Abide: An Awakened Fate Novella (11 page)
It hurt too much to hold his gaze and, with a pained expression, I looked away.
My gaze fell on my bag.
“You are,” I said. I reached into it and pulled out the knife belt.
He paused. “You brought it.”
“I’ll be safe,” I said as I looped the belt around my waist. “Granddad will protect me.”
Egan looked like he still wanted to protest.
I reached up, resting a hand on his face. “I’ll be safe,” I repeated softly. “And we’ll go visit that canyon soon.”
He put his hand to mine, and his eyes didn’t leave me. “I’ll hold you to that.”
I nodded. It was all I could do. Words were escaping me.
Granddad moved off in the water. My breath catching, I pulled my hand away, hating the loss of the warmth of Egan’s skin.
I started after my grandfather.
“Ina!”
I looked back. Egan swam after me, struggling through the water with pain clear on his face. As he came closer, his hands grabbed mine, bringing me near to him again.
He kissed me, hard and desperate and, for a moment, everything went away.
And then he pulled back.
“I love you,” he said.
A shiver ran through my body at the words.
But I wasn’t scared. Not anymore.
“I love you too.”
A smile spread across his face, relieved and amazed all at the same time.
“Ina,” my grandfather called.
“Come back to me,” Egan whispered.
I nodded. “I will.”
He let me go. I swam toward Granddad, glancing over my shoulder to Egan as I went.
His smile remained, though sadness touched it now. Behind him, the villagers were approaching, one of them looking like a physician.
And then the veil passed around me and he was lost from view.
A breath left me.
“You with me, poppet?” Granddad asked.
“Yeah.” My voice was choked. I swallowed hard. “Yeah, I’m coming.”
I pulled my gaze forward and followed him, leaving Egan behind.
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Other titles
The Children and the Blood trilogy
(published under the name Megan Joel Peterson)
About the author
Skye Malone is a fantasy and paranormal romance author, which means she spends most of her time not-quite-convinced that the things she imagines couldn't actually exist.
Born and raised in central Illinois, she hopes someday to travel the world – though in the meantime she’ll take any story that whisks her off to a place where the fantastic lives inside the everyday. She loves strong and passionate characters, complex villains, and satisfying endings that stay with you long after the book is done. An inveterate writer, she can’t go a day without getting her hands on a keyboard, and can usually be found typing away while she listens to all the adventures unfolding in her head.
Skye also writes young adult urban fantasy as Megan Joel Peterson and is the author of The Children and the Blood trilogy.
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Blurb
Life in her underwater home of Nyciena has always been fun and games to Ina Ociras, until now. Her brothers are missing. Her father is gone. The adventurous party girl is fighting just to keep her family from falling apart, all while avoiding Egan, the guy who committed the one crime she can’t possibly forgive.
But when she receives a message that changes everything, Ina suddenly finds herself embroiled in a conspiracy more horrifying than she could have imagined. One that strikes at the heart of her kingdom, and one that could destroy her family once and for all.
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