Page 52 of Revenge of the Forgotten

“Your brain will, but your body won’t if you don’t allow it time to remember how to react. And you certainly aren’t in fighting shape,” he replied. Everything Khort said made perfect sense, but Vega still rolled her eyes and mocked the last part of the sentence. “If you stop mocking me I’ll make this your last time.”

Vega took a deep breath and closed her eyes, focusing on the center of her body, where she could feel the zapping power rise. Warmth trickled down her arms, bubbling around her wrists until she could feel the tingle of her lightning at the ends of her fingertips.

When she opened her eyes, blue sparks danced in her hands. I did it! Her smile was huge, and while she felt cocky enough to try it, she pushed with all her strength, forcing her lightning towards the target wall on the opposite side of the room. A single bolt shot out and struck the large target, barely. “Ah-ha!” Vega exclaimed, jumping with a spring in her step out of pure excitement.

Khort’s arms crossed tightly across his muscular chest, but he couldn’t fully contain his smile. Vega saw the little muscle twitch at the corner of his mouth—he was trying to be the ever-strong dragon shifter everyone expected him to be, but Vega saw right through him.

“Oh, come on! I know this isn’t new to you, but it is for me. Right now, this brain doesn’t remember all the cool things I can do.” Vega pointed to her head, her hair up in a high ponytail with braids roping the shorter layers together. The braids didn’t keep all of her flyaways subdued, especially with the static of her power fizzing beneath her skin. Vega let go of the swelling power, allowing it to slink back inside of her body as she crossed the room to Khort.

“It was one bolt of lightning, Vega. You can create storms out of thin air. You’ve got more inside of you than even your original brain could comprehend,” Khort said.

Vega smiled, feeling his words flutter in her stomach. Fuck. She hadn’t forgotten his comment about their people losing hope, but she’d gotten over the hurt that came along with it. He hadn’t said it to be an ass—he said it because it was true. “I don’t actually get new brains every time, right?” She shook at the thought, grossed out by the visual.

Khort laughed, shaking his head. “No, no new brains. That’s still you in there somewhere.” He reached out and placed his large palms on either side of her head, giving her a little shake.

Vega smiled, giggling along with him. The bliss of finally feeling the power she’d been fighting to take hold of let her relax a tiny bit.

When Khort’s hands fell away from her head, she reached forward and grabbed his right palm. Her eyes landed on the matching ring around their wrists. Her fingers glided over it delicately, the raised skin soft to the touch like hers and Arlet’s.

When Vega peeked up at Khort, his eyes weren’t on their branded wrists—they were on her. Vega’s face hardened with a frown, glancing back down at the skin under her fingers. “Is this why I feel so close to you and Arlet? Even without my memories? It’s like… I can’t explain it.” Her voice was soft as she rotated his wrist to look at the whole scar.

“It’s like you can feel our hearts beating? You know where we are even without having to think about it?” Khort said the words she’d been trying to find.

“Yes,” Vega said, exhaling.

Khort nodded.

“I can feel Bridger too.” Vega kept her voice low. The words leaving her lips felt like a secret. A muscle in Khort’s jaw ticked at the mere mention of Bridger. “Can you and Arlet still feel him?” she questioned, finally letting his arm go.

“No,” Khort admitted through gritted teeth. “We haven’t been able to sense him since he became commander.”

“He’s strong?” Vega asked. Learning more about the man she used to be in love with felt important, even if she knew she would get those memories back eventually. Soon, so soon, you’ll feel whole, she hoped.

“The strongest warrior our people have ever seen. More so than Mars himself.”

Mars, the god of war. Vega’s knowledge of the Roman gods was minimal at best, but she could at least follow along with the names and what their powers were—Arlet’s brief history lesson was proving to be more helpful than she’d realized it would be.

“Do you think he knows that I can feel him or is it an oversight since I’ve just gotten back?” Vega knew Arlet would be the better person to ask about Bridger, but if she didn’t ask as the questions arose, Vega would have a list longer than the deepest point of the Sea of Ros.

“He knows. Bridger and Marlena don’t have oversights. Bridger might have had a moment of weakness when he saw that ring and let you go, but he knows what that brand on his wrist can do. The sooner you remember that, the safer you’ll be.” Khort stiffened, signaling the end of this conversation. He took a breath before speaking again. “I need to put a couple more safety measures in order before we take you to Fraus to get your memories back, but it’s coming soon. I promise.” He took a step back and nodded toward the other end of the room. “Let’s go again.”

She could feel anger bubbling inside of her, threatening to blow. Vega had been back in Tolevarre for nearly a week, and all she kept hearing was that they were working on making sure it was safe to get her memories back—like she hadn’t traveled through another realm and almost died with the promise of no longer feeling lost inside her own body. “Khort,” Vega said, stepping towards him. She was exhausted.

“Again.” His voice was deep, ringing with finality.

Vega wanted to keep digging, but she could see Bridger was a touchy subject with him—she wasn’t naive. In this world or any other, jealousy was easy to pick up on. “Khort,” Vega said again, not allowing him to fold into himself and hide behind a mask. Were he and Bridger ever actually friends? The frustration of not knowing was starting to wear on her.

“I said again,” Khort spat, his tone that of a man talking to his dog.

His words pushed her over the edge. Thunder rumbled inside the room as Vega’s blood felt like it might boil over. “You’re not going to talk to me like that.” One of the old versions of herself might have listened and followed along like a lost puppy, but this new Vega, the one who couldn’t remember those variations of herself yet, wasn't going to put up with being talked down to.

On Earth, she’d embraced the sad and worn-down girl she’d become, but here she felt the fight she’d lost. Vega was sick of people thinking she was too weak to care for herself.

Chase.

Bridger.

Marlena.

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