Blessed By The Moon

Chapter 42

Lifetimes later

Sto- Nick's POV:

The door creaked open, and the moment my eyes landed on her, my world stopped.

I had spent lifetimes chasing after her. Lifetimes watching her slip through my fingers, lifetimes where she chose someone else, lifetimes where I was always one step behind, always paying the heavy price for my mistake, for my unforgivable betrayal. But now, now she was here, standing across from me, her silver eyes sharp, defiant, and utterly unfamiliar with who I was.

She didn't remember me.

The realization hit like a punch to the gut, but with it came something else, a glimmer of hope. If she didn't remember our past, then this was my chance. My one chance to do things differently, to make her fall for me without the burden of our history weighing us down. This time, I wouldn't lose her.

Uriah sat across from her, his face still bruised and bandaged from their first encounter. The corner of my mouth twitched. That explained the arrogant little smirk playing on her lips. Of course, she'd be proud of that.

She was always fierce, always wild, always fire wrapped in the form of a woman. And Moon, I had missed her, I had missed being this close to her.

"For someone who just got kidnapped, you seem awfully happy," Uriah mused, cocking an eyebrow at her.

She shot back instantly, her smirk widening. "For someone with a broken jaw, you seem awfully chatty."

A laugh burst from me before I could stop it, loud and unapologetic. She turned, startled, and I made my entrance, clapping my hands in amusement. I had to give credit where it was due. This woman had been dragged in here, bound, surrounded by enemies, and yet she still had the audacity to mouth off like she was untouchable.

How could I not adore her? My Echo.

"You, my friend," I chuckled, shaking my head at Uriah, "are a legend. A kick to the jaw? Hard enough to break it?" I let out a low whistle. "Respect."

Then I turned to her. And for the first time in centuries, I looked at her without the weight of our past clouding my vision. She was staring at me with narrowed eyes, wary, calculating. She didn't recognize me, but there was something there, a flicker of familiarity, like a shadow in the back of her mind that she couldn't quite grasp.

Don't remember me, not now, not until I've redeemed myself.

I grinned, reaching out before remembering my hands were still cuffed. "Ah, right, formalities. I'm Nicolas Yerson, but please, call me Nick." I leaned in slightly, watching her reaction closely. "I'd shake your hand, but you know... restraints."

She didn't return the smile. Instead, she watched me with quiet scrutiny before finally answering. "Skye."

A name she didn't remember choosing. The name she had actually worn in other lifetimes, when she renounced me, when she left with Elias, she renamed herself and disappeared in the shadows of a normal life, disappeared from the legend and legacy surrounding our names till they faded into night. And yet, she still introduced herself with it.

Fate was a cruel, poetic thing. The Moon had a sick sense of humor.

"Just Skye?" I mused, tilting my head, my eyes locked onto hers. "I bet there's a glorious story behind that."

She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "A story even I don't remember."

That hit me harder than it should have. I knew what she meant, she confirmed everything I thought, she had no memories of the lives we had lived before. Of me.