Forget Me When the Sun Goes Down (Forged Bloodlines Book 11) (16 page)

“You’re not though, are you?”

“Bite your tongue, I
love
games,” I laughed, deliberately lightening the mood.  “Monopoly, Yahtzee, Apples to Apples.”

It worked, and Bishop laughed back, his eyes crinkling with warmth before he sobered.  “Do you mind if I show you something?”

“Will I need a shot of cocoa before I see it?” I quipped, but he shook his head.

“No, it’s not like that.”  Bishop drew out his phone, pulling up the photo gallery, shifting closer so I could see the screen. 

At first I thought it was a picture of Carys on the steps of St. Peter’s Basilica, but as I zoomed in, I realized it wasn’t her at all.  “Hey, it’s me,” I grinned.  “We took a trip to Rome together, huh?  Is Carys there too?” 

“You’re the only one in here.  There’s not a single shot of Carys or anyone else.  Just you.”

“What do you mean they’re all of me?”  I reached out to swipe to the next picture, and he was right.  Page after page of them, all pictures of me.  Standing among the ruins of an ancient Greek temple, on a starry night with Stonehenge in the background beneath a huge orange moon, feeding a monkey an ice cream cone on a terrace surrounded by lush jungle, in front of gorgeous rolling hills with a river below. 

“I don’t know what to say,” I admitted, scrolling through a past with him I couldn’t remember.  “We used to be together, but I’m married to Rob now. You know that.”

“I know.  I just can’t help but think of how I felt when I was with you.” Holy Hannah, the way he looked at me – it made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside in a way that had nothing to do with the fire.  It made me feel things I shouldn’t.  “Do you really not remember what it was like between us at all?”

We stood in the rain, the moon all but obscured in velvety darkness.  “Do you want there to be a you and me?” 

Bishop pressed closer, his fingers brushing the hair out of my eyes.  “More than I’ve ever wanted anything,” he rumbled.

“Then kiss me.  Don’t stop to think about it, don’t plan it.  Just...” 

His mouth closed over mine, and I felt the kiss all the way down to my toes, the energy between us sparking far more than a simple press of lips should have.  He shouldn’t have been able to do that, make me any wetter than I was from the rain, but as his tongue slid against mine, my entire body submitted to him, craving more than that single touch.  My hands slid up the front of his chest to curve around the back of his neck, drawing him closer. 

Bishop responded with a shift of the hips, pinning me against the car with his hardness.  This was what I’d missed, my confident, strong Bishop, taking and giving at the same time, consequences be damned.  When he kissed me like that, it brought back the memory of every way he’d made my body sing with pleasure, and my body remembered too, offering itself up to him shamelessly, forgetting where we were.  

He drank from my lips like a man dying of thirst, desperate to make up for lost time.  I felt it too – the need to heal the rift between us with a connection that nothing or no one could ever destroy again.  “Let’s get out of here,” he hummed over my skin, and I swallowed hard. 

I sucked in a breath, caught up in the memory and the reality of the man himself, scant inches away from me, that same passion in his smoldering gaze.  “I remember,” I murmured, inching forward, I’m not sure I was even aware I was doing it.  It was like I was being pulled by a magnetic force.  All it would take was a few more inches and I would taste those lips again, and feel...

Frak
, what the hell was I doing?  “I’m sorry,” I squeaked, pulling away.  “I can’t...”

Bishop caught hold of my arms, not letting me get away.  “I know you felt something just then.  I felt it too.”

“Something I have no business feeling for a man who’s not my husband,” I whispered back, too afraid to say it out loud.

“You don’t even love him.  You just said so.”

“I don’t know that for sure, I said I was confused.”  Even more so now. 

His hold on me softened, one hand reaching up to cup the side of my face.  “What are you feeling right now?”

So many things.
  “Confused as hell.  I feel like Sabrina, only I don’t know which of you is Linus and which is David.”

Bishop stared at me helplessly.  “I’m sorry, I don’t get that reference.”

“That’s okay.  I doubt Rob would either,
Sabrina
is strictly a chick flick.  It’s funny what we remember, isn’t it?”

“I’m not laughing,” he said, gazing deep into my eyes.  “Anja, I want to be with you.  I want a chance to feel that way again, the way I was with you.”

I pressed my forehead against his, wanting so badly to kiss him, it made my heart ache inside.  My lips parted, the air tingling between us as I fought to be the person I knew I should be. 

“I’m sorry,” I breathed, my eyes squinching tightly shut.  “I really am.”  I pulled back to look at him, hating to see the defeat in his eyes, but I needed him to understand.  “Look, I remember what we had, I remember wanting you so badly I thought my heart might explode.  As bewitching as the idea is that we can recapture that feeling, it’s only one isolated moment in time, we don’t know what the whole picture is.  If we were so great together, then why aren’t we with each other now?  There must be a reason why I married Rob.”  And stuck by him through the cheating and stims and his temper, though I wasn’t about to say that out loud.  “And why you’re with Carys.”

