Page 99 of Revenge of the Forgotten

“You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

They stood directly in front of each other. The only thing separating them was the iron bars.

“Don’t I? I have my memories back now, and everything is so clear. You chose Marlena because you thought I wasn’t strong enough to beat her. Maybe I’m not, but at least I’ll be on the right side of history. You’ll always be remembered as nothing more than her sad little pet she walked all over,” Vega sneered, returning his look of abhorrence.

Bridger clenched his fists. “You don’t know what I’ve been through, Vega. Assuming to know only makes you ignorant.”

She huffed a laugh. “Poor Bridger got everything he ever wanted. An army, power, respect. But wait, do they respect you? Or are they just afraid of you like they’re afraid of Marlena?”

Vega was close enough to slip her hands through the bars and strangle him—but she couldn’t. She had no powers, no strength, and she knew he would cut his losses and kill her before she could finish.

I will not start over. Not again. Something inside of her was still trying to fight.

“Get a grip, Vega! I did what I had to do. I made the best of the cards I was dealt! You weren’t there—you have no idea what I went through and what I’ve done to get here.” His voice raised, that deep baritone rumbling against her chest.

“Sure, you’re right… but I bet it wasn’t as bad as being killed twenty times, feeling the memories stolen from your mind as you take your last breath. Or falling in love with someone who promised to fight for you and then being stabbed in the heart by them. Multiple times. Or how about?—”

Bridger cut her off, his temper flaring. “Do you think I need reminders of the last fifty-five years? I was there! While you got to forget, I lived this life, with these memories haunting me until I learned how to escape them!” Their voices matched decibels, echoing inside the sound bubble Bridger trapped them in.

“And how did you escape? By lying to yourself that what we had wasn’t real? You left me! You left me, and you stand here like none of it mattered to you!” Vega refused to cry. Instead, she gritted her teeth until she felt like her jaw might shatter.

“Forgetting is easy! It’s remembering everything, every grueling detail, that’s the hard part!” Bridger slammed the palm of his hand into an iron bar, the structure swaying under his strength. “You’re not the only one of us that has been through shit! This curse isn’t just on you—it affects all of us.”

Vega balled her bloody fists, clenching hard to keep herself from rearing back and punching Bridger through the bars. If only I had my lightning, my storms. She would turn him into a pile of ash… But there was still a piece of Vega deep down inside that wanted to reach out and touch his beautiful face, to feel his lips on hers. To feel the way she felt when he loved her.

Pathetic, pathetic, pathetic. Get a fucking grip on yourself! The Bridger you loved is gone.

Vega’s smile was meant to kill. “The only part of the curse that still haunts you is the memories of us that you’ll never be able to shield yourself from. No one has ever loved you like I did, and they never will again. People can see right through that cold heart of yours. That ruthless personality is honestly a work of art, and all it took to get was a curse and manipulation so deep, you hurt the only people who would’ve fought for you.” Bridger went to say something but clipped his mouth shut. “Now you’re alone, and you always will be. Your mother doesn’t love you, your best friend would never choose you over the crippling fear of disappointing his parents, your father is dead, and Marlena won’t save you in the end. As soon as you no longer serve a purpose to her, she’ll dispose of you too.” Vega took a step away from the bars, her eyes never leaving Bridger’s.

“I’m so glad you know everything. Everything except how to save yourself from this.” He pointed to the bars keeping her caged in. “Too smart for her own good,” he mused.

Cocky son of a— “Go fuck yourself, Bridger.”

“I don’t have to do that anymore. My bed is nice and warm… And look at you. You don’t even have one.” He moved away from her cell, his cape floating around his legs. “All you had to do was play nice, and you might have gotten dinner tonight. How ever will you beat us if you’re skin and bones?”

The question didn’t need a reply, and Bridger didn’t give her time to respond or retaliate before he fled the room.

Vega liked to believe he did so with his metaphorical tail between his legs.

38

Sleep. It was all Vega could do. No food or water was brought to her overnight, and Bridger was the last person to have a conversation with her.

The cell was impenetrable. Vega knew that from this life and the ones before it where she’d spent countless nights locked away. There was nothing more she could do… so sleep would become her friend, the only solace to be found.

Pain seared up her arms, and Vega’s eyes flung open, still blurred with sleep. Marlena wrapped her hands around Vega’s wrists, glowing an unnatural emerald green from the flames licking at her palms.

Marlena had always liked to play with fire—it was no surprise it was one of her favorite abilities now.

“Oh, good morning. How did you sleep?” Marlena released her grip, shoving away from Vega to stand above her. “And how did you get those chains off?”

Vega glanced at her wrists, taking in the damage from her sister’s wrath. Her right wrist still donned the original brand from Remus, but the other now bubbled with third-degree burns. Her suit was held together by threads, exposing the places of her body that were marred by her sister.

“I have an admirer,” Vega responded candidly.

“You still seem so lively. I didn’t think you’d have much left in you after yesterday. I guess I’ll have to try harder today.”

“When will you bore of this?” Vega asked, pushing herself to stand with a wince as the newly formed blister stretched over her skin.

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