by Lisa Kumar
Was that relief and dread mingled together in his tone? Probably. Relief that he no longer had to be alone with them, but dread that she’d have to face them.
She pushed the door open slowly, feeling like she was going before a firing squad.
Lorh stood to one side of his desk, but upon seeing her, he made a quick beeline toward her. Taking her hand, he pulled her farther into the room to stand a few feet from his parents.
Her legs felt as limp as cooked spaghetti. Thankfully, her gown hid most of their wobbling. Both of his parents were tall, imposing people. His father resembled Lorh to a disquietingly large degree. Even his hair looked like Lorh’s, except for the strands of white here and there. Only the emotion on their faces were markedly different. His father sported a perpetually sour expression that aged him beyond his fae middle-age years.
And Lorh’s mother — talk about terrifying. Though she was a thin, beautiful woman, the way she held herself left no doubt that she viewed nearly everyone else as but ants beneath her feet.
Age sat gracefully upon the woman. The silver of her elegantly coiffed hair appeared to have little to do with middle age and more to with what she was born with. Only slight creases lined the skin around her eyes and mouth.
A shiver zipped up and down Natalie’s spine. These were her in-laws? Wait, were she and Lorh still officially married? Maybe not. So these might be her soon-to-be in-laws? What a cheery thought.
Lorh anchored her to his side as if afraid she might bolt. Wise man. "Mother, Father, this is Natalie, the…guest I’ve been telling you about. I hope you’ll treat her as one of the family."
As he finished speaking, Lorh sent Natalie a penetrating look that communicated something, but what? Then understanding dawned. He did actually want her to act like she’d gained none of her past memories. Though still confused as to why, she went along with it. "Pleased to meet you," she said, dipping her head.
An expression of distaste flashed over his mother’s face, but she quickly masked it with a charming smile so reminiscent of Lorh’s that Natalie felt a little sick. The fae woman leaned over and kissed Natalie on the cheek. "We’ve heard so much about you, dear."
Lorh’s father nodded, his face an impassive mask that made rocks look expressive. "That we have."
Well, at least he wasn’t being as cloyingly fake as his wife. Impassiveness was almost easier to deal with. Still, she didn’t know what to say next. The silence lay like a heavy blanket on her. His parents sure didn’t seem like they were going to lower themselves to break it.
Thankfully, Lorh broke the lull. "My parents came for a surprise visit." He sent them a reproachful glance, which almost made Natalie smile.
Turning Natalie toward him, he continued talking. "Unfortunately, my father and I have to go out and inspect a few remote properties on the edge of the manor’s land. A fire blazed through the area, and we have to assess the damage. I normally wouldn’t go at a time such as this, but my agent is away on family business. So I must leave you and Mother here."
Her stomach lurched. The unhappy edge to Lorh’s voice hinted at a healthy dose of reluctance to leave her alone with his mother. The same concern lurked in his solemn eyes and his compressed lips. Oh, dear, she wanted to be ill, but she wouldn’t give the smirking fae woman the pleasure. Could this day get any worse?
Lorh pressed her hand. At least he seemed to share her view about the downward turn of their day.
Since she couldn’t curl up in a whimpering ball, she cleared her throat of the lump clogging her airways. "Don’t worry. I’ll…we’ll be fine." Natalie didn’t know if she meant she and Lorh would be fine or if she and his mother would be.
"Good." Lorh nodded with more force than necessary. "I’ll be back as soon as possible, probably by tonight if all goes as planned." He bent down to kiss her cheek and whispered in her ear, "Escape to your chamber as soon as you can. Neither of them knows about your return of memories. That may stop my mother from asking questions. Go to Lurin if you need to."
She gave him a tremulous smile. "Okay." His reasoning made sense, and hopefully, it’d pan out.
As Lorh pulled away, he returned her shaky smile, but it soon petered out into a frown. He looked at his parents and nodded to his mother. "I’ll see you later."
The woman glided over to him and daintily hugged him. "Be safe."
"I will. Father, it’s time to go, if you are ready?" Then a discomforted look flickered across his countenance. "Actually, before we leave, you two can tell me if you happened to send any men to my town to…make trouble."
