unaware
It took him a moment longer to feel her than it would have taken her to feel him.
He waved his hand and the screens he had been staring at froze.
He'd been watching her. Listening to her sing at the stage.
"I am not invading your privacy. These are my memories."
With his eyes on her, she nearly fled. She wasn't ready to face him yet. She may never be.
"My physicians believe it will help me sort things out."
"You have to stop popping in all the time."
He waved a hand, and a seat appeared for her. "You felt pain. It is my job to come. Why did you feel pain? It happens a lot."
Her hands tightened into fist, and she wanted someone to hit. How dare his wow eyes look at her and be minus the tenderness that used to be there?
"Dezrick has run scans, but he finds no aliment that would account for it."
"That's another thing. Whatever voodoo crap you did to me, I want it to stop."
"You will have to clarify what you mean."
"All the popping in, all the pain when another boy tries to kiss me, all the mate mark crap. All the queen crap. We are not a couple and I want all the crap to stop. You can have your stupid gift back too because I don't need it. I don't need any of it."
Sighing, he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes for a moment. "I understand why you would want to choose another. I failed you. If there was any way possible to give you what you want, then I would. What is it you hope to gain, Jessalynn?"
"Freedom."
"I can already offer you that. You are free to make your own choices. Free to choose the life you want to lead."
"I want to be free to be who I am. I want to be free to be with who I choose to be with."
"The only thing I can offer you is a chance to explore the possibility of reversing the mate mark on your own. No one has ever tried before. You can lead a team of experts and try to do just that."
He looked at her and sat up straight again. "I think that is an excellent proposal. In the process of finding the remedy you strive for; you can help my researchers figure out all the side effects you seem to experience. I was unaware of the pain. My team has already decided that your gift is more from you being a New Ruler then from being my mate."
"Really?"
"That is what they believe. Mates do not usually share gifts. You know, if you would talk to my scientist about your experiences outside of the walls, it would go a long way towards trying to cure you. No mates have ever been able to be apart for so long. My own experiences are tainted by the memory erasing, but yours are very needed. Would you be willing to oversee such a project, hoping to find the cure you seek?"
She wanted to hit him. His voice was familiar, but it said all the wrong words.
She paced as she thought. As she raged. She wasn't stupid. He thought he was being clever, but she was on to him. The need to deck him was very real, but he was onto something too. Instead of having to believe all their crap, she could find out for herself rather it was possible to be free or not.
