“Thank you,” I repeat.
Vaelith settles a gentle hand on my lower back, for which I’m grateful; the look of hope on her face is filling me with an anxiety that is fueling my nervousness.
I didn’t have many friends when I was alive. After Dad’s stroke, I spent a lot of my time at home. That doesn’t seem to be the case here and from the look of absolute delight on her face, we were close.
“I’m still trying to remember everything,” I tell her, annoyed with myself when she shifts nervously.
That seems to be the right thing to say when she blows out a breath and nods. “Of course. Once you do, you know where to find me.” She starts forward like she wants to embrace me but stops herself. “Soon.”
Vaelith leads me further along. We follow the stone slabs along clear waters too shallow for any mermaids, but dotted with lily pads and sleek, rainbow fish that shimmer as they glide past.
“This place is amazing.” I sigh, leaning into the figure moving alongside me. “That woman back there...”
“Magda.”
I nod slowly. “We’re friends?”
“You enjoyed her company,” he answers, which I guess is the same thing. “You had a few ladies with whom you spent your days.”
I suppose that makes sense. He can’t have spent his every waking hour with me. He has a literal kingdom to run. But I’m still reeling with the knowledge that I had this. I had this entire life for a year that was vacuumed straight out of my head.
“It will come to you,” he assures me gently, practically reading my thoughts.
“Has this happened before?” I stop and face him. “Has someone left and come back?”
Vaelith hesitates. “We...” He takes a deep breath and tries again. “We don’t get humans here, my love. You are the first and only one who has made their way here. The fairy rings take you to Virelia. That’s their purpose. No one has ever escaped one or been sent back.” His fingers frame my cheeks. His thumbs brush over my skin. “Except you. You found your way to me. Broke into my kingdom. My castle...” His lips curve into a proud little smile. “You found my bed out of every room in the castle. You were meant to be mine.”
I set my palm over the back of his hand. “How do you know I’ll get my memory back if no one’s ever come back?”
He turns his wrist and threads our fingers together. “I asked. It was important to you so I asked Eryndor for an audience and he assured me you would regain your full memory gradually over time.”
“Eryndor?”
“The Fae king. He’s the ruler of Virelia”
I sigh. “The fairy rings.”
It makes sense that the person who would know the most about the pockets between the human and monster realm would be the one who controls them.
“Thank you,” I murmur. “For asking him. I know the Fae are assholes.”
His fangs flash in a broad grin. “You’ve been talking to Malakar. He is definitely not a fan of the Fae people, but...” He resumes our walk. “They are our ally, and we must maintain a strong bond with the other creatures within Chthonia if we want balance.”
We.
I suppose as queen I should know these things. It will be my responsibility to rule this whole place alongside him. I will need to learn a whole new set of laws and rules, and names. I will need to do whatever it takes to be the kind of queen that Vaelith needs. That the people of...
“Where are we?” I choke out, knowing he’s told me and the name has already left my head.
“Paludaris.”
I am the queen of Paludaris in a place called Chthonia where gods called demiurge have locked up all the monsters off earth and imprisoned Vaelith, a wild demiurge, to keep him from destroying humanity.
“You were overwhelmed the first time, too,” he tells me gently. “You asked if you could just be my toy.”
I force a shaky laugh. “Is that an option?”
He chuckles. “You’re already my wife and queen, but there’s no rush for you to take either of those roles until you’re ready.”
