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“Not really, but there is a chance that I will see more of what you want to know if you want me to see the past, rather than the future.”
“Good.”
“What is it do you want to know?”
“There was a man my sisters and I were hunting down, but he died before we could get information from him. I had thought he was in league with Crystal…” She shook her head. “But now I know that wouldn’t make sense. That’s why I’m hoping your visions could help us identify any other enemy we have out there.”
“If you could bring me any item from the scene of his death, I may be able to help.” They stopped in front of Zari’s bedroom door and as she bent to unlock it, the younger girl murmured, “I have never played matchmaker before, so I’m not sure if I’m doing the right thing…”
Zari opened the door and stepped inside her room. “Come and look, Soleil.”
Soleil winced. “I really, really don’t like how that sounds.” But even so, she forced herself to follow Zari inside.
Zari gestured to the tower of missives on her writing desk. “Those are all from the marquis. He writes to me each day, reminding me all of the things I should tell you were we to meet. Mostly, they are—-” She enumerated with her fingers. “He is sorry. He misses you. Oh, and that you are the only woman he loves and will ever love.”
“How sweet.” Soleil’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. “But I also know he’s lying.”
“Is he? After all, he did not say you are the woman he had loved. He speaks of the present and the future, not the past.” Zari flashed the older girl a painful smile. “Your marquis is…cunning. I actually had to look the word up just so I could find the right way to describe him. And he is that.” She nodded vehemently. “He knew about the time when I also almost parted ways with my Ma—-with Alexandru, because of a woman he had once loved, and when he reminded me of that…” She shook her head. “I don’t want you to be needlessly hurt. Just forgive him—-”
Soleil’s teary laugh cut her off.
“You think I haven’t forgiven him? You think that is what this is all about?” She swallowed. “How can I not forgive him when he’s saved my life more than once? I haven’t even been able to stop loving him, and I doubt I ever will until…” She bit her lip. “The reason I can’t make myself face him is because I am too ashamed. He saw me dying, and he so he was forced to lie about loving me and taking me as his heartkeeper. He didn’t know then that it would be for forever. My curse ensures that whoever terminates the union will die, and he didn’t know that when he saved me.” Tears ran down her face. “He saved me, and in return I have forever closed the door on any chance of him taking the other woman as his heartkeeper—-”
Zari protested, “But she already belongs to the demon duke—-”
“If Alexandru belongs to someone else, will it stop you from loving him?”
Zari paled.
“Exactly.” Soleil smiled sadly. “And we may say that his grace and his heartkeeper are in love now, but how do we know it won’t change? How do we know that maybe in the future she will not find herself loving Ilie—-” She took a deep breath. “The marquis will not even entertain such an idea, of course, not only because of his honor and his friendship with the duke, but because he thinks it will hurt me.” Soleil’s fists clenched. “That’s why I’ve decided to request for the spell that would permanently erase my memories of him.”
Her heart ached at the words.
She thought about the marquis’ wolfish smile and the wicked gleam in his silver eyes—-
She thought about the way they danced in the ball.
She thought about the way he sounded when he asked her to be his heartkeeper.
Be my heartkeeper, ma lisse.
Take my heart.
Share your soul.
Spend eternity with me.
She remembered the way he rocked her in his arms, and how he began to bleed tears of blood, which had fallen on her cheeks.
I love you, Soleil.
Be my heartkeeper.
Soleil squeezed her eyes shut.
Liar.
Liar.
Liar.
But she couldn’t blame him for not saying the truth, could she?
I love you, Soleil.
Be my heartkeeper.
She was almost tempted to cover her ears so she wouldn’t hear his words, playing over and over in her mind. Desperately, she tried to mentally hum the lilting notes of La Vie En Rose, but it didn’t work.
None of it worked.
The world was too, too silent if he was not with her.
I love you, Soleil.
Be my heartkeeper.
She whispered, “If I d-don’t remember him, I will not be hurt—-”
Someone knocked urgently on Zari’s door, cutting her off, and when Zari opened the door, it was to find one of the school guards trying to catch his breath. “Lady Zari. Lady Soleil. Someone’s trying to break into ANEX.”
