73__Hating you again

Maia’s heavy eyelids slowly opened and she was immediately blinded by the brightness of the morning. She groaned. She’d had very vivid dreams, it had been so disturbing.

Her vision was blurry, but her surroundings felt vaguely familiar. A big, heavy comforter nearly buried her in the warm bed she lay in, its black outline visible at the edge of her vision.

It wasn’t the familiar black bed cover that told her where she was, however, neither was it the heavily draped dark aura of the room. The scent in the air, all around her and mostly in the bed, that scent told her where she was. It was a heady, addictive smell that she knew belonged to someone she’d been with very recently. Something bizarre was happening in her head, because, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t remember who. Who had she been with that this smell belonged to?

It was strange. It was all strange and Maia found herself trembling even before her vision was clear enough for her to see.

Why was she here?

Suddenly, the sound of opening doors jolted her upright. She couldn’t see the doors from where she was, since the room was so huge, but she knew they were the doors to this place. Whoever had put her here was coming in.

Unaware of her dread, Rogan casually entered, his nearly white blonde hair cascading to the nape of his neck as he ran a hand through it.

In the other hand, he held a tray carrying a bowl of soup he’d cooked with medicine in it.

Maia had suddenly fainted on him last night, the moment they’d gotten home. She’d been as white as a ghost and running a high fever. He shook his head in disapproval. She’d been perfectly okay when she was human, despite sleeping out in the forest. Only for her to fall sick the moment she got turned?! He took that as an insult to his kind.

Not to mention that he’d been worried sick. Seeing her looking as lifeless as she had on that day had taken a few decades off his lifespan for sure.

Rogan closed the door and walked into his chambers.

The moment he saw the bed and laid eyes on her, he paused in his steps. “You’re awake. How’re you feeling?”

She didn’t answer, only clutched the blanket close to her wide-eyed face and stared at him.

With a frown, Rogan continued walking. She jolted back in the bed, making him stop again.

A darker frown drew his eyebrows together. What was that abut? Was that *fear* in her eyes? His eyes narrowed. Fear? That wasn’t right. She couldn’t possibly fear him still—

He tried to take another step forward.

“S-stay back!” she shouted.

Rogan’s face went slack with shock. What the hell was going on?

“Maia, it’s me…”

She shook her head, her eyes narrowed on his face and her black curls wild from twelve hours of sleep. “Don’t come close…”

With a sigh, Rogan flicked his wrist, throwing the tray out of his hand. Maia watched the plate freeze in mid-air and hover there as Rogan put his hands in his pockets, eyes on her.

“What’s this about?” he asked, his voice dark with a sad uncertainty. “You don’t… did you forget me again?”

Whipping her gaze away from the hovering tray, Maia looked at him.

It hit her then. A small gasp parted her lips and suddenly, the slightly familiar scent wasn’t even slight anymore. She stared at the Sorcerer, her eyes widening as her mind filled with more than she could even handle. It rushed in in waves, overwhelming her and nearly driving her insane.

Underneath the covers, her hands gripped the bedding in trembling tight fists.

Rogan watched her, seeing her eyes churn with black and slivers of silver amongst the grey. Something ticked in his mind and he narrowed his eyes. There was something happening inside her head.

He’d seen that happen countless of times when he looked in the mirror. Their eyes were real windows to their souls and they told a lot.

“Something’s happening in your mind, isn’t it?” he asked her. “Do you… do you remember me?”

Maia’s trembling intensified and she stared at him, hoping he couldn’t read minds.

“Answer me, Maia,” Rogan said, slowly approaching the bed. His voice was slightly desperate, even to his own ears, but he didn’t stop. “Do you remember me? It’s me, it’s Ro—”

The table flew at him without warning. With a curse, Rogan stopped it and waved it aside, his fingertips glowing with green magic.

Maia jolted as the table hit the wall with a crash, raising her hands to stare at them. How had she done that?

Rogan looked at her with a heavy sigh, his heart getting slightly crushed in his chest. “Well, that was unnecessary.”

“Stay away from me.”

“Do you remember me, Maia?”

“No! I don’t… I don’t know who you are. Who are you? And what am I doing here with you?!”

Her words stopped him cold. Rogan frowned. “Hang on… you don’t remember anything?! Not even… Maia, you don’t remember? I got you out of your little portal and we came back to Geminor.”

“I don’t know who you are, please let me go! Please!” she whispered hurriedly, her eyes getting bright with tears. “Don’t hurt me…”

Rogan stared at her, feeling the exact moment the anger filled him. “*Hurt* you? Do I look like I want to fucking *hurt* you?”

She flinched at his raised voice and Rogan cursed himself. He didn’t want to scare her.

“Maia…” He took a deep breath. ‘I won’t hurt you—”

“Just let me go!” Her voice was soft, but full of panic. “I don’t know who you are, just let me go. Don’t hurt me, please.” Her entire face was contorted with fear and anxiety now, driving Rogan crazy.

His teeth gritted. “Why would I hurt you?!”

“Please—”

“I won’t hurt you!” He knew he was screaming, it was terrifying her, but he couldn’t stop. He was getting desperate! She had to understand. He was beyond the point of ever having the choice of doing any evil to her. The hold she had over his soul would never let him. She *owned* him, every inch of him! And she didn’t even know it.

“I won’t hurt you, Maia! I *can’t*! I fucking *love* you, why don’t you get it?! I would do *anything* for you! I would *never* hurt you! Why won’t you just remember me?!”

She was shaking uncontrollably, his roaring filling her head and terrifying her even further. She had to leave, she had to get out.

