Page 77 of Wicked Magik

I opened my maw. “Are you well? What is wrong, my—”

"Please!" he pleaded, almost collapsing to the ground. I caught him by the arms and helped him stand. "I implore you, call me Veylor."

This isn't the Lord Veylor I remember. The Lord I knew never pleaded with me. He was aloof and indifferent. When I recall the times he cared for me when I was helpless. Too animalistic tocontrol my hunger. I remember his mouth set in a frown and his eyes devoid of warmth when he would chain me to a wall for me to sleep.

Still, I found myself acting against my will. The purr Vesper always talked about emerged, intended just for her, but I felt driven to comfort my Lor... Veylor. He did look after me, cleaning the blood from my body and handling me gently, even if he lacked the words to soothe me.

Somehow, deep within me I knew that is just how he was. He lacked comforting words, and he only spoke in action. I huffed and turned my head away.

Veylor’s forehead fell on my chest and I pulled him upright and went to the sitting area around the couch. I felt uncomfortable. My body was reacting to him like my pets. My cock was hardening and my mind was playing things in my head.

Could I possibly have someone’s memories in my brain? Could this brain be defective?

I grumbled in my chest more as I pulled him to his chair and had him sit. He appeared paler than usual so I sat below him and tilted my head for him to speak.

Veylor leaned his head on his hand. His eyes are glassy and I am unsure what to do.

I whined.

Veylor sighed and tilted his head back on the chair, his eyes stared off into the distance. “What if I told you that your spirit had a life before this one?”

I shook my head back and forth, not understanding. I remember nothing before this life.

“That you aren’t a random spirit from an animal that was given a fae brain. You were a person, Oryx. A wonderful, beautiful, special fae of the Light Court?”

I gazed down at my claws, then at my tail that curled around me. “I didn’t have a tail?” I thumped it on the floor.

Veylor chuckled and shook his head. “No, you did not. You were a fae. Long golden blonde hair, green eyes and you were my,” he took in a deep breath, “best friend.”

I opened and closed my maw with a click.

“No,” Veylor shook his head. “You were more than my best friend. We were lovers, Oryx.”

As my pet would say,what the fuck?

I clawed at my chest, torn between confusion and yearning. Had the longing to be close to him all these years been my soul's desperate attempt to reach him? But why would he push me away? Did he truly not want me, or was there something deeper I couldn't understand? I whined, tugging on my horn. Was it because I was stupid to him now?

“Why don’t I remember?” I murmured and stood from my seated position. “Why didn’t you tell me?

Veylor stood and extended his hand toward me, and I allowed it. There was a twisted satisfaction in letting him touch me. The power shift fueled me. It was he who was reaching for me, not the other way around. He was pleading for me, and that desperation ignited hope.

"I sacrificed my own soul to retrieve yours. Being new to these powers and the transition to becoming a lich, I feared your soul would be difficult to locate in the Under Shadows if I waited too long. I hurriedly gathered whatever fragments I could find to bring you back." Veylor paced anxiously, tugging at his hair.

"I couldn't bear the thought of losing you, couldn't imagine life without you. You got caught up in everything, just like everyone else. In my haste to bring you back, somehow your memories vanished. You were like a mindless creature for years." Veylor halted his pacing, tears streaming down his cheeks. "During that time, I fed you, tried to soothe you, and understand how you functioned. You didn't recognize me. When you finally calmeddown enough to speak, it was difficult to explain what I'd done. I felt... ashamed.

“I hated myself. I hated what I made you look like. I hated that you were alone and so was I. I didn’t know how to cope. I’m trying to fix it, to get your memories back.”

Instead of sitting on the floor, I sat on the sofa. It creaked under my weight, but I didn’t care. I stared into the fire, unsure what to think. I never was good at thinking, but Vesper was trying to show me how to do that.

“You could have at least talked to me,” I muttered. “I wanted to be near you. You acted as if I annoyed you.”

Veylor gritted his teeth and rubbed his hand down his face. “I know. It was wrong. I’ve been spending years trying to find a way to bring your memory back.”

I growled. “I am not the fae Oryx anymore, I am the monster Oryx now. Can you not accept me as I am?”

Veylor’s lips parted, his hand went to his throat.

“Just talk to me. Once I was able to speak. That’s all I wanted. I didn’t like to be alone. Vesper doesn’t like to be alone either. She was alone a long time before me. She didn’t know she didn’t like to be alone until I made her be with me.” I snorted. “She likes me now. Loves me.”