Once I Remember

Tara Ingham

Description

Mina remembers everything, and she's pissed. Months have passed since Mina Hurley regained her memories after being horrifically murdered and waking to find herself risen as a revenant, and Veronica, the fisher responsible, is still in the wind. But not for much longer, if she has a say in the matter, as one of Veronica's most trusted delivers the news she's been desperate and terrified to hear. With the hunter Jethro at her side, her pursuit for justice pulls her across oceans and into the path of magic she never could have imagined, forcing her to question who she is, who she is becoming and where her loyalties truly lie.

Sujets

• Fantasy (canción de Mariah Carey)
• Fantasy

Informations

• Publié par: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Date de parution: 29 mars 2019
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781528960205
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Once I Remember
Tara Ingham
Austin Macauley Publishers
2019-03-29
Once I Remember About the Author Dedication Copyright Information Acknowledgement Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24
About the Author
Australian author Tara Ingham began writing at 14, quickly developing a love for the written word. She went on to undertake a tertiary writing course in 2010 and then study creative writing and literature at university. After graduating in 2014, Tara completed her fourth full manuscript and began editing on a casual basis, publishing her debut novel, Once I Rise , in 2018.
Dedication
For my siblings, whom I trust above all others to stand with me against life’s adversity.
Copyright Information
Copyright © Tara Ingham (2019)
The right of Tara Ingham to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.
Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.
ISBN 9781528912679 (Paperback)
ISBN 9781528912686 (Kindle e-book)
ISBN 9781528960205 (ePub e-book)
www.austinmacauley.com
First Published (2019)
Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd
25 Canada Square
Canary Wharf
London
E14 5LQ
Acknowledgement
Thank you to the team at Austin Macauley, who have diligently answered my many (likely unnecessary and panic-written) emails throughout the process and have given me the opportunity to share my stories with the world.
As always, thank you to my family, who constantly bombard me with questions and drown me in support, keeping my motivation at a high (and refusing to let me slack off even if I wanted to). A special mention goes out to my sister, Sharna, for being the first to read and offer feedback, despite having no idea what was happening until she’d read the first book too.
Also, thanks to my friends, both new and old, who I have bounced ideas off, oftentimes by interrupting their conversation to ask their thoughts. I’d like to offer a special mention to Jasmine, whom I have been discussing everything about books and writing with for so long, I can’t remember when it started. And Leisha, who has supported me from an ocean away since I first started writing all those years ago. A final mention goes out to Ben, who I promised to acknowledge after 7 years of friendship and countless hours of conversation, during which I spent copious portions rambling nonsensically about my novels.
Thank you all for coming along for the ride, and I hope you enjoy reading Once I Remember as thoroughly as I enjoyed writing it.
Chapter 1
Mina bent at the waist, her hands rested on shaking knees as she tried to hear past the gasping echoes of her own laboured breathing.
“Strike. Again!” Jet barked as she rose to height, and he deflected the kick she aimed at his side, moving to catch the next attack with ease. “You’re too damned predictable, darlin’,” he scolded while Mina pouted at him, twisting her wrist to try and break his hold.
“How am I meant to beat you, anyway?” she grumbled breathily, sweat running down her neck. “We’ve been doing this for months and I still can’t land a blow.”
Jet frowned and dropped her arm, circling her, “If I was Veronica, do ya think I’d let ya win?”
Mina grimaced at the name, fighting the urge to follow his circling, attempting to follow his progress by the sound of his footfalls. Even after all these months, the name of the woman who had tortured and killed her still made her skin crawl.
“No,” she conceded.
Jet nodded, taking a half step back as he came to stand in front of her again. He swung at Mina without warning and she grunted, barely blocking the blow as she struggled to push his hulking arm back and dodge his other arm as it hooked around.
“Fight back!” he yelled as she continued ducking and weaving.
“Fine!” she shouted, agitated by his taunting. Spinning low, she tried to knock his legs out from under him and staggered slightly on the recoil.
Jet jumped, avoiding her swing with unnatural ease for someone so enormous.
Mina cursed his hunter reflexes and pushed up, attempting to swing at his kidney as she did so. Jet simply caught her arm again and tossed her across the mat for what felt like the hundredth time.
