Greetings my lovely readers,

I've included a little song with this chapter, a song that has really stuck in my mind in recent days. We listen to the radio at work and the lame station plays the same set over and over again (it's great if you like the song, annoying when you don't!) so I get to listen to it a lot. It has an explicit content warning at the beginning but I can't figure why. Maybe it's because she gets her freaky on with her man but it's pretty tame. I don't know lol. I like this song, it think it sits reasonably well with this chapter. Words are at the end.

xMishx

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Olive sat on the very ornate lounge, her fingers wrestling each other on her lap. She was seconds away from becoming a mess and she didn't want that. Danika sat beside her and wrapped her arm around her, pulling her in for a hug. That was what set her off, now the tears slipped out. She wiped them away as she pulled from the hug, wishing this nightmare be over with.

'He really has no memory of it?'

'None.'

'How can you be sure?'

'I have searched his mind Olive, I haven't found anything about the stream or watching you as you fished, the meal that you shared under the stars, the necklace he gave you. Nothing.'

'How is that possible?'

'We do not know, that is why Lucian has called Phabel's father, he will be here very soon.'

Olive frowned at her. She listened to the sounds around the place, there was the crackle of the fire, the ticking of the clock but no phone call had been made.

'How on earth can you tell that?'

'Very good hearing.'

'Vamp trait?'

'Yep.'

'So am I supposed to forgive him because he remembers nothing?'

'That is completely up to you. You are the one that has suffered all these years where he has been blissfully unaware of it. Well, I wouldn't say blissfully.' Danika said dryly.

Olive's head perked up, wondering what she meant.

'Explain.'

'He has been so engrossed in his work but also he feels very lost and he doesn't understand why. Craves intimacy but does not bother to seek it out, is jealous of others who have the luxury of finding their mate but never thinks that his mate walks this planet. Now that we know of that night and in particular, you, it makes sense now.'

'It does?' she frowned.

'It does if you heard the conversation I heard just before.' Danika grinned at her.

She stands from the lounge holding out her hand to Olive.

'Come, his father has arrived.'

Olive stopped Danika as she reached for the doors to the formal lounge, she didn't want to be upsetting any vampires or whatever this shape shifter thing that Phabel was. She knew that vampires were strict on their rules and didn't want to be punished for being disobedient.

'Should I curtsy Lucian, really, tell me.' she whispered as they crossed the entry toward the formal lounge.

'Lucian already told you it wasn't necessary. In private when you are with friends, it is over the top and Lucian isn't really one for the formalities. Eris however....' her eyebrow raised.

'Who?'

'Phabel's father, he is king so you should curtsy, don't worry, I have to as well.'

'King of what?'

'King of the shape shifters. Phabe is the heir to the throne.' Danika winked at her.

'Oh god.' she whispered as Danika opened the door.

Phabel stood, watching as Olive entered the room. His father stood from the chair that Lucian had provided, looking upon the young woman that his son had chosen for his mate. Danika entered and curtsied, gesturing for Olive to do so as well.

'Your highness, may I introduce Olive Matheson, Olive this is his royal highness Eris Deltrith, king of Loach Issralk.'

Olive had no idea what Danika was talking about but politely said hello anyway.

'Good evening ladies.' Eris smiled back at them.

Phabel looked a lot like his father, tall with thin bodies, perfect olive skin that seemed to have a feint glow in the light almost like a pale shimmer. Both men had stunning blue eyes although Phabel's had a dark ring around the outer edge. Eris had the same chocolate brown hair, his was more perfectly styled whereas Phabel was more relaxed. And of course, both of them wore very finely fitted suits. Theodore cleared his throat behind the two women.

'Your highness, Miss Matheson, dinner is served.'

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Olive wanted to scowl at the butler, he held the chair out for her right beside Phabel. She wanted to be on the opposite side of the table so that she could frown at him all night. But she said nothing and sat down beside him. Danika was opposite her, with Eris and Lucian at either end of the table. It wasn't an overly large table but it looked very expensive. She thought that these dark beings must have a thing for highly polished wood, remembering Phabel's office and how it was wall to wall wood. Just like the table and the floors of this place, highly polished dark wood. As the soup was placed in front of her she waited for her nerves to settle.

