Chapter 104: Chapter 104
Katie POV
I wake up to warmth on my forehead. My eyes blink open slowly, and there is Isolde, patting my head with a towel. Instinctively, I slap her hand away and sit up.
“Katie, it’s okay,” Isolde says soothingly. “You’re safe now.”
“The fuck I am,” I grunt. “You’re the one ...”
Abruptly, I stay quiet and look at her. She called me Katie. She has no idea that my memories are back. And I will keep it that way until I know what the hell is going on and where I am.
“I’m the one what?” She frowns.
“You’re friends with Rhiannon,” I quickly change my tune. “You’ll tell her where we are.”
“No, I won’t,” she smiles sweetly. “Gabriela and I go waaay back, and I won’t ever betray her. Not that Rhiannon knows that I’m helping you, and I would appreciate it if we could keep it that way.”
I nod, take a deep breath and look around. We are in a small bedroom with wooden walls. A fire dances in a stove in a corner of the room. Even with all my memories intact, I do not recognise this place.
“Where are we?” I ask, moving away from his touch. “What are you doing here? Where’s Stella?”
“This is one of the Constantine hunting cabins,” she replies. “Gabriela asked me to help, and Stella is asleep next door.”
“Where is everyone?” I ask softly, swinging my feet off the bed.
“Well, Rhiannon woke up, and she was pissed,” she explains. “Gabriela promised to restore all her supplies, but between you and me, I don’t know if Rhiannon will ever forgive her. So, with Kane and Axel passed out ...”
“Passed out?” I interrupt her, confused.
“Yeah,” she shrugs. “They passed out right after you did and haven’t woken up since. Gabriela is freaking out.”
“I bet she is,” I mumble, and wince when I move my arm.
“Are you okay?” She asks, concerned.
I shake my head and hold up my arm where Braden has bitten it. There are still bite marks, but the wound is no longer open.
“You were able to shift before you passed out,” she explains. “But apparently, vampire bites take longer to heal. It would’ve been poisonous to you if you weren’t a vampire already.”
“You know?” I pretend to be surprised.
“Gabriela told me,” she shrugs sheepishly. “But don’t worry, I will keep your secret.”
I force myself to smile at her. Of course, she can keep a secret. She is the one who gave me the potion.
I stare down at the bite. Has this unlocked my memories?
“Do you know what happened to me?” I ask.
“Braden bit and almost killed you,” she says.
“Is Braden here?” I ask. Maybe he would know why this had happened.
“Gabriela has him locked up in the back room while she takes care of Kane and Axel,” she nods.
“I must see him,” I say.
“He almost killed you, Katie,” Isolde says. I wince at the sound of that name. Was it still mine? Had it ever been mine?
“He didn’t,” I sigh, standing up. “I made him bite me.”
I walk straight into the room where Braden sits chained to a chair. My confusion has made way for anger. Pure white-hot anger, directed specifically at one person.
“Katie, I’m so sorry,” he says as soon as he sees me. “I wanted to stop, I really did, I just ...”
“It’s okay, Braden,” I reassure him. “I begged you to do it. I knew the risks.”
“Why do they have you tied up like this?” I look around the room.
“They think I forced you to let me drink your blood. I don’t blame them.” He huffs out a small laugh. “That was a pretty crazy move you pulled. I knew you were wild, but not that wild, Katie.”
“It’s Elara,” I say.
“I don’t understand,” Braden’s head snaps up.
“When you bit me, all my memories came back,” I admit. “You want to tell me why the hell that happened?”
Braden POV
“I honestly have no idea,” I answer, stunned by her revelation. I never could have imagined that biting Elara would break her out of whatever spell she was under.
I study her face, trying to decipher whether she is happy about having her memories back or not. I do not think she knows herself. She seems overwhelmed and confused, but so am I.
“It might have something to do with the vampire venom,” I suggest. “Once it hit your veins, it could’ve reawakened your vampire side and destroyed the spell or something. That’s all I can think of.”
She nods slowly and walks around behind me, fiddling with the ropes holding me to the chair. Normally, I would have busted through them myself, but I am still regaining my strength after the bite.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
“Getting you out of here,” she mumbles, and the ropes holding me back drop to the ground. I stand up and position myself in front of her.
“Thank you for saving me,” I smile, pulling her into my embrace.
“Thank you for being a true friend,” she says, returning my hug.
“What’s going on in here?” Gabriela demands, and we both snap our heads to the doorway.
“It was my idea to let Braden bite me,” Elara responds, taking a step back from me. “He shouldn’t be tied up. He’s not a threat.”
“It’s true,” I agree. “Let me leave, and I’ll go back to my coven and keep quiet. You won’t see me around Constantine territory again.”
Gabriela eyes me suspiciously.
“You know me, Gabriela,” I say. “You know I keep my word.”
Elara glances between the two of us, probably trying to figure out how the hell we knew each other. That was a story for another day.
“I care about Elara,” I continue. “I don’t want to put her in any more danger.”
“You mean you care about Katie?” she gasps, her eyes wide.
“No.” Elara steps forward and holds Gabriela down with a death glare. “I know everything now.”
