Page 105 of Prince of the Northwest Forest
“This is fucked up,” I mutter. “Should I simply let it be? Do I really need the memory of my first kiss?”
Kalle shakes his head. “I think you should get your memory back if you can. Even if it means I have to compete with someone else.”
“There’s no competition,” I assure him, giving his bicep a light squeeze.
He gives me a serious look and tucks a strand of dark hair behind his ear. “You don’t know that. That’s the whole point.”
“I don’t need the reminder.” I sigh. “I’ve come all this way.”
“Let’s look around and see if we can figure out the one you want.”
“Okay.”
Kalle takes my hand, and we slowly circle the cavernous room. It’s like being in a weird department store where I’m offered everything, but I don’t want any of it. I just want him.
“What are you thinking?” Kalle whispers, stepping close.
I inhale sharply. I’ve missed him. “I’ve spent so much of my time and walked so many miles trying to recover this memory, and now I’d give it up for another kiss from you.”
He shakes his head. “Don’t.”
I nod, and his dark eyes flash. “I’m this close to saying fuck this. I don’t need these memories. I only need you.”
He draws me to him. His beautiful eyes search my face. And then, so slowly, he lowers his lips to mine. Sparks fly. The moon rises. “I don’t ever want you to feel incomplete,” he murmurs.
“I always feel whole with you,” I reply.
He kisses me again, and as we separate, the room seems to sparkle even more.
A single moonbeam shines on a geode, catching both Kalle’s and my eyes.
“Do you think that’s the one?” he asks.
The rock seems to pulse with life, and it’s drawing me toward it. “What are the odds of it being someone else’s?” I ask.
“Pretty huge. If they only have one of your memories and”—he makes a sweeping gesture toward the room—“there are all these stolen ones, the chances of getting it right are slim.”
Except … this rockfeelsright. “Shall I chance it?”
“I vote yes.” Kalle seems to steel himself against some answer he doesn’t want to get. I love that he’s brave enough to risk our first kiss being bumped by another memory.
But I’ll never forget all my firsts with him.
I carry the geode over to the middle of the room and place it on a dais. Then I select a hammer from the nearby rack. “Funny,” I say. “It looks like my tattoo.”
“I’ve always liked that tattoo,” Kalle muses.
“What is going to happen if itismy memory?” I ask Linus. “Do I just”—I wave my hands—“remember everything immediately?”
He smiles at us. “No, the memories will not come back all at once. They will trickle in over time or in response to various triggers. If it’s yours, you’re going to have some fun discovering them. And other people who are connected to the memories will begin to remember, too.”
“And if it’s not mine?”
He simply shakes his head.
I look around.Okay, Justice. Enough stalling.I lift the hammer and bring it crashing down on the rock, which cleaves neatly in two, revealing a purple crystal interior.
Wind rushes through my hair, and I blink as images fill my mind. Images of a teenage boy, tall, with dark brown eyes and brown hair. A boy who carried a sword and talked with animals. A boy who kissed me under the shade of pine trees in the woods.
