Chapter 14 #4
“I was engaged to the Dark King. I didn’t want it.
It was forced. I tried to run, they found me.
I tried to kill myself; they revived me, force fed me when I refused to eat and, in the end, I was chained and kept like a pet.
I fell in love with one of his guards, the only man who ever showed me kindness.
We tried to escape together. and I should have known better. ”
Her voice cracked. “He killed him in front of me. Made me stay with his body for months, trapped in the same cell. He clipped my wings.”
Silence.
Even Jared’s expression faltered.
“He cursed me,” she continued, tears spilling freely now. “Said I would never love again that every man who touched me would turn cold, that I would live among humans, powerless, forgetting who I truly am.”
She looked at Corey, “And I did forget. For ten years. Until you. You made me feel something again, something that broke the curse just enough for the voice to notice. Every time I got happy, it whispered that I was worthless. That no one could ever love me. I pushed you away because I thought it was true.”
Corey was speechless.
Davina smiled weakly through her tears. “I was sent here with false memories, a fake life. But… maybe that was mercy. Because I found you. And somehow, that saved me.”
Jared exhaled slowly, breaking the silence. “I knew I recognised you. You were once part of the Dark Court.”
Davina nodded.
He looked thoughtful, almost sad. “The Dark King will know something’s changed. If word spreads that you’re alive and free… he will hunt you. You must stay hidden.”
“I will,” she said firmly. “You have my word.”
Jared hesitated, then added, “And if you’re ever caught, you don’t know me. Understood?”
Davina smiled faintly. “Got it.”
He inclined his head in respect. “Then my work here is done.”
Before anyone could say another word, the air shifted a subtle ripple, like wind moving through silk. And just like that, Jared was gone.
Lucy turned to the others.
“Come on,” she said softly, guiding Davina toward the main room. “Let’s talk some more.”
As they walked, Davina’s hand lingered over Lucy’s for a moment., gratitude and a spark of something else. Hope.
As they walked away from the others, Corey cleared his throat.
“Erm, Lucy,” he said, shifting uncomfortably. “I think Davina needs a moment. Let me show her to where she’ll be staying from here on out.”
Lucy blinked, surprised. “Look at you giving orders now,” she teased with a grin. “Fine, but don’t keep her too long. We’ve got a lot to catch up on.”
Corey gave her a small nod, hiding a smile. “Got it.”
Davina followed him down the hallway, her steps light but uncertain. The house felt vast compared to the tiny flat she had been living in. After everything she had endured, she still felt like she hadn’t fully left the darkness behind.
Corey stopped outside a guest room and opened the door. “Here we are,” he said, standing aside so she could step in first.
Davina hesitated at the threshold, her hand gripping the frame before she slowly opened the door. The room was warm, A bed sat neatly made with soft sheets that looked far too inviting. She could hear birds outside, faintly, that small sound almost made her chest ache.
“It’s… beautiful,” she said quietly.
Corey nodded. “I figured you could use something peaceful.”
She turned to him then, studying his face. He looked different calmer somehow, though still carrying that same weight in his eyes she’d always sensed. “I don’t know what to say,” she murmured. “After everything… I don’t even know how to start being normal again.”
“You don’t have to,” Corey replied, “Not yet. Just breathe. That’s enough for now.”
Davina smiled, the corners of her mouth trembling. “I don’t even know if I remember how to do that properly.”
“Then I’ll remind you,” he said softly.
Something in his tone cracked the wall she’d built around herself. Her shoulders dropped, and a tear she hadn’t felt coming rolled down her cheek. She brushed it away quickly feeling embarrassed.
Corey stepped forward, slow and careful, not touching her yet but close enough that she could feel his warmth. “Hey,” he said, his voice gentle. “You’re allowed to feel it. I mean, ten years of believing you were someone else, I mean is your name even Davina?”
She let out a breath that was half a laugh, half a sob. “Yes, that part is the same, Davina was my name then and is my name now” she looked up at him, eyes wet and glassy. “You always do that,” she said softly.
“Do what?”
“Make me smile even when I feel like it's an impossible task.”
He smiled slightly. “Guess it’s a bad habit.”
She shook her head. “No. It’s a good one.”
Their eyes met, not with fire or urgency, but with quiet understanding. She stepped a little closer, drawn by the calm he carried so easily. Her hand brushed his chest, fingers lingering on the fabric of his shirt as if grounding herself.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “For not being afraid of me.”
