Page 26 of The Last Guardian

The latch clicked, and the door creaked open, a sound that echoed through the hall. A knot formed in my stomach. My skin tightened as his bloodshot eyes met mine.

“Your Highness,” Haedeon said. His voice pierced me like a blade, sharp and grating. “What a delicious pleasure to see you.”

HAEDEON’S OFFICE WAS like him—creepy and odd.

The candles’ flames along the walls barely reached the vaulted ceiling, muffled by the blackness. The fire crackled in the hearth, throwing a dim glow across the floor without lighting the corners. A stillness enveloped the core of the room, nourished by the light.

Haedeon sat in his spacious gray armchair, busily scribbling in his notebook. Every scratch of his quill across the pages, or even his unnaturally erratic breaths, sent a ripple through my being. When Haedeon set it down, the metal nib clattered on the wooden desk as he looked up at me. My chest tightened.

“What can I do for you, Your Highness?” Haedeon finally asked in a breathy tone.

Hells, he made me so uncomfortable. My lungs were deprived of air just by looking at him. I had always found it easy to trust someone based on the way their eyes made me feel. They were the path to the soul, where all truths and intentions were written.

Haedeon’s gaze made me want to run away. It could mean something, right?

But I had always trusted Nevan’s gaze.

Until now…

How could I be sure I was making the right choice? How could I possibly trust Haedeon? Did I even have a choice?

No, Haedeon was my only option right now.

“I’ve never even imagined saying this, and I hope you will not believe that I used magic in any way…” I said, darting my gaze to the dusty shelves against the dark walls. I twisted the gemstone so fast, the heat seared my skin as I stuttered. “And I promise you, I have no intention of doing so. I don’t even understand what is happening to me, and…”

“Please calm down, Highness; you are safe with me. What is it?” Haedeon said, candlelight danced on his face, losing its vibrancy to the shadows as if he simply sucked the light away.

Safe.

Safe.

Had I ever experienced safety in my life? I had never felt protected by my father. The ghost of his hand around my throat earlier still lingered. Nor had I ever been safe with Nevan.

As a woman, as a daughter, I would likely never be safe.

But as a sister and a friend, I felt safe. I needed to hold on to my siblings and to Lyra. I had to make the right decisions for them.

“Can memories be wiped clean?” I finally asked.

Haedeon flinched in his seat, widening his eyes—pure shock crossing his face.

“I think someone erased my memories,” I explained before he could speak. My lips trembled, “Is it possible?”

“What proof do you have?” Haedeon finally said, grazing his chin with his fingertips.

My heart thumped in my chest. “A man I’ve known for a long time mentioned something that made me think he had erased something from my memory several times in the past. And I don’t remember any memories like… that with him.”

Haedeon rolled his tongue on his lips, understanding what kind of memory had been erased from my mind. “Are you certain?” he questioned me, his crimson eyes narrowed.

“I’m fairly certain,” I replied.

“Maybe someone could cause memory loss with good herbs, like mandrakes, but…” Haedeon hummed, closing the book in front of him. “But the primal instinct of a man over a woman is natural. In my younger days, it wasn’t uncommon for men to drug women to get what they wanted.”

I froze.

Had I heard that right? Had he just tried to justify what Nevan had done to me? My jaw tightened, the taste of anger sharp on my tongue. I wanted to leave.

What in the Hells was wrong with this man?