A Shade of Kiev 3(16)

He stood up and began to pace up and down the room.

“You’ll know when it’s time.”

I looked at him in exasperation. “Can’t you give me some idea?”

He breathed out impatiently.

“Whatever it is doesn’t change what you have to do. You need to trust me on this.”

He walked over to me and bent down so that his eyes were level with mine. His face was filled with concern.

“Mona, I don’t want to risk breaking you. I’ve witnessed too many unsuccessful attempts to want to witness another one.” I could practically see the dark memories whirling behind his eyes as he spoke.

“All right,” I croaked.

Silence fell between us as we stared at each other.

Slowly, cautiously, he took a seat next to me.

“I don’t know what more I can say,” he breathed.

“There isn’t anything more,” I whispered after a pause. Bracing myself for what I was about to say, I shut my eyes. “I will love you, Rhys.” I felt insane hearing myself say those words out loud.

He exhaled sharply.

I leant closer to him, brushing my cheek against his, breathing in his scent. He reached up, caressing the side of my face. I remained still. Feeling the moment, the space we were sharing.

I slipped my hand beneath his shirt, running it up along his broad, muscular chest. I shifted myself onto his lap, my legs spread out either side of him on the couch.

His expression remained serious as he held my waist. Allowing me to take the lead. I unbuttoned his shirt and slid it off his shoulders, down his arms.

“Undress me,” I whispered into his ear.

He betrayed his hunger for me as he scooped me up in his arms and laid me down in his bed. He drew out his dagger and ripped through my dress. I shivered as the tip of the blade grazed my skin. Removing the rest of his clothes, he spread himself out over me. He groaned as I pulled his face against mine and pushed my tongue between his lips. He pressed me harder into the mattress, his weight making it a struggle to breathe.

I was trying to lose myself beneath Rhys’ touch. Let him envelop my heart and soul. But the harder I worked to forget the vampire, the more images of him came flooding through my brain.

No.

This is no good.

As Rhys’ need began to consume him, I gripped his thick hair and tugged.

“Wait,” I gasped.

He looked down at me, his eyes hooded, and frowned.

“What?”

He lifted himself up away from me and allowed me to sit up. I leaned against the headboard and buried my face in my hands.

Am I really going to risk this?

What choice do I even have now?

My throat felt parched just thinking about what I was about to do.

“Did I hurt you?” Rhys looked at me with concern.

“No, no. Rhys. I just… I think I need you to give me a memory potion.”

His lips parted in surprise.

“A memory potion?”

“It’s just that every time you touch me, I keep remembering the time when we were best friends,” I lied. “And I find it hard to be truly intimate with you. It feels strange.”

He nodded slowly.

“But not a complete memory wipe.”

“No, of course not,” I said quickly. I recalled one potion I had made recently before we left for The Shade. It was to test out on a human. They’d wanted to erase only select memories from his brain.

“All right,” he said.

I reached out and brushed a hand over his cheek, attempting a smile.

‘That way, it will be a fresh start for us.”





Chapter 15: Mona





I stared at the dark green liquid. I’d concocted it in the castle’s spell room with Rhys. But now that it was made, I’d asked to be left alone while I went about wiping the memories. I’d retreated to the spare bedroom of our apartment. He’d understood my desire for privacy.

I sat on the edge of the bed and reached for the jug I’d filled with the potion. I poured some into a metal goblet. Sniffing it, I almost choked from how foul it smelt.

I placed the goblet on the bedside table and stared at it. My eyes glazed over with tears and my hands were trembling.

This is it.

There will be no going back after this.

Now that I was on the verge of losing the vampire forever, the full impact of how much I had grown to need him hit me full force. I felt winded.

What were you thinking, Mona? Of course, if you erase everything that’s happened, it’s unlikely that you’ll ever be with him again even if you do manage by some miracle to remember to break free from Rhys. He’ll be a stranger to you. And he may have already found someone else. He has no problem finding women to share his bed.

I shook my head, trying to clear my head. It was useless having these thoughts now.