Chapter 8: I Remember

Leonardo turned towards the door to see Hazel standing there, looking all scared and out of place, her eyes roaming the room to see if it had any resemblance to her memories. Seeing this, Leonardo's heart tightened as he noticed the cautiousness in her eyes and her tense muscles.

She was scared to be there in an unfamiliar place.

"Come here," he gestured for her to come closer, his arms outstretched as he brought her into his embrace, happy that she had not forgotten him.

"Where is Dylan and Ruby? Who are these people?" Hazel asked as she relaxed into his embrace.

"You remember Ruby?" Amanda asked in shock. "Your memories came…" Leonardo glared at her, shutting her up as she was about to say more. He turned back to Hazel, patting her head dotingly.

"Ruby has travelled; she won't be back anytime soon. Would you like to see Dylan? I can call him to come over," he asked softly, gently coaxing her.

She shook her head and replied, "No, please take me away from here."

"Shh, it's okay," Leonardo whispered, pulling her chin up to look at him and pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. "I know this is scary, but I promise you're safe here. Your parents love you and will never hurt you. If you still want to leave with me, that's okay, but only if you're sure you will be comfortable with me."

Hazel went silent and continued hugging him close, the rhythm of his heartbeat lulling her into relaxation. "I still want to go with you; I don't remember them," she whispered.

"Alright then, why don't you go pack your things? I have something to discuss with your parents," he urged, and she hurriedly left the office.

As she closed the door behind her, Leonardo turned to face her parents. "Do you have a problem with me going with her?" he asked.

Amanda turned to her husband, her face ashen and her body trembling in fear.

'No, not again,' she thought.

It was happening again; they were going to take away the only child she was left with.

"You don't have to worry about her safety; my corpse would have rotted over before anyone could touch her," he assured firmly.

"Why are you so protective of her?" Eric asked suspiciously, ignoring the looks his wife was giving him. He hoped the reason wouldn't be what he was thinking: Hazel was too innocent to get involved in their world.

Leonardo stood up from the table he was resting on and checked the time. "I'm sure you already have the answer to your question," he replied coldly. "We have an unfinished discussion about the injection you used on her. I hope for Hazel's sake that you have the proper answers to my question when I get back."

Hazel was already waiting for him outside of the office by the time he came out. He roughened up her hair playfully and took her small luggage from her.

With a raised brow, he asked, "Is this all you are going with?"

"Yes," she replied and took his outstretched hands, and they walked out of the house into the waiting car. "I don't have a memory of going to your house, and I don't know how to contact you if you leave me behind. That's why I packed so little; it's all I need anyway," she explained, and he chuckled.

"You've never been to my house, and honestly, I'm surprised you remember me and Dylan. We are the last people I would ever imagine you to remember," Leonardo replied truthfully.

"Why?" Hazel asked curiously, tilting her head to look at the man beside her.

"Because we haven't spent much time to leave an impression on you, but now I'm thinking the mate bond is the reason why you didn't forget us," Leonardo explained.

"Mate bond? What is that?" Hazel asked. It was the first time she had ever heard anything like a mate bond, and she couldn't tell what it was and how it had helped her remember the two.

"I will explain it to you some other time. For now, relax. You don't have to force yourself to remember anything, but apart from Ruby, what else do you remember?" He was curious about the kidnapping that left a hole in her memories, thinking if she remembered Ruby, she might also remember the kidnapping details.

She fell silent, her hands twisting together in her lap. She could feel the memories pressing at the edge of her mind, threatening to break through. Leonardo noticed her shaking hands and frowned. He pulled her closer, whispering in her ear. His voice was gentle, reassuring. "It's alright; you don't have to force yourself to remember."

"I remember that I was kidnapped," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper. "But that's all I can remember. Everything after that is a blur, like a dream. I remember being taken to a large house—a mansion, maybe? I remember there was a man with white hair; he looked a bit scary. He was the boss, I think. After that, I can't remember anything else." She stopped, frustration evident on her face. "I'm sorry; I wish I could remember more."

"You've done a good job. Thank you for telling me. Is that why you don't want to stay with your parents?"

"When I woke up, I thought I was still in the mansion, so I freaked out, and I surprisingly don't have any memory of them. I have a vague image of my parents, but they don't look anything like the ones I've met," she added.

"That's fine; it's normal to react that way in such a situation. By the time you are calm, you might be able to remember more things," he soothed.

For the rest of the journey, the car was quiet except for the occasional rustle of fabric as Hazel moved in her seat. After a while, she fell asleep, her head lolling to the side, her mouth slightly open. Her breathing was even, and her muscles relaxed, evidence of the trust she had in Leonardo. He fondled her hair absently, his mind distracted. He was trying to connect the dots between Hazel's kidnapping, Ruby's disappearance, and the stolen artefacts.

All three events happened in a month. It was unnerving and suspicious. He had never been one to believe in coincidence, and he wouldn't pin the event from three years ago as one until he had enough evidence.

'Was someone else aware that the artefact had been stolen and they wanted to take it but didn't know which of the sisters had it?' he thought.

'And how come she remembered the things that happened three years ago and forgets recent memories?'

'Is there something we are missing?'

He turned towards the car window, his eyes focused on the blurry images that flew by. "Maxwell, have Orla look into Hazel's kidnapping from three years ago as soon as possible."

'There's no way I'm letting anyone who hurt my mate off the hook; all debt will be repaid.'