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“Just so we’re clear, Cass,” Jackson said, touching her arm with his fingertips. “I’m prepared to stay today if this goes sideways again, but—” Apologetic shrug, “I can’t keep doing this. I have other places I need to be.”
“I know, Jack. Let’s hope this works today.”
With the coming sun, Dominique the vampire faded. He sagged onto his cot and grasped Cassidy’s hand. “Make me remember.”
She swallowed the sudden knot in her throat and fought to hold on to her awareness of him, even as it dropped out of sight, into an abyss.
Minutes later, Dominique—the human—staggered to his uncooperative legs. “Merde!What have you two idiots done to me now?”
“Fuck,” Jackson muttered. “Mr. Sunshine is back.”
The offer of breakfast checked Dominique’s building panic. As did Samantha, who joined them this morning to bear witness so that Serge could see this in her memories tonight. Her upbeat demeanor seemed to lull Dominique, or perhaps it just confused him. Of all of them, the peace-loving, ever-optimistic Samantha was the least likely to take anyone hostage.
“How do you like it?” Cassidy asked after Dominique had taken a bite of the fluffy, vanilla-sugar encrusted toast.
His brows drew together as though he was trying to decide which criticism to throw at her. “You have improved.” Cassidy felt her face warm. “Some,” he added and reached for the blackberry syrup. “It still tastes like nothing.”
Cassidy laughed for the first time since this madness had begun. “Well, you can’t blame me for that. It’s your cooking.”
“Moi?”
“And it’s divine,” Samantha pronounced, closing her eyes in bliss.
Jackson nodded as he cut a sizable chunk of toast on his plate. “Gotta hand it to you. You really know your way around a kitchen.” The hunk of toast disappeared in his mouth.
Uncomprehending anxiety glimmered in Dominique’s wide eyes. He remembered none of this.
“Hold on. I have proof.” Cassidy got up to retrieve her phone from the kitchen counter, queued up the video and touchedplay. Dominique of an hour ago moved on the small screen with confident enthusiasm. Dominique of now sat with his face going slack with shock. He reached for the phone, and Cassidy let him lift it out of her hand.
“Comment,” he whispered. “Comment est—”
“Remember, Dominique.” She put her hand on his arm. He ignored her. “Please remember.”
Recorded Dominique’s phone doodled with an incoming video call.
“I hope I’m not disturbing you, my lord,” said Aubrey’s tiny voice just before the playback ended.
Cassidy chewed her lower lip. Why hadn’t she stopped the recording before that confusing bit of conversation? Or, better yet, why hadn’t she kept recording? It seemed so insignificant at the time, but it wasn’t insignificant to Dominique now. The bewildered look he cast around the table would have made Cassidy burst out laughing if she didn’t know how much fear and pain hid behind it. None of this would make any sense to him, and trying to explain it honestly would sound insane. They couldn’t tell him. Hehadto remember. Somehow.
He keyed the phone to replay the last thirty seconds. Then the last ten twice more.
“I hope I’m not disturbing you, my lord.”
Dominique put the phone down. “What…what is this?”
“It’s you, Dominique,” Cassidy said gently. “It’s the you we have known for three years now.”
“Ç’est des conneries!That is bullshit.”
The outburst made both Cassidy and Samantha jump in their seats. Jackson only sighed.
“I know how technology can lie,” Dominique fumed. “This is not me. Thiscannotbe me.”
Jackson matched his strident tone. “For fuck’s sake, Nick. Why would we waste that kind of time and effort? Forwhat?”
A calculating, narrow-eyed quiet settled over him. “You tell me? Why do you want me to doubt my mind?”
“They’re trying to help you remember who you are,” Samantha said. “Please listen to them.”
