It’d sounded easy enough while Dia was explaining it all but I was beginning to reconsider my first impression.
Dia scowled. "Are you paying attention to what you're anchoring to?"
I shrugged. "Not really. Why?" My goal was to get in and out as quickly as possible. What I anchored to in Inarus’ mind wasn't all that significant so long as I was in the memory.
She smacked herself in the face and then glowered at me like I was an idiot. "Don't you think that might be important?" Her voice was condescending and I fought the urge to lash out with my own verbal barrage.
I furrowed my brows and chanced a glance at Declan—who did everything he could to appear uninterested. No help there.
"No. Why would it be?"
She heaved an exasperated breath. "Let me explain this again. Slower so you can understand."
I pressed my lips into a thin line. If she didn’t watch her tone, I was going to punch her after all. She was lucky the room was empty save for Declan and I. Had anyone else in the Pack been present I would have been forced to meet her challenge.
She wasn’t doing it on purpose. Challenging me at every turn. But in a shifters eyes, she would be. I had to be conscious of how I was perceived and like Declan, I couldn’t allow anyone to disrespect me or my authority. She didn’t know that, I reminded myself.
So I let it slide. For now.
"You need to find six anchor points in Inarus’ mind to pull him out. Those six points will connect you two for anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, depending on how strong they are. For the sake of pulling Inarus out of this coma, the stronger the better, meaning you need to find strong memories or emotions to grab on to. In the same respect, the stronger those anchors are, the longer the connections will take to fade, so you need to choose carefully. Once Inarus wakes up, you'll have access to those pieces of his mind at will."
"I would never invade—"
She held up a hand. "It doesn't matter whether you would or not. You might—subconsciously even. The possibility makes him all too aware of what you're anchoring to.”
Dia chewed her lower lip. “The problem is you have limited potential anchors. You can only anchor to memories or emotions that relate to you. Had I been the one doing this, I have a lifetime of childhood memories to grab on to. You and Inarus have a few months worth."
And not all of them were pretty. There wasn’t anything that could be done about that. "I'll be more careful."
"Good. Now get in there and bring my brother out."
I took a deep breath but before I closed my eyes, Declan reached out and placed a hand on my shoulder. Looked like he wasn’t going to continue his streak of indifference after all.
I reached up to grasp his fingers, the warmth of his hand giving me an added measure of confidence.
"It'll be okay," I said in what I hoped was a reassuring tone. Emotions reverberated down the mate bond. Annoyance. Frustration. A hint of desperation.
Our relationship was new and Inarus had once been a threat. I couldn’t blame Declan for how he felt. If I were a better person I would take a moment to ease his concerns. But I had no idea how to do that, so instead, I smiled up at him in a way I hoped exuded confidence in both the task at hand, and in us.
There wasn’t much more I could do.
He leaned down and kissed my forehead. “If you need me, I'm here."
Ever the supportive mate.
He deserved better than me.
Selfishly, I didn’t care.
He was mine.
I closed my eyes and reach out for Inarus's mind again.
This time, he let me in without question. “Over here. Anchor to this memory.” He guided me through his mind. It was a sea of vivid colors. Threads connected from one point to the next in an intricate web. I wondered how he managed to pinpoint what he was looking for.
He led me to the moment we first met.
He’d been a stranger in my apartment complex hallway. An attractive stranger, but a stranger nonetheless. The hairs on the back of my neck had stood on end and my internal alarm system had been blaring.
From his perspective, I’d been pretty but not beautiful. He'd been surprised I managed to pique his interest.
I was a mark. He might pursue me for a time but he had a job to do and he wouldn’t allow any potential interest he had in me to interfere with his job.
My self-esteem took a hit and a feeling of betrayal washed over me.
It was illogical but the feeling still gnawed at the pit of my stomach.
“I’m sorry. I don't still—”
“It's fine.” I shoved my emotions down. This was an anchor Inarus had picked to show me. An easier memory for him to share. The next one would likely be less enjoyable.
Something to look forward to.
I sank into the memory and anchored myself to it the way Dia taught me.
The memory and Inarus's emotions related to it washed over me.
Guilt. Regret. Shame.
“Why?”
“I’m not that person anymore.”
I smiled. “No, you're not.”
I couldn't see his expression. Not on the mental plane. But a part of me imagined him nodding.
“Come on. Here's the next one.”
The second and third anchors were easy to connect to. Mild and insignificant memories
