Stephanie looked around. She was certain that she had been hurt, but she felt nothing. Where was she? Stephanie looked around and saw nothing but darkness. Where was Liam? She started to feel panic grip her soul. Something wasn’t right. Had Liam been killed by that monster after she got hit? She crouched and felt for the surface beneath her feet but felt nothing there. She must be dreaming, Stephanie realized.

She swallowed compulsively. She knew what her dreams were like, not from memory but from the pain in her throat the mornings after her nightmares. One of the therapists she had spoken to over the years suggested that she would remember when she was ready, and her inability to remember her nightmares was probably her mind’s way of protecting her from the trauma she had experienced.

Now was as good a time as any, Stephanie decided. Hopefully she would remember this time, not that she wanted to. It was more a need considering that Liam had implied that she had been able to fight these monsters before, shards he called them. “Hello?” she called out, hoping for a response, but at the same time afraid what that response may be.

“She shouldn’t be here yet,” she heard a voice in the distance.

“It’s too late for that now,” another voice replied. This one sounded masculine and almost rough.

“We needed another year to repair the damage. She could break if she pushes herself too much before it is fixed,” yet another voice growled.

“Hello,” Stephanie called again, starting to feel more frightened. “What is going on? This is a dream, right?”

Suddenly, light appeared around her and Stephanie was standing on what appeared to be a mirrored floor. She was surrounded by a variety of large animals alongside a man with features that reminded her of Liam. The giant white fox watched her with light blue eyes. The fox was more intimidating than even the wolf and panther that were starting to surround her. The only animal that frightened her was the humanoid raven that broke through the circle that was forming around her. It looked so much like the raven monster that attacked her the night before. She stumbled backwards and away from the raven-like creature.

The raven froze, tilting its head to the side a little, “Sorry child. I did not mean to frighten you, but since you are here, we must speak with you.”

Stephanie nodded numbly as she realized that this raven didn’t have the same darkness oozing from its body. “You really are bungling this up, Raven,” the man who reminded her of Liam sighed. The man had long red hair that was tied in a ponytail. “Stephanie, this is not an opportune situation. The shard that noticed you will not stop now that it knows where you are. You will need to use your abilities to protect yourself, but that is the problem. Your power is not stable even under the best of circumstances. The damage you suffered at the hands of your captors impaired your ability to control your abilities even without the amnesia.”

Stephanie frowned at that. The man was suggesting that the people responsible for her state in the woods had held her captive and damaged her somehow. What did he mean? “She needs to be made to remember, but that is dangerous all on its own,” the panther growled.

“True,” the wolf’s voice was feminine as it approached. “It is not possible for her to only remember the good either.”

The fox let out a sigh. “We need to explain first, just a little, enough for her to make sense of what she sees.”

Stephanie started to shake. What were these people going to make her remember? For some reason she couldn’t think of the beasts as anything other than people thanks to how they spoke. They were sentient at the very least, and they didn’t seem hostile either. “I think my advice is most pressing,” the raven spoke.

Stephanie didn’t move as he approached. “There are a few types of Nachtkrapp. The one that is being used by the shard is one of the eyeless ones. They tend to be more violent and dangerous. They are obsessed with eyes and the wounds they inflict can be even more difficult to heal than those of shards. Be careful not to let it touch you if possible, especially do not let it touch your eyes. The Nachtkrapp could blind you with a curse if it wanted to.”

Stephanie nodded numbly. “Is there a way to stop it?”

“It is hard to stop the old beasts when they go mad. If you can get full control over your power then you might be able to cleanse it of the shard’s influence, but as an eyeless Nachtkrapp it likely would still be volatile.”

“I will handle that one when the time comes,” the fox announced. “I will need to use you as a medium to fight. It won’t take much energy on your part, but it would be best if you could control your abilities first.”

“Are you certain that is wise?” the man with red hair frowned. “If you mess up, you could get her killed.”

“It is the only way to get rid of the Nachtkrapp if it gets ahold of her again. Old beasts can’t be killed by normal means,” the fox replied sharply.

The man groaned, “Fine, but be careful. You are dooming us all if you get her killed.” The man looked at her closely again. There was remorse in his eyes as he spoke to her, “Child, you are going to have to remember something terrible in order to allow your body to remember how to use your abilities consciously. I will try to keep the suffering to a minimum. Is there something that you wish to remember? I can’t make you remember everything right away, but you will remember it all eventually. I hope one good memory can help balance out the suffering you will experience again.”

Stephanie thought it over for a moment. She wanted to remember everything, but some things were more important to her immediate situation. No, Stephanie shook her head, Liam would help her with anything relevant. Liam, she frowned. She had looked so happy in the photo he carried around, happier than she had felt since her arrival in Gavinmire. “I want to remember Liam,” Stephanie blurted out.

The man smiled, “Of course you would want to remember your soul mate. It is an instinctive response. I can’t make you remember everything relating to your relationship, but would you be satisfied with five minutes? I don’t think I could manage much more than that.”

Stephanie nodded. “I know it isn’t as practical as some of the other stuff I could ask for, but…” she shrugged.

