Page 13

Twelve

Spelled Ashes

A lexa dumped her bag and the car keys on the couch before taking her phone and dialing Tristan. Again.

Why wasn’t he answering? She had been trying since yesterday, an hour after she had received his last text saying they were about to start the curse-lifting. He hadn’t called his dad either or answered his calls.

They were growing worried.

She paced in front of the couch until she made up her mind to call Jude. She had gotten his number from Daphne only the other day, just in case. Now it proved to be helpful. She dialed him and held her breath as the bell rang, but he didn’t answer either.

Alexa tried again, but he still didn’t respond. So she texted him, asking where Tristan was, and to tell Tristan to call her back.

The moment she tapped the send button, the doorbell rang.

Alexa walked to the entryway and answered the door without looking through the peephole. Her heart stopped in surprise for a moment.

“Jude?”

Jude planted his hands into the pockets of his jeans and smiled. He actually smiled, unlike the forced smiles he’d been giving her since their breakup.

“Hi,” he said.

Alexa felt the burden on her shoulders lift as she peered over his shoulder, her heart racing as she searched for a pair of electric-blue eyes and a crooked smile.

“Isn’t Tristan with you? We weren’t expecting you two until tomorrow night! How come you didn’t tell us you were returning early—wait, I thought only Tristan was returning. He said you were planning to stay with your mom until the end of summer.”

Jude’s smile faltered instantly. “Uh,” he hesitated. “There was a change of plans.”

“What do you mean? And where is Tristan?”

Jude looked nervous. “Can I come in? There’s something I gotta tell you.”

Alexa staggered back in shock at his words, but Jude took that as a cue to invite himself inside. He entered, closed the door behind him, and turned back to look at her.

“What do you mean?” she demanded, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she stared at him. “Where is my Tristan, Jude?”

Jude pursed his lips and studied her face. “It’s not like you think it is. He is alright, alive—”

“I asked where he is, Jude!”

“In his house.”

Alexa turned and dashed back into the living room without another word, grabbed her car keys, and stomped back into the entryway. She pushed past Jude for the door, but he grabbed her by the elbow and stopped her.

“Where are you going?”

Alexa looked at him like he was an idiot. “To my boyfriend, where else?”

His eyes hardened. “You can’t.”

Alexa tugged at her arm, but he refused to release her. “I can and I will. Now, let me go, or you will answer to Tristan.”

“Alexa, he’s not in any condition to see you!” He shoved her away from the door and placed himself in front of it, still holding her elbow.

Alexa’s eyes turned grave on him. The way he acted and spoke didn’t sound like Tristan was still recovering from the curse-lifting. Something was wrong.

“What did you do to him?” she asked slowly, dangerously. When he didn’t answer immediately, she snapped, “What did you do to my Tristan, Jude?”

“He’s not your Tristan anymore!” he retorted. “Your Tristan is long gone, Alexa. Tristan Knight doesn’t remember you anymore.”

Alexa froze at the unexpected words, then she sputtered, “Y-you’re lying!”

“No, I’m not,” he said, looking dead serious but sounding calm. “He doesn’t remember you anymore.”

“What do you mean he doesn’t remember me? Is it—is it some side effect of the curse-lifting?”

“No. He remembers everything else perfectly, but not you.”

“I don’t believe you.” She shook her head. “I won’t believe it until I see him with my own two eyes and he tells me he doesn’t know who I am.” She tugged at her arm. “Let me go, Jude. I want to see him.”

“You can’t.” Jude’s grip tightened.

Alexa glared at him. “I don’t need your permission. Take your hands off me. Now.”

“I will, but you can’t see him,” he said impassively and released her.

Alexa rubbed her arm. “Why not?”

“Because if he sees you, he’ll start remembering.”

Alexa opened her mouth but closed it, his words slowly registering. “You don’t want him to remember,” she said in realization, her eyes widening, just before they narrowed. “What did you do?”

Jude simply pursed his lips and stared at her.

“What did you do to my Tristan, Jude?” As his silence continued, she knew she had her answer. “You tricked him, didn’t you? There was no curse-lifting, was there?” Her voice rose with each question, and so did her temper. When he remained silent, she pushed him back and yelled, “Answer me!”

“Yes!” Jude countered, narrowing his eyes back. He straightened his shoulders and took a step toward her. “There was no curse-lifting. It was a trick, and he fell for it—you all did!”

Alexa took a step back for each step he took toward her. She had once thought Jude would never harm her, never make advances toward her, but now she wasn’t so sure. Looking at him, seeing his face twisted with a strange expression, she barely recognized him as the boy she once dated.

