Strange Love

Jos frowned down at the leash and collar that had been delivered to the room. "Do I have to put this on her?" She asked Arei as he too studied the pink leather.

Shelly wouldn't meet his eyes as he glanced from the pink leather to the wolf. "Don't worry, we'll go down and tell them right where they can shove this." He said taking the leash and collar from Jos's hands.

He led them down the corridors of the second floor where most of the business offices were located. He stopped in front of one of the fog-glassed doors. "You guys wait here. I'll be right back." He didn't bother knocking as he pushed his way into the office. His harsh words were muffled by the thick glass, however.

Jos glanced around the hall as she waited, thoughts of the slip of paper Isha had given her suddenly struck her mind. Her eyes fell on a plaque on the wall that read 'suites 220-250 left'. Her eyes lit with curiosity as she began to move toward the hall. When the wolf held back, she turned. "Someone who may be able to help me get my memories back is right down that hallway." She whispered. "I can't leave you hear alone... but... but... I have to know, Shell." She held the wolf's gaze with pleading eyes.

The wolf shook her head as she stood and began to follow Jos. She glanced over her shoulder toward the door Arei had went into before rounding the corner of the hallway.

"I promise, it won't take long. I'm sure if he's done before us, he'll have no problem finding us." Jos said quietly. "I may not get another chance."

Shelly nodded reluctantly as she followed close behind. She almost jumped out of her fur when Jos yelled out. "There, that one." Jos pointed to a door with the number 224 written on it. Jos nearly ran to the door in excitement. She wrapped lightly on the door. When a soft 'come in' sounded from within, she smiled widely back a Shelly before turning the knob. She stepped inside and forced her words out past the tight lump her excitement had caused in her throat. "Is... is there and Andy here?" She all but whispered.

Dark curls were barely visible poking over several tall stacks of papers and folders littering the desk. "I am she. If you're dropping off: new employee forms go here; timesheet, vacation request forms, and assignment reassignment forms there; new case files on that one and old case files on this one... oh and the smaller pile is now runovers of the expense forms."

Jos followed the slim finger as it moved from paper tower to paper tower. "Oh... um... no... actually I was wondering if maybe I could have a word with you?" She could hear the wheels of the chair slide back and smiled as a face finally came into view over the mountain of papers. Jos extended her hand out past the forms. "Oh... um hi, I'm Joslyn... Joslyn Decker." She said as the woman stared at her in bewilderment.

Andy shook away her surprise. "Jos?" She stepped out from behind the desk letting her eyes trail over the woman in front of her. "Jos?!" She said with recognition. She flung herself at Jos in a tight hug. "Oh my! It's been soooo long!" She held Jos out at arm's length. "How are you?" Her eyes trailed down to the wolf at Jos's side. "And who is the cutie?"

Jos's wide eyes studied the woman. "This... this is Shelly. I'm sorry... but do I know you?"

Andy released her hold on Jos, both of her hands flew to her mouth. "Oh, dear you don't remember?" She lowered her hands as she studied Jos anew. "I just assumed if you'd sought me out that meant..." She was cut off by the door opening once again. A white-haired man with contrasting dark skin poked his head around the door noting the three bodies blocking the way. "I'm sorry, I'll come back."

"No wait!" Andy called out as she moved toward the door. Pulling it open, she pulled the man inside. "Peg, this is Jos..."

Peg's eyes shot to Jos in stunned fascination. "Jos?!" His expression quickly changed into that of happiness as he grabbed Jos's hand and pulled her into a tight hug as well. "Damn girl, it's been too long!"

Jos pushed against his grip. She ran her hands over her dress first then brushed her hair behind her ears, as she and Shelly exchanged equally puzzled glances. "I'm sorry... I... I don't recognize either of you... I... I was told you, Andy, may be able to help me get my memories back."

Peg's smile fell as he moved his worried gaze from Andy to Jos. "Could you give us a minute." He kindly asked Jos. When she nodded, he placed his hand to the small of the curly haired brunette's back. They walked to the back of the room whispering as they went.

Jos sent a worried glance down to Shelly. As her gaze moved back to the couple, she saw the man take a small bag from one of the drawers of an old filing cabinet. They both seemed uneasy as they turned back toward her.