His head tilted to one side in speculation.  “Because you seem like the kind of girl who tries to make a bad thing work?” 

I raised a single brow at that.  “Or because you have masochistic tendencies?”

“Because we’re both boneheaded and stubborn in our own ways?” he suggested, and I had to admit, he wasn’t wrong. 

“Either way, I can’t give you what you want.  Not while we’re both tied to other people.”

“I’ll walk into that other room and tell Carys it’s finished right now.”

“You totally should,” I nodded.  “But not for me, but because she seems like she’s not the right girl for you.”

“I could say the same about Rob.”

“I know, he’s not the right girl for you either,” I teased, and he responded with a thin smile.  “It’s just not something I can do right now.  There are too many unknowns.”

“It’s okay, I understand.”  But he looked as miserable as a hobbit on a juice fast. 

I covered his hand with mine and gave it a squeeze.  “All I can think is that this will all make sense once we get our memories back.”

To my surprise, he lost the defeated look, brightening.  “So let’s do it.  Let’s get those memories back.”

“What do you mean?”

“We lost our memories because of magic, right?  Then magic is our best way to reverse it.”

Another spell?  “I’m not sure that’s such a good idea.  We don’t even know if there’s a spell for that in there.”

“Then let’s check it out.  There’s no harm in looking, right?”

That was debatable.  “And if I remember that I belong with Rob?”

“Then at least we’ll know for sure.”

“I can’t make you any promises, Bishop.”

He squeezed my hand back.  “I’m know, I understand.  I just wanted to lay things out on the table so we’d know where things stand.”

“Three feet deep in quicksand?”  I mustered a half smile, but he didn’t look amused.  “Is this going to make our friendship all awkward now?”

“Oh yeah, totally,” he grinned, and the tightness in my chest eased.  If we could still smile like that at each other, we’d be okay no matter what.  “Come on, let’s go take a look at that book.”

“Here, I think this is the spell we’re looking for,” Bishop said, pointing to a spell with the word
muna
at the top.  “That means remember.”

“Really?”  I leaned closer to take a look.  It was all Greek to me, my Norse was a little rusty.  “I don’t think we should mess around with it though, not until Nell wakes up and takes a look at it.”

“I’m not sure I trust Nell at this,” Carys frowned, and I realized she’d been paying attention this whole time, even though it looked like she was wholly absorbed with painting her fingernails a bright red. 

“She got the barrier spell down,” I pointed out. 

“Yes, but this is toying with our minds.  I’d much rather wait and let my memories come back on their own.”

“Suit yourself,” I shrugged, not caring one way or the other if she ever got them back.  I was actually a little surprised that Bishop hadn’t taken her aside to break up with her after our last talk, but I supposed I could understand him wanting to restore our memories first.  “She does have a point though.  This could be dangerous.”

“I’ll go first,” Bishop volunteered, too readily for my tastes. 

“Are you sure about this?”

“Why not?  My memories are already gone.  If they come back, great, if I get reset again, you can fill me in on what I’ve missed.”

“It still seems risky to me.”

“What’s the worst thing that can happen?” he shrugged, and I got a brief flash of memory, the two of us lying in bed together.

“What could possibly go wrong?”
I’d asked.  Obviously plenty, since we weren’t together anymore. 

Rob stumbled into the great room, neatly dressed in his suit, but he looked groggy, not quite awake.  “What’s going on?” he asked, joining us at the table.

“We’re going to try the memory spell to try and get our memories back.”

A deep furrow appeared between his brows.  “Sounds like a shit idea to me.  You don’t want to go mucking around with your mind, anything could happen.”

“That’s exactly what I’ve been saying,” Carys called out, pointing the brush at him. 

“And I say it’s a bad idea to keep stumbling around in the dark,” Bishop disagreed.  “It could be incredibly dangerous for us once we leave here without knowing what to expect.  The sooner we get all of our memories back, the sooner we can safely leave here.”

“Hate to say it, but Bishop’s got a point,” Aubrey chimed in.  “There could be any number of dangers out there we could be stumbling in to.”

I nodded in agreement.  “Not to mention, it’s sort of hard to step back into our old lives when we don’t know what they are.  I mean, Bishop knows he’s a cop, but what do the rest of us do for a living?”

“Fine, do him then.”  Rob pointed to Aubrey.

I expected the guy to weasel his way out of it, bravery didn’t seem like his strongpoint, but he surprised me.  “I accept,” Aubrey agreed without argument. 

