Through tear-blurred vision, she saw a figure emerge—a man walking toward her, the fire parting in his wake. His eyes and claws gleamed gold in the firelight, and black and gilded scales covered his face and body, reminiscent of a serpent. But something more specific hovered at the tip of her tongue. His beastly form slowly faded, leaving a beautiful man with warm skin and firm flesh behind. “Help me,” she croaked. “I don't remember…” “Anything?” the stranger asked, his voice deep and ominous. “Only my name. Araheen,” she whispered, her lips trembling.“What happened to me? What is this place?” “You fell behind the Mad End's Wall.” A shadow of a smile crossed the stranger's lips, though it was far from reassuring. Before she could dwell on it, he slid his powerful arms beneath her, lifting her effortlessly as though she weighed nothing at all. “Who are you?” she asked, feeling small in his grasp. He studied her with an enigmatic gaze before replying, I'm Gildeon.” A pause.“Your husband.”
View MoreARAH
Plumber Paul was dead.
Not even a month had passed since he’d walked into her shop and picked her Clover Wish for his first tattoo. She'd pitched that design as a lucky charm to her clients—just a gimmick of sorts. So imagine her surprise when Paul’s wish to win the lottery actually came true days later.
Now, he was gone. Just like that. It wasn’t because of her tattoo, of course. But with that last memory of him, how could she ever look at her Clover Wish and call it lucky again?
Her eyes drifted down to Barky, who was happily munching on his dog food. She squatted next to him, stroking his back and twirling her fingers through his soft brown fur. At least she had this big guy to cheer her up.
The bathroom door creaked open. She glanced up to see Gildeon strolling down the hallway in black sweatpants, rubbing his dark hair with a towel. She’d seen him naked plenty of times, but each time, his perfectly sculpted body drew her gaze like a moth to a flame. The way his muscles flexed with every move always made her blush like a teenager seeing a hot guy for the first time.
At least her past self had good taste.
For six months, she’d been scared and suspicious of Gildeon. How could she not be when she couldn't remember marrying him? Still, it’d be a lie to say she’d never fantasized about him making her come in every way possible.
But until she got her memories back and trusted him completely, she wasn’t about to give in to him—no matter how incredibly irresistible he was.
When Gildeon walked into the dining area, the scent of his minty soap and aftershave filled her senses. Everything about him was so addictive. It made her wonder what she was like falling in love with him before this whole amnesia thing.
“Dinner's ready,” she said, trying to hide her excitement. “Tonio taught me a new recipe for that tuna. Hope you’ll like it.”
Her heart sank a little when he barely glanced at the table. What was she expecting anyway? A loving smile? A “this looks delicious, you're the best wife ever” response?
‘Stop trying so hard to please him, Arah,’ she thought, smiling bitterly to herself. It wasn’t fair that she seemed to be the only one trying to make this marriage feel real. What else could she do? It hurt thinking he’d probably only start appreciating her efforts once she agreed to sleep with him.
Arah washed her hands and returned to find Gildeon already seated, now wearing a shirt from the pile of folded clothes on the couch.
She sat across from him and loaded some veggies onto her plate. “Did you hear what happened to Plumber Paul?” she asked, her tone somber. Gildeon’s attention was still on the food even as she said, “He got stung by a jellyfish. He didn’t make it.”
“Didn’t he just win the lottery?” he said, without so much as flinching. What was he made of? A block of ice?
“I really thought my Clover Wish gave him that luck,” she muttered, more to herself.
That made Gildeon pause and glance up at her. “What Clover Wish?”
“My latest art—the one I inked him with,” she replied before taking a spoonful of food. “Shame he didn’t get to enjoy his prize for long.”
Gildeon leaned back in his chair, staring pensively at his plate, drumming a finger on the table. Did the news finally get to him? It took a while, but she’d take it. Maybe he still had a heart after all.
“When did it happen?” he asked, meeting her gaze with a serious expression.
“This noon. I heard it from Tonio.” She bit her lip, pondering. “Though it’s weird he decided to swim in the rocky area alone.”
A lot didn’t make sense to Arah, but if she dwelled on it too much, she'd feel sorrier for the poor guy.
Pushing stray blue curls out of her eyes, she said, “Um, the mayor’s doing a public funeral for him. You should come with me.”
“Public funeral?” He raised a brow. “Where’s the body?”
“Yeah, it’s public,” she replied, reaching for her pineapple juice. “He didn’t have any family left, so there’s no one to organize it. But almost everyone on the island knew him, so—”
“Arah, where’s the body now?” His sharp voice cut her off, almost making her spill her drink.
What was up with him all of a sudden?