“I understand completely. You don’t know where to start. He’s the only clue you have to your past, so it is only natural to start there. The rest of your memories will come back in pieces over time. Some will hit you harder than others,” the man placed a hand on her shoulder. “Please try to remember that the bad memories are in the past.”

Stephanie nodded and suddenly she was swallowed in a swirl of color. Suddenly she was sitting in front of a much younger Liam. She felt younger too. “You need to be more careful,” Liam scolded her as he unwrapped the bandages she had wrapped around her arms. “The API won’t let me join yet so I can’t protect you when they bring you along for their missions. I wish you could quit,” he grumbled as his hands lit up with warm energy that worked to close the wounds on her arms.

“You know why I can’t. My sight helps prevent unnecessary death and I can fight the monsters pretty good for the most part,” Liam stiffened at her words.

“At what cost? I’ve seen how you come out of some of those missions. The last time, you overused your power on accident and nearly died,” he sounded so worried.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be more careful,” Stephanie placed a hand over Liam’s and felt the same sensation that coursed through her when their hands touched at the station. “Besides, we’re soul mates.”

Liam’s expression immediately brightened. “Does that mean that you are willing to accept the bond?” He sounded so hopeful.

Stephanie laughed, “You know what. I think I will, but we need to wait.”

“Wait,” Liam sounded confused, “What for?”

“Well, we’re still kids. When we turn eighteen, I’ll accept the bond officially, but I agree to be your soul mate,” Stephanie was secretly happy to make the claim.

“Okay,” Liam sounded a little sad, “That’s only two years,” Liam smiled, “I can do that. Do you want to do an elvish ceremony or a human one?”

“How about both?” Stephanie asked, hopeful.

Liam flashed a grin. “If that is what you want then I will be happy to.” He pulled her close and kissed her on the lips. Stephanie melted in his arms before the world around her changed again.

Suddenly, the pleasant sensation was gone, Liam was gone. She felt cold. Agony cut through her side as something struck her. She tried to move, but her arms and legs were bound tightly. She heard laughter and her vision cleared momentarily to see a man holding a large spear. The spear ripped through her right leg. The vision faded and was replaced with another person with another weapon. She couldn’t move through the seemingly endless torture. She couldn’t stop screaming in her fear and pain.

Aiden held Liam back from reaching Stephanie as she screamed in her unconscious state. This was far worse than her nightmares before her disappearance. Liam had already relocated Stephanie to her safehouse. She should be safe here, but he didn’t delude himself thinking that the building was secure. All that mattered was protecting Stephanie. Why was Aiden stopping him? “Let me through,” Liam growled. “You have no right to keep me from my soul mate when she is suffering.”

“Calm down, Liam,” Aiden hissed. “Nothing is wrong with her physically.”

“She is suffering,” Liam growled. “I should be there for her.”

“You are here for her, but you need to calm down and clean yourself up,” Aiden started.

Liam peeled off his ruined shirt and pulled on another from his bag on the couch. “Let me through,” Liam growled.

“You know, the professor’s idea might actually be right. She might have been captured by the Order,” Aiden sighed. “She might be remembering her captivity.”

“That’s exactly why I should be with her. I need to be there to comfort her,” Liam growled.

“She doesn’t remember you. You are essentially a stranger. Do you really think that you will be able to calm her down?”

Liam froze at his words. They were like a slap to the face. Stephanie didn’t remember him. She might never remember him. He could start over, but it was almost torturous. He had agreed to wait before, and she had disappeared and been tortured before she could fully acknowledge the bond. He wouldn’t lose her again. He would…shit. “You don’t want me to seal the bond impulsively,” Liam managed, realizing that he would have likely done just that a moment ago.

“I know she agreed before she disappeared, but she doesn’t have those memories so doing so would be the same as forcing the bond on someone without their consent,” Aiden said flatly.

Liam felt his stomach sink. No, he couldn’t do that to Stephanie. She didn’t understand what that meant, not really, not anymore. “What was I thinking?” Liam’s legs shook.

“You were thinking that you didn’t want to lose her. You want to protect her,” Aiden said gently. “It’s understandable. I do agree that you shouldn’t wait long to establish the bond properly, but you need her consent, otherwise it’s just a violation of trust.”

Liam nodded. “I’ll ask her soon,” he managed. If they had been bonded properly, he would have been able to locate her the moment she disappeared unless she died or cut the bond herself. The feeling would have been different, but he would have known where she was. He would have been able to rescue her. “Will you please let me be at my soul mate’s side now?” Liam begged. Her continuous screams were killing him inside. He wanted to hold her close, comfort her, calm her, protect her.

Aiden stepped aside. “Do you want me to see if I can block the part of her dream that is making her scream?”

Liam didn’t even consider it as he scowled. “No,” he growled. That was a great violation of trust. Aiden would have to experience the dream along with her to block the pain or fear she must be experiencing. Aiden didn’t have the right to poke around in Stephanie’s head. Aiden nodded grimly in response and gestured for him to pass.