Page 71 of Under a Wicked Moon
“I don’t remember you. Or Gary or anything beyond the moment I woke up in a car outside Berlin wearing a leatheroutfit that had half my chest spilling out of it. Roman helped me figure out what happened.”
“He took one look at your boobs, and he was a goner, huh?”
“It wasn’t quite like that.” A grin kicked up Nova’s lips. “Okay, it was totally like that.”
“I’m…” Vivi swiped at the leaking tears. “I’m so relieved you’re alive and you got out. I’m so proud of you and your courage to go so far as to erase your mind…and your life in order to be free.” She gulped at air and tried to get ahold of herself but failed. “The only reason I didn’t fight getting out of that hellhole sooner was because I believed if I was patient, I’d figure out a way to get to you. Then when I saw your name on the computer screen as dead, I couldn’t believe I hadn’t fought harder to get out. When I tried to fight at that point, I couldn’t. If Ky hadn’t been there…if Roman and Flynn hadn’t busted him out…” A sob racked her. She wiped her nose. “Sorry. Kind of overwhelmed. I’m out. You’re alive. Ky’s…not here.” She closed her eyes and remained silent, counting her breaths for a few seconds. “That I’m a stranger to you is unreal. Believe me, you’re my big sister. You’re so much stronger than me in many ways.”
“Vivi…”
“Forget it. I’m rambling. I’ll tell you whatever you feel you want to know about anything not prison related.”
Nova stared at her hands. “I’m sorry I don’t remember you. I think the worst is…” She swallowed. “I don’t know how to believe that you’re my sister, since I can’t remember. Since I know they messed with my head and yours. How do we know anything is truth? Maybe they told you you’re my sister, but you’re not really.”
She tapped her lip. “Is there anything you’ve remembered, maybe while doing something? It just popped into your head?”
“I figured out the secret to opening the gate at the house. It just came to me.”
“You remember some rhymes. Let’s try a song Mom used to sing. Sing with me if you remember. As Mom always used to say, let the magic free.” She sung the first three lines of the protective loricathat might have saved both of them from death while imprisoned:
“No spear shall rive thee,
No sea shall drown thee,
None shall wile thee…”
Vivi paused and waited.
Nova sang so softly she almost couldn’t hear:
“None shall wound thee.
From the crown of thy head
To the sole of thy feet…
You shall go forth
To the God of life you now belong wholly.”
Vivi took her hand. “See, you do remember some important things. That’s a lorica.It’s the song of protection that our mother used to place a powerful protection on us before she and Dad were executed. It saved us from the Council. I think it also helped us survive once separated and incarcerated.” She let go of Nova’s hand.
Tears poured down Vivi’s cheeks unchecked.
“I remembered it. I recall magic at the oddest times. It just comes out of nowhere, especially the songs.”
“It doesn’t matter if you can’t remember me in your head. You will forever be my sister. Since we have so little time before I either die or lose my memory, I want to tell you important stuff. I think Roman will do whatever you say as far as determining my fate, if he’s your…is he your… Did you bond with him?”
Nova nodded.
Vivi crossed and recrossed her legs. “What if the memory erasedoesn’t work on me? I don’t want to hurt you or any of the brothers because you or I have some sort of implanted mental trigger.”
“I’ve been free for a few months. So far so good. We just go one day at a time. Our plan is to destroy anyone and everything associated with those facilities so there’s no one left to try to trigger us.”
“That’s a good plan.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Pretty sure Roman’s outside monitoring, but I think it’s totally bogus about Ky being dead. I understand they want me to believe that for whatever reason, but I know in here”—she touched her chest—“he’s not dead. I’ll play along. Do you know why they want me to think he’s dead?”
“You were activated to do something while in London.” Nova compressed her lips.
“What was it… Was I supposed to kill Ky?”
