Page 73 of Under a Wicked Moon
“When did they die?”
“March second.”
“Every March second, I’ll visit.” Nova squeezed her hand. “We’ll visit.”
“You have to leave wildflowers. Not store bought. Real ones. No plastic flowers at the grave site. On that day, get the bookfrom the house. You have to do the annual spell that puts all the protections on it and the property.” She wiped her bleary eyes. “But you don’t remember our parents or the house. You’re essentially a stranger paying homage to someone you don’t know.”
She tilted her head and made strong eye contact. “True. I don’t know what to say to make it better. It sucks. It’s hell. There’s no selling point other than you’ll be free of someone who has the power to control you.”
“We’re the product of our memories. That’s what makes us who we are. I don’t want to forget everything. I won’t be me.”
Nova took her hand. “I’m not a hand-holding kind of person, but I swear to you we’ll be in this together. It’ll be a new life. Still with magic. Still with family. A new family. I swear to you, we’ll get Simon. He will pay for doing this to us.”
Vivi whispered, “I don’t want to forget Ky.”
Nova’s lips twitched into a sad smile. “If he feels a smidgen of what you do, then I have a feeling he won’t let you forget him. He won’t be able to resist forever.” She palmed the syringe, eyebrows raised.
“He lives,” Vivi breathed out on a whisper. Everything inside her settled. He’d keep her safe. Even from afar.I can do this.
Vivi tugged up her sleeve. “I want to be in charge of my own mind. My own life. I want to fall in love, and it be all me. Swear to me you’ll make sure Ky gives us a chance.”
“I swear.”
“Do it.”
…
She blinked open her eyes. Where was she? Bedroom not familiar. Smoldering headache that hurt if she moved.
No memory of how she got into the room.
She couldn’t remember anything. Her chest clamped andbreaths came hard as she pushed her mind to remember something. Her name?
What the hell was her name?
What did she look like?
Nothing. Zero.
Lacerating pain slammed through her head.
“Shh. Calm down.” A woman with a long auburn braid came into view. “Vivi, how are you? You had a little rest.”
“Who’s Vivi? Who are you?”
“I’m your sister. Do you remember anything?”
“I don’t know who I am.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
A week ago, Ky had been able to tunnel-vision his way through dropping the relics off at a fortified facility Flynn had designed on one of their mother’s estates in Italy. He’d told his brothers about someone he thought was Shane helping him, which they blew off. Said it had to be in his head. Maybe it had been. It’d seemed real, but he was a mess. Maybe it’d been Shane’s ghost pushing him into gear.
Nightmares from his time incarcerated tortured him whenever he slept. Sometimes he slid into panic attacks over the stupidest stuff. On the upside, his ability to ground himself in reality had improved.
In the lonely hours, though, he was forced to see that which he’d worked hard not to remember. Her.
I can’t do this.
