Chapter 17

“Lord, please bring her back. Please. I will do anything. Just let her live.”

The heartbreak, the anguish in the man’s voice as he sobbed made her heart ache.

‘Who was he? Who died? Why was he so heartbroken?’

He was bent over cradling someone tenderly. The way he was cradling the person spoke volumes. It must have been someone very special. She noticed another man off to the side. He looked just as ravaged as the other man sounded. Tears poured unashamedly down his face. Their attention was centered intensively on the bundle the big man on the ground was holding. It looked like they had both lost something, or someone precious.

Curious to know, she stepped around the man on the ground. They hadn’t noticed her yet. They were too engrossed in the bundle.

She gasped.

It was the body of a woman. She lay crumpled up in the man’s arms. The waxen pallor of the woman’s face told her she was dead.

She moved closer.

Then she shook with involuntary chills.

‘Oh God…’

Blood was still pouring from a deep gash on the woman’s head. The man was desperately trying to staunch the blood with a T-shirt. He didn’t seem to notice he was covered in her blood. The woman’s face was partly hidden from her, pressed against the man’s chest as it was. His face was scrunched up with such an agonized look, his tears falling on her face. She was moved to tears as she heard his groans of agony.

‘I wonder who she was? He must have loved her very much.’

Her thoughts coalesced as she glanced at the other man.

‘Him too…’

Then the man off to the side gasped.

She turned to look at him.

His face blanched as he stared right at her.

“Oh God, Nina. No.” His cry was anguished.

He stepped towards her.

Scared, she retreated.

He kept on advancing. She kept retreating, but he didn’t stop.

The determination, regret, and anguish on his gorgeous face at odds with one another.

She finally put up a hand to ward him off.

“STOP!”

He stopped.

In her peripheral vision, she saw the other man’s head whip around at the sound of her yell. She was still holding her hand up, as she turned her head to watch him slip off his shirt. He lay the woman’s head down tenderly on the shirt he had spread on the ground.

Then he stood up.

He strode towards her.

‘Oh shit…’

She held up the other hand to ward him off too.

He stopped beside the other man.

Then just stared.

Amazement, anguish warred on his face.

She stared back at him, while keeping a wary lookout on the other man.

His eyes were red rimmed, the look in them a combination of dismay and agony. But that didn’t diminish the gorgeousness of his face.

It just enhanced it.

Agony won out in his voice.

“Nina, no. Please…You’re not ready yet.”

She was truly puzzled.

“Who are you? And why are you calling me Nina? I don’t know you. Do I?”

She had never seen these two before in her life. Why did they act as if they knew her?

She saw the dismayed anger dawn on his face.

Then incredulity, which was closely followed by comprehension.

“She does not recognize us.”

The incredulous tone in the other man’s voice made her glance at him.

“Should I know you?”

Her heart sank when he answered.

“Yes, you should.”

She searched her memory. She wanted to yell with frustration when there was nothing there, but blankness.

“No, I don’t. And who is that?”

She pointed at the woman on the ground.

The two men looked at each other, then back at her. For the first time since she had seen them, their faces were shuttered.

She could read nothing.

They were like blank slates.

Then the shirtless one spoke.

“She is someone that I love very much. I want her back.”

The anguish in his voice, belied the blankness on his face.

“As do I.” Piped up the other guy.

He was gorgeous as hell, but she preferred ‘shirtless dude’.

“I’m sorry for both your losses. Can you tell me where I am?”

She knew she needed to go somewhere.

But for the life of her, she didn’t know where that somewhere was.

‘Come to think of it. Who am I?’

“Am I really Nina?” She asked them, glancing between the two. They exchanged glances again, then, nodded. Like puppets.

“Okay, now that’s established. Can you introduce yourselves, please?” She smiled.

For the first time she felt a sense of lightness.

‘Shirtless dude’ stepped forward.

“I am Brett. And this is Cagilaba. He is not to be trusted.”

She was startled by the warning but didn’t find it surprising.

‘Now why was that.’ She wondered, uneasy.

“Speak for yourself. I loved her too.” Cagilaba protested.

“Oh yeah. Then why torment and torture her all these years?”

Brett stepped towards Cagilaba as if to accost him. Nina held a hand up again, stopping him in his tracks.

“Okay. Okay. Then if you’re going to take her body somewhere for burial. Can I come with?”

They both looked in denial.

It was like they hadn’t thought that the poor woman would need to have a funeral. She now knew her purpose for being here at this moment in time.

She had to teach these two morons what to do.

“Okay, now I see I need to show you what needs to be done. First, you…”

She pointed at Cagilaba.

“Pick her up. We need to take her to her home…”

She spied the exchange of glances again.

She stopped.

“What?”

They shook their heads again like puppets.

“Nothing…” Cagilaba answered, as he glanced at Brett.

His look was entreating.

“We will take her to her home where her relatives can organize the funeral.”

She saw Brett nod his head.

But he looked torn.

“Okay, then let’s go.”

Cagilaba picked the woman’s body up. His actions were tender, as he laid her head on his shoulder and cradled it. Brett growled. He took a step towards him. Nina stepped in to intervene. She placed a hand on his arm.