Natalie’s heart plummeted like a rock. He suspected his parents had something to do with Sivin and his associates being in town? Lorh had said the two men were still in custody but were about to be released because it seemed they’d truly known nothing of Sivin’s plans.
But he’d never shared his worries that his parents could somehow be involved. Had they really had a hand in the whole Sivin incident?
Merna scoffed. "Don’t be silly, Lorh. Of course, we did no such thing, right, Avin?"
Lorh’s father nodded, looking only slightly perturbed about the suspicion leveled against him and his wife. "I didn’t even know any incident had happened. Maybe these same men are responsible for the damage to the homes we’re going to inspect?"
"It is possible," Lorh said, but Natalie could tell he wasn’t convinced the two men he’d deemed innocent could do such a thing. "My apologies, but I had to ask."
Both his parents waved off his words of regret, and Natalie had to blink a few times to make sure she wasn’t caught up in a weird dream. That they could be accused of sending men to do evil deeds and barely bat a lash about it was beyond odd — and telling. Were such accusations made against them regularly?
The fae man moved toward his son. "I do think it’s time we left if we mean to be back before nightfall." Bowing a bit from the waist, he said, "Good-bye, Merna, Natalie."
Before he followed his father toward the door, Lorh sent Natalie one last lingering glance. With that, the men vacated the study, leaving a dazed Natalie alone with Merna. She could only hope the woman and her husband were being truthful about Sivin. But Lorh had seemed to believe them and had even left her alone with his mother, so…
Merna cleared her throat, snagging her attention. The woman wasted no time in leveling a predatory grin at her. "Seems like you have Lorh twisted around your finger as always."
Natalie startled. "Excuse me?" Was this lady testing her knowledge of what Lorh had told them?
"Lorh — he seems quite taken with you," Merna said, picking up a paperweight from Lorh’s desk. She ran her fingers over it, even though her gaze remained on Natalie the entire time.
Natalie shrugged, forcing a disinterest she didn’t feel. But Lorh’s warnings were blaring in her mind. "He’s kind," she said, as if that answered Merna’s question.
"He’s the kindest of my children. It’s always been his strongest fault."
"Wha-at?" Natalie stared, aghast, at his mother.
The fae woman cocked an eyebrow. "While it can be an asset at times, you can surely see what a hindrance such a quality could be at most times?"
Natalie raised her chin. While it wasn’t wise to get involved in a discussion with his mother, this question felt decidedly like a challenge — one she wanted to live up to. "If one shows kindness where it’s due, I see no problem with it."
The woman shook her head as if deeply pained. "So human."
Swallowing back her ire, Natalie glued a neutral expression on. "If you’ll excuse me, I need to return to my chamber."
His mother didn’t answer, so Natalie breathed an inner sigh of relief and headed for the half-open door. When she was nearly to the door, Merna’s voice stopped her.
"Don’t you know who I am?"
Natalie closed her eyes. This had to be some kind of messed-up test. "Lorh’s mother." She didn’t bother to turn around as she spoke.
"Oh, but I’m so much more," Merna said in honeyed tones ri
ght behind her.
When had the woman sneaked up so close to her? Natalie ignored her pounding heart as she faced Merna. "Are you?"
The other woman raked her up and down with a considering glance. "Hmm, I hoped you would’ve remembered. What a pity."
"I don’t know what you’re talking about." Natalie congratulated herself on her steady tone. Inside, she was one big, quivering mess.
"You know, it would’ve made it so much easier if you’d remembered and went mad?"
With difficulty, Natalie kept her jaw from hanging open. Why would remembering make her mad? Lorh’s words about the botched spell flooded her mind. Her heart thumped against her ribs. "I really think I need to —"
"I don’t think so." Merna waved a hand, and the door slammed all the way closed. "You remember nothing?"
"No," Natalie stuttered. Heavens, was his mother insane?
The woman rubbed her hands together in apparent glee. "Up until now, I was disappointed you hadn’t, but now I see we can have some fun."
