Fallen
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Five
Chapter Forty-Six
Chapter Forty-Seven
Chapter Forty-Eight
Chapter Forty-Nine
Chapter Fifty
Chapter Fifty-One
Chapter Fifty-Two
Chapter Fifty-Three
Chapter Fifty-Four
Copyright © 2013 by K.R. Martin
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without written permission from the author, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages for review purposes. The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the author is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.
For my husband, who not only sacrificed time away from me while I wrote this book, but also had to be Mr. Mom while doing so. I’ve never seen someone look so hot while changing a dirty diaper. Love you, babe.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thank you to Nevaeh, over at
Nevaeh’s New Adult Book Blog
, for being an awesome beta reader. Her book reviews are hilarious, with a touch of snark. Go check her out!
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
"
" denotes change in character POV
PART I
Chapter One
Saturday, December 19
th
Potomac Ridge, VA
EMILY
Thomas’s breath fogged as it left him. “You sure you’re up for this?”
I nodded, squinting as I put on my sunglasses. The sky was overcast and gray—a typical winter’s day—but everything was just so damn bright with my new acute vision.
“What do you want to try first?”
I shrugged as my eye’s sensitivity ebbed. I looked around, amazed at the tiny details I’d missed all these years. “I don’t know. I’m kind of…overwhelmed.”
He took my hand in his, walking us to the edge of his back yard where the clearing met the forest. Letting me go, he bent down and picked up a rock the size of his fist. I watched with fascination as he held it out in his palm, then wrapped his fingers around it and squeezed, effortlessly crushing it. Fine, gray powder slipped through his fingers as smaller fragments broke off and fell out of his hand.
“Wow.” I knew Thomas was strong, but damn. I stepped closer to him as he opened his fist, the dust blowing away with the wind.
He picked up a smaller rock, maybe half the size of the one he’d just obliterated, and held it out to me. He grinned and said, “Wanna try?”
“Yeah,” I said, smiling as I eagerly took the rock in my hand. It fit neatly in my palm.
I felt silly and excited all at the same time. Silly, because I was about to try and crush a rock with my bare hands, and excited because I knew I could.
My fingers closed around the rough, gray rock in my palm, careful not to put any pressure on it yet. I anxiously glanced up at Thomas, who gave me an encouraging smile. I looked back down to my hand and squeezed, feeling the rock crumble in my hand as if it were nothing more than chalk. The dust and powder fell through the cracks of my fingers, floating away with the breeze. I opened my hand, letting the remaining powder float away, and smiled wide as I looked up to Thomas. “I want a bigger rock.”
He laughed. “All right,” he said, stepping into the woods to find a larger rock. A few seconds later, he returned with one and my mouth dropped open as my eyes grew wide. The rock was huge. It was roughly the size of a beach ball, and he carried it with ease. “Try this one,” he said, placing the rock—nay,
boulder
—in both my hands.
I half-expected to crumple under its massive weight, but it felt as light as a basketball. I tossed it up in the air, laughing as I caught it with one hand.
Thomas rolled his eyes and smiled. “Show off.”
“Okay.” I exhaled slowly, placing my hands on the sides of the rock. Excitement thrummed through me as I drew in a deep breath and pushed. With a loud crunch, the rock collapsed into millions of shards and dust.
Thomas nodded in approval. “Not too shabby.” He stepped behind me, pressing his body against mine as he wrapped his arms around my stomach. “What now?”
My nostrils flared as his sugary sweet scent enveloped me, and I froze, terrified of what my body’s reaction might mean.
He turned me around and cupped my face, his heart rate spiking. “You okay?” Worry creased his brows.
I nodded, my eyes dropping down to his lips, then his neck, to the vein pulsing ever so slightly just under his skin. It was hypnotic, this little blue vein that seemed to beat only for me, calling out,
Em-il-y
,
Em-il-y
.
“Em?”
I sucked in a quick breath and tore my eyes away, looking up at Thomas. “What?”
His gaze dropped as he released me. “Look, if you need to—”
“I
don’t
,” I said, scowling as I brushed past him to head inside. I didn’t want to hear it anymore. I wouldn’t let Thomas martyr himself for me. End of story.
* * *
My heart thundered as the phone rang. I
so
did not want to be making this phone call. My mom was going to
freak
.
The line clicked, and a muted rushing sound filled the background. “Hey, sweetie.” She was driving. I could even hear the car commercial playing on her radio.
“Hi.” My mouth went dry, and I suddenly didn’t know how to continue.
“Are you and Thomas ready to come out and see us? I’m dying to meet him.”
“Uh, yeah.” I frowned and swallowed, trying to muster up the balls to get this next sentence out. “Mom, I, uh— I need to tell you something. I’m okay—don’t worry—but I kind of got into a little accident last night.”
“What kind of accident?”
Oh, you know, just the kind where I died.
“It was raining and the roads were really bad, and I kind of…went through a guardrail.”
“Oh my god, Emily. Are you okay? And why am I just now hearing about this?” It took her exactly .02 seconds to go from concern to ire.
“Because I’m
fine
. Just a couple of scrapes and bruises that’ll be gone in no time.” Literally. They were gone in all of four hours.
“Emily Grace—”
“Mom, I’m fine, I promise.” My throat tightened when her voice cracked and she sniffled.
It didn’t escape me that this should’ve been a very different phone call. It should’ve been from a police officer, and I should’ve been lying in the morgue, waiting for my parents to come identify my body. But for whatever reason, like Thomas said, I was what I was, and I was able to be here and tell my mother that I was okay. Not everybody was as lucky as me.
“Is your car still driveable?”
That would be a big fat
no
. “Not…exactly,” I hedged. “But I had it towed over to Thomas’s and called our insurance company. They’re going to send an adjuster to come look at it when we get back from Dallas.” Now I just had to figure out a way to explain all the blood in the car…
“Oh. Okay. Do you think it’s totaled?”
Demolished
would probably be a better word. “Yeah, I think it’s safe to say it’s a goner at this point.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Thomas step inside the living room and lean against the wall. He was holding my jacket.
My mom’s car door shut on the other end. “Well, I’m glad you’re okay. Even if you waited until the next day to call me and tell me.”
I rolled my eyes at her mom-guilt, even though she couldn’t see me. “Because there’s hardly anything to tell!
I’m
fine, my car is not.”
She sighed. “You know I worry about you. It’s my job.”
My voice softened. “I know, Mom.”
She sniffled again, and I pictured her wiping her eyes. “Tell Thomas I said ‘hi,’ and
be careful
from now on, missy.”
“I will, I promise. I’ll be damn near indestructible.” The corner of my mouth lifted as I glanced at Thomas, who shared my small smile.
“Good,” my mom said. “That’s what I want to hear.” Her keys jangled as she said, “Listen, honey, I have to go, but I’ll see you on Tuesday, okay?”