Page 83 of Fated

And his thoughtfulness, taking me to the ocean, knowing how much it would mean to me was more than I could ever have asked for. It felt as if Ash was able to see a part of me that no one else had ever understood, and I felt like I would never stop smiling.

Leaving the bathroom, I found Ash sitting on the bed, waiting for me.

“I haven’t given you your birthday present yet,” he said, holding a small, square box.

“I thought the trip to the oceanwasmy birthday present.”

He smiled but said nothing, simply offering me the box. My fingers trembled slightly as I took it from him, lifting the lid with care. The moment I saw what lay inside, my breath caught in my throat, my hand flew to my mouth, and a strangled cry escaped me.

Inside the box were two bracelets, one silver, one gold. They were the bracelets my mothers had given me, the ones I had thought were lost forever. Tears welled up as I stared at them, shaking my head in disbelief. “I didn’t think I would ever see these again.”

“There’s something else,” Ash said gently, pointing to a small, round object now attached to the middle of each bracelet. My brow furrowed in confusion.

“Hold that round piece to your eye and look through the hole,” he instructed.

I picked up the gold bracelet and did as he said, peering into the tiny opening.

What I saw made me gasp, tears instantly running down my cheeks. Inside the bracelet was an image, the photo of Mom and me from the day we’d spent at The Meadow.

I quickly lifted the silver bracelet to my eye, my breath catching again. Inside this one was the picture of Everleigh holding me as a baby.

My hands fell into my lap, clutching the bracelets tightly.

“How?” I whispered.

“You had your phone with you the night you were arrested. It was in the bag of items I took with me from the jail, along with the bracelets. I had been looking at your phone, trying to figure out if there was a way to turn it on. I knew how much a photo, a text, or even a recording of your mom’s voice would mean to you, but I couldn’t get it to turn on without a charger from your world, which would be incompatible with power from ours.”

He paused, then added, “I thought it was a dead end, but for whatever reason, I took the case off and hidden behind your phone were those photos. I had a jeweler put them into thebracelets. When you came out of the store and I was gone, I was dropping them off to be worked on.”

He shrugged as if the gift wasn’t the most incredible thing anyone had ever done for me. “Now that you’re divine, the protection charm won’t work on you, but …”

I couldn’t hold back any longer; without thinking, I climbed into his lap and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him close. “This, this means everything to me,” I whispered, squeezing him tightly, unwilling to let go. Ash wrapped his arms around me, holding onto me just as fiercely. I rested my head on his shoulder, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.

A terribly selfish part of me wished for everything to just stay as it was.

Ash and I could stay here in Cresinthia, couldn’t we? We’d be safe from the threats above and I could keep him to myself. The thought of him regaining his memories, of discovering the life he had left behind, still terrified me. “Ash?” I whispered, breaking the silence.

Reluctantly, I pulled away to meet his gaze.

“I just want you to know that whatever happens when you remember your past life, I’ll always cherish the time we spent here together and the friendship we formed.”

Without allowing him a chance to respond, I climbed out of his lap, setting the bracelets on the small table by the bed and then sitting beside him.

“I want to heal you now.”

“Areya …”

“You promised. At least let me try.”

Eventually, he nodded, though his face told me that he too, wished everything could stay the way it was.

“Ok,” I said, taking a deep breath. “So, how do I do this?”

Ash sighed, his expression heavy with something unspoken, before he began explaining.

“When I use my power to influence people, it’s like a living thing inside me. I can sense it, feel it, almost see it. I open myself up to it, and as I allow that power to flow out of me, I command it to do as I will.” After he finished, he opened his hand, and a black puff of smoke appeared in his palm, swirling a moment before vanishing into the air.

I stared at the smoke, startled by the display of magic. “What was that?”

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