I sat up straight, straining to make out his voice. Her words were clear, but his voice—low and rough—was a mere murmur, just out of reach. A knot of curiosity and hesitation twisted inside me.

I should stay here. I shouldn't listen. But I wanted to. I needed to.

The internal battle raged within me as I stared blankly at the bathwater, my mind spinning. As if sensing my indecision, the bath took matters into its own hands and began to drain with a slow, deliberate gurgle, the sound pulling me back into the present. Wrapping myself in the thick cotton towel felt like being encased in warmth, a soft shield against the uncertainty outside. My limbs grew heavy, my muscles loosening in a way that made me want to curl up and surrender to sleep. The voices outside drifted in again, low and muted, as I slipped into the bed, the oversized towel clinging to my damp skin. Lennon’s scent clung to the linens—cedar and tobacco, with that ever-present hint of something wild, like fresh earth after a storm. It was intoxicating, pulling me in like a spell cast with no words. My breath hitched as heat flared low in my belly, spreading outward, making my body hum with need. My thighs clenched involuntarily as my mind drifted to thoughts of Lennon, of his hands, his mouth. A thrill ran down my spine, sharp and consuming, and for a moment, I let it take me—let the thoughts spiral. I wanted him. The admission flickered through my mind like a match struck in the dark, igniting a longing I couldn’t shake. I pressed my lips together and tried to silence the growing ache, but then—

“New pet?” The woman’s voice, a sneer on every syllable, sliced through my reverie.

Pet? I froze, ears straining to catch the conversation.

But they were speaking too softly again, and exhaustion dragged me under before I could hear more. Time passed—minutes, hours, I wasn’t sure. When I woke, darkness had swallowed the room, but through the curtains, I could see Lennon still seated by the fire, the flames casting shadows creating his silhouette. It was like he knew I was awake because his voice, low but clear, drifted into the cabin.

“Clean clothes are in the chest, Ace.”

The towel slipped to the floor as I stood, the cool air brushing against my skin. I made my way to the cedar chest at the foot of the bed, my body feeling more alive, more healed than before. Inside, I found simple clothes—linen pants that would hang loose on me and a soft cotton shirt. The fabric smelled like him, that same addictive scent I’d buried myself in earlier. I inhaled deeply, letting it fill my lungs, my chest, my head, clouding my thoughts with liquid need.

Why does this man smell so damn good? I thought as I pulled the clothes on.

With my hair still damp and my body wrapped in Lennon’s scent, I stepped into the slippers at the foot of the bed and headed outside. The night air hit me first—cool and refreshing, laced with the scent of pine and earth. I spotted Lennon immediately, seated by the fire, shuffling a deck of cards with lazy precision. Across from him, though, was a woman—a stunning creature who could only be Sidhe, her beauty sharp enough to cut. She sat with perfect posture, her lavender eyes cold and calculating as they drifted over me.

Gods, are all Sidhe this beautiful?

Her long, silvery-lavender hair cascaded down her back, a perfect match to the lilac chiffon gown clinging to her curves. Jewels glinted across the bodice, the light from the fire catching the violet runes that adorned her arms and neck—runes eerily similar to Lennon’s but in deeper, more dangerous shades of purple.

“Ace,” Lennon said, his voice a low rumble that shot through me. “This is Veronika.”

Veronika’s lips curled into a sneer as her eyes flicked up and down my form. “I thought I smelled human.”

The venom in her words made me stiffen, instantly uncomfortable. But I refused to back down, my eyes catching on one of her runes as it flickered and disappeared. The truth. The realization hit me like a punch. Her gaze narrowed, as if sensing my understanding, and her lips twisted in a mocking smile.

“Nice outfit.” Sarcasm. Lies. The rune reappeared, dark and solid.

Something in that simple exchange clicked into place for me. Lies create runes, while honesty makes them disappear, but only if the statements result in an emotional reaction. I met her gaze and raised an eyebrow.

“Liar,” I threw the word out casually, though my heart raced beneath my chest.

I wasn’t prepared for the way Lennon’s attention sharpened, his fingers pausing over the cards as he smirked, his eyes gleaming with something like amusement.

Veronika’s smile didn’t waver, but the tension between us grew, thick and palpable. “Fast learner,” she purred. “For a human.”

My jaw clenched at the condescension in her tone, though her rune dimmed once more. She believed her own words—every bit of them. She really did think I was a fast-learning human, but it was her tone that was infuriating. My pulse thrummed in my ears, the burn of her belittling comment simmering beneath my skin. One of Lennon’s cards lit up, glowing faintly, and he flicked it into the air, chuckling softly to himself before tucking it back into the deck. He was enjoying this.

