Page 44 of Revenge of the Forgotten

“You better not be planning something, Bridger.” Her voice was a whisper through a clenched jaw. “Vega is going to die. Forever.” She grabbed Bridger’s arm, nails digging into his forearm. Her touch was ice. “Don’t make me regret keeping you alive.”

“Imagine what would happen if you killed me now,” Bridger countered, yanking his arm free and stepping around her, with the home in the background set in his sights.

Marlena’s power boomed, shaking the ground underneath their feet as fire shot from her fingertips. “Find her, Bridger! Before I do it myself and burn this whole fucking realm down in the process!”

Her staff scattered, the gardener the first to hop to his feet and flee.

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Bridger didn’t turn back, but spoke loud enough for her to hear as he paved a path through the staff now trying to look busy.

He needed to get back to Vincere. There he would be able to regroup without Marlena breathing down his neck.

His dirty boots left tracks up the spotless stairs. He’d almost made it to his room when an ariose voice called from behind him. “Commander, wait!”

Bridger glanced over his shoulder to see Ivelle float up the last few stairs to meet him at the top. Her power rose her feet from the floor, and she floated towards him, her hips swaying as if she were walking. Her power was flight and she was inherently dangerous, but the praefectus of Amora had become lethal after years of standing beside Marlena.

“What do you want?” Bridger met her chartreuse eyes, his stare glacial and unwavering in his annoyance.

“Marlena is just looking out for you,” she mused, coming to a stop in front of Bridger.

He scoffed, shaking his head as he ran his dirty fingers through his hair. He needed a shower and a shot, both of which he would wait until returning to Ardor for.

The sooner he got out of Marlena’s wake, the better. Bridger knew she couldn’t, but he was terrified that she might reach inside his head and pull out the knowledge of what he’d done on Earth.

“Ivelle, darling.” He gritted his teeth, a vein throbbing in his neck. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.” He stepped forward, grabbing the beautiful redhead by her chin. Her long hair cascaded down her back, her fair skin glowing under the lighting. “Marlena doesn’t care about anyone. The sooner you learn that, the better your life by her side will be.”

Ivelle’s mouth parted, a breathless gasp slipping through her plump lips. “I don’t believe that. She just wants you to be happy, to let go of the past that is so clearly haunting you again.” Bridger released her chin with a swift nudge, forcing her to take a step back. He turned away from her but could hear her footsteps following him. “Let me help you forget her.”

Bridger stopped, his brain still stuck on the words Vega spoke today.

It’s you.

Vega was dreaming of him too. How? Why?

Ivelle’s touch radiated warmth up his arm, her hand wrapping around the brand that was a memento of the life he’d left behind—of the woman he’d chosen to walk away from. An everyday reminder of how much Vega hated him when she could remember him.

He was the villain in her story just like Marlena was, and that would never change.

Bridger looked down at Ivelle’s hand before turning around. Her eyes promised lust, fun, and more importantly, an escape.

Snapping his wrist out from under hers, Bridger switched their hand placements, his hand now the one gripping her wrist. He pulled Ivelle into his chest, the other hand slipping to the small of her back.

She gasped, her head craning to meet Bridger’s hard gaze as he leaned into her.

His lips were at her ear. “You want a first-class ride into darkness?”

The question lingered in the air as Ivelle took a singular breath, the inhale shaky. “Yes.”

Bridger’s crooked smile slid slowly over his lips, out of her view. “Then go fuck yourself, Ivelle.”

17

The scent of seawater came first, reminding her of the coastline of Washington. Fuck, it was all a dream.

The chill in her bones came next. This is definitely a hospital. I’ve been admitted.

Third was the tingle of her body, a low hum of warmth flowing through her blood like electricity buzzing through a live wire. What is that?

Vega’s eyes shot open, and she darted into a seated position, heart pattering inside her chest loud enough to drown out the hum inside her body. A flickering light glowed in the corner, brightening the room enough to see every square inch.

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