Page 95 of Lucifer's Mirror

I hurry to where Stella is waiting for me. She’s so clever. It’s almost as though she reads my mind. I don’t bother with a saddle or bridle; I just grab her mane and pull myself up onto her back. And then we’re off.

Hecate shouts after me, “Don’t leave the wards.”

“I won’t.”

I clutch onto Stella’s mane and move with her as she races down the grassy track. We’re going in the opposite direction from when we arrived here. I’m riding fast, the countryside a blur on either side of me. It’s exhilarating. I’ll find him. I know I will.

I’ve almost given up when I spot them far up ahead. Two riders.

“Zayne!” I call out. “Stop.” Nothing happens. They’re still riding away. They can’t hear me. I push Stella on. “Zayne!”

Finally, he pulls up and turns to look back at me. I can’t see his expression, but then he slowly rides toward me. I keep up my gallop until we’re only feet away. Then Stella rears up and skids to a halt. Holding onto her mane, I tumble off, managing to stay on my feet. Zayne also jumps down, and then I’m in his arms, and we hug. I’m crying. I bury my face in his chest, breathing in his familiar scent.

I pull back with a sigh. “I’m sorry. I was a selfish bitch.”

“I know,” he replies, but I can hear the amusement in his voice. He doesn’t hate me. He understands who I am. Not perfect. Not even close.

“I know you have to go back and help Josh,” I say. “And I’m happy for you to do that. I just—” I give a helpless shrug. “I’m just… scared.” There, I admit it to him. “Scared that I’ll never remember. Or scared that I will remember, and I won’t like what I find out. Something horrible is going on here, and I’m at the heart of it, and I think it’s all my fault. Maybe I did something bad. Maybe I am evil, and I don’t...”

“Stop,” he says. “Stop. What’s happening here started thousands of years ago. How can it be your fault? Besides, you’re not evil. You’re essentially good. I knew that the first moment I met you.” He tucks my hair behind my ear and stares down at me. “From the second I saw you, I knew you were special. I knew you were meant for something bigger than me. But we can always hope, we little people.”

“You’re hardly a little person. You’re a goddamn basilisk. You have wings; you can breathe fire. Just don’t do it where anyone can see you.”

“I won’t. I’ve had that lecture from Khaosti numerous times.” He sighs. “Look, we have to go. The sun will go down soon, and we want to be over the mountain by then.”

“I know. I just… I couldn’t bear to leave it like we did.”

“I’m glad.” He pulls me in for one last hug. “Stay safe.”

“Ha, I’m not sure that’s an option.”

“Well then, watch your back, don’t trust that fucker Khaosti, don’t kiss him, and definitely don’t—

“Enough.”

He laughs. “You know what I mean. I’ll come back when I can. If I can. And youwillremember.”

“Of course, I will. Now go. I don’t want you on that mountain in the dark.”

He gives me one last searching look. “I love you, princess.”

“I love you, asshole.”

I stand watching as he turns and pulls himself up into the saddle. He doesn’t look back as he rides away, and I stare after him until he disappears over the bridge.

Then I allow myself to cry.

Chapter 45

The Temple of Selene

Idon’tknowhowlongI stare into the distance where Zayne disappeared, tears sliding down my cheeks. Too long. By the time I sniff and turn back to Stella, the sun is hanging low on the horizon, casting a warm, golden hue across the rolling hills of the unfamiliar countryside. A gentle breeze rustles through the tall grass on either side of the track, and the air carries a sweet scent of wildflowers.

I take a deep breath, dash my hand across my face, and straighten my shoulders.

Time to go.

With a sigh, I grab hold of Stella’s mane, pull myself onto her back, and turn her in the direction of home. It’s strange how I’ve come to think of this as home in the time we’ve been here. But this is the first place I’ve ever felt truly safe since I woke up over three years ago.