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Ameega Nightwell — Memory

The fireplace's heat kissed my skin. I stared into the orange flames, awed by their beauty.

They glowed with warmth. I knew if I touched them, they’d scorch me beyond healing.

A burn from flame would not mend. It would mark me for the rest of my immortal existence. I leaned back against the chesterfield and let my gaze drift to the vaulted brick ceiling. I could hear everything in this life. So when I caught the sluggish steps of my sister down the corridor, my head turned sharply toward her.

“Evening, sister,” she greeted, gliding around her lover with practiced grace. She smiled kindly, then ran her hands slowly up Lance’s abdomen. The gesture tinted my cheeks with the heat of flame. It was too intimate. I had to turn away. I suspected she wanted to turn this man.

“Hello, Aribella. What have I done to deserve your company this evening?” I mirrored her smile, keeping my voice light. Aribella toyed with a loose strand of her white curls, then glanced up at her lover.

Their eyes exchanged a silent conversation, his gaze glinted with unease, but hers shimmered with excitement.

She turned back to me with a soft cough, nestling herself into Lance’s arms. He drew her in by the waist, pressing her gently against his chest. “Oh, forgive us, dear,” Aribella said sweetly. “But Lance and I have a favor to ask.”

“What is your question?”

“You know I cannot conceive… but I still long for a child. And since you and I resemble each other so closely, like mirror and shadow, I want you to carry our heir for us.” Her voice was rich with hope, velveted with unspoken desperation.

I could feel the wrongness of it in my bones…

But I also saw how deeply she longed for motherhood.

I couldn’t picture myself swollen with child, not even if it were for her. I wanted to experience love in the purest sense and have a babe. To give my first born away seemed sinful. “No. That is unthinkable. I cannot give this man my virtue,” I said, keeping my voice as composed as I could.

“Ameega refused. She would not bear children for a man she did not love. But Aribella did not take no kindly. She ordered Lance to seduce her, to sway her loyalty toward them. And once Lance was turned, Ameega’s heart betrayed her. She fell in love with him. In time, Ameega conceived a child by him. But before the babe could be born, the unthinkable happened: Aribella, too, was found to be pregnant, two months along, confirmed by the Oracle himself. And just like that, Aribella demanded her sister’s son to be killed at birth."

Ameega — Memory (continued)

I lay stretched in the grass, rubbing my belly as the sun warmed my chilled skin. The dress I wore was barely fabric, thin as gauze, offering no protection from the heat, or the world. My peaceful day cracked as Aribella swept toward me, breathless.

“I bring wondrous news!” she cried.

“Go on, tell me, Aribella!” I urged.

She smoothed a hand over the gentle swell of her belly. Then, lifting my hand from my own stomach, placed it atop hers.

“You are with child,” I whispered, beaming.

This was all she ever wanted, someone to call her mother.

And I… I was supposed to give her that dream.

“This means I may keep mine. And you’ll have yours, all for yourself.” I smiled with relief. My own desires had wandered to what the babe would call me. Knowing she would have her own lifted those worries.

“You cannot keep that thing,” she said flatly. “I shall give Lance his heir. You must kill yours once it’s born. Now that I carry mine, yours is no longer needed.” Her words shattered something deep inside me. My hands flew to my belly, cradling the life she wanted erased.

“I will not kill my baby,” I screamed. The once-golden sun abandoned me, its warmth replaced by a sudden, bitter chill. The blood drained from my face, and I remained frozen, a statue carved in fury. “This child was conceived in love. If you no longer want him, then you shall not have him.” My voice dropped into something unfamiliar, husky and harsh.

Her laugh rippled through me, sharp, bitter, and cold as winter wind. “That child was not born of love!” she snapped. “He only seduced you because I asked him to. I wanted a family, and he gave me one through you. But now, the Oracle has spoken. I will have my own. So we no longer need yours.” She was giddy, truly giddy, with the thought of carrying her own bundle of joy. And where did that leave me?

“He is not to die!” I bellowed. “My child shall not perish because of your sins. I will protect him, always.

And if you cannot accept that, then go. I do not need the love of a sister who would see him slain.

All I need is him.” I cradled my swelling belly, feeling life beneath my trembling hands. Silent tears slipped from my lashes, trailing down the pink warmth of my cheeks.

A familiar hand touched my shoulder, Lance’s. He gave a soft squeeze, then knelt beside me in the grass, eyes flicking between us. “He must not die,” Lance said quietly. “I care for both of you. But I am Aribella’s true mate, her loyalty is mine to keep. I cannot be part of the baby’s life.” He paused, then added, “There is a human couple. They are barren and wealthy. They can raise him in safety. He will live… but not with us.”