It was the dreams that got her. Pulling herself out of a sound sleep filled with awful images, memories coming to life, winding their way around her mind and convincing her that she was there again, in those moments, that’s what sucked her down and kept her from moving forward, kept her trapped in a box where she couldn’t seem to escape.Even with her eyes open, staring up at a ceiling lit by the early morning light, wisps of those dreams continued to linger, foggy fingers that crept between her present thoughts and those memories that simply wouldn’t come.She’d been lying awake looking up at the ceiling for about fifteen minutes when there was a light knock on the door. The sky outside told her it was early dawn, the pinks, yellows, and oranges giving her a good idea of the time before she even looked at the clock on the nightstand. She was a little surprised that anyone was knocking this early, but then, she had woken early the last few days when she’d begun to feel better, and sh
The village was a lot different than Mercy had envisioned it, though she had no idea why. Walking down the main street next to August, she was surprised at all of the people, all of the bustle, all of the flurry. It started to feel a little overwhelming from time to time, so she had to remind herself to focus on the Alpha beside her and not on the noise and potential chaos all around her.She’d chosen a comfortable pair of jeans, a white long sleeved shirt, and a brown jacket, along with some brown boots that fit perfectly and a bright scarf. She loved how the colors in the scarf matched the leaves falling from the trees. She had a feeling she didn’t usually have clothes like this. When she’d been found, she’d been wearing a tattered dress; it was her impression that she often wore the same dress, day after day, without a shower or a bath.“This is the coffeehouse,” August said, pointing to a place that smelled wonderful. “And over there is the pizza parlor. We don’t have a lot of res
“Dangerous?”August couldn’t help but repeat the last word Mercy had said. The look on her face at the moment was more of a vacant stare than anything threatening, but the fact that she thought her old job was something other than a regular role any woman might play in a pack would’ve set anyone on edge.He wasn’t shocked, though. He’d seen the pictures. Likewise, he’d seen what she could do.“I’m not sure why I think that.” Mercy’s eyes began to focus again, and she turned to look at him, a hint of a smile on her face, her cheeks pinking just slightly, as if she were embarrassed by what she’d just said. “It’s just… something that comes to mind. Maybe it’s because of what happened with the tell vision.”“Television.” He corrected her with an encouraging smile so that she would know he wasn’t making fun of her, just trying to help. “Do you think that you were dangerous to other people, though, Mercy? Or is it possible it was you that was in danger?”Her forehead crinkled. “I don’t know
Television was quickly becoming one of Mercy’s favorite things. August had shown her how to use the remote control for the contraption in the living room, explaining that the one in her room was the same, and told her she could watch while he went and worked on a few things in the office. He’d also told her she could help herself to anything in the kitchen or ask one of the servants to make her something.Mercy didn’t know how she felt about asking anyone else to cook for her, so when she’d gotten hungry, she’d wandered into the kitchen to have a look around. Now, she was sitting on the couch with a can of something called Diet Pepsi on the table next to her, along with a bag of Doritos, marshmallows, and something called Chex Mix. She wasn’t sure if any of these things were meant to be eaten the way that she was eating them, just one piece at a time, or if they were ingredients that were meant to make something else, but she was enjoying them. She had learned that the Doritos and Che
August ran out of his office so quickly and without an explanation, he was certain Beaux probably thought he was crazy, but the moment his mother’s voice filled his head that he needed to come home, that something was wrong with Mercy, he’d got up and exited as fast as possible, leaving his Beta standing there, calling his name.“Sorry--it’s Mercy,” he said, using the mind-link, as he was almost home. “Catch me up later.” They’d been talking about the new patrol schedule Beaux wanted to put in place to make sure the Omegas were well rested and every patrol had a fair amount of warriors on it. August thought it was a great idea, but he wasn’t about to sit and listen to another word when something was wrong with Mercy.His mom hadn’t said what it was, and she wasn’t responding to his mind-link messages. So… he’d have to find out for himself.He ran through the front door and found Mercy lying on the couch with blood dripping from her ears--both of them this time. His mother had a tissue
August was looking at her like he wasn’t sure what to think of her when Mercy announced that she knew her name. “You do?” he asked, as if he wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing.She nodded, not sure whether she should continue to think of herself as Mercy or use the name she was certain she’d been given at birth--by someone. She still couldn’t remember if she had parents or not, but she was certain of her name.August cleared his throat. ‘Uh… what is it?”“Mari,” she said quietly. “My name is Mari.”August’s eyebrows knit together, and he exchanged a confused glance with his mother. “Mari?” he repeated. “Are you certain of that?”She nodded. She wasn’t sure of anything else, but she knew that her name was Mari.“If that’s the case, dear,” Isabella said, “why did that cartoon make you so upset?”She shook her head slowly back and forth. “I’m not exactly sure. The girl’s name in the cartoon--Dora--it reminded me of some terrible things that happened to me, but I don’t know
Mari?August was so confused. Why in the world had Rider called her Pandora if her name was Mari? And why did that stupid cartoon make her so upset if Dora wasn’t her name?Like everything else when it came to Mercy, there didn’t seem to be any easy answers, just more mysteries. She was lying on his shoulder, asleep, and he sort of felt like he should pull his arm from beneath her and let her sleep alone, but at the same time, she’d seemed to want him to stay.Or maybe he just wanted him to stay.None of this was adding up, and he really felt like it was time to get some answers. Perhaps he should go over to Black Hole Moon and see what Rider would tell him. Maybe there was someone in that pack who could tell him what he needed to know. A lot of Black Hole Moon members were shady. Perhaps he could bribe one or two of them.Or he could just go get Rider, bring him back here, tie him to a chair, and get the information out of him.August was still imagining how much fun it would be to b
“A memory?” August repeated.Mercy nodded. She could tell by his expression he wasn’t sure what to think about her confession. While she wasn’t sure how she knew that the images she had of being placed inside a dark box were a memory and not a dream, she was certain that that was the case.August cleared his throat. She watched his Adam’s apple bob up and down. It was late in the afternoon now, and he had stubble along his square jaw and down his throat. The urge to reach up and touch him, to run her thumb along his chin, to feel that stubble bite into her flesh, was overwhelming. How would he react? What if, instead of dragging her thumb along his flesh, it was her lips. Would he recoil in horror, or would he welcome it?As he began to speak, Memory tried to focus her thoughts on his words and not the visions in her mind. “Mercy, did you remember anything else?”She shook her head. “No, not yet. Just that it was dark, damp, and musty. I couldn’t see anything--not after the lid was cl