Page 45 of A Spell for Midwinter's Heart
She stared straight into Hayleigh’s eyes, wiped her hand through the space between them, and in a voice she hardly recognized as her own, said,
“Forget.”
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An awkwardly long stretch of silence followed as the gathered power slipped back out of Rowan’s veins, leaving her with a light, buzzing head. Inches away, Hayleigh stood still, open-mouthed, saying nothing,doingnothing. Her face was blank, confused.
Rowan lurched back to the toilets just in time to vomit. Hands wrapped around the cool porcelain, she stayed there for a moment, in case anything else was waiting to come back up.
Her breathing was heavy. She’d castA Spell to Forget.It had come hard, and it had come fast, and she had used no guiding components. She had not grounded, she had not drawn a circle of protection, and she had not consulted anyone on her course of action. She had simply done it. And it hadn’t been a minor trick of the elements, it had been a major spell.
A mind-affecting spell.
Again.
Just like your grandmother.
Her body shook as she faced how reckless it had been. She’dset something into action but made only a passing attempt to control the outcome. There would be a price to pay, of that there was no doubt. It was only a matter of how much, and when the magic would come to claim it.
When she finally emerged, Hayleigh remained where she’d left her. After a quick splash of water on her face, Rowan made her way over to the other woman.
“Um, Hayleigh?” she asked, waving a hand in her face.
That seemed to snap the other woman out of her stupor. “Uh, yes?” She blinked as she scanned the room. “Where am I?”
“You’re at the Crescent Inn. In Elk Ridge. At the spa.”
“Oh, right…” Hayleigh’s eyelashes fluttered as she tried to work everything out. Then her gaze flicked back to Rowan. “I’m sorry. Do we know each other?”
Oh shit.
“Yes…but not well.”
“Well enough you know my name, though.”
“Um, yes, I guess so. Do you want me to help you back to your room?”
Hayleigh nodded absently, and Rowan gathered up the woman’s things before leading them both out.
“I’m sorry…” said Hayleigh. “I don’t seem to remember your name.”
“Oh, it’s Rowan.”
“Thanks for the help, Rowan.”
So shecouldtell the difference between the names Rowan and Ronan.
“Do you remember going to the spa?” Rowan asked.
“Vaguely. I remember getting a spa voucher, going downstairs, heading inside…I kind of remember being on the table, drifting in and out. Maybe going back to the locker room? But most of it is, like…” She puzzled, searching for a way to describe it. “Fuzzy.”
“Maybe you were just really, really relaxed?”
“Maybe.” Her voice was spacey.
If Hayleigh remembered going to the spa, Rowan hadn’t wantonly erased an entire day—or worse. But how then did Hayleigh not recognize Rowan?
They reached the lobby of the inn. Zaide was still sitting at the fire, sketching. She looked up as the women entered, raising an eyebrow as she glanced between them.