“Such a pleasure to meet you, Veronika,” I sneered, and a soft tickle danced across my wrist as a new rune etched itself onto my skin. An obvious lie. I turned my wrist, hiding it from her view.

Veronika’s cold eyes darkened. “You’d be wise to refrain from lying to me, human,” she hissed, her voice sharp as a blade. “I can see every rune, visible or not. I see more than you’ll ever see in your microscopic pitiful lifetime.”

Lennon’s laugh broke the tension, “Chill the fuck out, Veronika,” he drawled. “Go power-flex elsewhere if you can’t control yourself.” His hand came to rest on my thigh, it sent a shock of warmth through me as I realized he was channeling his magic to soothe me. It was like a soft but powerful caress as he spoke. His voice dipped lower in a gentle tone, and he met my eyes. “Veronika is an insufferable raging witch Ace, in case you didn’t already make that connection. Though I presume you did. And yes...” He glared at Veronika, his eyes hardening. “She is Anja born, from the eyes of our world. Her dominant power is higher vision, she can see everything. Nothing to worry about.” He squeezed my thigh, his touch grounding me, steadying me, then returned to shuffling his cards.

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Veronika’s gaze flicked between us, her lips curving into a cruel smile. “Wow Lennon, can you use that voice for me next time you’re in my bed?”

Lennon let out an annoyed sigh. I paused, then snapped my gaze to meet Veronika’s. Was I... jealous? Over a stranger? She knew. Of course, she knew. And she was enjoying it—savoring my discomfort with her stupid triumphant grin. Jealousy burned through me in a sharp ping that twisted in my chest and gnawed at my insides. Then a sobering self-awareness overcame me.

This is ridiculous. I barely know him. He’s not mine to want. This is silly behavior. I need a plan. I need my memory back. I need to get my priorities straight.

But the ache in my chest didn’t care. My shoulders slumped ever so slightly. Lennon clocked my energy shift from the corner of his eye. He stopped shuffling and sat in silence for what seemed like a decade, but was probably only a couple of seconds. One of the cards was glowing, but he ignored it. Lennon’s tone shifted, cold and commanding as he finally spoke.

“Leave, Veronika.” The air around us seemed to still as the words hung between them.

Veronika blinked, surprise flickering across her face. “Lennon, I—”

He cut her off with a nonchalant wave of his hand. “Leave, Veronika. Do not return unless I send for you, and do not expect that sentiment.”

There was a poised and royal apathy to his gesture that had me straightening my posture to handle the power in his presence. Veronika’s face hardened with the weight of his words, but she rose gracefully, casting one last look over her shoulder before slowly walking away. Lennon and I sat in silence, the crackling of the fire the only sound between us as Veronika disappeared into the misty night. Right as her silhouette faded away, I let my shoulders slump again and stroked a finger over the rune on my arm.

Jealous... over a stranger. Ridiculous! Maybe it really is a concussion, I thought.

Lennon sighed, shaking his head. “I’m sorry Ace.”

Looking down at my thighs, I picked at a piece of lint on the pajamas I wore—his pajamas. "Does she really see... everything? Like, can she see through my clothes?"

A smirk played on his lips. “Don’t you mean my clothes?” He winked, the teasing light in his eyes doing nothing to soothe my growing unease.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “Yeah, I should probably figure out my clothing situation,” I muttered, though clothes were the least of my concerns at the moment.

He chuckled softly, that low, rumbling sound somehow grounding me. “She can see through your clothes if she wants to. That’s probably why she’s so intimidated.” His gaze swept over my body, slow and deliberate, before it flicked back to meet my eyes. Heat flooded my cheeks, and I cursed the way my body betrayed me in that moment—the compliment, though veiled in humor, sent a strange, almost unwanted flutter through me.

“She’s not the only one intimidated,” I mumbled, more to myself than him.

He didn’t comment, just continued, “Sidhe have ways of shielding themselves from powers like Veronika’s. We might be able to find a way for you to get some protection—shields, maybe. We’ll visit the vendors, get you some clothes that’ll help you blend in. Then we can talk to The Dread’s local alchemist about some shields for humans.”

I shook my head, my resolve hardening. “That’s not necessary. I’m going back to the human lands tomorrow. I appreciate your hospitality, but I don’t belong here.”

His grin was quick, playful, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Aww, just when we were starting to have fun?” I didn’t smile back and his voice softened, “If you go back to the human realm, you might be met with a dangerous welcome. What if you were running from something, or someone, Ace? It might be best to wait for more memories to come back first.”