His panther-like moves reminded her of Brandon—and how Tristan had saved her from him then.

Now, Tristan wasn’t here. Her Tristan didn’t remember her anymore.

Bile rose in her throat, but Alexa choked it back.

“You want to know what my mother wanted with your boyfriend? I think you deserve to know. Apparently, your Tristan took it upon himself to follow his mother’s footsteps and steal you from me, like his mom stole my mom’s best friend from her.”

“What?” Alexa exclaimed. “You are insane! Who said Tristan stole me from you?” She scoffed. “If anything, I went to him willingly.”

“Because he interfered in our relationship!” Jude spat.

“He never interfered in our relationship, you idiot!” Alexa retorted. “Unlike you, he’s proper and an utter gentleman. He never inserted himself where he knew he wasn’t supposed to be, as much as he wanted to. But you are! You are interfering in my relationship with Tristan. You hypocrite! How dare you accuse my Tristan?”

“You have no idea what he has done!” Jude threw his hands in the air.

Alexa laughed, cold, hollow, and mocking. “You have the gall to claim you know my Tristan more than I do?”

Jude’s eyes flared. “Did you know that he used to stalk you? Spied on you when you were alone—even when you were in your room? That he followed you around everywhere like some sort of shadow before you actually met him?”

Alexa gave him a deadpan look.

Jude’s eyes widened. “Are you saying you know he used to stalk you?”

“Tristan and I have no secrets between us.”

Jude huffed in disbelief. “So, you are saying you were alright with him coming to your room—”

“Do you know who held me when I cried at night?” Alexa cut him off with a fierce glare. “Oh, you don’t. You were never there, not even during the daytime. You couldn’t handle a broken girlfriend; all you cared about was yourself, your desires, and your wants. Who else but a blind idiot presses his girlfriend into going on dates and back to having fun just a month after she lost her dad, especially when she was still a broken mess, needed time, and was feeling lost, alone, and helpless? You had no care in the world for my feelings. You never asked me how I felt after those first two weeks. You told me not to cry, but Tristan sat with me while I cried. That’s where the line between you and him is drawn.

“And for your information, Tristan never invaded my personal space or intruded on my privacy. He respected me. He cared for me. He loved me. He wanted to step into my life and be there for me in person rather than staying unknown to my knowledge, but he didn’t. Do you know why? Because of you. Because of my poor excuse of a boyfriend. He could’ve interfered but he didn’t. He was too good to do that. He could have been the reason I broke up with you because I know the moment I got to know him, I would’ve dumped you for him. But no, he made sure that didn’t happen. I broke up with you because you were deceiving me, pretending to be a stranger while you were my stepbrother all along. I hated you the moment I realized that. I didn’t want anything to do with you ever again. And you have the gall to blame it all on Tristan’s head? Wow Jude, when did you become a world-class hypocrite?”

Alexa panted to catch her breath. “Who fed you this lie? Oh, don’t bother answering. It was your mother, wasn’t it?”

Jude was silent throughout the entire time, jaw clenched and eyes hardened.

Alexa shook her head exasperatedly and stepped forward to go around him toward the door. But he moved in front of her and blocked her path. Alexa looked up at him with an annoyed look.

“You’re not seeing him again.”

“You can’t stop me.”

“He underestimated us too, you know?” Jude arched an eyebrow down at her and pulled something out of his pocket.

Alexa saw a small, transparent pouch in his palm with some sort of dark gray powder inside. Her eyes snapped back to his, and she stepped back, panic building inside her.

Was he going to drug her or something?

“You know, Tristan was making bold speeches about true love when we told him what his fate was going to be—that he was going to forget you .”

“And now you’re going to take away my memory of him?”

His lingering gaze on her face was her answer.

Fear curled around her heart.

“Why are you doing this to us?” Alexa gritted through her teeth. “What did we ever do to you?”

“Oh, this isn’t entirely about you and me now, is it? It’s mostly about my mother and his dad—probably you know the story since you claim there’s no secret between you and Tristan.” He raised an eyebrow, waiting. When she continued to stare him down, he took the cue that she already knew. “This is my mother’s revenge on his dad.”

Alexa huffed in disbelief. “What is your mother? Five? Tell her to get over it! Hasn’t she done enough? Taken enough?”

“Apparently, not.” Jude shrugged indifferently. What had his mother done to him? “She’s not going to stop until Tristan dies; a death that would befall his dad as a shock. I just returned from clearing that information and your ties with his son from Dr. Knight’s memories. You’re next.”