Peg walked to Jos, holding the bag out to her. "These are Lotus bloom seeds of the gardens of Olympus. I'm not entirely sure this will work for you, but it couldn't hurt to try." He sent Andy a worried glance. "We keep them on hand in case one of the gods ever try pulling a trick on us like they have many others... Like Zeus did on you. Ideally you would be given this as soon after the incident as possible, but in your case, it may take more than one administration. Put one seed in hot water as if to steep tea. Once the flower blossoms, drink the tea. Do this once a week for the next month or so until your memories have all returned." He placed the packet in her palm and closed her fingers around it. "I'm so sorry for what has happened to you. We both think about you often." He said as he glanced lovingly over at Andy. "And miss you greatly." He pulled her into another hug as Andy joined in this time.

Arei pushed the door open and arched a brow. "What in the world is going on in here?" He sent a questioning look from his brother to Jos. "Do you remember either of them?"

Jos shook her head as Peg released her and she stepped back. "No... but we've obviously met before..." She held Arei's gaze silently challenging him for an explanation.

Andy shot out from behind Peg. "Arei always great to see you!" She pulled him into a tight hug, before whispering. "How are the two of you together if she doesn't remember anything?"

Arei let out a long sigh. "I'll explain later." He released the shorter woman and held his hand out to Jos. "We should get going." He nodded down to Shelly as he held the door open with the other hand. "Why don't you guys stop by our room later. We're staying downstairs in room 184."

Peg lifted his brows in surprise. "The ground floor? But why?"

Arei nodded toward Jos and Shelly before sending his brother an irritated smile. "Because one of the wolves in our little group couldn't control his beast. Wrecked half the East wing on our first night here."

Peg and Andy exchanged wide-eyed looks before Peg turned back to Arei. "Alright, if you say so... We'll definitely stop by you know how much we both love a good story." He glanced toward the door Jos and Shelly were walking through. "Definitely if it's a story involving the two of you."

Jos glanced over her shoulder at the odd way the man said his last words. She sent Shelly a concerned glance as they stepped out into the hall. Shelly shrugged as she glanced back into the room where Arei still stood talking to the two. She perked up an ear, straining to hear what they were saying. Her troubled eyes stayed focused on the hand clenched inside the deep pocket of Jos's dress. Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="#%!d(string=12792848606358205)/call-from-mom_%!d(string=51571201432155447)">#%!d(string=12792848606358205)/call-from-mom_%!d(string=51571201432155447)</a> for visiting.

Arei stepped out of the office, closing the door softly behind him. When Jos avoided his gaze, he reached out and took her arm. Gently tugging her around to face him, he bent down to her eye level. When she still refused to meet his gaze, he hooked a finger under her chin. "Jos what are you doing here? How did you know to come to this room?" He studied her face as she squeezed her eyes tightly shut. "Jos, did you recognize either of them? Did the names Peg and Andromeda mean anything to you?"

Her eyes flew open to meet his. "Andromeda? As in the constellation? I knew the Andromeda?"

Arei nodded his head slowly. "And the Pegasus. You just met them both again." He continued to study her closely, searching for any signs of recollection.

She stared him straight in the eyes. "Please, just tell me... what is it that I've forgotten? Fill in the giant gaps, the dream like flashes..." Tears streamed down her cheeks onto his hand. "Tell me I'm not crazy... Tell me the truth..." The last sentence came out as a whisper.

Arei pulled her into a hug as his own emotions began to tear at him. "I can't tell you, kitten... but I can tell you if the things you do remember are the truth." He glanced to the door as a thought occurred to him. He lowered his lips to her ear. "I'll see if Peg can help you, he would be the one person who could."

Jos squeezed her eyes tightly shut as she battled with the decision to tell him what had happened inside the room or not. "He already has..." She whispered faintly.

Arei held her out at arm's length staring at her in shock. He was just about to question her further when a strong tremor ran through her body shaking the both of them.

"Oh no..." She whispered, her eyes opened wide and dilated. "The curse... it's calling me..." She met Arei's gaze in desperation. "What do I do? We do?"

Arei raked his brain as quickly as he could. He grabbed her hand and pulled her down the hall. "Come on, we need to hurry back to the room!" He called back to her and Shelly.

