Memory: Book Two (Scars 2) Read Online Free PDF

down again. I struggled, panicking as I
choked on the water I was held in.
    I
was going to drown.
    I
was going to die.
    After
everything, I was going to die here, now .
    By
the hair, I was painfully pulled out of the surf, choking and spluttering.
“C’mon, now,” said a voice. That grip never lessened and my scalp burned. Fingers
dug into my arm as I was pulled to my feet. I managed to twist my head to look
at my rescuer, or killer.
    “Ryan?”
I croaked, my mouth raw with salt and sand.
    “The
very one, baby.” He grinned with that mouthful of perfect teeth, but there was
nothing friendly there, nor was there the lust of before. His icy blue eyes
seemed to be filled with mirth as well, as if this all amused him. There were
shouts, gunshots, but it all sounded terribly far away, and I couldn’t tear my
eyes away from him.
    “What’s
happening?” I rasped, staring at him. The joy on his face made me feel more
fear than Fenella’s mangled head had before.
    He
lowered his head down, almost like he was going to kiss me, but instead he
whispered, “Payback.” His arm swung around my throat, pulling me to him, and
holding me tighter. “Just try to relax and it won’t hurt too much.” Then he was
crushing my throat and I struggled, and soon stopped when I realized that I
couldn’t breathe anymore and everything went black.
    In
the darkness, Finn and I were hiking along a trail. It was a bright blue day,
but everything was darker than it should have been. I lifted my head to the
sky, expecting to see rain clouds on the horizon but there was nothing.
    “Why
is it so dark?” I asked Finn who walked ahead of me. He turned and grinned at
me, but it wasn’t Finn, it was Ryan. With one rough push, he shoved me over the
edge, and I fell, tumbling and turning as I plummeted down to the rocks below.
My body shattered, and all I could feel was the cold…I was so fucking cold…
    I
woke up with a gasp. I was sitting but my hands were pinned above my head and
tied to whatever it was that I was leaning against. My arms were stiff. How
long had I been like this? I still wore the dress, and it was damp and no
longer white. A shiver went through my body — I had never been so cold in my
life. I yanked at my bindings, desperate to free my hands so I could hug myself
and warm my skin, but there was no give.
    The
room was dark, but a sliver of light came from under the door and I heard
voices but couldn’t make out what they were saying as much as I strained to
hear. I laughed crazily; it was a weird sound. This was ironic; how many times
in one’s life did they end up trapped, kidnapped…whatever the fuck was going
on. This is what happened when you hung around with bad people, I reasoned as
another maniacal laugh escaped from me. This is what happened when you were
born to —
    The
door swung open, letting in shards of light from beyond where the silhouette
stood in the doorway. He stepped inside, heavy boots making a surprisingly
light noise on the wooden floor. I shivered, not because of him, but because of
the cold. I wouldn’t be shivering in fear anymore; what was the point? It never
moved them and they would never take pity on me. I was done being the weak,
pathetic maiden. Whatever they were about to inflict on me — let them. Would
they be worse than Aaron or his uncle? And where was Aaron? Dead? My mouth
twisted slightly at the thought, but then I straightened and lifted my chin to
meet the eyes of Ryan.
    He
crouched down beside me. “Cold?”
    I
didn’t answer.
    “It’s
a shame about your pretty dress,” he continued. “I would have preferred to have
you naked, but I think that there’s something poetic about having you wearing
something cold in a freezing room, the cold taking over your whole body, you
shivering, turning a nice shade of blue…” He ran his hand over the bodice of my
dress, and I didn’t even flinch away. I’ve had worse. Whatever you do to me,
I can handle it.
    He
grinned. “Look at