Alexa took another step back from him.

“You’re insane.” She cast a side-eye around her, looking for something she could use as self-defense. Her eyes hooked on the thin flower vase by the windowsill to her right, just a few feet away. Alexa made a move toward it but stopped herself.

Maybe she needed to run.

Or maybe… she could catch him off guard and snatch the pouch from him.

Alexa took a breath and looked at him, holding her composure in place despite her heart writhing inside her. “So, once you use whatever that is on me, I will forget Tristan forever.”

“Yes.”

Alexa nodded. “And what’s in it for you?”

The shadow of a smile appeared on his face. “I will get you back.”

Alexa snorted before she could stop it. “You think just because I forget Tristan I would take you back? Weren’t you listening when I said Tristan wasn’t the reason I broke up with you? That I met him after we broke up?”

She moved closer to him, step by step, making it look like she was moving absently in the heat of her words.

His eyes narrowed on her. “I don’t believe you.”

“Who else do you believe? Your mother?” She scoffed. “Seriously, Jude. What does she know about you? You said it yourself; you got in touch with her only after our breakup. And suddenly, you believe everything she says?”

She crossed her arms so he wouldn’t suspect she was up to something.

“She saw it in his memories,” Jude insisted.

“You’re such an idiot.” Alexa rolled her eyes. “Fine. Believe what you must.” She cast her eyes on his hand and acted fast.

She snatched the small pouch from him. Jude let out a sharp gasp and made a grab for her, but she jumped away. They stared at each other with wide eyes.

Then, without a second thought, Alexa whirled and bolted for the staircase behind her.

Jude’s pounding footsteps followed her. A sharp tug at her hair sent a fiery sting across her scalp when she reached the landing, a jolt that shot down her neck and made her eyes water, forcing her head back with a brutal yank. She let out a breathless yelp, and her free hand clawed at his grip, her long nails scraping skin.

But he twisted her hair tighter and yanked her closer, making her scream. She hoped the sound was loud and piercing enough for her neighbors to hear.

Jude’s other hand flew in front of her, his fingers grazing the pouch she now clutched against her chest. Despite the blinding pain, Alexa threw her elbow back and jabbed him with it.

“Stop!” he bellowed.

No! She wanted to shout back but failed to find her voice.

“Alexa, you’re making this even harder!”

She only fought even more.

“Give it to me! I don’t want to hurt you!”

Alexa would’ve laughed at the irony if she could.

His fingers darted toward the pouch again, but she twisted sharply on instinct and threw her shoulder into him. It disrupted his balance slightly, but he didn’t let go of her hair.

Alexa didn’t relent either.

Jude pushed her against the nearby wall, and the side of her face slammed into it. Alexa screamed again and twisted her body to hide the pouch between her and the wall. When she was sure it was concealed from his view, she slipped it inside her t-shirt.

She felt it land at the bottom where the shirt was tucked into the jeans and twisted her body back. Then, ignoring the pain in her skull, she drove her knee into Jude’s groin. The aim was precise. Jude howled in pain, staggering back.

Alexa flew up the flight of stairs to the second floor, ran into her room, and locked the door.

Jude’s footsteps reached the door after a few seconds, and he hammered on it. “Alexa, you don’t know what you’re playing against. Open up!”

Alexa didn’t answer. She reached for her phone from her pocket—only to realize she had left it downstairs. She squeezed her eyes shut in frustration and suppressed the urge to scream again.

She wanted to call Tristan—but then the bitter realization hit her. He didn’t remember her.

But if she had her phone with her now, it would’ve been worth a try. She could’ve asked him to teleport to her house after telling him she was in danger and giving him her address. Knowing Tristan, he would come, even if he was baffled.

And when he saw her…

Alexa’s eyes widened.

Jude said his memories would return if he saw her.

Her frustration grew tenfold, and she tore her fingers through her hair, only to wince and withdraw them.

Jude banged on the door again, making her jump back slightly. The knob jerked, and the longer she watched it, the more her vision blurred.

For a brief moment, it felt like that fateful night when Tristan revealed his true self to her. When it had been Brandon on the other side of the door and she was all alone in the house.

It had been Tristan’s second time ever entering her room. He had held the knob, making Brandon believe the door was locked and Alexa baffled as to why Brandon couldn’t open a door she had left unlocked.

