Page 66 of Fated
The truth was, that’s exactly what it did.
My stomach was a mess of fluttering wings, recalling how he’d confidently told Madam Pearl I wouldn’t be alone tonight during my settling.
Then there was that wink he had given me on the bicycle and the way he had held open every door for me today. As my mind drifted to tonight and whatever surprise he had planned, I realized my palms were sweating, and the inside of my cheek was raw from chewing on it.
There was something else though, something heavier weighing on me that I had been trying to ignore. Tomorrow, everything would change. Sometime after midnight, I would settle, and if everything went as planned, I would heal Ash. Oncehe regained his memories, he would remember exactly who he was—Prince Sebastian Lysander Augustine of Ambrosia.
But where would that leave me? I was beginning to think of Ash as a friend, someone I trusted. We had made that agreement, too, the one promising that whatever lay ahead, we would face it together. That idea alone had been holding me together. But what if it changed when he got his memories back? What if by remembering the prince he once had been, the kingdom awaiting him, and the weight of his responsibilities, everything between us shifted?
What did I have to offer Ash besides my healing blood to experiment on?
He wouldn’t need me anymore. I would just be the girl he felt responsible for because what he had done to my mother.
If I chose to follow him to his kingdom, what kind of life would I even have there? Would I find myself completely alone again? Madam Pearl was offering me a home here, and I had her, Lilly, Keo, and Fin. That was something, and living here wouldn’t be a terrible life, would it?
Ash was … well, he was practically a god—powerful, gorgeous, royalty.
For all I knew, he had a beautiful woman waiting for him in Ambrosia, someone who truly belonged by his side. The mere thought of that sent a wave of nausea through me.
Panic began to claw at my throat, and my eyes prickled with the threat of tears. I took a deep breath, trying to calm the storm raging inside of me. Crying wasn’t an option; I was determined to enjoy my last human night with Ash and the way things were right now.
Tomorrow, after settling and restoring Ash’s memories, then I would make my decision.
Would I remain here in Cresinthia where I had already found some sense of belonging, or would I follow Ash back to Ambrosia, where so many unknowns awaited me?
***
God, was I happy to have a freaking bra again! I slipped into my new pink shorts and matching top, giving myself a little spritz of body spray and letting the light scent settle around me. The cheap blue sandals I’d been stuck with since yesterday had left me with nasty blisters, so I was more than ready to trade them in for my new sneakers. Glancing in the mirror, I smiled—actually feeling normal, maybe even pretty—for the first time in what felt like ages.
The new makeup had done wonders, and I loved how it made me feel like myself again.
I grabbed a pink scrunchie, wrapping it around my wrist just in case it got too hot, and I wanted to pull my hair back.
When a knock sounded at the door, a wave of nervous energy shot through me, making my legs feel a little shaky. I took a deep breath, slowly walking to the door, before opening it.
Ash leaned casually against the doorframe, dressed in his usual black, arms crossed, looking every bit the dark, brooding, ridiculously attractive vampire I had come to know.
My breath caught in my throat.God, he’s so beautiful. His flirty smile was irresistible as his eyes roamed over me, taking me in before meeting my gaze again.
He stood up straight, offering me his arm. “You look gorgeous tonight, Areya.”
I nodded, somehow having forgotten how to speak.
He only smiled, linked our arms together, and led me out of the manor. The yellow bicycle from earlier was nowhere to be seen, and in its place stood a sleek black electric bike.
“It’s the closest thing I could find to a motorcycle.”
A smile broke across my face, unstoppable and irrepressible.
Ash climbed on the bike, and without hesitation, I clambered behind him, wrapping my arms around his torso, savoring the closeness of his body to mine.
No matter what would happen tomorrow, I had every intention of enjoying tonight with Ash. My cheek pressed against his back as he started the bike. We rode down Main Street, the cool evening breeze blowing through my hair as the motor purred beneath us. We passed the shopping center from earlier and continued down the road for another ten minutes or so.
Eventually, we slowed and pulled off to the side of a large, warehouse-like building.
I glanced around, frowning in confusion. “What is this place?”
“You’ll see.”