Corey’s gaze softened. “You don’t scare me Davina, I’m too stubborn for that.”
He reached up and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, his fingers grazing her cheek. “You should get some rest,” he murmured.
“I should,” she agreed, though she didn’t move.
His hand stayed there a moment longer, warm against her skin.
When he finally stepped back, she found herself missing the weight of his touch.
“I’ll be down the hall if you need anything,” he said.
“I know,” she whispered.
He hesitated in the doorway. “And Davina?”
She looked up.
“You’re safe here,” he said simply, then turned and left.
For a long time, she just stood there, the echo of his words settling into her bones.
When she finally moved, she crossed the room, entered the bathroom and turned on the shower. The sound of running water filled the space. Steam began to rise, curling around her like smoke.
She stepped under the water and closed her eyes. The heat soaked into her skin, washing away the dirt, the fear and the faint trace of death that had clung to her memories.
When she finished, she found a folded set of soft clothes waiting on the bed it was Lucy’s doing, of course. A small kindness that made her smile. She slipped them on, feeling lighter than she had in a long time.
When she walked back toward the main room, she found Lucy already waiting there, cross-legged on the couch, two cups of tea steaming on the table in front of her.
“Took you long enough,” Lucy said with a grin. “I was starting to think you fell down the drain.”
Davina smiled softly, settling beside her. “I just… needed a moment.”
“Good,” Lucy said, handing her a cup. “Because now we’ve got a lot to talk about.”
Davina nodded, taking the tea with both hands. The warmth seeped into her fingers, her chest, her heart.
For the first time, she felt safe enough to start remembering who she really was.
Davina stared into her cup, watching the ripples dance across the surface before speaking. “It’s strange,” she said slowly, “to be somewhere that doesn’t hurt.”
Lucy glanced at her, offering a small smile. “You’ll get used to it. Eventually.”
Davina nodded, though her eyes were distant.
“I keep remembering things in flashes. Not just the big moments, the small ones too. The smell of the Dark King’s halls, the secret whispers that invaded the halls at night.
” She shivered lightly, then took another sip.
“There was a guard who used to check on me. I think… he pitied me. Or maybe he was just curious. But I remember his face. He was one of the king’s loyalists.
He visits me every now and then, keeping tabs on me.
He always pretends not to know who I am.
” she forced a small, nervous laugh, “I suppose that’s why I can’t just vanish from the company. It’s where he checks first.”
Lucy raised a brow. “So, what you’re saying is, you have to go back to work to keep your cover?”
Davina nodded quickly. “Exactly. As long as I keep acting like the old version of me... Well, not the old version, just the last version, the one before I remembered all the other versions of me, then he won’t suspect anything.
” Lucy blinked, a small grin creeping up her face.
“That was… impressively confusing.” Davina laughed properly this time, the sound light and genuine. “You know what I mean.”
“I think I do,” Lucy said, leaning back in her seat. “You need to play it safe, keep up appearances, and not let anyone know the real you is awake again.”
“Exactly.”
Lucy tilted her head. “I can arrange for some protection near the office if you want. Just in case.” Davina smiled softly.
“Thank you, but I’ll be fine. I’ve survived worse than office politics.
” Lucy chuckled. “You clearly haven’t met our HR department.
” That earned a proper laugh, and for the first time since her awakening, Davina’s shoulders loosened completely.
After a moment, she sighed. “You know, it’s still so strange. I keep expecting the curse to pull me back under again, but it hasn’t. It’s quiet. For once, the voice is gone.”
Davina looked up. “Is Corey also special like us?” she leaned in, whispering almost conspiratorially
Lucy snorted. “Oh, he’s special, alright.”
Davina blinked. “So, he is?”
Lucy grinned. “No. He’s just human. But never call him ‘regular’, he’s about as far from ordinary as they come. Highly trained, fast as hell, and scarily efficient when it comes to… making people disappear.”
Davina’s mouth fell open slightly. “Disappear?”
Lucy said, raising her hands. “let’s just say he’s got skills. You wouldn’t want to be on his wrong side.”
Davina blinked again, then smiled. “That’s… oddly comforting.”
Lucy shrugged, finishing her tea. “You’ll learn to stop trying to label everyone here. It’ll drive you insane.”
Finally, Lucy stood. “Come on, you need proper sleep. Big day tomorrow.”
Davina nodded, stretching slightly before standing too. “Thank you,” she said softly. “For everything.”