Page 87 of Dante's Circle Reborn

Ashen looked down at Eva. “Are you my Virgil?”

“Through Hell and Purgatory, though I could be your Beatrice through Paradiso.”

“I will have to reread those books. It’s been a few decades since I read it,” Ashen said with a frown. “Why can I remember things like that, but can’t remember the faces of my family?”

“Maybe because those things aren’t as important?”

“Maybe.” He swallowed hard, his chest constricting. “Will you still call me Ashen? Until I remember?”

Eva reached up and slid her arms around him. “I’ll call you whatever you need me to. And then we can find that path where we find each other.”

“Thank you,” he whispered and then leaned down, taking her lips with his.

The bear and the reaper inside him wanted to take her right then, to claim her as his mate and then figure out the rest later. But he held himself back. Because Eva needed it, and he wanted to figure out who they were before he put them on another trail of fate.

“Are you ready?” Levi asked, his voice low beside them.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Ashen said as he pulled away from Eva, but kept his hand clasped with hers.

“What did you tell them?”

“I told my mate who I was bringing with me. Because I don’t keep secrets from her. And I told Dante because you can’t keep secrets from a dragon.” He sighed. “He wasn’t happy because he’s mated to someone close to you, at least the old you. And he wanted to tell him right away. I’m not sure what Dante decided. If we were any later, I know for sure he would have already told him, but I don’t know about now.”

Ashen sighed, unsure of anything at the moment.

“I also told the others that I had someone they needed to meet, but I didn’t warn them. I didn’t feel I had the right. They’re probably going to hurt me for that choice, but I felt like you deserved that moment.”

Ashen swallowed hard. “I’m not the man I once was,” he whispered.

“None of us are,” Levi said sagely, and Eva squeezed Ashen’s hand.

“You don’t need to be that man.” He looked down at his mate and nodded.

Let’s go,” Ashen said softly, wondering if he was strong enough for this.

He felt like he had just woken up from a dream, one that brought death and destruction.

He had a hundred years to find out who he was before he had to go back to his duties as a reaper. If he wanted to be a reaper at all.

In the interim, he would figure out exactly what he was with Eva. But he already knew that. The loom of fate had already been woven long ago where that was concerned. She was his mate, and she had sung her song for him. There was no going back. He could already feel the bond beginning to take form between them, her song the catalyst. That was why he had passed out initially.

They would need to cement the bonds, but that would come. When they were ready. First, though, he had to face this task. One he couldn’t remember.

They walked inside, and there were groups of paranormals all around, each talking to one another and laughing. There was a gorgon behind the bar, secretly making out with who he assumed was her mate, a jaguar with a scar on his face.

Ashen didn’t recognize anyone, but there were a few scents in his nostrils that reminded him of something. Like from a dream.

But more likely, from Torrent’s past.

Others gave him strange looks but didn’t really pay attention to him. Then there was a gasp, a cry, and someone fell to their knees.

“Torrent?” a deep voice asked, and a large man with blond hair and bright green eyes ran to him “Torrent.”

Ashen looked into those eyes and wondered if he should know who the man was. He looked so familiar. And yet, not.

If Torrent looked into the mirror, though, he might recognize those cheekbones and that hair. The wide eyes. Though his eyes were no longer green. Or maybe they had never been.

He didn’t know.

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