“Let’s have some fun with her.” It’s a different voice this time, and I try so hard to push up to my knees, but I can’t stand up. I can’t see their faces.
Everything is so distorted.
“Definitely up for some fun.”
Rage, rage. So much rage.
It’s ready to break out of its cage.
Soon the day will finally come.
The monster is going to have so much fun.
A voice other than mine finally enters my mind; a panicked, desperate voice that I know all too well.
“Do it!” Thad is yelling.
“It’s dan
gerous, Thad. She’s lost a lot of blood,” a girl counters.
“She’ll die if you don’t at least try.” That’s Ella’s voice, and she sounds so strong, so in control.
A growl cuts through the thick silence that has ensued, a growl so familiar that I feel the tingles from scalp to toe.
But I can’t see. Why is everything so dark in this memory?
“I’ve got him,” Ella says to someone, but who?
“They’re definitely not mates,” the other girl says.
“What?” Ella asks.
“Just fucking do it already!” Thad roars, pissed and ready for action.
Pain sears through my neck, and I internally cry out, even though no sound escapes my lips. But then the pain fades, and I feel something, something strong and heady. Something I know well.
Venom. Someone with bitten venom is trying to change me, just like the experiments. Only this time, they’re trying to save me instead of play mad scientist.
Thad—he thinks I’m human. Thad wants me changed. Thad wants me to stay. Thad wants to keep me.
The memories I thought were dreams crash down on me just as abruptly as the memories I wanted to forget, and I’m hit with the truth my mind was shielded from. I’m hit damn hard.
Immortals. They’re all immortals.
Time for death. Time for fear.
The monster is finally here.
As sudden as it all started, it stops. Silence settles inside my mind, and a heavy veil is lifted. There’s chaos and pain, but there’s also a sense of peace. No longer is my mind searching for what’s missing.
Everything is at my fingertips now, and my fingertips burn with a need for release. My arms… Long lines of tribal ink start at my wrists, and travel upward, taking form in front of my eyes, and spread, leaving gaps where the flesh can still be seen. They stop when they reach my elbows, never causing even a touch of pain.
My head snaps up as all the pieces settle in, and the blur in my vision disappears, offering nothing but absolute clarity. Crystal clear images find my eyes like never before, and the sounds are so pristine that I can pick apart each and every one.
Four guys come into view just as they near me, standing within five feet away, and a dark, twisted smile spreads across wicked lips. My lips, that is.
Power hums in my veins, begging to be unleashed, and with one, effortless motion, I rise to my feet. All the memories have slammed back into me, but unlike last time, I’m not huddling in a corner.