Without Kull, part of me was missing. A hole had opened in my heart that only he could fill. I’d never been the same without him, and I imagined he must be experiencing a similar feeling, even though he didn’t recognize it.
The water ran hot down my back and over my breasts, and I couldn’t push away the feelings of how badly I wanted Kull. I wanted to feel his hands on my body, the warmth of his lips as he kissed me. The feeling welled up inside me, making me long for him. It was an ache only he could satisfy.
The hot water turned lukewarm, forcing me out of the shower before I was ready. I toweled off and briefly glanced in the mirror. Reminded of the enchantment I’d felt in my mirror back home, I didn’t linger long.
After changing into my blue-and-white striped silk pajamas, I stood at my bedside and pulled the sheets back when a knock came at my door. My heart fluttered as I imagined Kull waiting outside. I crossed the room and opened it a crack.
He stood in the hallway.
My heart skipped a beat as I stared at him, tall and imposing, yet when my eyes met his, I saw vulnerability.
“Do you need something?” I asked after finding my voice. Silvery moonlight seeped through the window behind him, making him look almost ghostly. His eyes and hair were both a shade of quicksilver, as if I could see Jeven’s spell working through him.
I missed him so badly. Remembering the feel of his hand in mine and the way he caressed my cheek when he got close made my heart ache. A hard knot formed in my throat as he stood away from me, too far to touch.
“Olive, may I ask you a question?” Kull asked quietly.
“Sure, go ahead.”
“I haven’t…” He started, then glanced away. “I haven’t felt like myself since we arrived on this world. Sometimes, I’ll feel certain things—emotions—I suppose, but then they disappear almost as quickly as I feel them. Do you think it could be the spell? Assuming it really exists?”
I stepped outside my room and closed the door behind me. “What sort of feelings?”
He cleared his throat. “Feelings for you. It happens at random times. When you called me a barbarian earlier.” He smiled. “While I watched you on the deck as the sun was setting behind you.”
He was watching me?
“But then the feelings get snuffed out so quickly,” he continued, “I’m not sure they really existed.”
“When did this start happening?”
“Only recently. After we arrived here.”
“Has it been happening more frequently?”
He thought for a moment. “Yes, I suppose it has.”
“Does anything seem to trigger the feelings or make them last for more than a second?”
“No. As I said, they’re strange, fleeting emotions, and not terribly pleasant when they disappear, almost as if they’re being torn away from me.”
Pursing my lips, I studied him. He held my gaze. “It’s the curse,” I said. “It’s keeping you from remembering your feelings for me.”
“But how is that possible? I have no memories of you. Not a single one. How could I feel those things for a person I’ve never met?”
“Because you have met me.”
“No, the first time I ever saw you was when we arrived here. There must be some other explanation.”
I took a hesitant step closer to him. I didn’t want to push my luck, but if he was starting to remember the feelings he once had for me, maybe there was some chance the curse could be lifted.
“Do those emotions you described feel real to you?” I asked.
“Yes, they seem to be.”
“Do you feel them now?”
He hesitated. “I… I can’t say for sure.”
“Why not?”
“Because being around you makes it difficult for me to focus. I can’t think clearly, and… I don’t know.” He shook his head and closed his eyes.
I took another step, then I gently took one of his hands in mine. He let me touch him for a total of two seconds before he pulled away.
“Why did you do that?” he asked.
“An experiment. Did you feel anything when I touched you?”
He swallowed. I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen him so nervous. “I might have.”
“Kull, this is good news. It means that the curse may have removed all your memories of me, but it isn’t powerful enough to take away all your emotions. You’re remembering how you feel about me.”
“That’s not true. I don’t believe you,” he said without much conviction.
“Okay, let’s say you’re right and I’m wrong. Let’s assume all these weird emotions you keep having are just a fluke. If you’re right, then if I were to say, kiss you, then you wouldn’t feel anything for me, correct? Because in your opinion, we’ve never met, so you wouldn’t feel anything.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Then let’s try it.”
He eyed me with a shrewd gaze. “You want to kiss me?”
“It’s purely for scientific reasons, law of deduction and all that.”
He snorted. “How do I know you’re not just some temptress trying to seduce me?”
I shrugged. “Maybe I am, but if you’re right and I’m wrong, then you won’t feel anything for me. There’s only one way to find out.”
He laughed. “You’ve got to be joking. I’ve never kissed a woman for such a lousy excuse.” Pausing, he added, “Okay, maybe once. But I’d had too much mead that night. I hope you realize I can see through your excuses. Kiss someone to prove I’ve never met them? You must think me daft.”
“No, I think you’re smart. I also think you like a challenge. Kiss me and see if you feel anything. If you feel nothing, then you’ll know I’m wrong. You’ll know there couldn’t