Rogan bit his bottom lip and pressed a fist to his mouth. Damn it, he’d frightened her. She’d closed her eyes. She didn’t even want to see his face, apparently.

“Maia?”

She shrunk away.

Rogan felt like scum.

“Maia? Look at me.” He approached the bed and kneeled at the foot of it, reaching a hand out for her. “Maia. I’m sorry. Okay? I’m sorry for yelling, baby, I won’t do it again. Please… just look at me for a moment.”

He waited, watching her with his heart clenched tightly in his chest. She didn’t raise her head to look at him even once.

His jaw clenched as his hands rose to grip his hair. She thought he would hurt her. Rogan closed his eyes, listening to the sound of her panicked breathing.

Was his evil that obvious? Did she look at him and immediately assume he would hurt her? Was he that far gone into darkness that her light just knew they couldn’t coexist? She was the only person who had seen his evil and hadn’t feared him and now… she thought he would hurt her.

It was the lowest Rogan had ever felt. For the first time, he cursed his villainous nature.

Raising his head, he looked at her once more. She’d been peeking at him, but quickly lowered her head again.

He swallowed hard, feeling like crap and not knowing what to do about it. She wouldn’t even let him near her, how would he check if her fever was gone?

The thought made him feel even worse. This is what Laurel wanted! That fairy really hated the thought of Maia with Rogan, didn’t she?

He started to scoff bitterly, but stopped. A frown creased his forehead as it slowly dawned on him.

Laurel.

He’d left Maia with her at the bar last night, hadn’t he? When he’d gone to have a word with Cassidy. Rogan straightened, his mindworking fast. The fairy could have done something to Maia while he’d been gone. She’d been adamant about Maia not remembering Rogan, hadn’t she?

With harsh curses of ancient Greece pouring out of his mouth, Rogan rose and stormed out of his chambers.

He would kill that damn fairy.

*******************

Claudia and Clover were seated cross-legged in Claudia’s bedroom, facing each other as Claudia applied a creamy face mask to Clover’s cheeks.

“Smells like candy…” Clover whispered, trying not to smile.

“It doesn’t taste like candy, so don’t lick it, Clove,” Claudia responded.

Clover started to giggle, but shrieked instead as the door was slammed open.

Both girls jolted with shock as they turned to the open door.

“Who the hell—” Claudia stopped when she saw Rogan standing in the doorway, fuming like an angry bull.

He looked her dead in the eye. “Where’s the fairy?”

Claudia blinked, finding her jaw temporarily out of order. “Uhm… d-downstairs. Library.”

Without a word, Rogan turned and vanished.

Claudia released a heavy breath. “There’s about to be a lot of noise downstairs.”

Clover blinked at where Rogan had stood. “Did you see him in that black t-shirt?”

Claudia nodded. “His chest is all muscle but it’s still bigger than Cleo’s.”

*******************

By the time the two of them made it to the library, Rogan already had Laurel’s neck in his grip.

“Rogan!” Cassie was saying. “Are you even listening to me?!”

“I asked you a question,” Rogan said to Laurel, his voice a quiet menace that put the fear of all things dark into her soul. “Answer me. What did you do to Maia?”

Laurel stared into his eyes, stunned by what she saw in there. She knew she had to answer before he lost it and really hurt her, but she was momentarily spellbound by the darkness churning in his eyes.

“Rogan, that’s my aunt!” Cassie yelled. “You can’t kill her!”

“So what?” he responded darkly. “She abandoned you when Aiden’s father killed your mother, didn’t she? She should have stayed and fought the late king with you, but she abandoned you. You told me you’d kill her, didn’t you? Let me do you the favour.”

Cassie shook her head desperately. “That was just anger talking! Rogue, seriously! Don’t kill my aunt!”

“What did you do to Maia?!” he roared.

Everyone shrunk back.

Laurel felt her soul tremble inside her body as she gripped his wrist with one desperate hand. “I… Sorcerer, wait! I didn’t do anything—”

“She doesn’t remember me any longer.”

Laurel stared at him. “H-how—”

“She doesn’t remember me! She thought I wanted to *hurt* her! What did you do?! Tell me before I fucking lose it!”

“Nothing! I didn’t do anything! I g-gave her a cocktail potion to drink, but it wasn’t supposed to make her forget!”

Rogan’s eyes narrowed. “You’re fucking lying.”

“I’m not! I’m not lying. It wasn’t supposed to make her forget, Sorcerer, it was meant to make her *remember*!”

Rogan froze, his head tilting. “What?”

“It w-was meant to make her remember!” Laurel repeated desperately. She had to get him to release her neck. The life, it was leaving her body. His power was overwhelming. “I couldn’t trust that your power wouldn’t overwhelm the magic in the wish you made! I thought there was a chance you could undo it. So I wanted her to remember…. all you did to her. Then she would leave you. Forgetting you made her forget everything you put her through, so I wanted her to remember.”

He shook his head slowly. “She didn’t. She didn’t remember, she forgot everything.”

Laurel looked him straight in the eyes, wanting him to see that she was telling the truth. “On Esmerelda’s grave… I swear. She remembers. The best I can say… is that she was pretending to not remember.”

“Yeah? Why the hell would she…?”

Rogan trailed off, a thought occurring to him.

Like she’d read his mind, Laurel nodded. “Exactly. She knows. She knows it was your family that killed Esmerelda and nearly killed her too. She was probably terrified to wake up in your house. Maia might never trust you again.”

The realization smacked into his head and Rogan cursed.

Ten minutes. He’d been gone for ten minutes, could she have already left?

Releasing Laurel, he turned around and pushed past them.

Maia was leaving him.