A Love that Endures 2
Bella Forrest
Contents
Also by Bella Forrest
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1. Katy
2. David
3. Katy
4. David
5. Katy
6. David
7. Katy
8. David
9. Katy
10. David
11. Katy
12. David
13. Katy
14. David
15. Katy
16. David
17. Katy
18. David
19. Katy
20. David
21. Katy
22. David
23. Katy
24. David
25. Katy
26. David
27. Katy
28. David
29. Katy
30. David
31. Katy
32. David
33. Katy
34. David
35. Katy
36. David
37. Cassie
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Copyright © 2019
Nightlight Press
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No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Also by Bella Forrest
A LOVE THAT ENDURES TRILOGY
A Love that Endures
A Love that Endures 2
A Love that Endures 3
HARLEY MERLIN
(Fantasy/romance/adventure series)
Harley Merlin and the Secret Coven (Book 1)
Harley Merlin and the Mystery Twins (Book 2)
Harley Merlin and the Stolen Magicals (Book 3)
Harley Merlin and the First Ritual (Book 4)
Harley Merlin and the Broken Spell (Book 5)
Harley Merlin and the Cult of Eris (Book 6)
Harley Merlin and the Detector Fix (Book 7)
Harley Merlin and the Challenge of Chaos (Book 8)
Harley Merlin and the Mortal Pact (Book 9)
THE GENDER GAME
(Action-adventure/romance. Completed series.)
The Gender Game (Book 1)
The Gender Secret (Book 2)
The Gender Lie (Book 3)
The Gender War (Book 4)
The Gender Fall (Book 5)
The Gender Plan (Book 6)
The Gender End (Book 7)
THE GIRL WHO DARED TO THINK
(Action-adventure/romance. Completed series.)
The Girl Who Dared to Think (Book 1)
The Girl Who Dared to Stand (Book 2)
The Girl Who Dared to Descend (Book 3)
The Girl Who Dared to Rise (Book 4)
The Girl Who Dared to Lead (Book 5)
The Girl Who Dared to Endure (Book 6)
The Girl Who Dared to Fight (Book 7)
HOTBLOODS
(Supernatural romance. Completed series.)
Hotbloods (Book 1)
Coldbloods (Book 2)
Renegades (Book 3)
Venturers (Book 4)
Traitors (Book 5)
Allies (Book 6)
Invaders (Book 7)
Stargazers (Book 8)
THE CHILD THIEF
(Action-adventure/romance. Completed series.)
The Child Thief (Book 1)
Deep Shadows (Book 2)
Thin Lines (Book 3)
Little Lies (Book 4)
Ghost Towns (Book 5)
Zero Hour (Book 6)
A SHADE OF VAMPIRE SERIES
(Supernatural romance)
Season 1: Derek & Sofia’s story
A Shade of Vampire (Book 1)
A Shade of Blood (Book 2)
A Castle of Sand (Book 3)
A Shadow of Light (Book 4)
A Blaze of Sun (Book 5)
A Gate of Night (Book 6)
A Break of Day (Book 7)
Season 2: Rose & Caleb’s story
A Shade of Novak (Book 8)
A Bond of Blood (Book 9)
A Spell of Time (Book 10)
A Chase of Prey (Book 11)
A Shade of Doubt (Book 12)
A Turn of Tides (Book 13)
A Dawn of Strength (Book 14)
A Fall of Secrets (Book 15)
An End of Night (Book 16)
Season 3: The Shade continues with a new hero…
A Wind of Change (Book 17)
A Trail of Echoes (Book 18)
A Soldier of Shadows (Book 19)
A Hero of Realms (Book 20)
A Vial of Life (Book 21)
A Fork of Paths (Book 22)
A Flight of Souls (Book 23)
A Bridge of Stars (Book 24)
Season 4: A Clan of Novaks
A Clan of Novaks (Book 25)
A World of New (Book 26)
A Web of Lies (Book 27)
A Touch of Truth (Book 28)
An Hour of Need (Book 29)
A Game of Risk (Book 30)
A Twist of Fates (Book 31)
A Day of Glory (Book 32)
Season 5: A Dawn of Guardians
A Dawn of Guardians (Book 33)
A Sword of Chance (Book 34)
A Race of Trials (Book 35)
A King of Shadow (Book 36)
An Empire of Stones (Book 37)
A Power of Old (Book 38)
A Rip of Realms (Book 39)
A Throne of Fire (Book 40)
A Tide of War (Book 41)
Season 6: A Gift of Three
A Gift of Three (Book 42)
A House of Mysteries (Book 43)
A Tangle of Hearts (Book 44)
A Meet of Tribes (Book 45)
A Ride of Peril (Book 46)
A Passage of Threats (Book 47)
A Tip of Balance (Book 48)
A Shield of Glass (Book 49)
A Clash of Storms (Book 50)
Season 7: A Call of Vampires
A Call of Vampires (Book 51)
A Valley of Darkness (Book 52)
A Hunt of Fiends (Book 53)
A Den of Tricks (Book 54)
A City of Lies (Book 55)
A League of Exiles (Book 56)
A Charge of Allies (Book 57)
A Snare of Vengeance (Book 58)
A Battle of Souls (Book 59)
Season 8: A Voyage of Founders
A Voyage of Founders (Book 60)
A Land of Perfects (Book 61)
A Citadel of Captives (Book 62)
