This was one of those moments that changes the course of your life forever. Where you have to decide whether to be selfish, and turn away from everyone and everything that matters, or where you let go of all you ever wanted, and set out on a terrifyingly new journey. I’ve never been one to martyr myself, but I’ve never been selfish either. The air shuttered out of my lungs in a slow whoosh as the faces of the people I love, along with the faces of the nameless millions, flashed before my eyes.
I was terrified, but I really only had once choice. One chance. If in some way I could fix the damage I had done, repent to those that I hurt, and make it to where I'd never unknowingly hurt someone again, I had to do it. I took a deep breath, gathered whatever courage I had left, and faced Samantha. “Alright, I’ll do it.”
Even as I watched the relief seep into her body, I couldn’t help but wonder if there were two sides to me now. The perfect balance of darkness and light. Will the light that now resides in me be enough? Would I be enough to save those nameless millions? Or will the darkness consume me, making it my master?
To Be Continued…
Acknowledgements
Special thanks goes to the people who refused to let me quit (and who would push me till I gave this all that I had) Heather Hildenbrand, Patti Larsen, Jeremy Leinenbach, Misty Provencher and Frankie Rose.
A million thanks to my editor, Anna Gorman Coy, who dealt with me and my panic attacks from the beginning and who never stopped believing in me. I love you all and I wouldn't be here without you guys.
Awesome amounts of glitter and confetti to my Beta Readers: Jess Danowski, Felicia Tatum, Susan Burdorf, Heather Berrier, Mallory Thorpe, Tyeesha Webb, Dani Morales, Heather Hildenbrand and Patti Larsen.
And a mass shout out to my street team, who was more excited about the release than I was! Felicia Tatum, LP Dover, Heather Hildenbrand, Mallory Thorpe, Tasha Rae Ivey, Jess Danowski, Sirena Higgs, Katherine Eccleston, Raine Thomas, Anna Gorman Coy, Heather Berrier, Michele G. Miller, Adriane Boyd, Katie Mac, Sarah Ashley Jones, Amber Garr, Heather Robbins, Ali Hymer, Mercy Amare, Laura Howard and Tyeesha Webb.
CHAPTER ONE
OF
Blood Rule
By
Heather Hildenbrand
Listening to headphones at maximum volume with your back turned to the doorway is a fantastic way to get the crap scared out of you. Cambria had said those exact words this morning when she’d come up behind me and I’d dropped an entire gallon of milk on my kitchen floor.
In my tent reflecting on that incident, I felt a hand close over my shoulder. I screamed. In one violent move, I scrambled to my feet, ripped the headphones free and chucked them aside, and swung out with my fist.
Wes jerked back in time to avoid getting smacked.
“Geez. It’s just me,” he said, throwing up his hands.
I relaxed. “Sorry. You scared me.”
“Obviously.” He was fighting a grin—and losing. I stuck my tongue out.
He stood in front of me wearing nothing but a pair of jersey shorts, the drawstring untied. They were a little long but they fit around his hips. In a really yummy sort of way. My heart tripped over my diaphragm in my attempt to breathe evenly. “Where’d you find those?”
“George’s, I think. I’ll put them back when I leave.”
I backed up so Wes could fit into the small square of canvas that was mine in this chaotic communal space of woods. He reached back and closed the flap. The moment we were hidden from view, he pulled me into his arms and sank onto the pile of blankets so that I fell into his lap.
His mouth found mine in the middle of my laughter. “What is this for?”
“I haven’t seen you since yesterday. I missed you.”
“I missed you too.” I returned his kisses and wrapped my arms around his neck, enjoying the feel of his bare arms pressing against me.
We rarely shared moments like this anymore. Privacy was nonexistent. Nowhere, no matter how secluded, was without interruption. As proof, my cheeks flamed with the growing awareness in my mind. I jumped when the mental voice became audible.
“Gross, you guys. Get a room.”
Wes pulled free and glared at George in the doorway. “This one was working just fine until you showed up.”
“You act like I wasn’t here the whole time.” George pointed at his temple. From outside the tent, I heard someone snicker.
“Shut up, Derek,” Wes said, but that only made him laugh harder.
“George, you need a life,” I said.
George mopped his brow with a towel. “Don’t hate me because I choose a different method of calorie-burning.”
“We’re not the haters,” Wes muttered. I pretended not to hear.
George and Derek had taken up running on two legs right around the time they’d realized neither was faster than the other on four paws. They’d invited me along but I declined every time. No way was I getting in the midst of all that testosterone.
“You’re just mad I’m better at this than you are,” I shot back.
“Oooh.” Derek elbowed George in the ribs. “She would know, right?”
“Whatever.” George abruptly retreated only to reappear once more. “Dude,” he said, staring at Wes. “Are you wearing my shorts?”
“Maybe.”
George grinned like he’d just figured out the punch line of a really good joke. “Guess you’ve got all my hand-me-downs now.”
Wes picked up a bottle of water and sent it hurtling through the air but George was already gone. The sound of his and Derek’s laughter faded as they went.
I couldn’t stop my own giggle from escaping.
“What’s so funny?” Wes asked.
“The look on your face,” I said. “If looks could kill …”
“You shouldn’t be laughing. Your ex-boyfriend just called you a hand-me-down. It was an insult.”
I shrugged. “He just wanted to outwit you. He doesn’t really think that.”
“How do you—? Never mind.”
I smiled and pointed to my own temple. “Exactly. So, lighten up.”
“Forgive me if I get a little touchy that I spend most days with the other guys you’ve kissed.”
Guys. He’d said guys. Plural. Were we finally going to have this talk?
I sat back. “Where is this coming from? It’s just George. You know there’s nothing between us.”
“This bond is not nothing. I can’t even kiss you without him knowing. I might as well be kissing him.”
It was an old argument with no solution. While I knew it was a point of contention with us, I was determined to not let us fight about it. Not today. “Um, that would be awkward. Then he’d have my hand-me-downs.”
Wes pursed his lips. “You’re hilarious.”
I poked him in the ribs and his glare dissolved into an unwilling smile.
“I do what I can,” I said relieved he’d chosen to let it go.
I trailed kisses down the side of his face and felt his smile widen. When I got to his jaw, he turned his head so our lips met. I drew him closer and held on, letting the heat creep in. I still sensed frustration under the surface but I knew I couldn’t extinguish it completely. The bond bothered him just as much as it bothered me—maybe more. Unless it was broken, which was impossible aside from death, there was no getting rid of his frustration, not entirely.