Page 21 of Emerald Rising
“Understood,” I said shortly. “Now, what are we going to do with Emmy?”
We all turned to look at her. She was still out cold which was probably for the best. Her chest rose softly as she slumbered, and I had to fight the urge to wrap her in my arms and curl up with her. Wiping her memory but still having the bond in place was going to be torture for all of us.
I rubbed the spot on my chest over my heart. I could feel it twisting in pain as I fought the bond between us all. At least we hadn’t slept together. There’d be no wiping her mind then. We’d become one body, one soul, one mind and we’d be dependent on each other to survive.
“Will she know us at all?” I asked solemnly.
“To be honest, I don’t know. She’s known me for three years and I can’t erase that without causing serious damage.”
Jealousy cut deeply through me. “She’ll know you.”
Griff nodded. “Yes, but only as the aloof, disgruntled neighbour I’ve always been. I can’t erase the bond that exists between us all, but I can bury it deep enough that she shouldn’t be able to sense it,” Griff explained.
I winced. We’d be able to feeleverything, but she wouldn’t even know who we were.
Every moment would be agony for us. Every breath we took, every beat of our hearts that weren’t in sync with hers would be a painful experience. Would we survive this? Would she?
I looked around my brothers and they all had the same expression lurking darkly in their eyes. Despair. I knew the only way we would get through this would be together and those glimpses that we would catch of her in our new positions at the academy would be the sweetest torture.
I walked over and knelt beside her, knowing that now was the perfect time to erase her memory. She’d wake thinking it was all a dream and I’d be nothing more than a figment of her imagination.
I placed my lips to the soft shell of her ear and took a deep breath. I took her scent deep into my lungs, knowing that I’d probably not be this close to her in a very long time.
“I promise that even though you won’t remember me, I will do everything in my power to protect you,” I whispered. Her eyelashes fluttered as if she could hear my words deep in her slumber. “Don’t forget, love, my blood is in your veins now. Your body will always know who I am, will always call to me. You will never escape me, not even in your dreams.”
I pressed a soft kiss to the corner of her mouth and committed the taste of her to memory. With one last look, I stood and let my brothers do as I did: say goodbye in their own way and let a part of her linger on their soul.
ASH
I couldn’t do this. I couldn’t say goodbye. I couldn’t bear the thought of not being able to wrap my body around hers as she slept. I knew Griffon was right and that this was the safest thing to do but that didn’t mean I had to agree with it. I was going to hate this every minute of every agonising day. The thought of seeing her every day but not being able to touch her was going to make my heart ache. This bond meant that she was everything to me now. She’d be in my every thought, every desire, and every breath that I took.
“Even though you won’t know me, I will find you when you sleep. I will still taste you on my tongue and feel you beneath my fingers. You will be begging me in your dreams, and I will enjoy the way you crave my mercy. But I will make sure you work hard for it, princess.”
I placed a tender kiss on her temple and her scent surrounded me. She was like sunshine on a summer’s day, fresh, crisp, and sweet. She was the perfect balm for our darker souls, the sweetness to our more aggressive natures. When the time was right, she would bring balance to us. But until then, we’d just have to have some fun with her.
I’d never been more excited for anything in my life.
BLAZE
I watched the other two whisper words of love in her ear, but I wasn’t sure I was capable of such a thing. The others always eyed me warily. Like I was on the cusp of insanity, which, if I were being honest, I was. I had a darker nature that I continually had to fight to keep locked in a box but sometimes, I caved. Sometimes I let the psycho out and he wreaked havoc. Even now I could feel him itching to be set free so he could play with her like a new toy. He wanted her screams. Her tears. He wanted to taste them, and he wanted to break her. I craved pain the way that River craved blood.
My fingers rested on the soft column of her throat and I felt her pulse go wild beneath my fingers. It was like her body already knew me. Already knew that I would pull her darkest desires to the surface and indulge every single one of them. I brought my face close to hers, resting my lips against hers so every word I uttered caressed them softly. I wanted to brand her with my words, not whisper them like a lover.
“Every moment you suffer, you’ll think of me. Your pain is mine and I will devour it every chance I get. Don’t forget, you’re mine, baby girl. And anyone who thinks otherwise will be punished, including you.”
I placed a hard kiss on her mouth hoping that she’d remember the feel of me even though she wouldn’t remember my face. Then I turned my back on her and resigned myself to watching her from the shadows.
GRIFFON
I had no words of love to give. I wasn’t one for expressing emotions or speaking words when I didn’t need to. This wasn’t goodbye, so I wasn’t going to say it. I merely leant down and placed a single, tender kiss on her forehead. I filled the gesture with a little magic, a simple tracking enchantment that would always let me know where she was. I was born a Guardian Angel, and in that moment, when my lips touched her skin, I became hers. That was the only gift I could give her, and I hoped that she knew I’d always be watching over her.
I cast a quick glance at River who looked like he was chewing glass. “Are you ready?”
He nodded, clearly not trusting himself to speak. This was going to be tough on all of us. It might even send us mad with the agony of not completing the bond, but if it would keep Emmy safe, we had to do it. Consequences be damned.
I placed my fingertips on both her temples and rested my forehead against hers. My mind sought all the memories of the past twenty-four hours and I suppressed them beneath a false memory of a dream. She’d remember bits of her encounter with us but not enough for her to realise that the events were real.
My stomach churned as I buried her memories. I hated that I had to do this, but her safety was paramount. There was someone out there who knew of her existence and, if the royal bloodline who had sired her decided to acknowledge her existence, then that could be cause for outright war. The Heroux line was childless. If they claimed her then they could maintain their brutal claim to the throne. Equally if it were discovered she was a royal with angelic blood, whichever bloodline was responsible could be wiped out completely. So much was at stake where she was concerned that it terrified me. I needed her to be safe. I couldn’t bear the thought of losing her like I lost my last charge.
