And burn him.
And let my wolf feast on his charred bones.
Jackass.
Now, we still sat in the conference room, having asked Jack and Pearl to stay afterward.
They had politely agreed, utterly no recognition of our lives ‘before’ in their actions.
Their personal physiques did not appear any different; this war had not physically harmed them. But their eyes were those of a cold-blooded killer. For most of the meeting they had been silently eyeballing us, and each other, evaluating with indifference. My heart wanted to break seeing them like this…but I had the cure to fix it fisted in my hand under the table.
Ezra sat next to me, watching them just as coolly as I was. He did not waste time inside this privacy-spelled room. He got straight to the point, watching them where they sat across from us. His words were blunt. “Queen Ruckler and I know that you both had a memory wipe.”
Instantly, they both went still. If it were possible, their eyes turned even more chilling.
My lips pinched. “We know this because the same happened to us.” My gaze flicked back and forth between them. “The four of us…we know each other. The two of you just can’t remember it right now.” I lifted my hand up from under the table, showing them the vials. “Elder Harcourt did this to us, and he’s also gifted us the cure for it. King Zeller and I have already drunk ours. We now have our memories back. Once the two of you drink yours, the spell that Elder Harcourt originally enacted will be broken.”
Jack stared. His words were curt. “Why should I believe anything you’re saying?”
I rubbed my lips together, then I pointed the vials at Pearl. “Queen Cooper, will you please place a truth spell on King Zeller and me while we’re inside this room?”
Instantly, her eyes flashed in fury and she snapped her fingers. “Done. Now say everything that you both just said all over again.”
Patiently, Ezra and I did as she had ordered, our vocals pulling thetruthfrom us.
Silently, I placed each vial on the conference table, then I gently pushed them toward our best friends. I watched as they rolled silently to their hesitant hands. “Trust me, you want to drink it.”
Jack’s eyes flared. “Do you know why the memory wipe happened to me?”
Ezra nodded. “We do.” He paused, then he stated evenly, “I had a letter that I found inside my closet at King Shadow. All of my effects were already there when I arrived. When I had a Mage inspect the closet, he told me it was a Mage space. I believe it was Elder Farrar’s work. Nothing inside the space could be affected by Elder Harcourt’s spell. It was exactly as I left it the night my memory wipe occurred at King Cave. The letter was from Queen Ruckler, but she hadn’t left a name on it. I tried accessing some of the safe homes she had listed on there, and even tried a,” he glanced at me, then back to them, “post office box, but each location was protected by the same Mage space — the magic exact. Elder Farrar’s.”
I blinked. “The letter I wrote you when we were finding the Prodigies?”
He nodded, his lips quirking. “It was an interesting read.”
That was how my husband had known that I loved him completely. The letter was personal and extremely intimate, along with all the information I had written down. “Oh.”
He chuckled quietly. “Yes…oh.” Gradually, his attention altered back to our silent, watching best friends. “Did you have nothing like that in your closets?”
Eventually, they shook their heads, still studying us.
“Maybe that was for the best,” I whispered. “All I had was the shirt I was wearing,” I smiled gently, “and a pregnant belly.”
Pearl’s eyes instantly narrowed. “You were pregnant?”
The mother in me shined out in my grin. “Yes, I have daughter.” I paused, then my vocals urged me to state, “King Zeller and I have a daughter together. Her name is Isa.”
Their blinks were ever so gradual. No shock. No questions. Just thechill.
“Queen Ruckler and I are married.” Ezra lifted a cool black brow, unfazed by their silence. He pointed to the vials. “As are you two. You should probably drink those to remember how that happened.”
The first crack in stony countenance occurred.
Both jerked on their chairs, their gazes snapping toward each other.
Pearl’s jaw bobbed.
Jack’s blue brows rose…as his gaze lowered, and he eyed her cleavage. “Huh.”
