Regius by Nastasia Peters Read Free Book Online Page A

had always pictured it to be
grand and overwhelming. In the end it didn't feel grand at all,
which I was okay with. It was like the Altor trigger. Once it was
done, a missing part of you finally finds its way back and all you
can do is just sort of sigh in relief and move on.
    Sitting up, I hoped that
tomorrow my day wouldn't start with such intense thoughts. This
meant that for one day, just for a little while, nothing intense
should happen.
    I stretched myself out all
the while thinking it was not something you could really expect to
happen in this world.
    Looking over at the crack
in the earth, Datura was still not there. It had been nearly five
days now, and that didn't include the days where I was out cold in
a bed in the Coliseum. Maybe the attack at the Pallium territory
had been worse than Aram had said. I'd never asked Datura how long
it took him to purge the Valley.
    "Vervaine said that the
memory truck hit you hard and that I should let you sleep it off."
The voice was amused, carefree and relaxed. Snapping my head over
to the guest mat that normally held my guards, I saw that Vervaine
had given her duties over the person I'd been waiting
for.
    "Datura." I breathed, the
exhale so strong it made me realize just how much I'd been
worried.
    "How much damage has she
done to you and me?" I blinked when his earlier carefree demeanor
morphed into concern. Standing so I could make my way over to him,
he stood at the same time, making us both halt cautiously before
one another.
    "She didn't change
anything." I murmured, trying to convey I wasn't lying by looking
at him intently, almost pleadingly. It was true; the way I felt
about him hadn't changed. Just because he was more rooted in my
life, didn't change the fact that I'd wanted to kiss him before
Rhamnus had interrupted, or that I couldn't stand the idea of
Datura dying.
    His eyebrows raised and his
shoulders relaxed a bit. "You believe her?" And then it dawned on
me. He thought she'd only told me about everything, not backed it
up by actually breaking down the barrier and giving me back my
memories.
    I chuckled. "Well, I didn't
have that much of a choice. First she nudges me about being Seer,
which is where I showed signs of being reluctant to believe it and
she then did certain things to make sure I couldn't second guess
any of it." I took a step towards him, the distance between us
little enough so that if I reached out, I could touch him. "We
combined our powers to break down the barrier, Datura." I paused
but then decided to spell it out. "The one created by the coal tree
from the Sunken Cities and placed there by the Elders." I watched
as his eyes grew wide and however stiff and unsure he had still
been, disappeared. He didn't seem to know how to react though, he
just stared.
    "Datura," I closed the
distance, reaching up to let my hands cup his face. "I'm telling
you that I remember you and everything else. I remember how we met, how close we
were." I rubbed my thumbs over his cheeks, my eyes firmly fixed on
his red ones. "You liked to eat your chips in pairs and when you
finished the bowl and happened to end up with three remaining
pieces, you'd either give me the lonely piece or when I wasn't
there, you'd fill the bowl back up hoping you'd end up with pairs
that time around until it was empty."
    "I still do that." His
hands closed around my elbows.
    "You're ticklish under your
left armpit but not your right one." I murmured. "You wanted to cut
your hair when a kid in your class made fun of you, but didn't when
I told you I liked it long. You hummed that same melody I always
hear you humming now. Whenever I missed Jan or my parents, even if
I didn't remember them, you'd take me out into the meadows and we'd
count cows." Opening my eyes, I smirked. "And you're much more
vulnerable and sensitive then you make yourself out to
be."
    He sighed, his hands moving
up on my arms. "There was a look in your eyes, one that tells that
you've gone through more than someone