“Ella…I’m not going to hurt you…” Marcus said, but she ran straight to Alexander’s side, clinging to him. What the hell? Marcus stood riveted to the spot, drenched and freezing as he watched his wife hug another man. One she barely knew. His gut twisted inside as he eyed the man, who looked equally shocked.
“Zander, what’s going on? Who are these people? Where am I? I’ve been so scared,” Ella said.
Hearing her confirmed it was definitely his wife, but her voice sounded quiet, softer than normal and he frowned, unsure what to make of the situation. Alexander arched his eyebrow and shrugged, obviously unsure what to do himself as Ella buried her face in the man’s chest, clinging to his shirt. Taking another step closer, he tried again.
“It’s okay…you’re safe now. Ella, look at me. I’m your husband.”
Ella was shivering and Alexander wrapped his arm around her shoulders, which sat heavy against his chest, but he nodded at the man, knowing his wife was freezing. King Zayn wrapped a warm fleece over her, and she huddled underneath.
“Tell him—he’s lying, Zander. You’re my husband…tell him.” Ella stared up at Alexander, whose eyes widened as they slid over to rest again on him.
It was only then Marcus noticed the ring on Ella’s left hand. It wasn’t the ring he had given her. More games.
Zephra stepped in, sniffing Ella. The witch held her hand out, running it down over his wife but studying him. Right now, he couldn’t move for fear his patience would evaporate, and he would drag Ella out from Alexander’s arms, which would only increase her terror.
“It’s Ella…but she’s not the same. Her energy levels are fluctuating…like her aura, which keeps shifting colors,” Zephra said.
“Will you talk in plain English? It’s obvious she isn’t herself—that much we all know!” Marcus shouted. Ella pressed deeper into Alexander’s side and it was driving him nuts. He should be the one holding and comforting her. Raking his hands through his hair, he listened to the witch, desperate for answers.
“It means, Drayton…Ella needs rest and to be home, where she’s comfortable. Where things are familiar until we figure this out,” Lady Tenille said.
“Yes, please take me home. This is confusing. I’m sorry, but I don’t know who you are.” She yawned. “I miss the ocean.” She looked up at Alexander, leaning into him as if unable to stay upright much longer.
Marcus nodded at him, and the man gathered Ella up into his arms. She nestled into him, closing her eyes. Ella could only be talking about Josephine’s house, which they had never lived in as a couple. How did she possess those memories and yet she couldn’t remember him? Marcus rubbed his temple, knowing he wouldn’t get to the bottom of it tonight.
“Okay, let’s get going. We’ll figure out what to do once we’re home.”
The witch nodded. “It isn’t only you she doesn’t remember, Drayton. It’s all of us. Ella only seems to recall Zander, which is more than odd, don’t you think? I’ll need to do a full reading of her when she’s fully rested to find out why.”
Marcus stretched his arms out to Alexander. “Here…Ella’s asleep—let me carry her, until she wakes. It’s a long journey back.”
“Why does she believe I’m her husband?” Alexander asked.
Gazing down at his wife, who had all but passed out leaning into the other man, he remembered the conversation back in Wales. “Honestly, I don’t know, but right now, you’re the only one she remembers. I think we should continue to let her believe that until we figure out what the hell is going on. Are you okay with that?”
“Am I okay with that?” Alexander smirked and right then he wanted to knock him out. “Are you all right with that?”
No, he was far from okay with it. But as he held Ella in his arms, absorbing her white hair and frail features, he would do anything. She was safe and back in his life; that was all that mattered.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
May
Wandering down the beach, Ella wrapped her woolen shawl tighter. She had been back home in the cottage for a week, but things were far from normal. She was an outsider in her own life, feeling alone and confused. Every tiny detail was a stress because she could not recall them, and the worry weighed her down. At night, scary dreams invaded, confusing her even more and leaving her unwilling to close her eyes. A multitude of people drifted in and out of the cottage, but each face was unfamiliar. They were all strangers. Zander had been patient and kind, catering to her every whim during the day, but at night he made an excuse, staying up late to read or work, sleeping in another room.
What’s wrong with me?
Ella fixed her long hair into a loose knot, impatient with it as much as the fierce and rugged man named Marcus, who visited daily. The one who insisted he was her husband. The one she had bolted away from right now, leaving him standing in the kitchen. Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried to recall some memory of the larger than life, persistent man but flicked away
