Anatomy of a Nightmare by M J Marlow (best ebook reader android TXT) 📖

“She had a sister who looked a great deal like you once. Her name was Lily, too. The child was abducted from her mother’s house and found dead a week later.”
“Why are you lying to her?” Evelyn demanded as the guard forced her to a seat at the table. “What have you done to my sister?”
“Ken,” Quentin nodded to the man. “Take Lily to your room. She is looking a bit pale.”
“I don’t understand,” Lily cried as she met Evelyn’s panic-stricken eyes. “Why is she saying these things?”
“Come along, Lily,” Ken said to her. “It’s time to give you your vitamin shot.” He cupped her elbow in his hand and tried to make her leave. “Lily!”
She jumped and went with him. There was something going on here that was just not right, but Lily could not think what that could be. The young woman, Evelyn Grey had seemed quite convinced that she had known Lily. But Lily had no memory of her. She sat down in the lab and Ken gave her another treatment, a miniscule amount meant to take only the past two hours from her mind. She fell asleep instantly.
Evelyn was brought in as Ken carried Lily to her room. Evelyn was strapped down in the char and Ken fastened the IV line and the monitors. He smiled over at Marina as the woman stroked Evelyn’s cheek. Evelyn pulled away from her.
“How much time do you want taken from her, Marina?” Ken asked the woman.
“It will have to be two years,” Marina said as Evelyn looked at them both as if they were insane. “I want all knowledge of that man removed from her mind. That will take her back to the time when she was ready and willing to marry Quentin Caine.”
“You are insane, the pair of you,” Evelyn cried as she pulled on the straps. She saw the blue liquid coming down the IV line towards her vein. “Mother, please,” she pleaded with the woman, “don’t do this to me!”
“I’m sorry, darling,” Marina said to her, “but you would not listen to reason. I have to do this so you will have the life you were meant to have.”
“Mother!” Evelyn cried as the pain started. Marina bit her lip as the moans built until Evelyn was screaming and writhing in pain. Then Evelyn passed out cold and Ken carried her up to the main house and put her in the guest room next to Marina’s.
“You didn’t tell me that it would hurt her,” Marina frowned.
“It is the only pain the process will cause her,” Quentin said as he came into the room. “Tomorrow we will have the wedding. Lily will be her attendant.”
“I don’t want that bastard near my child,” Marina hissed.
“It is a necessary test, Marina,” Quentin assured her. “We need to see how well the process worked on Evelyn, don’t we?”