Natalie was sure she wouldn’t like her definition of fun. In fact, she was sure she’d hate it. With a resolute step, she made for the door again. "I’m not really up to any fun at the moment, thank you."
"Oh, but I am. And you’re the center of my entertainment."
Natalie pulled at the door handle, but it wouldn’t budge. Oh no, oh no. "I think you’ve had enough fun for today."
"You’re much wittier this time around. It’ll actually kind of be sad to kill you this time. And don’t bother to scream. No one can hear you. Also, all exits are locked against you."
Ice froze the blood in Natalie’s veins, and her hand fell away from the knob. She slowly turned around. "What did you say?"
A lazy smile formed on Merna’s lips. "You heard me quite well. It’ll be quite amusing to break you. Do you have no inkling of what Lorh is to you?"
Natalie’s mind spun uselessly with fear. What should she say or do? Everything was a huge jumbled ball in her mind. Nervously licking her lips, she tamped down on the blind panic that surely would get her killed if his mother weren’t joking. And Merna didn’t seem to be the kind to kid about death.
Should Natalie still act like she didn’t remember? If this woman was a killer — and had most likely sent Sivin after her too — then maybe she should keep her talking until help arrived or she found another escape route. "I’ve had a few fuzzy visions of things that don’t make sense, but what does that have to do with killing me?"
The other woman latched on to the first part of what Natalie had said. "Visions of what?"
"Lorh with his siblings."
"How quaint." Merna’s lip curled. "He told you they were his siblings?"
"Yes, why?" Natalie asked, keeping up the charade.
"Go on. What did these visions entail?"
Desperation clawed through Natalie. Why did the woman care? "Just scenes of a woman with Lorh and the children."
"And you don’t know who this woman is?"
Natalie jerked her head. "No, I can never make out her face."
"How convenient, or inconvenient as might be the case."
Remaining silent, Natalie waited to see what Merna would do or say next. The women kept throwing her off-kilter, like a cat toying with a mouse. Natalie got the distinct feeling that was what she was, a mere diversion and nuisance to get rid of.
"Don’t you want to know what I mean, know what I know?" She sashayed up to Natalie and took her by the arm, guiding her back into the center of the room.
Thoughts roared through Natalie’s head. Should she fight, or just go along with it like a sitting duck? But fighting could very well get her killed. Though, not fighting could have the same repercussion. It looked like she was going to have to wing it. No matter what she did, there’d be no guarantees. His mother seemed to have some sociopathic tendencies, which made her dangerous — very dangerous.
Natalie had dealt with true psychopaths in her line of work, so that might just help her. Keep her talking about her favorite topics — herself and her plans.
"I think you’re a woman who could kill without compunction."
Merna released her arm. "You know me so well. Do tell me more."
Natalie ignored her mocking. "You appear to have devised quite the plan."
"Naturally." Merna pouted. "But you had to go and ruin it by not remembering your past."
"What do you mean about my past?" Natalie had never been a very good actress, and now she had a feeling she was failing miserably at it.
The woman’s eyes narrowed. "Why do I have the feeling you remember more than you’re saying?" Then she shrugged. "Though I so wished to see your mind break, it really doesn’t matter. Whether you remember or not, your fate will be the same."
"And what fate is that?" Natalie asked, though she already knew the answer and hated to hear it again.
"You die." Merna made a show of putting a finger to her chin as if she were in deep thought. "Or I guess I could remove your current memories and send you back to your hovel on Earth. But killing you sounds like a much more pleasant option."
Fear sent icy fingers down Natalie’s spine, but she had to remain calm. But not too calm, or else she’d arouse suspicion. Not much of a chance there. Her fright more than likely bled from her pores, which a predator like Merna would scent. "I have to disagree with your choice, but if you are going to kill me, I’d like to know what you’re talking about and the plan you formed."
"You do know that Lorh was your mate in your previous life here and that you died? And that his siblings are your children from your past life?"
Natalie glued on a look of surprise and hugged herself with her arms. "Why should I believe you?"
"It makes no difference if you do." The woman glanced at a clock on the mantel. "The time is drawing near. This needs to be done, and if they return early, that won’t do."
