“Wow, I haven’t been here in a long time,” Lilith said. I looked at her. Her face was blotchy from crying, but she was smiling. Resilient as always, and trying to forget things that made her sad.
Caleb looked around. “The fashion district is where we should go first.” He spoke slowly and quietly, still saddened by our conversation. I felt guilty for sharing my vision. I was the reason for their pain. I sighed and started walking, following the signs leading to the fashion district.
Morgyn caught up with me. “You okay?”
I looked around. Caleb and Lilith were a bit behind us.
“I caused that,” I said.
Morgyn sighed. “It was a conversation they needed to have anyway, and no matter how it was going to be brought up, it would cause pain.” He took my hand. “Don’t worry about it, okay?”
I nodded. It didn’t really help me, but I didn’t want to let Morgyn know that. I knew he was trying.
“Hey,” he smiled, squeezing my hand. “Today is a good day.” He removed his shield, causing a shock between us. I smiled. “Sure, Caleb and Lilith have a little setback right now, but even they know that today has been a win for us.”
My smile faded quickly. “Until we need to go back to the realm.” As I said it, I felt like I lost my breath. Marco was angry, and I had no idea what his plans for us were.
Morgyn shrugged. “I’m not worried about it.
“How?” I asked.
“We have our full power back,” he explained. “We could use team attacks with it.” He thought for a moment, perhaps with Simeon and L.”
I nodded. “Simeon, yes, but L is still brainwashed,” I reminded him.
He smirked. “Well so are we, no?”
That shut me up. He was right. Only slightly remembering things was not anything like actually knowing and remembering everything we had prior to being under Marco’s influence.
I pursed my lips, still worried about any potential battle with Marco. I knew there would be one. He wouldn’t just pack up and leave the realm, now would he? He would put up a fight, and we needed to be completely ready. I wouldn’t let Morgyn die this time.
“Over here,” Caleb said.
I glanced over to what he was pointing to. We were in downtown San Myshuno, surrounded by large buildings, a karaoke lounge, food stands and sitting areas. Dozens of people brushed past us, hurriedly making their way to their destinations. I was in awe. If there was ever a place I wanted to live, this would be it.
Caleb saw me staring. He grinned. “Hey, you look like a tourist.”
I laughed. “Oh hush.”
He led us to a large building with interesting architecture. It curved and tiered downward from the top to the bottom, each floor larger than the one above it. I stared in amazement.
“Why are we stopping?” I asked.
He gestured toward the door. “We’re going in.”
“This building.” I said, in shock.
Caleb laughed. “Yes, this building.”
“Wow,” I smiled.
We went in, and I immediately realized this was an apartment building. Was this where I lived?
Caleb led us to an elevator, and we stepped in. I watched him as he pressed the button to the top floor. The penthouse. I looked at him, and he gave me a sly grin and a nod.
The elevator dinged, and as the door opened, everything felt familiar. The smell of the lobby outside of the apartment, the community board that told us about upcoming events, the look and feel of the room. I looked over at the mailbox, which was overflowing. I grabbed all of it. Each one had my name on it. Well, Caleb wasn’t lying. This was my place.
He took out a key and handed it to me. “Here,” he smiled. “You can do the honors.”
I looked at it and then at him. Grinning, I unlocked the door. Stepping in, I was overwhelmed. It was like stepping into a dream. I remembered this place, but I didn’t know why. I immediately started walking around, touring it. To my left were six barstools against a countertop area that looked into the kitchen. To my right was a wall, but with windows. Peering into them, I saw a room with a large, indoor pool. A living room area sat in front of me, and a bedroom to the far right of that. There was a bathroom behind the living room, and a smaller one off of the kitchen.
Caleb stood by the stairway, gesturing for me to head up. He held out his hand, and I took it silently, following him upstairs. It was open and bright. There was a bar and sitting area, a small area with a massage table, a sauna beside that, and then a bedroom with a bathroom off of it. Another, smaller bathroom sat outside of that.
“This is my place?” I asked, surprised.
Caleb nodded. “Yes.”
I shook my head. “I have no idea how I would be able to afford this.”
