Never Letting Go (Delphian Book 1) (17 page)

Ethan

“W
HY DOES OUR
heart beat?”

Ethan looked over at Sophia, who stared up at him with solemn green eyes.

“Why do we still bleed?” she continued, looking down at the cut on her hand that she had accidentally given herself while prepping dinner.

“I think it’s a reminder,” Ethan answered. “That our presence in the land of the living is as fragile as the human lives we take. That we, too, can pretty much cease to exist at any moment.”

She looked forward, like she was viewing something only she could see. “How tragic.”

Ethan stared down at his bloody knuckles as if hypnotized, the creases on his forehead deeper and deeper with each passing moment. It took him a moment to realize the hard banging he heard repeatedly wasn’t coming from inside his head, but the front door.

Eyes narrowed, he placed his hands on his thighs and stood, his brain still not functioning enough to process what had just happened. Resting his hands against the door, he took a moment to breathe calmly while his mind was behaving in every way
but
calmly. Sophia was … gone.

Damn you, Jinx.

Giving his head a shake, he reached for the handle and opened the door. His eyes widened in surprise.

“Hi, Briggs!”

In her pink formal gown, Amy stepped into the apartment like she owned the place and spun around. She ignored the absolute destruction of the room, the overturned couches and holes punched in the walls. She looked over at him, grinning. “Or is it Ethan now?”

“What?”

“We don’t have time for small chitchat,” said another voice, and a girl Ethan didn’t know waltzed into the room like a woman on a mission. Dressed in a simple sweater and skirt with leather leggings, her all black attire gave her a commanding presence. She looked familiar and he realized it was the girl from the formal who had been staring at Sophia with haunting eyes.

He looked from one girl to the other. “What the hell is going on?”

Amy smiled and ran over to Ethan, hugging him tightly. She pecked him on the cheek. “I’ve missed you
so
much!”

Ethan stood rigidly in Amy’s arms and he took a firm hold of her shoulders, slowly disengaging her from him. “What are you two doing here?”

“We’re here to help.”

“Help?” Ethan stared at the unknown girl who’d spoken. “And who are
you?”

She gave a tense smile, looking out of place. “Sorry. My name is Sabina. We’re here to help you with your … situation.”

“My situation?”

“We’re here to get Sophia back,” answered Amy.

“And where is she exactly?” asked Ethan.

“The Delphian,” a third voice said from the door.

Ethan turned to the guy standing by the door, and it took everything in him to not shove this person out the window. Or wrap his bloodstained hands around his throat.

The guy stepped further into the apartment and shut the door, while the four of them remained standing in the damaged living room.

“Ethan…” the newcomer said. He was dressed in jeans, a jacket covering a dark t-shirt—complete opposite from everyone still dressed in his or her formal wear.

Ethan’s eyes hardened, fists clenched at his side.

“Liam…”

To Cheyanne, who has probably read this book a million times over, thank you! I hope you’ve enjoyed NLG in all of its delightful drafts.

Thanks to Ocean’s Edge Editing for its editing services on
Reap
and
Sow
, and for Lola’s Blog Tours’ amazing help on NLG’s cover reveal.

And finally, to my family who has continued to support me on my writing journey, a thousand hugs your way!

Christina Channelle is the author of Young Adult and New Adult Fiction, her series including Four Letters and Blood Crave. She’s happily addicted to coffee, the colour green, and Netflix. She’s also partial to writing about angsty girls who may or may not have a potty mouth.

Christina was born and raised in the Greater Toronto Area, graduating with both Bachelor of Arts and doctorate degrees. She is currently enrolled in a post-graduate television writing and producing program where she looks forward to being buried in scripts and producing awesome web series.

For more information on upcoming books and other book-related fun, visit Christina at:

www.ChristinaChannelle.com

Or subscribe to her newsletter at: 

tinyletter.com/ChristinaChannelle

Also by Christina Channelle

The BLOOD CRAVE series

A YA urban fantasy

Told in the perspective of three young women (and each with their own supernatural gifts) their lives are on the line when they become pawns in a deadly game of chess. No one is safe, including their loved ones.

Welcome to a world where fallen angels and vampires coexist.

Read an excerpt of the first book!

Dahlia – Book 1

I
WAS FIVE
when I knew something was different about me.

My first memory.

I had no recollection of who my parents were or what they even looked like. All I knew was that I was alone at the orphanage, disconnected from the outside world. I picture it even now, almost like an oil painting: the thick bristles of the paintbrush created the bright blue sky as it connected to the shockingly white snow. The snow blanketed everything around me, as if protecting me, the green forest displayed at every angle.

The orphanage was out of place in such a nature-infused environment. A large, two-story building, its windows seemed to cover almost every surface. I remembered the brightness of the sun as it hit my sleepy face through one of those many windows. It would instantly warm my body, greeting me to yet another day.

Vines covered old gray bricks as they coursed over the external surface of the orphanage. I had nightmares about those same vines making their way into my room as I slept. They’d appear ominously as their shadows pounded against the walls, taunting me as a storm brewed on outside. Venturing toward my bed, the vines would slither across my body, trapping me in place. One would wrap around my neck, squeezing tightly, as I struggled for air. Rendered frozen, the feeling of fear would take hold, bubbling up deep inside my chest. And as I felt the burning pain in my throat, a thought would flash through my mind of this moment being my last. It never was, though, as I would instantly wake up.

I always did have a wild imagination.

To chase away the terror, I would stand before my windowpane the morning after. Sighing in relief, my eyes would be drawn to the vast forest off in the distance. It surrounded the orphanage, like a gatekeeper, the leaves of the trees bristling in irritation. The wind blew right through those tall structures, whistling, as my ears picked up the all too familiar sound.

I somehow found myself standing directly in front of that very forest. My memory was hazy on exactly how I got there but I recalled waking up, after one of my many dreams, to the feeling of immense hunger as my body stirred in discomfort.

Then suddenly I was at the foot of the forest.

I would not describe the sensation as simple hunger. I would almost describe it as a feeling of starvation, like there was some essential component my body was missing. Whatever it was, this need was so powerful I was weak in the knees with the pain; my belly contracted and released, contracted and released, continually. Food provided temporary relief for me, but there was always this presence in the corner of my mind as my brain searched for the one thing my body craved.

I ignored that nagging voice in my head, the one whispering for the one thing I needed. It was something unfathomable yet inherent. I paid it no attention and just openly stared at the forest beckoning me. Taking shallow breaths, the cool air blew in and out between my cold, chapped lips.

It was at that exact moment I realized the forest isolated me from everything and everyone outside of its confines—almost like a hungry bird circling its prey. Even young, my instincts picked up on that, immediately telling me something.

Eyes were watching me.