“We need to alter her memory so she forgets our presence. Surely, you understand why this must be done.”
Impatiently, I ran a hand through my hair. Take her memory? When Kelsey first met me in the jungle, she’d said that she knew who I was and what I was. She knew that I was Ren’s brother and that I was a tiger, but there hadn’t been a spark of recognition when she saw my face. I bristled thinking of what he was asking me to do and wondered what would happen if I didn’t.
Would she remember me and carry that connection with her? When she saw me for the first time, would she recall that I was the man who saved her? Would she give me a chance to love her before Ren got his claws into her? Not taking her memory could alter the future significantly. I suddenly understood why Kadam was pressing.
“What would I need to do?” I asked, still undecided.
“The Damon Amulet has the power to remove her memories of you. Since there are only a few there at this time in her life, it should be very easy to follow the pathways. Use the amulet to open her mind. Close your eyes and see what she sees.”
I entered her mind, though I was still unsure if I was actually going to go through with it, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to peek. A spark of light blazed as the amulet glowed and I felt warmth spread through me. Images, fuzzy at first but becoming clearer by the moment, filled my mind.
Initially, I was overwhelmed with seeing so many of her thoughts. They flashed by too quickly for me to absorb them all, but soon I recognized patterns and an organization in her mind. Prevalent were thoughts of her grandmother and her worry over a boy at school who was picking on her. My fists tightened as I watched her come home in tears because he’d bullied her.
Mr. Kadam’s voice broke through. “Focus on the recent hours,” he said.
The images shifted, shuffling quickly to the most current. I saw myself in the lodge, craning my neck for a glimpse of Kelsey. She wasn’t reading at all but watching me. I smiled when I discovered that she thought I was the most handsome man she’d ever seen.
Quickly, those images were overtaken by her fear of the boys crashing into us and the memory of clutching my hand as she instinctively looked to me for strength and protection. She didn’t want the bullies in the other car to find her. When I’d offered to fight them, she’d stared at me in wonder, and something sparked in her at that moment. She suddenly felt like fighting back. Humbled, I realized that I’d given her that.
“Kishan, we must hurry,” Kadam said.
I sorted through her memories and decided that if I was going to change the future, then I had plenty of time to try to do so when Kadam wasn’t around to stop me. For now, I’d do as he asked. With a mental flick, I swiped her memories of meeting me and Kadam in the lodge and of me being in the car.
Unhappily, I removed her thoughts of me holding her after the accident, but at the last minute, I decided to leave her two things—the last piece of advice she’d ever get from her mother and the budding feeling of her wanting to fight back. She wouldn’t know where it came from, but she’d still recognize it, and I’d always know that I was the one who’d inspired that courage.
Finished, I stood and nodded to Kadam, who put his hand on my shoulder. Using the Damon Amulet, I removed all signs of our presence. As the thump of a helicopter grew stronger, I put my hand on Kadam’s shoulder. Once again the world tilted on its axis as we spun in the whirlwind of time.
***
My stomach settled more quickly than it had before, and as I took in our surroundings, I glanced at Kadam.
“If you wouldn’t mind finding Anamika,” he said, “there are a few things we need to discuss. I’ll meet the two of you in the throne room.”
I was still angry with him over his absolute refusal to consider altering history. As I made my way toward Anamika’s room, I wondered how long we’d been gone and if she was asleep or still in her bath. Turning on my heel, I decided to check the bath first and was faintly disappointed not to find her reclining amid thousands of pink bubbles. I didn’t have any designs on the goddess, but I sure enjoyed getting her riled up. A fight with Anamika would have distracted me from what I’d just experienced with Kelsey, at least for a little while.
Softly, I knocked on her bedroom door but there was no response. When I opened it and crept silently inside, I expected a very upset woman to put me in my place about entering her bedroom without her leave, but instead I was amazed at the changes she’d made in her room.
For a woman as tough as Anamika was on the outside, I’d expected her room to be simple, austere, or perhaps similar to her tent on the battlefield. Instead, I was surrounded by softness. Not luxury, though that was still there, a remnant of Lokesh’s trappings, but the room felt warm, inviting.
Several vases full of flowers wafted their fragrant scent, which combined with the slight smell of woodsmoke from the dim fire. She’d used the Divine Scarf to make thick rugs and pillows, and her room was full of tokens and gifts that had been offered. The walls were decorated with elaborately stitched tapestries but also with children’s drawings. Relics, pieces of pottery, and small carved likenesses of the goddess in battle adorned simple wooden shelves.
Despite the varying levels of skill in creating these items, Anamika seemed to award them equal regard, as childish renderings were placed right next to masterpieces. Though there were many pieces displayed, there was still an order to them. It was almost as if each item were placed in exactly the right spot.
Heading toward the bed, I found her soundly asleep. Her hair was spread out on the pillow and her hand rested upon it. The light dusting of freckles across her nose almost disappeared in the darkness, but her dark lashes and eyebrows were still easy to see in the firelight.
Shifting, she turned on her side toward me. I inhaled. Night-blooming jasmine and lotus. The flowers in her room almost overwhelmed me with their fragrance, but her warm scent was better than all of them anyway, though I’d never admit that to her.
I noticed she’d yanked the blanket up so far that her feet stuck out. I reached over to cover them. Anamika was as tall as most men, though I still had a few inches on her, and a formidable warrior in battle. She had muscle but not overly so—she was still curvy in all the right places, and her thick hair was surely the envy of every woman who met her.
It was those long legs that were the problem, I thought with a smirk. All of those other things were distracting enough, but it was her legs that got her into the most trouble. Her legs were…well, amazing would be an understatement. I had to constantly stave off male devotees who felt the need to worship the goddess a little too much.
When she sighed softly, I studied her lips and thought she had a beautiful mouth, a mouth made for a man to kiss. It was too bad she preferred using it to abuse men instead. The karkasha, I thought with a grudging smile. Well, not all men. Mostly just me. But even I had to admit that Anamika was a beautiful woman, an actual goddess made human. Any man would want her, would fall at her feet to worship her. If I hadn’t been in love with Kelsey, then even I might have been overwhelmed by her charms.
What I wanted was a real woman, though. Someone warm and soft and loving. Not some ice princess who looked down her nose disdainfully at me and had a smart remark about everything I did. Anamika was too regal. Too stiff. Too cold. Too…
The sleeping goddess snored softly.
Congested?