“Good, I'll start the coffee. You can hit the shower first.”
“Another great idea.”
“I seem to be full of them today, and the day is just starting.” She giggled.
Marc watched as Allie grabbed a robe and a pair of slippers and made her way out to the kitchen. Damn, he really was a lucky guy, and the fates truly had blessed him. Hopping out of bed, he headed for the shower, looking forward to the hot water soaking into his muscles.
After a few minutes, he joined Allie in the kitchen. “I think I’ve come up with a way to get some of your memories back,” Marc said, carefully observing her reaction.
Allie tilted her head, curious as to what he had come up with, but she sensed his idea came with a caveat. “You seem almost reluctant to suggest it. Why?” she asked, pouring the steamy java into his cup and handing it to him.
“For one, it involves going to see a witch.” After yesterday's debacle, he wasn't sure how she would feel about dealing with any more witches. Hell, he really didn't like the idea of it either, but what choice did they really have when it came down to it? Allie wanted her memories back. What better way?
“Okay, but you realize my father’s witch would never agree to cross him and restore my memories.” She looked at him as if he had grown a second tail.
“Yeah, I know, but this is a different witch and someone I know and trust. Her name is Gabby, and she has no connection to your father or his witch. Would you be willing to trust her too?” Marcus really hoped that she would agree to his plan because he wanted her memories to come back to her as well.
He hated the fact that her parents were the kind of people who would do something like this. It would certainly make the family gatherings awkward. When it came down to it, it pissed him off and made him want to exact revenge on the people responsible for causing his mate any type of pain.
“I’m willing to take your word for it. However, I hate to break it to you, but only my father’s witch can return my memories. And I doubt that’s happening.”
“That’s the other part of what I want to tell you. They wouldn’t exactly be your memories, but mine. I think Gabby can copy my memories and transfer them to you. Memories of how we met and our time together. These are shared memories. The only difference is that they would be from my perspective.”
His plan sounded stupid now that he said it out loud. He didn't know what the hell he'd been thinking when the idea had popped into his head. It wasn’t a perfect solution, but considering the circumstances, he figured it was the best they could come up with. And far better than doing nothing. He watched her silently process the plan.
“This requires a huge leap of faith on my part. You know that, right? I mean, how do I know you wouldn’t collude with your witch to fill my mind with false memories? I mean, if you intend to trick me or play me in any way, it would be the perfect way to do it.”
“All I can do is ask you to trust me, Allie. Trust me. I know you feel the bond between us. It’s real. And by giving you my memories, you’ll finally be able to make sense of what this is between us. Wouldn’t that be worth taking a chance on?”
“I … I guess so. It’s just …”
“Listen, there’s a way to do this where you can trust me.”
“How?” she asked.
“If at any point you decide this plan of mine doesn’t seem to feel right, we’ll reverse everything. What do you say?”
Allie got up and paced two laps around the room. Finally, she stopped to look him in the eye. “Knowing that I’ve had my memories erased, it’s like losing a part of my life, of who I am. And knowing we have a past, but without any context … it leaves a giant hole in my soul. So, my answer is yes. It will be worth it to at least try.”
“Great. I’ll call Gabby and tell her we’re on our way,” Marc said, resisting the urge to pick her up and kiss her right there, knowing that if they got started again, they'd spend all day in bed. Instead, he politely nodded and made the call.
Within minutes, they had finished their coffee and dressed, and now he was steering his truck onto the seldom-traveled backroads on the edge of town where the street signs no longer guided their way through the fog. A small one-story house, nearly concealed by garden beds that were so overgrown they seemed more like little patches of jungle, came into view.
Taking Allie by the hand, they followed a flagstone walkway that snaked through the garden and led them to the front porch. Before he could knock, the front door creaked open on its own as if the house was welcoming them.
Gabby stepped into the hallway, her tiny frame almost hidden by a planter. The little old woman was all smiles. “Welcome, Marc, come inside. And you must be Allie.” She said, wrapping her in a hug.
The door slammed shut and locked itself behind them as they followed Gabby into the living room. “We can talk in here,” she said, motioning for her guests to take a seat on her couch. “Marc, you told me you had a favor to ask. What is it?”
“It’s really a favor for Allie. She’s had certain memories removed from her mind by a witch who was acting on orders from Allie’s father.”
“Stop right there. You know I can’t undo something like that. Only the witch who took the memories has the ability to replace them.”
“I don’t want you to replace her memories. You see, her father thinks he can sabotage our mating by using magic to undo our mating and erase any memories that Allie has of me, of us together. I was hoping you could tap into my memories and share them with her.”
“Allie, is this something you agree with? I must know if you consent to this before I even attempt it,” Gabby said.
“I don’t think I have a choice, to be honest. I need to know what happened between us.”