Page 99 of Secrets & Curses of Crimson

“Yes, but I need to hear you say you love him and that you chose to forgive what he did.”

My heart pounded as I smiled.

“I forgive Cassius for killing and cursing me. I love him more than anything,” I cried softly.

She nodded as Wisp moved closer.

“You’ll remember everything very soon. It took eight tries, eight long years, but I am so proud of you, Thea. You will still need to complete the prophecy; the realm of Elloryon is counting on you. Just be careful because this time if you die, you do not go back to Exile.”

My brows creased as she looked at Wisp and nodded. Wisp’s dark purple flames twirled around her, and when they stopped, it was me standing there. The wisp form of me was glowing brightly, but I was in awe of how peaceful I found it.

“It’s me,” I whispered.

“Wisp was your soul,” Della confessed.

Suddenly it made sense why she was always lingering around Cassius. Because my soul loved him.

“Are you ready?”

“What for?”

“To remember.”

Her star-colored eyes shined brightly at me. Then my wisp form walked towards me and smiled before she reached out and hugged me. Light exploded around me and shattered into small parts that illuminated like stars. Iturned around to watch how beautiful it was. I felt peacefulness envelop me. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. Then I saw Cassius standing in the middle of it, his hand stretched out toward me. Quickly, I went to him. As soon as my hand settled in his, all the lights stopped, and I was lying on the floor of my room in Cerithia, and then it all went dark.

?????

A bright purple light flashed in my eyes. Shit, that was blinding. As it faded away, I saw Cassius standing in front of me, smiling. He held out his hand for me again, and I took it without hesitation. He pulled me to him for a lingering kiss before pulling back.

“You did so fucking good, little viper.”

Then he shoved me back, so I was tumbling through the sky. Darkness and stars surrounded me as I plummeted toward the ground. My hair whipped around me as the ground below me became bigger. Shit… I closed my eyes as I realized I was going to crash into it. My eyes cracked open when I didn’t feel the wind all around me. I was hovering above the ground, and before I hit it, it stopped me and set me gently on the ground on my knees.

Gods, I felt terrible. My chest burned and ached with agony. My breathing was short, and I couldn’t catch my breath. Where is Cassius? I wanted to be with him whenI died. I glanced at the elite fae fighting around me. My father attacked us while Cassius was gone. Sybil and the twins were surrounding me. My brothers.

“Thea!” I heard Cassius’ voice boom around me.

Thank the moon.

I glanced around, too weak to move. I saw him moving toward me. He used his shadows to move across the field in a split second. He shot out his shadows to catch me before I fell to the ground. Gods, he was such a good husband. I would miss him until we could be together again, but I would wait an eternity for him.

Cassius was cradling my head. I felt so weak, so confused. His golden eyes took over my view. Why was he crying? Gods, I had fucking missed him. He had only been gone for a couple of days, but it felt like years. Cassius rubbed my hair from my face, sobs escaping him.

“My love,” he said, panicked.

“I missed you,” I whispered.

“I missed you too,” he sobbed, but I wasn’t sure why he was so sad.

“I love you so much.”

Cassius leaned forward and kissed me. He lifted my viper handle dagger up as he spoke the words, “I love you more than anything. Please forgive me.” Then hestabbed that dagger straight into my heart, and all the pain and agony disappeared for the first time in years. I felt free.

?????

The memories plagued me so quickly at first. My childhood whipped past me in a blur, but then my memories slowed down when I met Cassius. Every word, every kiss, every touch played out in my mind. I watched it all in wonderment. How could I have forgotten a love like this? Our wedding played in front of my eyes, and the relentless ache of missing him filled my chest. How could I forget him or us?

Cassius was my husband. My mate. My fated mate, destined from the stars and made specifically for me to love. There was a pit in my chest as I watched it all. The trials, our life, my life now. I missed Cassius terribly.

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