“Grand.” Rob eased somewhat.  “Now we just have to wait for the witch.”

Nelleke joined us less than an hour later, looking refreshed, her cheeks ruddy with good health.  Bishop laid out the plan for trying the memory spell while she was in the kitchen, making something to eat. 

“You read my mind,” she beamed as soon as she understood what we wanted to do.  “I have been working on this memory spell before I find my bed.  I am thinking it will be smarter to have my memories before I am trying the lifeforce spell.  This way, there will be no mistakes this time.”

“You want to try the spell on yourself?” I asked.  “Do you think it’s safe enough for all of us to do at the same time?”

“We agreed Aubrey would try it out first,” Rob said in a tone that brooked no argument, and I decided to let him win this one.  If it worked, I’d do it next, and if it didn’t, then I’d wait for my memories to come back naturally. 

“I think it is much safe, but I do not mind the first guinea pigging,” Nelleke volunteered. 

Bishop clapped his hands together.  “Great, then what do you need to make the spell happen?” 

It took a little longer to assemble the items she needed for this spell, but we found everything after a brief trip into town.  Jakob came along this time, discreetly feeding from the cashier of the same general store that Bishop had visited before.  I managed a quick trip to the bakery to make sure that Andy was alive and well.  There was no sign of him at that early evening hour, but neither was there a black mood around the bakery as I might’ve expected if one of their employees had died.  I grabbed a scone for Rob, and we headed back to the house so Nell could make her preparations.   

When the time came, Nelleke led Aubrey to a cleared space in the main living area where a large circle had been drawn on the ground in salt.  They both held what looked like a glass Christmas tree ornament filled with silver shavings.  “Take this and step into the circle.”  She joined him there, and took a deep breath.  “When I am reciting the spell, hold the witch’s ball in front of you.  It is going to get hot, but try to hang on to it, yes?”  Nell paused to make sure he understood her.  “When I am giving the word, smash it onto the ground hard enough for it to break.”

“That’s it?” Aubrey said, looking at the ornament dubiously.  “I don’t have to say anything?”

“No, I am doing all the speaking.  You are ready?”

“As I’ll ever be,” he murmured, but shot Carys a confident wink.  “See you on the other side, sweeting.”

“Be careful,” Carys called out to him, and I half expected her to wave a handkerchief at him like he was leaving on a train or something. 

And then it began, Nelleke chanting unintelligibly in that old language that I understood even less when spoken.  I wasn’t sure if anything was happening, it just looked like the pair of them standing in the center of the circle, no sparks or tingles or anything.  The only change I saw was the grimace of pain on Aubrey’s face, and that Nelleke held the globe with her fingertips, as though it’d grown unbearably hot. 

Nelleke yelled out, “Now!” and they both hurled their ornaments to the ground.  They shattered, and a cloud of thick, black smoke rose up.  They immediately began to cough, Nell clawing at her throat as she collapsed to the ground.  Aubrey stumbled forward a step, and then keeled over too, both of them coughing before going still. 

The smoke spilled into the rest of the room then, and I held my breath to cross to the windows to help air it out.  Even without breathing, the smoke stung my eyes, and I couldn’t imagine how bad it’d been trapped in the ring of salt with it up close. 

“Are they okay?” I called out.  Bishop had rolled Nell onto her back, and was checking her pulse.

“She’s breathing shallowly, but she seems alright.”

“Aubrey?”  Carys kneeled beside him, cradling his head in her lap.  “Can you hear me, dearest?  He isn’t breathing.”

“That’s because he’s a vampire,” Bishop reminded her gently.  “I’m sure he’ll come around in a minute.”  He picked up Nelleke and brought her to the couch; she was already showing signs of waking up. 

Aubrey’s eyes popped open, immediately scrunching as he held his hand to his head.  “Ugh, remind me never to do that again.”

“Are you okay, Aubrey?” I asked, holding tight to Rob’s hand in anticipation.  This was the big moment.  “Are you, you?”

“Am I me?”  Aubrey began to laugh, wincing as it hurt his head to do so.  “I’m the only one who is,” he chortled, and Rob and I exchanged glances.  Was he off his rocker now? 

“Aubrey, are you well?” Carys looked down at him, her brow marred with worry lines. 

“If you only knew.”  Aubrey kept on giggling, and I started to think the spell had cooked his brain. 

“So... you remember everything now?” I asked. 

“Everything,” he nodded, swiping at his eyes.  “Lord, did we make a cock up of things.”

The furrow on Carys’ brow deepened.  “What do you mean?”

Aubrey settled down, picking up her hand.  “You’re not promised to him, you belong with me.”

“I do?”  Her eyes widened in astonishment. 

“Then Bishop isn’t with Carys?”  I looked up to where he sat with Nell, a mixture of relief and worry sweeping over his face. 

