She finished the last bite, then licked her fingers. Her stomach was comfortably full. As she sat there, she realized exactly what her life had come to—stealing food just to survive. Now, she didn’t have a choice. If she left the rogues, they would hunt and kill her just like they did the impures. To them, she would be an impure. Her eyes narrowed. Nivla was evil and mean. She should have demanded he give her money.
The world suddenly came crashing down on her. Even her animal guide wasn’t talking to her except to complain about the mistake Excoria had made when she joined the ranks of the rogues. She had retreated into stony silence.
“I’m sorry,” Excoria whispered, wiping away the tear that slid down her cheek. “I’ll make it up to you.”
Silence.
Somehow, some way, she would, too. She missed her guide. Her guide had always been her best friend. Now she was alone, deserted by everyone. She wasn’t important to anyone.
A thought suddenly occurred. If she could capture the prince, then she would be very important. They would probably shower her with jewels. She only needed to be the one who captured him.
She got up, brushing away crumbs. She looked deplorable. If she was going to get close to him, she would need to clean up. Nivla or Ekon would have to give her money. She squared her shoulders, anger filling her. It was time she made a few demands of her own. What was the worst they could do?
She frowned. They could kill her. It was against the law to kill a pure Symtarian, but since they was breaking the law anyway, it wouldn’t matter to them.
Demanding money might not be the best way to earn their favor. Her stomach clenched. She might have to sleep with one of them. Death was more welcome than Nivla’s slimy arms, but she might be able to stomach Ekon.
She glanced toward the big house, a smile forming. She hadn’t yet told Nivla or Ekon where the prince was staying. She might have more leverage than she thought.
CHAPTER 20
“You’re a prince,” Darcy whispered. “Do you know what that means?”
Surlock shook his head.
Her face suddenly turned pale. “Oh, good Lord, I clobbered a prince over the head and caused him to have amnesia. Is that treason? I don’t think so, but I’m pretty sure there’s a law against it.”
Her pout was too tempting. Surlock leaned over and captured her bottom lip with his teeth, tugging gently, then he began to kiss her. She sighed, leaning in closer, her arms going around his neck.
When he ended the kiss, he saw her eyes were glazed with passion. She blinked several times until they cleared, then quickly moved away from him.
“You make me forget everything,” she complained.
He grinned. “Good.”
“No, it’s not good. If you really are a prince, then we need to find your … your …”
“My kingdom?” he supplied.
Her eyes narrowed. “This is not funny.”
“Was I laughing?”
“I think you were. If you want to keep your vow of celibacy, then you’re going to have to keep your distance.”
“I apologize.” He didn’t think she believed him. But she was right. It would be difficult to keep his hands to himself.
“I’m surprised it hasn’t been on the news or in the papers.” She drew in a sharp breath. “Maybe you were kidnapped and they’re waiting for a ransom.” Her eyes suddenly filled with tears. “You had probably gotten away, stripped of everything, including your clothes, and then I battered you over the head.”
He had a feeling she was about to apologize again so he quickly took her hands in his. “We don’t know I’m a prince. I recognized a building. That was all.”
“Castle.” She sniffed. “It’s a castle.”
He looked at the picture. Castle? It sounded familiar. Again, he saw the room with the two men.
“What do you see?” Darcy whispered.
“Two men. I think they’re my brothers. A jaguar with a glittery necklace around its neck.”
“A jaguar? Like the cat?”
He heard the confusion in her voice. That was okay, he was confused, too.
“One of the men is rubbing the cat behind the ear. There’s a fog.” He shook his head. “I can’t see anything. Wait, it’s starting to clear.” He blinked several times.
“What?” Darcy asked.
“A naked woman. The jaguar is gone.” He watched as another woman brought a robe and held it out to the naked woman. She slipped her arms inside the sleeves and belted it at her waist. The vision slipped back into the shrouds of his mind. He blinked. “I think the woman was my sister.”
“What happened to the jaguar?”
He drew in a deep, ragged breath. “I think they were one and the same.”
Her forehead wrinkled. “Huh?”
“They both wore the same necklace. I think my sister was the jaguar, then she changed into the woman.”
She shook her head. “That doesn’t make sense.”
“I know, but it might explain who I am.” The humming in his ears was back. He closed his eyes tight against the noise.
“Are you okay?” Worry laced her words.
“The humming. It’s back.”
“I’ll get your eardrops.”
He opened his eyes and blinked several times until the noise eased. “No, it’s not as bad as it was the last time. I think it’s beginning to go away.”
She sighed with relief. “We’re still back at square one, though.”
“But maybe the visions are showing me who I am.”
She pushed out of the chair and began to pace. “It doesn’t explain anything. It only makes things more confusing. That would mean you’re some kind of shape-shifter. They don’t exist. No more than a werewolf exists.” She stopped walking back and forth across the room. “I put these thoughts in your head. I should never have made you watch that stupid werewolf movie. I’m sorry. I watch too many horror movies.”
“But it looked real, and it seemed familiar.” He felt as though he was losing his mind.
She knelt in front of him and took his hands. “It’ll be okay. You probably do have brothers and sisters, but your memories are a little confused right now. That’s all. Maybe there was a little statue of a jaguar that you liked and it got mixed up in your memory banks.”
“You might be right.”
“I know I am.” She smiled. “There are no such things as vampires, or werewolves.” She laughed. “Or aliens or things that go bump in the night. But there is one thing we know.”
“What’s that?”
“You’re starting to remember things. Maybe you’re not a prince. You could be a pauper, but none of that really matters. I like who you are right now.”
The phone rang. Rather than waiting for someone else to answer it, Darcy reached over and picked it up. “Spencer residence.”
“This is Dr. Wilson calling for Darcy.”
“This is Darcy.” Her heart pounded inside her chest.
“We have the blood work back, but I’m afraid there’s a problem.”
Darcy looked at Surlock. He watched her intently. She tried to keep her voice calm, even though that was the last thing she was feeling. She was almost afraid to ask what was wrong. What if she’d caused Surlock to have a slow bleed or something? Dammit, she had to know—good or bad.
“What… uh … exactly is the problem?” She smiled at Surlock reassuringly while she felt her insides tighten into knots.
“Oh, nothing to do with Surlock. The lab made an error and I will be filing a complaint with them, and the x-ray company.”
“Exactly what was the error?”
“They screwed up the results with a vet or something. The blood work came back abnormal. There apparently weren’t any of the antibodies that humans have.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Ah, yes, let me see if I can explain in layman terms. We, as humans, have natural antibodies. These antibodies recognize and attack foreign invaders, which is why you have to type and cross match blood. If you give a human the wrong type blood, it could kill the patient.”