"Lucian is alive."
Lothaire didn't seem as surprised as I had expected him to be, almost as if he had suspected Lucian to be alive.
"Where is he?" He asked calmly.
"I am not sure but he is here in the palace and he doesn't look like himself." and act like himself.
"He is in disguise..." Lothaire said thoughtfully. "Then how did you recognize him?"
"I just did." I shrugged. I didn't know how to explain it.
Lothaire crossed the distance between us then slowly removed the hair from my neck. "It's the mating mark." He mumbled.
I had almost forgotten about the mark. I wondered if it had anything to do with me being able to see Lucian's memories.
"He doesn't remember me," I said.
Lothaire took a step back studying me with his cold eyes.
"Or maybe he is pretending..." I said unsure.
"He would not."
My heart sank. If he was not pretending then he really did forget me.
"Why?" Why did he forget me? "How?" How could he forget me?
"I am not sure why or how. Maybe Irene knows."
Irene! She would be so happy to know that her son was alive. I wanted to see her and tell her quickly but then I remembered how angry I was with her and Lothaire, especially now after having seen everything that happened to Lucian, their son.
How could they not have done anything to help him? How could they have just watched him go through all that and let him die?
I wasn't a parent myself but I knew that I would do anything in my power to save the people I love, even if it meant that I would die myself.
"I should go and tell Irene. Do you want to come?" He asked.
I shook my head. "No. I will wait for Lucian."
Lothaire nodded. "Alright then."
"Lothaire?"
"Yes."
"Why did you not help him?... Even if you and Irene were cursed and could possibly die but a parent would rather die than let their child go through what Lucian did. Am I wrong?"
"You don't know me." He said.
"I don't, but I know Irene. She doesn't look like the kind of mother who would watch her son go through all that." I felt as if there was something they weren't telling me.
Lothaire sighed and his cold eyes softened. He took my hand in his, I was surprised by the coldness of his touch, then placed something on my palm. "Thank you for taking care of him." He said then he was gone.
I looked at the silver pendant in the shape of a moon in my hand. Not only was it beautiful but it seemed magical somehow. It reminded me of Irene, beautiful in a magical way.
*******
He should be used to this by now since it happened every night but this kind of pain was impossible to get used to. Besides he was confused as to why it happened to him now when it usually happened at night. Would he have to endure this torture on the day as well?
Why?!
Slowly the pain turned into an icy numbness. His heartbeat decreased and it became hard to breathe. He embraced himself for the pain that was coming because he knew the worst part had only started. Usually, he only lasted ten minutes in the worst part of the pain and then slowly black would fill the edges of his vision and he would gradually fall into a sea of darkness.