“Well, what matters is that you’re home,” he smiled.
I nodded, smiling happily. “We are home,” I corrected him.
He laughed softly as I wrapped my arms around him. “Yes, we are,” he agreed.
I kissed him slowly. I didn’t really know why, but just being here made me feel romantic. He followed, laughing again, almost as if he expected it. We kissed each other, again and again, our desire rising.
Lilith came upstairs. “Oh, ugh, guys,” she grinned, folding her arms in front of her. “Get a room.”
I broke the kiss and rested my head on Caleb, also grinning. “I mean, there are two here.”
Lilith laughed and gestured toward the room closest to us. “Have at it then, jackrabbits.”
Caleb’s jaw dropped. “What?”
Lilith laughed and walked back downstairs. We followed so we wouldn’t be tempted to be ‘jackrabbits’.
We all met up in the living room.
“Anything jogging your memory?” Morgyn asked.
I nodded. “I recognize this place, and it’s making me feel some type of way.” I looked between Morgyn and Caleb. “I’m not really sure what that type of way is, though.”
Caleb nodded. “Well, that’s good. I didn’t expect your memory to just completely come back.”
I also nodded. “Well, I know I feel a sense of relief. As if I’m happy to finally be home.” I looked around. “Even if I don’t recognize it as home.”
Morgyn agreed. “I have that same feeling.”
Caleb turned to him. “Well, you started living here because you were just living in the realm.” He thought for a moment. “But Caster’s Alley didn’t look the way it does now. All of the buildings where there are apartments were torn apart due to the vortex.”
I vaguely remembered the buildings torn apart, pieces of the brick walls and rickety wooden floors suspended in the air nearby. I nodded again. “I remember that.”
Caleb looked at me, surprised. “You do?”
“Mhm,” I said.
He smiled warmly. “Good. This is working.” He slipped his arm around my waist. The way he acted toward me while we were here was different than in the realm. I couldn’t place what it was that was so different, but it was. The energy he gave off was just different.
Morgyn sighed. “We should head back to the realm. I’d hate to think what Marco is planning.”
I glanced outside. The sun was going down, casting an orange glow against the walls facing the west. I admired it for a few moments, ignoring the conversation happening around me. I didn’t ever want to go back to the realm, but without us, the realm would never be saved. We had to go back. We had no choice.
I broke myself out of my reverie and looked down at the floor.
“Well, I think it would be wise to have someone stay behind for now, in case Marco tries to do something to find us. Having eyes and ears outside of the realm would be helpful.” Morgyn was explaining his plan. “I’ll go. It’s only right. If Marco has an issue with me, then it makes the most sense that I would go.”
Caleb opened his mouth to protest, but Lilith interrupted his thoughts. “I’ll go with you, Morgyn,” she said. “Jade and Caleb should stay here. Caleb can help her remember more, and I can throw Marco off by replacing my brother.”
“I agree,” Morgyn nodded. “And tomorrow they can join us and regroup.”
“Here?” Caleb asked.
“Yes,” Morgyn said. “We’ll meet you here tomorrow and hopefully form a plan.”
I nodded. “Be safe.” I took Morgyn’s hands. “Please.”
Morgyn smiled warmly. “You know I will.” He pulled me into a hug. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
He and Lilith left, and I sat down on the couch. I closed my eyes and leaned forward, trying to remember something, anything. I felt so powerless. I should have been happy. Morgyn and I regained our power. Yet, I was left with this nagging feeling that things wouldn’t go the way we were planning.
Caleb sat beside me and put his arm around me. “What’s on your mind?”
“I’m not sure how we will be able to do this,” I explained.
“Morgyn has always been able to find a way,” he smiled. “Just trust him.”
I sighed. “I trust him, but I don’t trust Marco. He plays dirty.” I scowled. “Who knows what he will do to us?”
He tilted my head up to his. “Trust Morgyn,” he said.
I nodded slowly, looking at him. I studied his expression. It was reassuring, but different. I couldn’t place it. “What’s wrong?” I asked quietly, reaching up and caressing his cheek.