She was surprised when he shuddered.

His shoulders stiffened as he came to a halt.

For a second, he stood still as a statue, not breathing.

Then the next minute, his breath whooshed out.

Without a word, he turned to jerk her into his arms.

Nina stiffened.

“What the eff…?”

She pushed at him.

He jolted.

Maybe he realized he had miscalculated.

He sighed, then let her go.

But he looked more relaxed.

“Sorry. That comes natural to me.”

His apology didn’t ring true. His explanation bothered her.

But she let it go.

She had to. She was still puzzled at the feeling of breathlessness that had assailed her from the quick feel of his body against hers.

‘That was odd. Hmm…”

Cagilaba flew up into the air without warning, then dove straight down and disappeared. It was quite a shock. Her mouth fell open as she stood rooted to the spot.

“Did you see that?”

She turned to Brett. He didn’t answer. He just stared back, grabbed her hand, then shot up into the air the same way.

She screamed into the wind.

And closed her eyes.

‘Oh God, this was not happening…We’re going to die.’

She heard and felt the rush of wind against her ear and face.

When nothing happened, she opened her eyes.

No, they were still very much alive.

She looked around.

They were traveling down a familiar tunnel.

‘But I’ve never been here before. Have I?’

That thought was brought to a halt when they landed on a street with huge houses. Cagilaba was walking into a gate set into a hedge, still carrying the woman’s body. As they followed him in, she noticed the place was in shambles. Like a cyclone, or a tornado had hit.

There was a sudden commotion.

Out of the house raced a slight handsome man. She couldn’t tell how old he was. All his attention was centered on the body Cagilaba carried.

“Nina…No. Please…not you. Please God.”

His screams were heart rending. She felt the tears spurt to her eyes again, as she watched his grief. He clearly loved the woman too.

An older woman who looked vaguely familiar walked out behind him. She was quieter, but just as affected as the man now fighting to get the body away from Cagilaba.

“How could you? Weren’t we enough?” The woman cried, looking at Cagilaba.

“Why does she look familiar?” Nina asked Brett.

She found him watching her when she turned to him.

“Do you recognize them?” He asked her back.

“She looks like someone I should know. But for the life of me, I can’t remember how I do.”

“You will remember, eventually. But for now, I will introduce you.”

He thrust her forward.

The two were still too engrossed in Nina to notice them.

“The lady is your aunt Seni, and the man is your cousin Semi. That is your body they’re fighting over now. The man, Cagilaba, a demon, their killer, now yours.”

His voice was brutal, but she heard the underlying anguish seeping out.

Right now, she couldn’t concentrate on anything, because she was being bombarded with memories, some so horrible it took her to her knees. She looked up at him as he dropped down beside her. Then he did the only thing she needed.

He hauled her into his arms.

‘He is so familiar…’

Her thoughts petered out, as she remembered the feel of him.

She couldn’t stop the shaking of her limbs then, even though he was holding her. She shuddered and shook against him. She pushed her face into Brett’ shoulder. He gathered her up, then stood to his full height.

There was a stillness around them.

She could feel it, as her body ceased it’s shuddering.

“Put me down.” She whispered in his ear.

“No…” He was stubborn.

“I am okay. You can put me down now.” Nina repeated.

His eyes searched hers.

He had pulled back to see her better, his face very close to hers. She wanted to kiss him, but she was aware of the waiting silence behind her.

He allowed her to slide down his body but kept her glued to his side.

‘He probably doesn’t realize I have my memories back.’

She wasn’t going to tell him that just yet.

She had to deal with the waiting stillness of the people around her.

She turned to face them.

They were all staring at her with varying degrees of expressions. Her aunt had a horrified look.

Cagilaba’s was expressionless.

‘With his super hearing, he must have caught the conversation between Brett and me.’

She had time to think that, before she glanced at Semi. His was the only expression that captured her attention.

She stepped towards him, as he was galvanized into action.

They rushed into each other’s arms. She could feel the shaking of his body, feel the wetness of his tears on her neck.

“Hey, I am like you now. We can be together now for eternity.” She reassured him.

He didn’t look reassured, as he pulled back to look into her eyes. His were swollen and red rimmed, the tears still trembling on his lashes.

They fell as she watched, while more pooled.

“Don’t you realize what this means?”

There was agony in his voice.

“You will be stuck here with him for eternity.” He wailed.

Then the wail was cut short when he noticed Brett step forward, to stand beside her.

“He’ll have to come through me for that to happen.”

His words were a threat.

Cagilaba growled, but the sound was overridden by the interest in Semi’s voice as he greeted Brett for the first time.

“You must be Brett…” He said, holding out a hand.

“Yes. I am.”

Brett took the hand Semi held out and shook it.

“My cousin told me so much about you.”

He turned to Nina to mouth.

“He is so gorgeous.”

He made as if to faint, then fanned himself.

Nina grinned.

Brett smiled for the first time that day.

He had caught the interchange.

“I am staking first claim.” Cagilaba growled out.

Brett’s smile disappeared.

“You have no claim.” He ground out.