ARAHShe could hardly believe what she was hearing. He wanted her to be his wife? To lead an army by his side?The thought of him meeting her for the first time when she was just a child—wanting to groom her like that—was hard to digest.“Why me?” she asked.“You were meant to be mine,” he said simply. “The Oracle saw it. I should’ve been the one you married.”Something in that last sentence made her mind race. Did he mean he should’ve been her husband instead of Gildeon? Had Zephyr known what had happened to her at the Mad End’s Wall?Questions rushed to the surface, but she hesitated. She didn’t know this sylph well. Was he even aware she’d lost her memories? What if he used that to take advantage of her?“You have questions,” he said after a moment, as if plucking the thought straight from her mind. “I understand you don’t have full recollection of your past.”Arah gasped softly, startled by how he knew. Then again, maybe she shouldn’t have been. She’d already established that Zeph
ARAHEverything was in darkness. She could still feel her body, but it felt distant. As if the only thing tethering her to it was an invisible thread stretched from the small of her back.She was still under the boy’s control. His power pulsed through her veins like a quiet current. What was he planning to do with her?Suddenly, she was standing in a strange place. It looked like a throne hall of some sort, but not one she recognized. The entire chamber was built from enormous bones—curved structures that could only belong to ancient beasts. They rose from the ground, arched into walls, and crisscrossed overhead to form a roof. They were arranged with no apparent pattern or design, as though the place had grown wild rather than being constructed.Some of the bones were covered in patches of soft, glowing blue moss, clinging to the surface like living paint. The sight alone raised goosebumps on her arms.She kept walking. But the pe
ARAHShock hit her like a blow to the chest.She’d expected a baby, maybe wrapped in a blanket, maybe crawling or crying. Not a boy who looked no older than six, standing upright with perfect posture and eyes that held too much knowing. He was already the same age as the vision she’d seen through the Dark Fae’s power.Arah’s thoughts raced. How was this possible?It had only been a week since Lexi’s belly had suddenly ballooned out of nowhere. She hadn’t even had time to process it. But now, seeing this child standing here, already far too grown...Her pulse quickened. The Dark Fae had assured her that as long as she allowed the boy to be born and open the dark plane, the future she feared would be averted. Had she been lied to?“I’ve been expecting your arrival, Sylph,” the boy said again, the formality in his tone making her lips part. He resembled Gildeon so closely she couldn’t take her eyes off him. “I’m glad you’re fin
ARAHThe stubborn part of her wanted to stay in the house, no matter what Gildeon had said. But she didn’t want to look pathetic… lingering where she clearly wasn’t wanted.Gildeon just made her feel like she didn’t belong anymore, and she had no idea what was going on with him. She couldn’t bring herself to accept the possibility that the baby was changing him.She packed a bag quickly and marched out of the room, ignoring Lexi’s half-hearted attempt to stop her. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of Gildeon standing by the window, his back turned.Arah gritted her teeth. The jerk didn’t even flinch. Didn’t even look at her. She was seething inside, but she walked out of the house with composure, her head held high.But once she was on the road, tears welled in her eyes. She let herself cry quietly until she reached her destination.By the time she pulled up to Cora’s house, the sky was dimming. Cora opened
ARAHHer eyes fluttered open, and she grimaced as a throbbing pain pulsed behind her temples. Her fingers instinctively rose to press against her forehead. Every muscle in her body ached, like she’d been tossed into a blender and spun on high. Fortunately, she could already feel the faint energy of her healing process kicking in.Slowly, she sat up and looked around. She was in her room, dressed in her nightie.Confusion settled in. What had happened?The last thing she remembered was her mind being overtaken by the Light Fae, right after she’d taken down the bear-like entity. She’d been trapped in that endless sea of light, feeling helpless.Then Araheen had appeared again. Had she pulled her out?Being alive and in one piece, her past self must have fought for her again.“Gildeon,” she breathed, scrambling out of bed and rushing out of the room.She shoved open the door to his room, but only found Lexi asleep
GILDEONHe was certain that the blade was going to dig straight through his back, even if he managed to harden his scales in time.But it didn’t.A grim presence wrapped around him. His breath caught in his chest as the air filled with heavy energy.Suddenly, it wasn’t cold anymore.Arah was still in his arms. Unconscious, but alive and safe.He exhaled slowly, the tension in his chest breaking. Relief settled in, but only for a moment, because this place looked different. They were no longer in the Light Fae’s frozen domain.What had just happened?He looked down. The ground beneath them was solid rock, rough with cracks and familiar markings etched in crimson. He frowned, recognizing this spot as one of the cliff sites where they’d set up the Containment Sigil.But inside, the wild plants had withered. The circle had been smeared at the edge, as if someone had deliberately defiled it.Was this w
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