I don’t fully understand why he wanted to come with me. It’s not like he’s a morning person. He could still be warm and comfortable in the hotel bedroom. I know that’s where I’d rather be.
My heart flutters and I can’t help but smile.
Turning around, the wind whips my hair in a cyclone around my head. It’s a dazzling display with the varying strands of gold and pink as the rising sun bleeds its welcome into my hair. Despite all of this, I reach for the ponytail holder in my pocket and tie my hair back. I need to be focused and centered now. Taking my time, I meander the trail to the ruins of the Temple of Apollo.
It’s been two days since the arrest of Lester and his cronies. Two days since I got my memories back.
Two days since I gave up a mortal life to continue on with the insanity of this supernatural one.
When I reach the location, I take a seat on a stone wall and sigh.
It’s also been two days since my soul mate was returned to me.
Blake is so excited to be uncovering our past, one memory at a time. His life as Anastasios was just as locked to him as my past was to me. At least we have that much in common.
But this undercurrent of anxiety clouds my elation.
I exhale my trepidation and settle into the energy of the space. My gaze lifts, settling on the horizon. At this time of the morning, the view is almost the same as it was millenia ago. However the beauty does not thing to shake the terrible revelation that while I have regained so much, my life is no longer my own.
While not exactly the most idyllic of circumstances, the past two millennium have moulded me into the woman I’ve become. How the hell am I meant to revert back to someone I no longer am?
That woman was shed a long, long time ago.
This never-ending existence has left me jaded. Sure, I might be more of a prickly pear these days, but I’d also like to think the rougher edges have left me with a little more depth. And certainly a little wiser to the world as a whole.
Being psychic can only get you so far. You still need experience to accurately unpack everything.
Inhaling deeply, the crisp morning air clings to my lungs until I exhale the breath in a soft plume of frozen water droplets. I lean forward, placing my elbows on my knees. Bringing my hands to prayer position, I press the edge of my index fingers to my lips in an effort to silence my mind.
Blake may be recalling bits and pieces of our past life together, but he doesn’t remember everything. He doesn’t have the recollection of all of his past lifetimes, and I’m not sure what to make of that. Maybe it’s a byproduct of me meddling with our memories. As long as he’s happy with what he remembers, maybe that’s all that matters.
My one concern is that he doesn’t understand the restraints I now wear, and all for the sake of saving him. If he knew what I gave up to do it, he’d call me a damn fool. But then again, he doesn’t know all that I’ve endured without him by my side.
There have been so many decisions I’ve made that would shock him. So much I’ve seen and done that I’m not proud of throughout these years alone. Rather than being set on a course and following it to its destination, my life has been a tangle of events that would leave others crawling out of their skin.
Maybe even Blake.
And it’s certainly something the gods could use against me, if they really wanted.
My stomach constricts and I swallow back my uneasiness.
I’ll cross that bridge when—or if—it ever comes.
For now, though, I need to find a loophole to this prison sentence before it becomes my reality.
As much as I love the memories of growing up here, and the time of being with Anastasios, I no longer have any desire to live in Greece. That time has passed. Sorrow lingers here like a layer of fog that won’t dissipate. I can feel it now, even as I sit here.
This is where everything went wrong… Where two-thousand plus years of self-loathing began.
No, I don’t want to be stuck here. Blake and I found each other again in Helena. It’s where we belong now. Besides, it’s not like he’ll want to uproot Aiden and his entire life to move to Greece.
Arms wrap around my neck from behind, making me jump. Not an easy feat, all things considered.
“Didn’t mean to startle you.” Blake’s words are gruff, but hold a smile at the edges of his tone. His thoughts tumble through various things to say, but they’re garbled by the early morning. One thing is clear, though…he’s amused that he caught me off guard. He kisses the top of my head and takes a seat beside me on the bench. “It’s easy to find you—you’re always in the same place.”
My lips twitch, but don’t fully form into a smile.
“Uh oh. What’s wrong?” he asks. His eyebrows draw down, darkening his features as he puts on his investigator hat.
I straighten my shoulders and shake off my apprehension. There’s no point in worrying him until I have a plan. “Nothing,” I mutter.
The creases around his brown eyes deepen and he grunts. “Mhm.”
Shaking my head, I stand up and stretch nonchalantly. “No, seriously. It’s nothing to worry about.”
“Then why won’t you tell me what’s going on?” he asks, arching an eyebrow.
I press my lips tight and give him a knowing look. “Because it’s nothing to worry about.
