the bond, but it has nothing to do with his memory loss?”
“Exactly,” Selene pushed the papers over to me.
“You can have them. It’s everything I researched.
Maybe it can help you figure something out I can’t.
I know you mentioned that magic may have been involved, and I did a little digging.
Really, only white magic could potentially be able to do something like that.
It’s like healing the brain…but adding memories?
I don’t really know how to explain it. While talking to a couple of friends of mine, they really never thought of using their magic like that.
They came to a consensus that it would be a completely plausible way to use it, though.
If done over long periods of time, it could stick. However…”
I took a sip of tea. “It would rely on his dragon being weak and not being able to re-heal the part they are trying to ‘fix’.”
“Yes! Yes, that’s it!” Selene nodded, settling back in her seat as well.
“So, really, it would only work because his dragon was weak. There are too many unanswered questions. How long has this been going on? What was their dosage? How many times were they administering it? If it were just the poison, I don’t see how they haven’t come back since it’s probably out of his system.
If it came to getting his memories back, there is a chance they could come back on their own or…
more likely…he would forget everything that happened from when the white magic was applied. ”
My eyes widened. Just months of memories, lost simply because he could heal over everything. That would be both horrifying and probably self-preserving for him. I knew if Marcus ever got his memories back, it would tear him apart.
Right now, we were in a weird limbo state.
I wouldn’t say it was like dating again, but it was like he stopped holding back from letting the bond take over.
It was small touches, more touches to move me or help me with something.
His shadowing had turned into being by my side.
I didn’t mind it, but it was just as hard for me as before.
I was doing my best to accept him as he was, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to help find a way to get his memories back.
Selene frowned, looking down at her teacup before picking it up. “Whatever or however they did it, it’s masterful.”
I knew what she meant, but I had to ask anyway. “Do you think there really is a chance they would come back on their own? Is there a chance I could get my mate back?” My voice cracked near the end.
The air sucked out of the room for a moment; Sabrina reached out and Mike pulled her closer. Even Laila stiffened, her hand reaching out to mine. Selene took a sip of her tea.
“I think that once his system is fully back to strength, his body should completely heal, if it hasn’t already.
He’s a perfect Alpha, and I have no doubt his body has been trying to get rid of the poison the moment it enters his body.
” She paused before dropping her head slightly.
“As for his memories? If he is already fully healed? The chance isn’t zero, but… ”
“…if it hasn’t happened yet, it’s most likely never going to happen.”
She nodded solemnly. “I’m sorry, Colt. I wish I had better news. I wanted to give you all my research, and I didn’t trust sending it through anyone.”
“No, you were right. I appreciate it. I do. You have no idea.” My voice cracked again, and I looked up, trying to hold back my tears.
“Colt…”
Shaking my head, I took a deep breath and cleared my throat. Swallowing down the emotions, I slammed a smile onto my face. Laila squeezed my hand, and I squeezed it back before letting it go. Reaching out, I took a sip of my tea before cutting into my scone with a fork.
“Oh!” Selene moved and pulled a box out of her bag. “I mean, he doesn’t remember, so it would just sit there, but he already paid for them.”
Reaching out, I opened the box and smiled. A chain held four crystals, which hummed with magic. I could already feel the one on my wrist pushing back against it. Closing the box, I moved it over to Laila.
“Perfect. They look great.”
“He can stop wearing his glasses with those. His power and scent will completely vanish. Just like yours, they would essentially make people feel like he’s human. Yours are a bit more special, but they won’t break, no matter the level of power he unleashes.”
They would be good if he wanted them. Maybe I could give it to him for Christmas. His birthday already passed.
“You are incredible as always. Finding the shifter figure was so perfect. Mason loved it. I might have to do that for all the kids when it comes time.”
“I’ll see if I can get my hands on more, or make my own. I think I made one when I was first starting out as a witch, but I don’t even remember. It was so long ago.”
Laila was about to ask, and I glared at her. She fell into a pout and grabbed a sandwich to munch on. I laughed and shook my head.
“You look brighter, Colt. Not necessarily healthier, but you look brighter.” She smiled. “Thought I was losing you there for a moment.”
“I was pregnant, and it was a rough first few months.”
Sabrina snorted. “Few months? Colt, be real. That whole pregnancy was rough on you. Between the early symptoms and what happened with Marcus, it was a mess. All of it was. Even now…”
“Wait…you…?” Selene’s mouth dropped open. “Hold on! I need to see pictures!”
Grabbing my phone, I unlocked it and scrolled through the most recent photos of Kayla. Selene squealed, taking my phone and scrolling through them herself. I was lucky that there was nothing bad there.
“She’s adorable! Why didn’t you tell me? I need to send her something! How old is she?”
I chuckled, taking my phone back. “She will be four months old on Saturday. Already hitting a few five-month milestones, while eating like she’s seven months old.”
“She is a little chunky monkey. I love it. Butterballs are so cute. She’s big, though! She’s going to be tall.”
Sighing, I pouted. “Takes after her father in every way. I didn’t get a single thing in there. It’s like I wasn’t even added into the equation. I just carried her.”