They had just gotten off the elevator when Jos's hand gripped Arei's. She couldn't force words past her trembling lips as her legs began to quake below her. Fear set in and her eyes widened holding his worried gaze. "Help-" Was all she could manage before her body began to crumple against its own weight.

"Jos!?" Arei cried out as he moved to catch her before she hit the ground. His eyes searched wildly around the halls, but there was no one around. He quickly scooped her up into his arms and shot Shelly a worried look. "The magic in this building is keeping her Kraken form at bay. It's most likely Ry that set it off. He mentioned confronting Calypso, the crazy bastard must have taken Russ with him or the curse wouldn't be activating." He watched as the surprised guards quickly opened the doors. "Call for one of the medics, I'm not sure how her body is going to react." One guard held the door open wide while the other quickly retrieved his phone and punched in some numbers.

Arei didn't bother saying anything else to them as he made his way to one of the bedroom. No sooner had he gotten her into the bed, she began to convulse. "Come on, Kitten, hang in there. Help is on its way." He said as he stroked her hair back. He knelt beside the bed as he tried to comfort her.

Voices echoed from the other room within minutes. Selena walked through the bedroom doors, the irritation melting away from her expression as her eyes fell on Jos. "What is going on with the girl?" She asked as she neared the bed.

"The curse is calling her, but the wards are keeping her from shifting." Arei said in a low soothing voice, not taking his focus off Jos.

Selena arched a concerned brow. "Then shouldn't you take her outside so she can shift?"

Arei shook his head. "No, she wouldn't want it. Trust me, if it's being cause by what I think, she'd probably rather die here in this bed. As much stress as she's been under lately, I can't risk it."

Selena uncrossed her arms and leaned forward. "So, she truly has no control over her shifts?" She stepped closer to the bed for a better look.

He shook his head. "Not where the curse is involved and very little when emotions set it off either." He never took his eyes off Jos as he tried to explain. "She hates being that creature and not having any control over it... wouldn't you?"

Selena placed a palm against Jos's damp forehead. "I can put her to sleep for a while until this passes." She turned questioning eyes to Arei. "Do you know how long it will last?"

Arei shook his head. "Until the threat has passed, I assume, but there is no way to know when that will be."

Selena nodded. "Then I advise canceling your plans for the day." She shifted her attention down to the wolf. "If you would like I can send up someone who can take the young wolf around. If she still desires to go." When Shelly shook her head 'no'. Selena nodded. "Suit yourself." She waved her hand over Jos as a bright light emanated from it. "She'll be out for a good 4 hours. If that is not enough time call for me and I can come back to reapply the spell." With that the woman vanished from the room.

Arei shifted his attention to Shelly. "You want to call up some takeout and watch a movie?" He sat on the edge of the bed as he retrieved his phone from his pocket. "What do you say we invite my brother and his wife up as well? The ones from earlier?" Shelly thought about it for a second before nodding her head in agreement.

An hour later Peg, Shelly, and Arei shared a large pizza as Arei and Peg exchanged friendly banter.

Peg let out a wistful sigh. "I'm so sorry man. I wished I could take back my part in all this. I hope her memories can be recovered."

Arei frowned, "I'm not sure I want her to recover them or not, myself..." He ran a hand over the back of his hair. "It would only complicate things even more for her."

He furrowed his brows. "But you guys were so happy. She deserves to know." Shelly barked her agreement.

Arei huffed out an irritated laugh. "Deserves to know what? Just how great of an extent her punishment was for falling in love with me?" He ran his hand over his hair again before resting his head in his palms. "That's basically what it was. A punishment for being with me and allowing father to claim her as a member of his court."

Peg leaned forward placing a hand on his brother's shoulder. "I doubt very seriously she would feel that way."

Arei shook his head. "You don't understand, no matter what she'll be upset. I've hid so much of our past together from her... if her memories do come back it's highly likely she'll hate me. Besides, she has feelings for someone else."

Peg frowned. "You are always so worried about how she will react to the truth. How has she reacted to the lies? No better than how you think she will to the truth no doubt. Why don't you try telling her now? Your contract with Zeus ended with those vampires, did it not?"