“And what if my memories don’t come back? Then what? I live in this Sidhe world where everyone hates me? Where I need a magical shield so Sidhe like Veronika won’t eye-fuck me? I don’t belong here. If Sidhe can mentally undress me I don’t want to know the ways they can kill me.” The bitterness in my voice was sharper than I intended, and his laugh didn’t do much to ease it.

“It’s not the Sidhe who want to kill you,” he chuckled, stirring the soup with a contemplative look. The delicious scent wafted between us, a sharp contrast to the tension that lingered in the air. “Ever since the queens took over, Sidhe coexist peacefully enough. Sidhe are not the ones you need to worry about” He dished out a bowl of soup and handed it to me. As I took it, the heat radiated from the bowl, warming my cold fingers. “Veronika is vile, Ace.” he continued, more gently now. “Not all Sidhe hate humans the way she does. She probably doesn’t even hate humans, she’s just jealous. Trying to make you feel insecure. And for what it’s worth, I don’t think she mentally undressed you. I saw the way you turned your wrist, just like I’m sure she did. Anjans are very particular about consent due to their powers. In Anja, it’s considered rude to even make eye contact without consent. Plus it would’ve cost her too much power to do that here, living in The Dread depletes our powers. I felt spent after using mine to serve you that fruit. I don’t think she’d waste her limited power that way. Please, don’t let the Sidhe in The Dread shape your opinion of all Sidhe.”

There was so much I still had to learn about this place. The different regions, each with their own rules and powers—it was all becoming overwhelming. I couldn’t even remember my own story, my own family. Now, I was expected to navigate this foreign land where I felt like an outsider. But Lennon was kind to me, with a gentle strength that kept me grounded. I realized that in meeting Lennon and Veronika, I had encountered two very different sides of this world. Perhaps I shouldn’t judge it based solely on how Veronika had treated me. I listened in silence, spooning the soup into my mouth as I mulled over his words.

“Sidhe in The Dread will clock your insecurities and use them against you. The Dread is full of small manipulation wars, where everyone’s goal is to gain some false sense of confidence, dominance, or power. Since we’ve lost most of our power here, it’s the only way they contrive a sense of self-importance.”

“Then why do you stay?” I looked up from my soup. “Why not leave and regain your power? You mentioned Anahate... why not go there?”

His face darkened, and for a moment, the light in him dimmed. “I would if I could,” his fingers ran through his hair. “But I’ve been here too long. These runes...” He gestured to the intricate markings on his arms and neck. “They make it difficult to leave. I’m bound here until I can erase them. And that... that could take centuries. The Dread wasn’t always like this. When I first came here, it was new, thrilling. I was reckless, running from my own past. I didn’t think about the future, and I was too stubborn to listen when anyone tried to warn me.”

“Warn you about what?”

“About the gravity of my decision to live here. Being this marked up in runes, my power is mostly depleted and I’m essentially stuck here. I'm an outcast to other regions until I get rid of these runes.”

A gnawing worry settled in my chest. “So you won’t be coming to Anahate with me?”

“I wish I could. But it’ll take time. Honesty... real honesty, from the heart, can begin to break the runes. But surrounded by Sidhe playing their games, it’s harder than you think.”

“Ok then, why can’t you just tell me a bunch of honest truths right now to make them disappear?”

“The runes only respond to real emotions. I could tell you the sky is blue, it’s the truth. But unless what I say causes an emotional reaction, we’d get no where. The magic also knows if you’re trying to cheat the system. After the war, The Dread was created as a more civilized alternative to archaic ancient prisons. We can live here voluntarily, which is what I naively did in my youth, but most Sidhe get sent here for crimes. It’s a very complex system.”

A cold shiver ran down my spine. “Crimes? what type of crimes?” though I wasn’t sure if I wanted to know.

“Mostly petty crimes. Bad behavior, forbidden tonics, illegal trade and such. More serious criminals are still subjected to the old prison system.”

“Well, I don’t see why anyone would want to live here voluntarily with Sidhe like Veronika.”

He chuckled “In my defense, Veronika came here after I did. But Aside from my juvenile reasonings back then, voluntary residents are usually family members of the Sidhe who get sent here.”

I sighed as a profound exhaustion swept over me, my eyelids growing heavy. “I have a lot on my mind. This is all very overwhelming. I think I just need to sleep and pray to the Mother I wake up with my memory.”

Lennon’s voice softened as he met my gaze. “Yeah... let’s call it a night.”