Chapter 44
Ana goes still.
Her body locks beneath Elijah’s touch, a storm of emotions colliding inside her—rage, confusion, and something darker. Something dangerous.
His lips are cool, pressing against hers with an intimacy that feels both foreign and familiar.
Her mind screams at her to fight—to pull away.
But she doesn’t.
Because the moment he touches her, something fractures.
A memory slams into her with the force of a hurricane.
—Moonlight spilling onto a marble floor. A waltz. His hands on her waist, guiding her. "You trust me, don’t you?" His voice was silk-wrapped steel. And she did. She trusted him.—
Her pulse skips.
No.
No, that can’t be right.
She doesn’t know him.
She doesn’t—
Elijah pulls back, watching her closely.
His crimson eyes gleam. "You remember something."
It’s not a question.
Ana’s breath comes in uneven gasps, her heart pounding against her ribs like a caged thing.
"I—" She shakes her head, but the images keep coming.
—Fingers trailing down her arm, igniting a shiver. His lips brushing her ear. "I will protect you, Ana. Always."—
Lies.
She clenches her fists, fighting the pull of whatever this is.
"I don’t remember you," she spits, forcing the words through gritted teeth.
Elijah tilts his head, amusement flickering across his face. "Not yet," he murmurs. "But you will."
His confidence unnerves her.
She yanks at her restraints, anger sparking in her veins. "Let me go."
He exhales, almost disappointed. "I can’t do that, sweetheart."
Ana bares her teeth. "Julian will come for me."
Something in Elijah’s expression darkens.
"Ah, yes." He leans in, his voice lowering. "Julian. Your savior."
Ana doesn’t like the way he says it. Like the name is something rotten in his mouth.
"He’s not my—"
Elijah laughs.
It’s a quiet, low sound, but it sends a shiver through her, curling around her spine like smoke.
"You don’t even know what he did to you, do you?"
Ana’s stomach twists.
More secrets.
More half-truths.
"I know enough," she says.
Elijah raises an eyebrow. "Do you?"
Ana refuses to let him see the doubt creeping in.
She won’t let him pull her into his game.
"You’re trying to manipulate me," she accuses.
His lips curl at the edges. "And Julian isn’t?"
She falters.
Elijah doesn’t miss it.
"Tell me something, sweetheart." He leans closer, the heat of his breath ghosting over her skin. "If Julian really cared for you, why did he take your memories?"
Ana’s throat closes.
She knows why.
He said he did it to protect her.
Because she asked him to.
Didn’t she?
A flicker of doubt unravels inside her, threads of uncertainty pulling at the fabric of what she thought she knew.
Elijah watches her, his crimson gaze relentless.
"You don’t belong to him," he murmurs.
Ana glares.
"I don’t belong to you either."
His smile is slow, calculated. "No," he agrees. "Not yet."
Her skin crawls.
She yanks at her restraints again, desperation clawing at her.
She needs to get out of here.
She needs to get back.
Back to—
To what?
To who?
A sudden pounding echoes from somewhere above them, shattering the tense silence.
Elijah’s expression hardens.
A moment later, a voice—sharp and urgent—filters through the walls.
"He's here."
Ana’s heart lurches.
Julian.
He came.
Elijah curses under his breath.
Ana’s pulse spikes.
This is her chance.
She pulls against the restraints again, ignoring the bite of leather digging into her wrists.
Elijah’s eyes snap to hers, something unreadable flickering across his face.
Then—
He moves.
A blur of motion—unnatural, too fast.
And suddenly, he’s behind her, his lips near her ear.
"You’re not ready to know the truth yet," he whispers.
Something cold brushes against the back of her neck.
A sudden dizziness crashes over her like a wave.
Her limbs go heavy.
Her vision blurs.
No.
No.
Her body slumps.
The last thing she hears before the darkness takes her is Elijah’s voice.
Soft. Final.
"Sleep, Ana. We’ll finish this later."