“Yes, sweeting,” Aubrey said, kissing the back of her hand.  “I have the honor of your love.”  Carys, affected by the pretty words, threw her arms around Aubrey’s neck, hugging him tightly. 

“Well, that escalated quickly,” I murmured, moving away to give them some privacy.  Rob didn’t look particularly thrilled by the revelation, and I could guess why.  I ignored it for the moment, more concerned with Nelleke, who was sitting up, but clutching her head, her face pinched with pain.

“Are you alright?” I asked.  “Was it awful?”

“I feel much sick,” she croaked, her voice raw from coughing, and slower to heal than Aubrey’s. 

“Do you need to lie down again?  A glass of water, a bucket?”

“No, it is not that kind of sick.”

“What is it then?” 

She looked between the three of us, her cheeks flushing with color.  “Jakob is my father.”

“Oh.” And then it hit me why she looked so ill.  “
Oh
.  You didn’t, um... I mean, the two of you, last night...”

“No, thank Odin.  But I...” She swallowed uncomfortably before continuing in a softer voice.  “I would have.”

Eewh
. 

“You didn’t know, Nell.  It’s understandable,” Bishop said in a soothing manner, looking over at Aubrey and Carys huddled together.  “We all made assumptions.”

“It’s okay, Nell, nothing happened,” I nodded vigorously.  “You’ll get over this.”

“Get over what?” Jakob asked, scratching his left buttcheek as he entered the room.  Nelleke’s eyes flew wide with panic, and I decided to take charge of the revelations. 

“Nell is your daughter.”

“I have a daughter?”  His eyes widened in surprise, but not alarm, as a slow smile spread across his face.  “Look, how fine and strong she is, my daughter,” he beamed.  “Come and embrace me,
dóttir
.”

“No!” Nell squeaked, the color draining from her face, and I stepped in again. 

“She’s still recovering from the spell.  I’m sure she needs a few minutes to process it all.”

“Spell?” he frowned, concern radiating off of him.  “Are you not well, my dear?”

“Yes, Nell did a spell to restore her memories so she could fix you all that much better.  Talk about a devoted daughter,” I grinned, squeezing Rob’s hand so he’d play along. 

“Yeah, ain’t nothing she wouldn’t do for you,” he chimed in.  “That’s devotion, it is.”

“Rest up then,
dóttir
.”  Jakob patted her hand in a kindly way.  “There is plenty of time for the ritual, I am well enough at present.”

“But not too much longer,” Aubrey interjected.  “I’d like to be on our way before daybreak.”

“That’s hours away yet.  We have plenty of time for Nell to recover, and for us to air out the place.”  Blecch, the stench still hung in the air, like rotten eggs left to fester in the sun.  “Go open the front door, would you?” I asked Rob.  “Maybe we can get a cross breeze going and clear that stink out of here.”

“As you wish,” he agreed readily.  Only when he opened the door, a woman stood there, her arm raised as if to knock.  She was young, maybe twenty or twenty-one, about my height, her hair falling to her shoulders in a riot of strawberry blonde curls.  Her eyes were the color of whiskey, and they smoldered with happiness to see Rob, that much was evident. 

Dressed in tight dark pants with black, calf length, furry boots and a slim fitting, gray wool coat that came down past her behind, she positively radiated life, her smile as brilliant as sunlight.  “There he is.  You should’ve rung to tell me you were going to be up here so long, Rob,” she scolded him with a playful punch to the shoulder.  Her accent mirrored Rob’s, roughened by the streets.  “Holy hell biscuits, is it rank in here!  What in the name of all that’s blessed have you been up to?  Roasting a goat, skin and all?”

Rob’s back was to me, but I recognized the tense bunch of his shoulders.  “Outside,” he said, low, but the sound wasn’t hard for vampire ears to pick up. 

“But Rob...”

“Outside, Laveda.  Now.”  It wasn’t a request, and after pouting for a moment, the woman turned on her boot and crunched away in the snow. 

I expected Rob to offer an explanation, but he started through the doorway without a word.  I chased after him.  “Hey, who is that?” I called out, and he stopped, a few colorful swear words leaving his lips before he turned around.

“No one to trouble yourself with.  Wait inside where it’s warm, I’ll handle it.”

That might’ve worked on her, but I wasn’t about to let him blow me off so easily.  “Handle what?  Rob, who is she?”

“Just give me a few minutes to straighten her out,” he pleaded, his eyes heavy with regret, and maybe even a touch of fear.  “I’ll be right back, and I can explain everything.”

“Okaaaay.”  A knot settled in the pit of my stomach as he started after her.  Who was she and what was she doing there?  More importantly, who was she to Rob and why was he so freaked out to see her?