'Lucian tells me you have no memory of the night you met Olive.'

Phabel looked to his father with a muted nod.

'And you have entered her mind?'

'Yes, we both have.' Lucian spoke before Danika could clear the soup from her mouth 'It is confirmed, Phabel is in there, one solid memory of a night staring at the stars, eating fish and giving necklaces.'

Eris nodded and quietly ate the soup in front of him as he thought about it. When he was done with it, he leaned back into his chair and thought some more. He knew what had happened, he had heard of this happening a few generations back, it was solved with one little gesture.

'If you have had memory loss son, it is because you kissed the stone while it was on her body.'

Olive gasped wide eyed.

'You did do that.'

'There is only one way to reverse it.'

Four sets of eyes looked to him, he sat there with a wicked smile, one that told Phabel he wasn't going to like what his father said.

'You need to kiss it again. And don't think you can get away with removing it from her and doing it that way. On her body, the same as the night in question.'

'So, get it done then.' Danika nodded to the two of them.

'Unfortunately it will not work like that my dear.' Eris lessened his grin 'Not when they are not in love with each other. The night in question their passion would have been at an all time high. In order for the reversal to happen, the passion has to be there, they have to want to be together.'

Eris gestured to the two people at the table who were frowning at it.

'Do you see that happening any time soon?'

'She is my student!' Phabel snapped. 'We are bound by the rules of interactions.'

'Phabe, you two have already kissed so don't be giving us that rubbish.'

'You knew.' he said lowly, his head only turning to her slightly 'Why didn't you say something?'

'What did you want me to say? Hey professor, do you remember me? I was the girl that you spent a night with, telling her over and over again what she meant to you, that you would return the next night but you didn't. Do you think that you would have believed me? No, you would have had me shipped off to another class and I can't graduate unless I pass all of my subjects, including yours. So excuse me if I chose to remain silent, remembering the man that was sweet and loving to me rather than the man that was cold and cruel.'

Silence hit the table as Olive wilfully tried to restrain the tears. She didn't want to be crying into her soup and definitely not at a table full of people she barely knew. Phabel continued his frowning at the table, as if the poor thing deserved it. Danika was the first to snap, in his mind she hissed at him.

You are a douche Phabe, apologise or I am going to jump the table and beat the living snot out of you.

An eyebrow raised as his head rose slightly looking at Danika as she fumed at him. He could barely see her pretty green eyes beyond the squinting she was aiming at him. Phabel closed his eyes as he took a deep breath, calming himself down. As he reopened them he turned to the woman he had chosen for a mate.

'I apologise Olive.' he said quietly 'I am sure you understand how confusing this must be for me and I understand how upsetting this is for you. This is a very delicate situation, not just for the frailty of our minds but for our careers. Neither of us wants for this to turn bad, you want your education without being seen as someone who has earned her education by bedding her professor nor I wish to be known as the professor who can not be trusted around female students.'

Theodore entered with the second course, interrupting Phabel's line of thought.

'You need not worry about that professor, I can assure you that there will be no rumours about me bedding any of my professors. Your precious reputation is quite safe.'

Danika continued her squinting at Phabel, now it was joined by a hard line pressed into her lips.

'That is not what I was inferring.'

Theodore placed the main course in front of Phabel and then Olive. It was fish. Not only was it fish but it was the very same fish that they had both eaten that night. Danika didn't want to serve any old fish, it had to be one that might invoke Phabel's memories of that night. It didn't work. Phabel sat and stared at the food, seemingly disinterested in eating now that he was stuck in a war of words with Olive and Olive was staring at the fish ready to burst into tears.

'I'm sorry, I can't eat this.' she pushed it away and turned on her seat. 'Thank you for your hospitality but I'd like to go home now.'

Danika's hostility toward Phabel crumbled instantly as she turned to her new friend and saw the sadness in her face.

'Please Olive, eat first then I will take you home.'

She shook her head as she tried to remove the necklace, as the seconds passed she was becoming increasingly frustrated, tears spilling out.

'Why can't I take this off?'

'It is simple, my dear.' Eris leaned back on his chair, watching the poor thing struggle 'Previously you have been able to take it on and off as you pleased because you have not been in his company. But the return of Phabel into your life has reawakened the dormant magic within the stone, it senses that your mate is close and therefore the bond has been reconnected. It will not let you part with the gift from your mate, it is bound to you and your soul. You can fight this all you like but it will not forget him, it will not let you break the bond.'