Her legs carried her to the door now as they had that day. She reached out her hand, hesitated for a moment, then placed it on the jerking knob. She mourned the loss of the invisible hand there.

If she failed this fight, the loss would be far greater than this. And she wouldn’t even remember him to mourn him then.

Resolved, she lifted her tearful eyes to the door shaking on its hinges. They hardened into a glare.

“If you come through this door, I swear, I will give you a taste of your own medicine!”

The banging stopped. Jude didn’t speak, but she heard his ragged breaths.

She continued, her courage anew. “You know, I’m actually curious what will happen if I use this on you instead. You’ll probably forget Tristan—and hopefully me too—right? So you’ll never interfere in our relationship again.”

Alexa was surprised at the silence that followed. She waited a moment before backing away from the door soundlessly. She unlocked the balcony doors and stepped out. Glancing at the light coming from her neighbor’s window, she opened her mouth to shout for help when a muffled whine came from behind.

Alexa whirled around at once. The sound came unmistakably from the hallway outside her door.

If Jude thought that pathetic trick could lure her out, he was—

Another whine followed, louder and longer this time, sounding frighteningly familiar.

“Alexa…” Jude’s voice singsonged. “Poor Cassie just got here. If you don’t want her to get hurt, stop being stupid and come out.”

It had to be one of his tricks, Alexa told herself as she stepped back into her room. But when she glanced at the clock on her nightstand, she closed her eyes in pain. It was around the time Cassie usually got home.

Not another blackmail about her sister’s safety. Not history repeating in a twisted way.

A muffled cry pierced the air, and Alexa’s resolve broke. She would hurt Jude double if he had laid a hand on her sister.

Reaching for the pouch inside her t-shirt, she walked toward the door. She had no idea how the powder worked, but the moment she opened the door and saw Jude, she was going to tip the contents on him.

With the pouch in one hand, its mouth open, Alexa yanked open the door with the other.

She froze in her tracks.

There stood Cassie on the other end, gagged, wide-eyed, and hands behind her. Her blonde hair had fallen from its fishtail braid, and her clothes were ruffled, giving the impression she had put up a big fight against whoever had bound her.

Alexa made to move toward her when Cassie shook her head and whined in protest. She paused in her tracks, not because her sister told her to, but because of the figure in her peripheral view.

She turned, and cold fear gripped her.

A stranger, an old, muscular man, stood at the end of the hallway, a gun pointed at Cassie.

Alexa knew the moment she was fighting a losing battle. But she also knew she wasn’t going to stop.

Tristan wouldn’t have. Nor would she.

Cassie made a series of muffled noises. Alexa paid attention too late; the pouch was snatched from her hands. She whirled around and met Jude’s smug, smirking face.

“Thought you fooled me, did you?” he sneered. “Thought I was alone and powerless, did you? Though what you did was clever, I was cleverer.”

Alexa moved closer to Cassie and wrapped her arms around her. She didn’t retort to him but watched as he dug his fingers into the pouch and pinched the powder. His eyes gleamed maliciously as they met hers.

“Time to say goodbye to Tristan Knight, Alexa.”

Alexa’s eyes flickered from him to the man with the gun. Surrender or die fighting?

The moment Jude lifted the pinched fingers to his lips, looking ready to blow the powder at them, Alexa’s instinct kicked in. She pushed Cassie down to the floor and out of the gun’s point and lunged herself at Jude.

They crashed to the floor together, Alexa landing atop Jude. He cursed colorfully. Her hand closed around the pouch in his; she tried to snatch it out, but his grip might as well have been iron.

Jude threw her off him and pushed himself up, grunting, no doubt in pain, and pinned her beneath him. Alexa didn’t even have time to blink; he blew the powder.

She kicked and thrashed even as it entered her vision and her mouth. She closed her eyes and choked. Her head spun, and finally, her body gave up fighting.

She was falling into a bottomless pit.

Tristan… Her mind whispered in desperation.

The world was spinning around her.

Tristan…

She felt the fight leave her. She felt so weightless and floating as if the one thing that anchored her to gravity was gone.

Tristan…

She heard voices in the distance. A feminine one, shouting her name. Her sister. There was also a male voice. He snapped at her, and the next moment her sister’s voice was cut short.

Tristan…

Her mind spun and spun. Now, white specks surrounded her, and Tristan’s face was highlighted in every one of them. She tried to reach for them, but the moment she did, they burst.

Tris—

It felt like her entire world had burst into nonexistence, and she was lost to utter darkness. A dreamless sleep from which she woke up not remembering Tristan Knight.