Page 15 of Savage Sacrifice (The Savage Six #4)

Sand lies in a circle, a star etched inside, and she’s standing in the center. Clearing her throat, she steps out, nodding at Lincoln, who takes the hint and tugs me inside.

My breath is stolen the moment we’re both inside the symbol, a shiver rushing up my spine as the sand begins to glow. Golden rays cast upward from the floor, separating Lincoln and me from the rest of the room.

It’s like we’re in our own bubble. His arms wrap around my waist as he looks down at me. The look is unexplainable, but the closest I could get is to say he loves me. That sounds ridiculous, even to myself, but it’s intoxicating.

“You’re going to be okay, Midnight. I’ve got you,” he promises, and I nod, even though I have absolutely no clue what’s going on. It’s on the tip of my tongue to reassure him when a sharp pain sears through my body.

I can hear a scream, I’m certain it’s me.

The pain is unbearable.

I think I’m going to be sick.

My eyes roll and my limbs give out, but I don’t feel the impact of hitting the floor because arms wrap tight around me.

A tingle burns in my throat, the center of my chest, my ankle, my breasts, and my butt cheeks. Pain encapsulates me in every direction until darkness takes me. It feels like a safety blanket at this stage, being hidden in the shadows.

But this time, my light isn’t dimmed to nothing.

Instead, it’s vibrant as memories flood my mind.

Memories of an asshole wolf who loves to drive me insane.

Memories of a fighter, making me stronger, not only with their body but with their words.

Memories of a lost soul that matches mine.

Memories of a broken man gaining his balance while empowering me to play the role of his willing puppet.

Memories of a vampire spinning my world uncontrollably.

Memories of a friend, a best friend, a sister.

Memories of trust, betrayal, heartache, and… love.

Memories of Trinity Falls Academy.

Memories of Florentine’s.

I’m breathless, desperate to piece all parts of the puzzle together, but despair clings to me, reminding me that my mind will never be whole, not after my childhood.

As if responding to the tingling of emotion prickling the back of my eyelids, I’m flooded with more.

I’m a girl, hiding in the treehouse, singing with my mother, running through the overgrown fields with my father. I’m a girl at school, skipping and laughing with my friends. I’m a girl filled with hope, joy, and excitement.

I was just a happy little girl.

Emotions clog my throat, disbelief morphing into tears as I ache for the girl that I was, ache for the girl that I had to be, and ache for the pain I’ve faced every day because of it.

As the memories ease, forever nestling in my mind, I make a vow to myself.

I vow to be everything that little girl was supposed to be.

I vow to be light, and happy, and strong.

I vow to be me.

The pain subsides, but it takes me a few moments to pry my eyes open. The second I do, my eyes latch onto his.

Blue.

Like the ocean. I remember seeing it once, now it’s forever imprinted in his eyes.

“Lincoln,” I breathe, fixated on him as the golden barrier between us and the room dissolves.

“Midnight?” he rasps, concern etched into his features, and I smile. It comes from my soul, pouring from my heart as I let his nickname wash over me.

The nickname I remember.

He must see it in my gaze as my vision blurs, my emotions getting the better of me, and he pins me against his chest, squeezing the life out of me, and I let him as I sob.

I can’t control it, and there’s no containing it, so I let it out, every last drop, until I’m spent.

When the tears finally subside, I lean back just enough to look up at him.

The watery smile from him leaves me breathless.

“I always knew you weren’t really an asshole,” I whisper, and he grins, shaking his head at me as he hugs me again.

“Minnie?” I breathe, another sob strangling me as I speak her name, and his hold grows tighter.

“She’s okay, Polaris. We’re all okay. We were just missing you.”

I cling to him like my life depends on it, acutely aware that we’re not alone in the room, but I don’t care.

“Do I have a lot of catching up to do?”

“I think we all do,” he offers, leaning back, and I relax my hold on him. “We should probably start in this room,” he adds, drawing his gaze to my parents, and the nurse who I now recognize as Belladora, and I gulp.

Turning my attention back to him, I squeeze his arm.

“Lincoln,” I mutter, and he glances down at me. “I remember.”

“I know, Midnight. It’s going to be okay.”

“No, I remember everything… pre-Florentine’s.”

His brows furrow for a moment before his jaw grows slack.

Clearing my throat, I turn my attention to the couple on the sofa.

My parents.

The solemn look on their faces says enough as I recall the night I was taken. A moment blocked from my memory for so long, which now cuts me deeper than anything else.

“It’s because of you,” I start, and my mother stands, wringing her hands together in front of me.

“Polaris, let me explain. We?—”

“They took me to Florentine’s because of you,” I interject, the swell of emotion thick in my chest pouring from me in disbelief. “I wasn’t taken because the parents of my blood kin paid for it to happen, I was taken there because you made a deal.”

“Polaris, please,” my father begs, guilt crinkling the corners of his eyes.

“Midnight?” Lincoln asks, confusion thick in his voice, but despite the comfort I seek from him, the overwhelming memories and pain make it impossible for me to calm down.

“I can’t breathe,” I rasp, pressing my hand to my chest, and Lincoln turns his furious stare to my parents.

“What did you do?” he snarls in my defense, but I can’t take it.

I need some air. So I do the only thing I can think of.

I run.