Page 59 of Forgotten Fate

Is it gone? Will Zen still be able to smell the dark magic on me?

I had remained in the bathtub until the water ran too cold to bear and my fingers turned into prunes, my body uncomfortable in the water now. I had to get out, but I also wasn’t sure if I was ready for a head-on discussion with Zen about what had happened.

I didn’t know what to tell him.

I used a spell to repel the faeries dressed in black—a dark magic spell. But how did I know how to use dark magic?

The more I played the terrible scenario in my head, the less sense it made to me without horrific implications. I kept waiting for Zen to knock on the bathroom door to see what was keeping me, but that knock never came, and I was left to pull the water from the tub on my own and wrap myself in a terrycloth robe, hanging from one of the wooden hooks behind the bathroom door.

I sat for a moment on the small bench outside of the steam shower, watching the water circle the drain of the bathtub as I pondered what was next for me and Zen. I moved into his suites. And then what? More memories surfaced of me doing terrible acts? How would I hide them now? Should I hide them now? Was it simply time to come clean and inform Zen of the truth of what had been on my mind all this time and warn him that something deeper and darker lay beneath my psyche, even if I didn’t know how to access it?

He had promised we would do this together, but he didn’t speak for the rest of his castle. If Endora or his guards caught wind of my past, they would look at me as the enemy. And Cyndella? Zen would be torn between us. It wasn’t fair to put him between us both.

But lying to him wasn’t fair, either.

But I can’t be so bad,I reasoned with myself.I saved him. I didn’t hesitate. I’m not evil.

Oh, it was all so confusing.

Slowly, I rose from the bench to face the music waiting for me on the other side of the bathroom door, determined to answer Zen’s questions as honestly as I could. He had been so good to me, despite all his reservations. The least I could do was be as forthcoming as my memory allowed.

But when I opened the door and stepped into his spacious bedchamber, I found myself alone.

“Zen?” I called out tentatively. “Are you here?”

He didn’t answer, and I noticed the door to the sitting room closed. “Zen?”

Cautiously, I ambled closer, half-afraid, half-nervous. I sensed nothing beyond the door, no movement, heard no voices, but that didn’t stop me from opening the dividing door and checking for signs of others in the sitting area.

As I suspected, I was fully alone again in the grand suite, my heart sinking as I realized that Zen had left me again.

Why did he bother moving me if he only wanted to leave me here?I thought, eying the outer door, knowing that the guards likely stood there.

I considered asking where the king had gone, but history had already dictated that they would tell me nothing. Their loyalty was not to me.

Instead, I padded back toward the bedroom to find something to wear, an exhaustion sinking into my bones. On the bright side, I had avoided an uncomfortable discussion for a little while longer. In a way, it made it worse.

In the huge dressing room, I found all of my dresses and outfits already arranged, my eyes widening at the sight of them. The servants had worked fast while I’d been washing up, it seemed. I hadn’t even realized they’d been up to the task.

He really does want me here.

Again, I was overwhelmed with bittersweetness, unsure of what to make of it. He did care for me. He wanted me there, but what version of me? The version he thought he knew, not the one capable of dark magic and even darker memories.

I selected a pair of thin cotton pajamas from the built-in cupboards, sliding my naked body into the material without underwear to relish the sensation against my bare skin. I couldn’t say why, but I had this feeling that this was fleeting—all of it. The castle, Zen’s affections—

“Miri?”

Zen’s low, sexy tone hurried me out of the massive closet and into the bedroom, relief overcoming me to see him.

“There you are!” I breathed.

He smiled warmly. “I got caught up with something,” he answered enigmatically, striding toward me, his beautiful slate eyes glowing.

Brushing a strand of damp hair off my forehead, he lowered his lips to mine and took my hand, leading me toward one of the accent wing chairs in the corner.

“Is everything okay?” I asked nervously. “Did something happen?”

“Yes,” he replied seriously, and my heart jumped into my throat as he sat me down, his own body crouching before me. “You happened.”

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