Page 80 of A Phoenix Reborn at Christmas

Leo dropped his hand. An echoing silence followed.

“You don’t remember. You don’t remember.” Leo repeated the words as he searched the phoenix’s face for a scrap of the Percival he knew, the Percival he loved and who loved Leo in return.

But the phoenix before him was indeed Lord Percival Everflame. And he hated Leo.

“I remember everything I need to,” Percival said. “I work at Everflame Glass Factory. I am a powerful and strong phoenix. I don’t fucking bake. I don’t clean. You and this place are nothing to me. Now get out of my way. I am leaving.”

Leo’s insides crumbled into ash. His fingers trembled, wanting to touch Percival, but Leo knew the touch wouldn’t be welcomed.

Leo couldn’t breathe. He didn’t know what to do. “Please, you need to listen to me.” He held up his trembling hands. “You lost your memory, and we—” He gestured between them, as if that would explain how close they’d become and how they’d fallen in love. Tears slid down his cheeks. “You took me flying.”

“What nonsense are you gibbering about? And why are you snivelling?” Percival lifted his chin. “And did you not hear me? I said get out of my way!” Then he stepped forward and shoved Leo.

Leo stumbled back. It wasn’t a powerful shove, but the blow struck him to the core. A sob escaped him.

But Percival didn’t even glance at him. He strode straight past him to the door.

“Percy, please!” Leo shouted, a desperate attempt to keep the man he loved with him. “Don’t go.”

Percival didn’t even look back. He threw the door open. The bell jangled, and he left.

Leo took several steps, desperate to go after Percival and beg him. But beg him for what? What could he say?

It was clear, Percival didn’t remember what had happened between them. He only remembered Leo as the baker who’d served him. What could he possibly say to make Percival remember him? To make Percival love him again?

Percival had reverted back to Lord Percival Everflame. And Leo didn’t know what to do.

Leo collapsed onto the floor. “He doesn’t remember me.”

The slow morning kisses that led to passionate lovemaking. Leo teaching him to bake pies. Drinking hot chocolate as they decorated. Saying “I love you.” All those memories were gone for Percival. Just gone.

“He doesn’t remember me.” His words echoed in his ears. He rocked back and forth. “My firebird. My phoenix. My Percy. He hates me.”

Jack wrapped his arm around Leo. “It’s all right. It’ll be all right.”

Leo shook his head. Percival hated him. How could anything ever be all right again?

“What happened?” Grady asked the others.

“I don’t know exactly,” Jack said. “The two sorcerers came, the ones Avery hired. They left after speaking with him.” Jack frowned. “Percy looked strange. I was about to go over to him after I finished serving. Then he started screaming, and he burst into flames.”

Grady knelt in front of Leo, gripping his knee. “We’ll find out what happened. We’ll work this out.”

“I’ll go talk to Avery now. I’ll find out about these bloody sorcerers and what they did to Percy. We’ll work out how to reverse this.” Jack squeezed Leo’s shoulders. He rose. He opened his mouth as if to say more. Then he turned and ran to the door.

Wulfric and Briar stared at Leo, clearly not sure what to do.

Leo hung his head, sagging forward.

“We’ll work it out, Leo.” Grady squeezed his knee. “We’ll work it out.”

But all Leo could see was the rage flashing in Percival’s eyes, the anger, the hatred. Tears flowed down his cheeks. “He doesn’t remember me.”

Chapter

Thirty-Eight

What the fuck has been going on?