“Is that the best ya can do?” he drawled, Texan accent thick and menacing.
Mina groaned as she picked herself up, certain she’d be bruised and was grateful for her revenant healing. Being the risen dead did have some advantages.
With a snarl she lunged at him again, feinting to the side before spinning into a kick aimed at his ribs.
Jet caught her leg and used it to toss her away again, smirking, “There’s the fire.”
Mina met his bright blue eyes with a glare, his antagonism darkening her already low mood as she charged, swinging her elbow at his ribs while she caught his wrist, attempting to drag his mountainous form down. Instead, Jet used her grip to haul her up, tossing her over his arm and pinning her to the ground as though she weighed nothing.
Mina panted and tried to wriggle free, while Jet casually leaned with his heavy arm across her chest and a wolfish grin on his face.
“Better. Ya almost got me this time.”
Still wriggling, Mina grunted, “Almost isn’t good enough.”
Jet couldn’t disagree, but shrugged anyway, “It is for now.”
Mina glared at him as he released her, standing back to offer her a hand. She took it begrudgingly, muttering a thankyou when he tossed her a towel, and she started wiping down her sweat-soaked skin as her chest heaved, and she tried to regain her breath.
Jet moved to one of the machines, maxing out the weight capacity before he started working, pulling the weight like it barely existed.
Mina watched with a thoughtful frown and wondered how she’d ended up befriending the most lethal creature she’d ever met.
Shaking the thought, she grabbed a bottle of water and sat on the machine opposite him with no intention of using it, “Have you heard anything new about her?”
Jet paused, holding the bar at his chest height before slowly letting it draw back up and regaining his rhythm. “Not much. Like I told ya thousand times darlin’, she went dark. Knew we’d be after ’er. She’ll resurface ’ventually.”
Mina slouched, elbows on her knees. “I’m just so tired of waiting...”
“Be glad of it,” Jet cut her off with a stern glance, “You ain’t ready to face ’er yet, girl. She’d put ya in a world of pain.”
Mina tossed him a sardonic glare, “Thanks for the encouragement. Much appreciated.”
“You’re most welcome,” Jet responded with a grin as Mina rolled her eyes and stood, turning towards the door.
“I should get going. If I don’t get back before they wake up they’ll be suspicious.”
“Give the Friar and Mister Headless my love.”
Mina shook her head, tossing the towel into a laundry basket by the door and coolly walked out of the gym, calling back, “Always do.”
It had been almost a year since she’d awoken to find herself lost and alone with no recollection of who she was. Just a scared little girl running through a forest, only to find herself trapped in a tower with mad men.
A bitter smirk ran across her face as she remembered the fear and how the elevator caused her anxiety. Such things seemed insignificant since she’d been kidnapped and tortured, triggering the return of her memories and the harsh realisation that it was the second time the same woman had done it to her.
Veronica. A fisher without honour. Like all hunters, she was compelled to hunt and kill revenants like Mina. The innocent who had died horrific, unjust deaths and risen to right those wrongs. But unlike others of her kind, Veronica was willing to murder innocent humans to use as bait.
This had ultimately been her undoing when she failed to stop Mina from rising. Pressing the button to floor fifteen, Mina smirked.
In trying to kill a revenant, Veronica only succeeded in creating the only true immortal in existence.
Mina was still smirking when the bell tolled, letting her out on floor fifteen and she strolled to door eight, unlocking it so carefully she didn’t make a sound.
Creeping in, she eased the door closed, glancing around the silver-blue light of the apartment to ascertain it was still, Johnathan and Wyatt shut sleeping in their rooms. With a relieved sigh, she took a moment to enjoy the view over the city, the solid glass panel that made up the living room wall providing the most magnificent view. Watching the first rays of light peak over the city, Mina collected her clothes, heading to the bathroom to remove the evidence of her extracurricular activities.
Emerging from the bathroom dragging a chain of steam behind her, Mina towel dried her hair as she made her way to the kitchen, aware the boys would soon be up.
Moving through the dark kitchen, she collected a bowl and some muesli, setting everything on the bench as she collected it.
“You were up early.”
Mina jumped, almost dropping the spoon she’d just collected as Wyatt’s voice sounded behind her. She turned to see his sleepy form slouched at the dining table, his warm brown eyes measuring her with curiosity.
“Yeah…” she said slowly, “I was in the gym.”
“Ah ha,” Wyatt nodded, running a hand through his floppy, sandy blond hair as he sat forward, “and that’s why you haven’t been telling Johnathan that you’re sneaking out every morning,” he said disbelievingly while Mina crossed her a