Read Online Unforgiven by Stephanie Erickson - Free Book Online

them for another. But those are lessons for another day. Today, I want you to tell me what went wrong.”
    I hadn’t really considered that something had ‘gone wrong’ as Tracy put it. To me, I made it past all of her defenses. That had been my only goal, and I hadn’t given any consideration to what might be past that. But when I thought back to the moment I was torn from Tracy’s mind, I knew immediately why my time inside her mind had ended with that memory.
    “I was upset.” That about summed it up.
    “Upset?” She frowned at me, as if she were unfamiliar with the emotion.
    “By your sister’s death.”
    “I see.” She hesitated before moving on, as if searching for just the right way to help me. “Mackenzie, the people we hunt will have far more disturbing things locked away in the corners of their minds. You must guard your heart against whatever you may see, or you will be found. If you are found inside the enemy’s mind, you could be lost to us forever. Worse, the things they would do to you would make whatever you had seen seem like child’s play.” Concern etched lines around her eyes. “I fear this may be your fatal flaw. Sympathy.”
    I snorted. “It could’ve been empathy if they hadn’t hurt Maddie.”
    Her eyes narrowed. “Be careful of your grief. I think you’ll find vengeance a terribly unsatisfying path to follow.”
    “How do you know? You never pursued your sister’s killer.” I clapped my hand over my mouth. My tone was judgmental and almost accusatory. “I’m sorry. I don’t know where that came from.”
    “Yes. And that’s why I advised you to be careful of your grief. It can turn on you in a flash.”
    Leaning forward, she rested her elbows on her knees. “Today, I want you to try again. I want you to show me that you can maintain your control and successfully worm all the way into my mind. But…” Her eyes turned deadly. “If you so much as breathe a word about anything you find there, I will personally flay you.”
    Swallowing hard, I nodded. “I wasn’t aware you knew how to do that.”
    “I would learn,” she said, her voice low and menacing. In response to my nod, she said, “Let’s get to work.”
    “Tracy, I…” I hesitated, uncomfortable with the arrangement. “Couldn’t we do this exercise with someone else? That way you could guide me along. And your secrets wouldn’t keep me awake at night.” Hopefully, I could choose someone whose secrets weren’t as heavy as Tracy’s, though I knew too well that everyone had some kind of darkness in their past. The muted sound of the gunshot that had killed her sister echoed in the back of my mind, making me shudder.
    “No. It should be just the two of us.” But she didn’t say why; she just quirked her brow and gave me an expectant look.
    Apparently, the discussion was closed, so I figured I’d better suck it up and get to work.
    This time, I found my way to her wall much more quickly. I also worked my way through her memories faster, trying not to stay too interested or focused on any one thing. It helped me make better progress, and it also saved me from learning anything else that might haunt me.
    When it came to watching her sister get shot again, I still couldn’t guard myself against the force of the memory. It was too much, too needlessly violent, too heart wrenching. So I focused on maintaining my control instead. Tears streamed down my face as I worked past that brick in the wall. Birthdays, school days, summers, vacations… I watched all of it stream past until I finally found myself in a dark space. I didn’t want to call it a room, because I could see neither the walls nor the floor. My feet rested on darkness, and it also surrounded me. But somehow, I could see myself clearly, as if some dim, unknown light source hung over my head. I searched for it above me, but there was nothing there.
    “Tracy?” I called, not sure what to do or where I was.
    She’s done it. I heard her, but it