Page 31 of Savage Sacrifice
“Polaris,” he repeats, the corner of his eyes pinching with emotions I can’t quite fathom as he swipes a hand down his face. “We found you,” he breathes, sending another shock through my heart as a sob breaks from the woman seated on the sofa behind him.
Hope blossoms, but I don’t know why as I take them both in, unable to actually register a single thing about them.
Except for her hair.
Silver.
“I’m so sorry, do I know you?” I rasp, and the heartache on their faces is clear as the woman stands, and they wrap an arm around one another.
“Polaris, we’re your parents.”
13
LINCOLN
Darkness clings to me like a second skin, refusing to let go as it drags me farther and farther into the pitch black hole that I’m lost in.
I can’t see anything.
I can’t smell anything.
I can’t feel anything.
I can’t hear anything, except the distant beeping of a machine.
It lures me closer from time to time, but the moment I get too close, the darkness reclaims me.
Time passes. How much, I don’t know, but one thing feels clear: I’m waiting for the afterlife. Yet the fact that I’m conscious enough to think that leaves me a little unsure.
The truth is, I don’t care where I am, as long as I can find Midnight.
The eeriness tingles down my spine once again as darkness threatens to swallow me up, but the distant beeping draws closer. I prepare for the noise to stop as I’m dragged back into the bleakness, just as I have been so many times already, but the tug doesn’t come. The beeping grows louder, rattling in my skull; if it didn’t feel like I was connecting with something, I wouldhate it. The repetition is exhausting. But when I suck in a breath, eyes prying open with a mixture of panic and surprise, I’ve never been happier to be irritated by something.
Blinking, I try to force my gaze to settle, but everything is a blur of bright lights. My eyes burn, but I refuse to shield them. The more aware I am of the discomfort, the closer I am to trying to find Polaris.
That thought keeps me grounded as I wade through the disorientation, taking deep breaths despite the surge of adrenaline coursing through my veins.
I grunt, shaking my head in frustration, and my vision clears a little. White sheets are draped over me, arms on top, and I’m acutely aware of the firm pillow behind my head. Sighing, I stare down the length of my body, wiggling my toes beneath the sheets to make sure I have full use of them, but my mind is distracted by the sight of my forearm.
Mybareforearm.
The mark of my blood kin curse is gone.
My nostrils flare at the acknowledgment. I don’t know what to make of it, or what it means entirely, but the fact that I’m aware enough to know it’s no longer there confirms my memory is intact.
Foregoing the rest of my limbs, I take in the room, noting a door across from me, windows to my right with the blinds closed, and a supply closet to my left where a nurse hovers.
It’s on the tip of my tongue to bark at her, but my mind is coming to much more quickly than my body. I feel sluggish, and although I can wiggle my toes and stretch my fingers, it’s going to take a minute before I can sit up fully.
As if sensing my distress, the nurse turns to me, a gentle smile on her face. “Ah, you’re finally with us, Mr. James. How are you feeling?”
I frown, unable to form an answer as I blink at her, beyond confused.
I know her.
From somewhere, but… where?
“Mr. James, are you okay? I’m sure you’re confused right now, but I can assure you, you are safe,” she insists, stepping closer with a clipboard in hand, and my frown deepens. My lips purse as my jaw tics, and her calming smile widens. “How about we start off easy, okay? Can you tell me your name?”