Desperation pushed Natalie to ask again, "But what of your plan? Surely, there were many intricacies to it?"
Merna’s self-satisfied smile gave her hope, and to her relief, the fae woman started talking. "Your mind is much too small to grasp all the care that went into the planning. Indeed, even most of my kind would fail to recognize most of the nuances."
Exasperation broke through some of Natalie’s fright. The woman’s grandiose self-aggrandizement was almost laughable. She had an ego on her the size of Texas.
"What do you want to know? That you and Lorh were sickeningly happy? That he was devastated when you were murdered?" Merna asked in a callous tone that shouldn’t have shocked Natalie, but did.
Such evilness was never easy to accept and stomach, no matter that one knew it clearly existed. How could Lorh be related to this woman?
As she thought of him, something he’d said previously about their bond replayed in her mind. Hope kindled only to dim a little. He’d said their bond disappeared with her death, but could a portion of it be reforming? Surely, it could, since thoughtlessly uttered words that were rife with emotion could create bonds. They’d shared a lot of power-packed words, and hers hadn’t always been chosen with care.
Though it seemed a far shot, she couldn’t overlook any option right now. Concentrating on all her fear and love, she mentally gathered it into a bundle, thought of Lorh, and threw it toward him through the ether of time and space. Please, let him sense something and come back.
Merna snickered. "Too upset to speak? You wear your human emotions so plainly. Let me see. What else? Oh yes, I’d arranged for your death. Your demise was so easy to devise, really too easy to be any fun. But whispering in that mad poacher’s ear was a flash of brilliance."
"No one suspected you?" Natalie asked, too shaken to keep up the appearance that she might not believe Merna. "The poacher didn’t describe your appearance or incriminate you in anyway?"
The fae woman stared down her nose at her. "I wore a glamour. The insane fool thought I was a goddess. That played perfectly into my scheme. Everyone knows psychotic people often
have religious hallucinations and delusions."
So cold and methodical, and no remorse. "How could you have done that? To Lorh, especially, and the children?"
Merna shrugged. "I regretted Lorh’s pain, but you needed to be excised like a cancerous tumor. As for those half-breed children of yours, they’ll have to do until Lorh can marry a good fae lady. After that, they’ll be disposable."
Horror pierced Natalie’s heart. "You’d harm your own grandchildren? You’re a complete monster."
Something flitted across her face, but it was gone in a second. "I do what I must to preserve our pure line." Then she sighed. "The memory spell didn’t drive you mad as I’d hoped it would. So you have two choices because I’m feeling generous. I can kill you or remove your memories. Either way, you’ll be gone by the time Lorh returns."
Opening and closing her mouth, Natalie waited for the right answer to come to her, but it didn’t. How ironic she didn’t want to leave. A little over a week ago, she would’ve gladly chosen that option, especially over death. Now, she didn’t want to be parted from Lorh and their children. She loved them so much, and it took the prospect of losing them for her to fully realize it. If she went back, she’d never even know they’d existed.
Natalie grasped for something, anything. "Lorh would never believe I’d leave him so abruptly. Plus, my three weeks aren’t up."
Merna scoffed. "You think those rules apply to me? I make the rules, and others follow them." She paused before going on. "If you leave, I’ll merely say you remembered and broke under all the memories. That you were in tears, and I couldn’t ignore your pain. So I sent you back."
"But you’re not on the committee, so how could you without their permission?"
"Oh, I’m not on the sitting council, but I basically own the whole group. Next question."
Merna’s flippancy threw her for a moment, and she struggled to articulate a coherent sentence. "What’s to stop him from tracking me down again and bringing me here? And what if you were right and I do remember?"
"For the first of your concerns, the committee won’t allow your return since they’ll think you willingly fled before your three weeks were over. To them, it’ll look like a slap in the face that a human didn’t want to stay with a noble fae lord and actually went so far as to run away and have her memories erased." A happy sound left Merna. "While I wasn’t supportive of your return, I realized if I allowed it to happen, I could finally cut you out of my son’s life for good. As for the second, even if you do recall the past, your mind is still fragile. I’ll make something up."