A Jungle of Rogues (Book 63)
A Camp of Savages (Book 64)
A Plague of Deceit (Book 65)
An Edge of Malice (Book 66)
A Dome of Blood (Book 67)
A Purge of Nature (Book 68)
Season 9: A Birth of Fire
A Birth of Fire (Book 69)
A Breed of Elements (Book 70)
A Sacrifice of Flames (Book 71)
A Conspiracy of Realms (Book 72)
A Search for Death (Book 73)
A Piece of Scythe (Book 74)
A Blade of Thieron (Book 75)
A Phantom of Truth (Book 76)
A Fate of Time (Book 77)
A SHADE OF DRAGON TRILOGY
A Shade of Dragon 1
A Shade of Dragon 2
A Shade of Dragon 3
A SHADE OF KIEV TRILOGY
A Shade of Kiev 1
A Shade of Kiev 2
A Shade of Kiev 3
THE SECRET OF SPELLSHADOW MANOR
<
br /> (Supernatural/Magic YA. Completed series)
The Secret of Spellshadow Manor (Book 1)
The Breaker (Book 2)
The Chain (Book 3)
The Keep (Book 4)
The Test (Book 5)
The Spell (Book 6)
BEAUTIFUL MONSTER DUOLOGY
(Supernatural romance)
Beautiful Monster 1
Beautiful Monster 2
DETECTIVE ERIN BOND
(Adult thriller/mystery)
Lights, Camera, GONE
Write, Edit, KILL
For an updated list of Bella’s books, please visit her website: www.bellaforrest.net
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1
Katy
“So . . . what do you think?”
Katy stepped back and looked into the full-length mirror beside her closet door. Her hair was braided demurely, its tail trailing down her right shoulder. The silhouette of her dark jeans was broken by knee-high boots. A garnet-colored sweater completed the ensemble. Katy looked intently at herself, her eyes analyzing every detail, their natural gray color familiar, yet somehow odd after a semester hidden behind green contact lenses.
She looked over her shoulder, awaiting an answer to her question.
“I think it’s perfect,” David replied warmly. “It has a very ‘yeah I’m royalty but it’s none of your business’ vibe. Perfect for a first day of class.”
Katy turned back to the mirror, an amused smile playing on her lips. Leave it to David to remind her just how ridiculous the whole situation was.
“That’s not really what I’m going for,” she replied. She smoothed her sweater down and then tucked a wayward strand of blonde-again hair back behind her ear.
“Then what are you going for?” David asked from his seat on her bed. He was leaning back temptingly, his dark curls pushed back and his angular jaw set in a flirty little smirk, offering Katy a momentary distraction. But she was too nervous to give anything other than class much thought at the moment.
“How about, ‘I’m just like all of you, so please don’t even think of me as a princess’?”
“In that case I suggest a pair of sweatpants and a stained T-shirt,” David quipped.
Katy rolled her eyes playfully. “Trust me, I considered that.”
Maybe the braid is a little too much. Looks kind of royal. Katy wavered, starting to fiddle with the plait, when David spoke again.
“Leave it,” he said firmly. “It looks great. You look great. You’re overthinking this.”
“I’m just nervous,” Katy replied. She released her braid and looked at David’s reflection in the mirror. “I mean, I’m used to being a public figure. But things were supposed to be different here at Harvard. Now everyone knows that I’ve been lying about who I am.” Katy’s hands fidgeted with the hem of her sweater, a nervous habit. “Who knows how things are going to change?”
“Hey,” David said, pushing forward to sit upright. “Just because things are going to change doesn’t mean it’ll be for the worse. Now you can finally be yourself.”
“I felt like myself when I was just Katy.” She sighed and looked down. “Being Princess Katerina has never really suited me.”
Katy heard her bedsprings creak as David stood. She looked back to the mirror to watch him stride confidently toward her.
“There’s no such thing as just Katy,” David said firmly. Her senses alighted at his closeness, every cell in her body becoming acutely aware of his presence. He stopped immediately behind Katy and looked over her head, meeting her eyes in the mirror. Then his arms snaked around her waist, pulling her flush against his form. “But that doesn’t mean you have to be Princess Katerina, either. Just be you. I really like that person, and so will everyone else. If not, screw them. Their loss.”
