Page 47 of The Mating Fire
All Harper’s muscles locked tight. Her throat constricted. No one knew her? What of her friends? Her professors? Speech became almost impossible. Surely Jared wasn’t serious.
This couldn’t be happening. It was worse than discovering she had powers and a nasty demon was after her. Because like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, deep down she longed to click her heels and go home to all that was familiar.
Now Jared informed her no one remembered her and nothing about her was familiar to them.
Harper scoffed and shook her head. “Of course they remember me. I haven’t been gone that long.”
“It’s not the length of time you were gone, Harper. Xavier erased all memories of you.”
This couldn’t be happening. “I’m real. I am.” She poked at her arm. “This is flesh and blood real, Jared. How can I not exist?”
“You do exist. But no one in your former life remembers you.”
“No one, not even my adoptive parents?” Harper gave a short, choking laugh. “Not a great loss there. But my studies, my friends…”
Jared’s dark gaze turned sympathetic. “It was best. Eradicating your life, your existence, your student records, means no demons have a trail to follow you. Or torture your fellow academics and friends for information.” She didn’t want to know details of the torture, or mourn how her entire life had suddenly vanished.
I’ll think about that later, when I can gain control over this coldfire thing. There has to be a way to regain what I’ve lost.
“So what now?” she asked dully.
“You need a wide-open space to test those powers of yours. A place where you cannot hurt people or animals.”
He eyed a wall near the pond, far from the horse pasture.
Jared might have reason to lie to her. She had to know. Was he lying? Hard to believe everything in her life, her studies, her apartment, her friends, were gone.
Why should she trust he told the truth?
She reached into her jeans pocket and pulled out her cell phone. His expression tightened.
“Where did you get that?”
“Your maid brought it to me last night. She knew I felt lost without it.”
He swore a blue streak. “I’ve a good mind to fire her. How the hell could Jallu bring you a cell phone I hid in the castle?”
“I don’t know. But I’m going to call my best friend now that I’m back in the States.”
With dread in her heart, for her gut told her Jared had told the truth, she dialed Charlotte’s number. Her friend immediately answered.
“Who is this?”
She swallowed. Not a good sign. Char knew her number by heart. She’d actually assigned it a separate ring tone that had something to do with volcanoes blowing up. That song by Jimmy Buffet.
“Hi, it’s Harper.”
“Who?”
She cleared her throat, aware of Jared’s gaze centered on her. “Harper Ashley. Duh. Your bestie.”
“Is this Jen? Are you pranking me?”
“Char, it’s Harper. We graduated together, got our Masters, you in biology and me in geology… remember? You live in the apartment across from me. I’m 5C and you’re 5B.”
A long pause and then anger like she’d never heard in Charlotte’s voice. “The apartment across from me is rented by my best friend, Jen. I don’t know who you are or what this is about, but stop calling me. I’m blocking you.”
Charlotte hung up.