He blushed slightly. “Nothing is wrong, my—” He stopped, his eyes widening. “S-sorry,” he said.
I grinned, remembering parts of my visions. “You were going to say ‘my love’,” I said.
“Uh, yeah,” he looked away. “Sorry.”
I smirked and pulled myself up toward him. I slipped my hand around the back of his neck and kissed him deeply. He wasn’t even caught off guard. He wrapped his arms around me, kissing me back quite fiercely and filled with desire. I giggled softly.
“This is something you’ve wanted,” I said quietly, my lips still close to his.
“Yes,” he whispered, kissing me again.
Truth be told, since we stepped into this place, this was what I had wanted as well. It’s like, once some familiarity had been restored, so had my desire for him. I laid down on the couch, pulling him down with me slowly. He broke the kiss and grinned at me.
“Wouldn’t you want to go to a more…comfortable location?” He asked.
“Like the bedroom?” I grinned. “Are you thinking this will go any further than kisses?”
“Are you thinking it won’t?” He leaned down to kiss my neck.
I bit my lip. “Well, no,” I admitted.
He sat up and grinned at me. “Then let’s go.”
I blushed. I wasn’t sure if we had done this before, but for me, it was the first time, given my lack of recollection. He stood up, taking my hand and pulling me to my feet. We went upstairs and into my room, and I stopped. The glow of the city lights flooding into the room jogged my memory. The feelings of familiarity turned to little blips of memories, from going to sleep, to chatting on the phone, using my laptop at the desk, folding clothes for the dresser. Yes. This was my house. This was my room.
Caleb wrapped his arm around my back and kissed my forehead. “What is it?”
“I remember a little bit,” I said. “Bits and pieces.” I smiled at him. “But they are memories.” I turned toward him and kissed him again. “Maybe we’ll make some more.”
He laughed softly as I kissed him, walking backwards with me to lead me to the bed. Once there, we laid down. He gazed at me lovingly. I smiled warmly and kissed him again. My heart sped up. I didn’t know what to expect. The only intimate relations I had been involved in were with Marco, when I didn’t have a choice. It was transactional once I was released from the spell. But this; this was uncharted territory.
“You’re nervous,” he whispered, gazing into my eyes.
I blushed and nodded. “Yes.”
“We don’t have to-“
“I want to,” I said, surprising even myself with how stern my voice was.
He smiled, and I apologized. “Sorry, that was rude.”
“No it wasn’t,” he reassured me. “It was…passionate.”
I giggled. “Yes, we’ll go with that. Passionate.”
He kissed me again. “I like passionate.”
**********************************************
I rested my head on him, slowing my breathing. He ran his fingertips up and down my back, and I closed my eyes, relaxed. This closeness and the feelings it gave me were intense. I felt like I was floating, and like I had a happiness no one else could ever understand. This wasn’t Ruby. This was Jade. And I was realizing I was in love with Caleb.
I didn’t even lift my head. Breathing softly into his neck, I spoke in a near whisper, my voice high with curiosity. “Caleb?”
“Hmm?” He also responded softly.
“I…” I stopped. I sighed deeply. “I love you.” I pushed myself up to look at him. The glow of the city lights radiated across his face as the brightest smile I had ever seen him have crept across his face.
“You do?” He asked, almost in disbelief. It looked like he was trying to contain excitement that had built up within him quite quickly.
“I do,” I smiled wide as well. “There’s no other way to describe how I feel right now.”
“Love can’t be described,” he said, brushing a strand of hair away from my sweat dampened forehead. “It can only be felt.” He leaned closer. “And shared.”
I giggled as he kissed my cheek softly. “And I love you too,” he said, his eyes sparkling with excitement. He smiled lovingly at me.
I leaned in and kissed him sweetly, but deeply, further sealing my declaration of love. He wrapped his arms tightly around me, happily.
“You should sleep,” he said as we broke the kiss.
“Stay with me?” I requested, quietly.
“Of course,” he nodded.
We settled into bed, and I cuddled close. He ran his fingertips up and down my back as I closed my eyes, relaxing me and putting me to sleep quickly.