Lily helped Evelyn into her wedding gown and smiled at how beautiful the woman looked. She sighed and wondered when she would ever get married. She had an image of Julie Andrews from The Sound of Music and frowned. Women she didn’t know were in a room with this girl and she was marrying some other man. She felt her head pounding and struggled to clear her mind.
“Mr. Caine is a very lucky man,” Lily smiled as she looked at Evelyn. “You are a very pretty bride, Miss Grey.”
“Thank you, Lily,” Evelyn smiled at her new best friend. She looked at the blue silk gown Lily was wearing. “You are quite lovely yourself. I’m certain all the single men at the wedding will be falling all over themselves to meet you.” There was a knock on the door.
“That’s your cue, Lily,” Marina nodded to her. “Nicolae Tarus is the best man so he will escort you up the aisle to the arch.”
Lily picked up the bouquet Diona had made and went outside. Nico was waiting for her, his dark good look enhanced by the cream linen suit he was wearing with a cream colored shirt and a tie the same color as her dress. He ran his eyes over her and he smiled in a way that sent a chill up Lily’s spine. He offered his arm to her and she had to take it.
“You should be the bride, Lily,” Nico said to her as they went up the aisle to the arch set up in front of the fountain in the gardens. “I have never seen a more radiant creature in my life.”
“You will,” Quentin smiled as Nico took his place. “Watch.”
The Wedding March began and Evelyn came down the aisle on Ken’ arm. Her face was glowing with happiness as she saw Quentin. She joined him in front of the altar and Lily was enchanted as she listened to the simple ceremony. She found herself wishing she was the one getting married.
Quentin kissed his bride and they went inside for the reception. He toasted his bride and she beamed up at him. He nodded to Diona and the village woman slipped a drug into Lily’s wine. The girl drank it oblivious to what was about to occur to her. When he saw the confusion on Lily’s face, he turned to Ken.
“To my oldest friend, Ken Crawford,” he smiled. “There is nothing you do not have, my friend,” he said as he raised his glass, “now that Lily is going to be your bride.”
“What?” Lily choked and looked at Quentin. “That is not funny!”
“I was not joking, Lily.” Quentin said to her. “You and Ken are getting married.”
“NO!” Lily go to her feet and tried to leave. Ken’s hand clamped down on her arm and he led her towards the hall. “It’s too much! You’re giving me no time to think!”
“She is not stable, Ken,” Quentin frowned. He nodded to Ken. “She’s remembering something. You’ll have to give her another treatment.”
“NO!” Lily hissed as she slapped him across the face. She dodged his blow and this threw him off balance. He lost his grip on her arm and she ran out of the house.
“How delightful!” Nico laughed as he met Quentin’s eyes. “A hunt!” He smiled at Evelyn who was too bemused with Quentin to understand what was going on. “Does the man who catches her get to bed the little wildcat?”
“Lily is mine!” Ken snapped. He took off after Lily before Nico could. He could see the darker color of her gown against the lighter tree trunks. He patted his pocket and felt the silk scarves he had put there in anticipation of his pursuit if the pretty girl. He saw her heading in the direction of the lake and he quickened his pace. But when he got there, she was nowhere to be seen.
“Hush,” Gregory whispered in her ear as he held her behind the waterfall, his hand over her mouth. “Unless you want to go back to him?” Lily shook her head and he smiled. They watched Ken move off and waited a few more moments. Then he took her hand in his and led her into the jungle where a group of men and women was waiting. “Lily Randall,” he introduced her. “We’re here to rescue Miss Grey.”
“Rescue her?” Lily repeated, puzzled. “But she came here to marry Quentin.”
“Did she?” Gregory sniffed. “When you met her last night at dinner, didn’t she call you by name and get angry when she realized you didn’t know her?”
“Yes, she did,” Lily replied. Her eyes were burning and tearing now and things were getting fuzzy. “Her mother explained that. She said she was delusional and thought I was her dead sister.” She could see the looks on their faces and knew they knew something she had not been told. “I knew it! Something bad is going on here.”
“We need to get to the lab,” a shorter, rounder man with pale blue eyes and the darkest hair Lily had ever seen spoke up after a moment. “Do you know a way around the house where we won’t be seen?”
“I was never allowed to explore the grounds,” Lily told him honestly. “Ken told me it wasn’t safe. The villagers have strange ideas about visitors.” She suddenly stumbled and her vision blinked out. “Oh God,” she cried out in dismay. “I can’t see!”
“Calm down, Miss Randall,” Dave said as he guided her to a rock. “We’re going to leave you here with our medic.” He could see her panicking. “The rest of us need to get to the lab.”
Lily heard only a rustling that could have been the wind moving the leaves and then she was alone with someone she did not know and could not see. She jumped as that person put a cup in her hands. She sipped at the contents and smiled as she tasted the tea. The warm liquid calmed her down a bit and she put her mind to her problem. Why had she gone blind? Surely if it was connected to the illness she had suffered it would have happened earlier?
She was so deep in thought that she didn’t hear the branch crack nearby. The man who had remained with her did and he pulled his gun and turned in that direction. A moment later he felt a sting and looked down to see a dart in his arm.
“Run!” he yelled as he yanked Lily to her feet and took off with her. He made it only a few yards before he stumbled and fell on his face. Lily fell with him and she sat up, shaken and confused. She felt him and knew he was in trouble.
“Wake up,” she cried as she shook him. She heard movement around her and felt around for a weapon. She found a branch and held it like a bat, waiting to be attacked.
“Put it down, Lily,” Ken spoke up from behind her. She whirled and the branch missed him by only an inch. “You’ll hurt someone with that, girl.”
“That’s the point,” Lily snapped at him. “I am not going to let you turn me into a vegetable.”
“Hardly that, dear,” Ken laughed at her. “You are being given a chance to grow up all over again in a new culture.” He grabbed the branch and ripped it out of her hands. He whistled and she heard people moving in around her. Someone grabbed her wrists and bound them with something like leather. “The girl is my bride. Have Diona prepare her for me. The man is an outlander and is not important. Leave him where he fell.”
“I am not marrying you!” Lily protested as she was yanked away. “Let me go!” She tripped and her arm was nearly pulled out of its socket as the man holding her yanked her back. “I can’t see!” she sobbed when he slapped her and shoved her forward only to cause her to fall again.
“You’re blind?” Ken hissed as he came up to her. He looked at her eyes and they looked unharmed, but she would hardly lie about this. He would need more light to see properly. “You’ll be much easier to contain that way,” he laughed as he hefted her over his shoulder.
“Put me down, you bastard!” Lily screamed as they carried her off.
Ken laughed and kept right on walking. He had known the moment he saw this girl that he would make her his. His drugs had been designed for that purpose and he was quite pleased at how well they had worked on her. But this blindness worried him. It was obviously a side effect of the second dose. He would have to remember to warn Caine about that.

Gregory hurried back to