'What have you done to me?' she hissed through the tears at Phabel.

'Olive my son offered his love to you. Each man in my family is given one stone only, one chance to get it right. If you refuse his love then he can not bind to another person ever.'

She looked into his sad eyes, his fathers words were more haunting to Phabel than she could ever understand.

'Doomed to walk the land without a mate, only to be caught up in tawdry, meaningless affairs if his soul lets him. And that is one very big if. There have been many who have never loved again. Many who can not even be bothered to glance in the direction of another woman. All because the woman that they gave their one and only stone to has refused their love. Some of us have been lucky, I have managed to find myself in this particular category. My wife and I have been together for over a thousand years and she has always been the only one for me. This is a quality of the stones magic, undying and faithful love. When you accept his love and consummate your union, the bind will become so strong that neither of you will stray from the other. That is why if you refuse his love, he may not ever find another.'

'So you are saying I have no choice?'

'There is always a choice Olive.' Eris smiled softly at her 'Considering your academic situation I would suggest that the two of you start slowly, get to know each other and become friends. As the time passes there may be moments that will cause the block in his memory to crack and let some of that night return to him. That is the most that I would think would happen if you were unable to reignite the passion to completely break the block. After the time has passed and it is no longer a concern to your education, reassess your feelings toward each other and consider a more intense path. Phabel would have chosen you for a reason Olive, we do not take the choosing of our mates lightly. There is no divorce and remarriage for our kind. Oh and one final thing for you to consider, when you accept his love the stone will expect you to become a shape shifter. If you do not then the thoughts will plague your mind and eventually send you crazy.'

'Oh my god.' she frowned. 'What if I don't accept his love?'

'The stone will accept your decision but the thoughts of Phabel and his love for you will always linger.'

Olive looked to Phabel who was picking his fish apart with his fork, very disinterested in eating it. He was playing with it, stuck in his thoughts. She wondered if she could ever not love him, the feelings that had been forged that night were powerful, like nothing that she had ever felt before. No other emotion had even come close. Even her anger at him was small by comparison. She knew there was only one choice that she could ever arrive at, in fact there was no decision. There was no way that she could refuse him even if she was hurt. It wasn't his fault, he had a complete memory wipe of their night and until she let him back in and they found their love again, he would never remember it.

'Will this happen every time he kisses the stone?'

'I have only ever seen it happen once to people. Maybe they had learned their lesson with it, maybe it was a one off thing.' Eris shrugged 'I do not know. My suggestion would be that once his memory has returned, don't let him kiss it again.'

Olive thought about what had been said, she would need time to contemplate what had happened. Now that she knew the truth about him, she needed to find out more. She needed facts, she didn't even know what this shape shifter thing was. He looked human, he looked like a normal person. But how much about him was a lie, where was the truth with this man? What was a shape shifter?

Only Love Can Hurt Like This by Paloma Faith

I'd tell myself you don't mean a thing,
But what we got, got no hold on me
But when you're not there I just crumble
I tell myself I don't care that much,
But I feel like I die 'til I feel your touch,

Only love, only love can hurt like this,
Only love can hurt like this
Must have been a deadly kiss
Only love can hurt like this

Say I wouldn't care if you walked away,
But every time you're there I'm begging you to stay,
When you come close I just tremble
And every time, every time you go,
It's like a knife that cuts right through my soul

Only love, only love can hurt like this
Only love can hurt like this,
Must have been a deadly kiss,
Only love can hurt like this,
Only love can hurt like this

Your kisses burn into my skin,
Only love can hurt like this
But it's the sweetest pain,
Burning hot through my veins,
Love is torture makes me more sure

Only love can hurt like this,
Only love can hurt like this,
Must have been the deadly kiss,
Only love can hurt like this,

Only love can hurt like this,
Your kisses burn into my skin,
Only love can hurt like this,
Only love can hurt like this,
Save me, save me,
Only love, only love,
'Cause only love can hurt like this
And it must have been the deadly kiss

Writer(s): Diane Eve Warren

Copyright: Realsongs