I didn’t have a dream that night. My inner Ruby must have been pleased with the night’s outcome, so she didn’t trigger a memory. Though, when they didn’t cause issues, I enjoyed those dreams and visions. It pieced together a past I had lived in another life.
I woke up in Caleb’s arms the next morning. He stayed the entire night in the room? I was surprised to see him sleeping. I smiled and cuddled with him again, resting my head on his chest. I felt him move his arm a little, pulling me closer as he stirred. I knew I was still brainwashed, but right now, I didn’t feel like I was. I hadn’t had this feeling of clarity and freedom in my whole life, or at least as much of my life as I could remember.
Closing my eyes again, I tried to think of a good plan for when we reunited with Morgyn and Lilith.
“Good morning,” Caleb said sleepily.
I opened my eyes and smiled at him. “Morning. I didn’t expect to see you sleeping.”
He rubbed his eyes. “Ah, yeah, I guess my vampire energy was a bit low.”
I propped myself on my elbow beside him. He smiled at me, moving closer. He slipped his hand behind my neck and pulled me closer to him, kissing me softly. I could feel myself blushing as I leaned closer to him. Yup, that would never get old.
We broke the kiss, and rested my head on his chest as he stroked my hair.
“I don’t want to go back there,” I said. “Back to misery.”
He sighed. “I know, but if we don’t, it’ll remain misery for everyone.”
I nodded in silence. I knew that, but I just didn’t want to let go of this moment.
Sensing my apprehension, he tilted my head up to his. “Hey,” he smiled a little. “Everything will be alright.”
I nodded slowly, allowing his words to echo in my mind. Everything would be alright, wouldn’t it? Simeon knew what was going on, Morgyn and I knew and Caleb and Lilith were with us. Not to mention Morgyn and I being at full power again. Yeah, we had this. We would be fine.
We spent the day relaxing. It was nice, getting used to my house again, and spending time with Caleb. We waited patiently for Morgyn and Lilith to arrive.
But they didn’t. As evening approached, it became clear they weren’t coming.
I sat, semi-lying on the couch, staring off as a movie played on the TV. Caleb was pacing, biting his finger in worry.
I snapped myself out of it. “Why don’t we just go there?”
“It could be dangerous,” he said simply, still pacing.
I sat up. “Caleb, stop.”
He stopped and looked at me, not moving his finger away from his mouth. He was deep in thought. “What?”
“I really don’t care if it’s dangerous,” I said. “Morgyn is there, and so is Lilith. We should be too.”
He closed his eyes and sighed deeply. “I don’t want you to be in danger.”
I stood up, getting in front of him. “Don’t do that,” I growled. “Protecting me is what killed Morgyn. I will not let it happen to you.”
He turned and walked away from me without a word. I sighed. “Caleb, we need to be there!” I started to walk toward the door. “I’m sorry, but I’m going, with or without you.”
He used his supernatural speed to get in front of me. “Fine, let’s go together.”
I walked up to him and hugged him. “Caleb,” I looked into his eyes. “I don’t need protection. I want you to promise me that you won’t waste precious time protecting me.”
He looked away. “I can’t promise that.”
I tilted his face toward mine and gave him a half smile. “Caleb.”
“Jade, I can’t.” He gave me a pleading expression, as if I was torturing him. “I will absolutely risk my life to protect yours.”
“I won’t let that happen,” I argued. “Not after I let it happen to Morgyn.”
“Vampires are harder to kill,” Caleb shook his head.
“You use that as a way to let your guard down,” I said. “Don’t do that. You let your guard down, and no matter how hard it is, they will find a way to kill you.” I shook my head. “It’s not too hard to make the Ultimate Vampire Cure.”
Caleb’s eyes widened.
“I wouldn’t put it past him,” I continued. “So remember, you may be immortal, but you are not unkillable.”
He nodded. “I understand that.”
I gazed into his eyes. “Let me handle me. You handle you. Of course we protect each other, but we cannot let it cloud our judgement.”
He nodded.
I smiled and kissed his cheek. “Now let’s see what they’ve cooked up for us.”
“I swear, if Marco tries to make you queen again, I-“
“Stop.”
“Okay…”
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