Katy analyzed this new image: she and David as a couple. Finally. Her blonde head barely came up under his chin, and his tousled dark curls, decidedly less neat than hers, fell in his face as he held her, his arms wrapped tight around her middle, his smile blissful. Their eyes met in the mirror; he was looking them over too.
A flush of warmth suffused her, and Katy turned to face David, not bothering to take a step back, her chest pressed against his as she looked up into his eyes. She reached up to lock her fingers around the back of his neck, and David got the hint. His lips met hers, parting them gently, his tongue beginning to explore. Katy closed her eyes and opened herself to the sweetness of his touch, losing herself as she and David melted into one another.
When he finally pulled away, her lips still tingled with the rush of circulation. She slowly opened her eyes to see David looking down at her, his blue eyes intent.
“I suppose the outfit accomplished its main directive, at least,” Katy said in a low voice, and was rewarded by a deep chuckle from the man in her arms. It felt good finally being as comfortable and forward with David as she wanted to be, after months of holding back. David was hers now. She could get as close as she wanted.
Well, almost.
Suddenly the bedroom door burst open to reveal Michelle—Katy’s boisterous housemate—in tights and an oversized top, her brunette hair pulled back tightly into a high ponytail. Two of their other housemates, Laura and Nancy, hung back in the hallway behind her, peering in, shy yet curious.
“We just had to see what our little princess was wearing on her first day of spring semester!” Michelle said in an obnoxiously put-on voice. But then she stopped, her eyes wide, as she noticed Katy and David’s embrace.
Katy blushed and released David from her grip. “Michelle, please. We’ve talked about this. First of all, it’s just Katy. Secondly, knock.”
“Yeah, I’m still not over you barging in on me fresh out of the shower,” Cassie added, pushing her way into the room past Michelle. Seizing the opportunity, Laura and Nancy followed her in. Cassie was red-faced with exertion, undoubtedly due to the pile of textbooks she was carrying. Ever the gentleman, David rushed over to offer a hand.
“Picking up your textbooks the morning of class, huh?” he teased as he took the books from Cassie and placed them on her desk.
“Hey, it’s the best time to go. No lines.” Cassie looked over at Katy and winked. “You’re looking great for your first day. I have that same sweater in turquoise.”
No, Cassie, I have this same sweater in turquoise. It just wound up in your closet somehow. Katy grinned at her cousin.
“So none of us are taking eight a.m. classes this semester?” Laura asked, looking around the room. Almost the entire house was present.
“That’s a freshman mistake,” Michelle replied. “I don’t have a class today until eleven.”
“Ten for me,” Nancy piped in.
“I’m taking an eight a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays,” David added. “But yeah, ten in the morning for me today, too.”
“Speaking of, what time is it?” Katy asked. Her first class was at nine, and she didn’t want to be late; it was supposed to be one of the best and most rigorous comparative literature classes in the department. Katy was thrilled to be taking it, even through the anxiety of coming back to Harvard without the securities of a fake name and boxed hair dye.
The girls in the room reached for their smartphones, but David glanced at a wristwatch instead, answering first. “Eight forty-five.”
“Oh, I have to go!” Katy said quickly, stepping away from her closet and toward her desk. Showing up to the first class late certainly wasn’t going to set a good impression. She grabbed a bookbag off her desk chair and headed out.
>
“I’ll walk with you,” David said, following Katy to the door.
They were already rounding the corner in the hallway by the time Katy’s roommates had time to respond.
“Good luck!”
“Break a leg!”
“Bye!”
As she left the room, Katy couldn’t help but breathe a tiny internal sigh of relief. At least her housemates were getting over any awkwardness they might’ve had about her real identity. Thanks partially to Michelle, even if she had terrible timing.
David didn’t catch his breath to speak until they were halfway to the Yard.
“Are you this enthusiastic about all of your classes?” he panted, keeping pace with Katy’s fervent strides.
Katy tried to steady her own breathing in the cold morning to respond. “Most of them. But this one is definitely going to be my favorite, I think. Comparative Lit 301 with Professor Bissenhof. I heard he’s pretty tough.”
“Well,” David replied, “I don’t have a basis of comparison, since I’m taking all economics classes this semester. But he certainly sounds like a stuffy old crank.”
Katy giggled. She didn’t mind a harsh grader. The academic rigor made classes in her chosen concentration much more rewarding. But it also made showing up late all the more terrifying.
They rounded the English hall in less than ten minutes. Katy had been on high alert the entire time, glancing around to see if people were watching them or staring at her. But so far, it was like any other day at Harvard. Students were scurrying to class, holding their expensive laptops and branded coffee cups, bracing themselves against the Massachusetts cold. No one had even cast a sideways glance at Katy, and her worries had begun to slowly dissipate. Maybe everything will be normal, after all. Katy stopped outside the English hall steps and turned to David with an appreciative smile.
A Love that Endures 2 Page 1
