“I would have helped you no matter what,” Max replied. She remembered now he couldn’t read minds; she’d asked him once, but he always knew things others didn’t. “Have your memories ever been altered while manipulating someone else’s?”
He shook his head. “It’s unheard of.”
Lauren cleared her throat, and the other two turned their attention to her. “I might have given you a tiny push with my power.” Rory sputtered, wide-eyed. “It seems to have worked a little too well.”
“You could have given me my memories back this whole time?” The betrayal stung.
“No,” Lauren replied, looking hurt at Rory’s accusation. “I merely boosted his abilities.” Turning to theMunin, she said, “Thank you, Max. We have to get back to the group.”
His eyes, still bright blue, moved to Rory. “I’m putting your name on our list. Come and see me. I want you to meet Tammy sometime.”
She hugged him again, swearing she’d be back.
When the group stood in Rina and Clark’s driveway, they asked her about getting her memories back, and she could only nod. Lauren had a hushed conversation with them while Rory stood in a daze, and they backed off.
Dume and Sera rode back with Keith and Kordie, and Rory switched between wallowing in grief and stewing in rage.
Caius had a lot to answer for.
29
Gedeon sat behind his desk,still furious over Fiona’s visit the day before.
She’d spewed nonsense about Aurora Raven killing her daughter as if he gave a damn. When he told her to calm down or lose a finger, she stopped yelling and explained everything she heard.
Caius had people spying on Gedeon.
He’d heard nothing of his brother, despite his sentence ending, but Aurora Raven was released early and sought a way to retrieve her memories at the behest of Caius.
And what’s more unsettling is the knowledge that Aurora was his brother’sAeternum. He chuckled darkly at the cliche of it all. Twins fated to twins.
When he glanced at Cora’s cabinet, his fingers flexed, wanting to hold her. Every time he held her, he felt his anger and intrusive thoughts fade a little, and he couldn’t have that. Remaining diligent was important, especially now.
Pushing thoughts of his mate aside, he focused on the matter at hand. He needed someone to infiltrate Aurora’s inner circle.
Would they be welcoming of a newcomer?
He pulled out the files his men collected on those she associatedwith. Finding their identities proved to be easier than he thought, thanks to the loose lips of her old coworkers.
Whether Aurora had her memories didn’t matter. Any harm done to her would torture Caius, and when she died, Gedeon knew his brother would follow.
Because once theAeternumbond was in place, it was impossible to live without them.
30
Rory stoodin the middle of Caius’ office with a field of wildflowers under her feet. It was peculiar that the flowers remained, no matter where the soulscape took them.
“Hello, Miss Raven,” Caius purred.
She spun around, and the sight of him stole her breath. Seeing him in their soulscapes before had been one thing, but seeing him with her memories intact impaled her heart.
Closing the distance between them, he studied her pained expression. “What’s wrong?”
Instead of answering, she cocked her arm back and slapped him as hard as she could, and before he could register what happened, she shoved him as a sob tore from her chest.
“How could you do this?” she cried, pushing him again.
He staggered back with a bewildered look that soon turned to relief. “You remember,” he whispered, catching her wrists as she tried to pound on his chest.
