House Of Gods 9 - Samantha Snow Page 0,4

to make sure everything was as it should be, which it was. Kemma was recovered and healthy; the humans were back to their regular, supernatural-free rat race as they bustled around the city, leading blissfully ignorant little lives; but inside the apartment, there was a new threat, and no one knew how to win against it. Hours had passed since Brandt had used his magic to save them and everything Brenna had tried to do in an attempt to jog his memory, had failed.

“I think you need to just give him time,” Helia said to her.

“Do not tell me what to do!” Brenna screamed.

“Easy,” Jerrik said as he tried to calm Brenna by putting his hand on the small of her back.

“Don’t touch me,” she said as she pushed him away. Then she paused and put her face into her hands to cry.

“It’s okay,” Jerrik said. He wrapped his arms around her and held her as she leaned against his chest and sobbed. “We’ll get him back, Brenna,” he whispered. “I promise.”

She lifted her head and nodded as she wiped her tears. Then she went to the refrigerator to get some food and water to take to Brandt. He was exhausted and starving; the exertion of all that power took a toll on the body, even an immortal one.

“I can take that to him if you want,” Jerrik offered. He knew that seeing Brandt look at her without recognizing her was as painful as daggers to the heart.

“No, it’s okay. I want to do it.” She took the plate of cheese and crackers and a bottle of water, then grabbed the nearly empty bottle of whiskey from the counter.

“Do you think he needs that?” Jerrik asked.

“No,” she said. “But I do.” With that, she walked down the hall toward Brandt’s bedroom. When she reached his closed door, she stopped.

They had been through many things together, and they had always found a way back to each other. Even most recently, when she was lost to the dark abyss of the Hole and feared that she would never be able to get back to him, she did. This was nothing more, she told herself. It was nothing they couldn’t overcome. Still, it felt like something more, much more. How could they get back to each other if he didn’t even know who she was? She had become well-versed in battling enemies she could see, even when she wished she couldn’t see how horrific they were. But how was she supposed to fight against this? This was a battle inside his head, and she didn’t have access to it.

She had tried talking to him about moments from the past that she thought sure would spark his memory. She tried touching him and kissing him. She let everyone else have a turn at trying to do something they thought would work. But nothing worked. He didn’t remember any of them, not her, not their daughter. She asked Tara to communicate with Tannin, which sounded ridiculous, but she was out of options. But Tara said the baby was just as lost about what had caused it as the rest of them were. Lopt’s answer was the most viable; that Brandt had pushed his power to the point of no return when he entered the minds of so many people at once, and that in doing so, it had cost him his own memories. The question was, how were they supposed to get him back?

She summoned her strength and her fake smile, and after knocking lightly, she pushed open the door and went inside. “Hey,” she said, looking artificially pleasant. “I thought you might be hungry.”

Brandt may not have been himself, and he may not have remembered who she was, but he was still astute enough to see that she had been crying.

“I’ve upset you, haven’t I,” he said. “I’m sorry that I don’t know who you are. I’m trying to remember, but everything is just a glaringly blank slate.”

“It’s okay,” she said. She kept her eyes down on the cheese plate so she wouldn’t burst into tears. “I’m sure your memory will return soon.” Saying it felt like a lie, but she didn’t know why.

“Thank you,” he said as he took the plate of food from her hand. He set it down on the table beside them.

“Aren’t you hungry?” she asked.

“I’m more hungry for answers than for food.”

“What answers do you want?”

“Did we love each other?” he asked her.

The words hurt her so much that