Rendered (Irrevocable Series Book 1)

by Samantha Jacobey

  “Yes,” she breathed quietly, falling into step beside him. “But I realized I needed to see you before I left.” Her face flushed, and she felt happy for the darkness that would cover for her. “You want to go sit beneath the tree for a few minutes?”

  He stared at her for a moment, his heart heavy. Damn. This is so hard. “Sure,” he replied softly, surprising her by catching her fingers as they moved. “You know, I’m really gonna miss you,” he supplied when they arrived at the twisted branches.

  “I’m going to miss you, too.” She smiled up at him, wondering if a goodbye kiss would be in order, before she tossed the idea.

  Caleb stared down at her blankly, his mind racing. She really doesn’t know. Gasping for air, he thought he might cry. So trusting. What the hell are you gonna do about it though? “Hey”—he grinned genuinely—“you know, I never did take you for that ride.”

  Laughing loudly, she agreed, “I know. Too busy, I guess. We’ll have to save it for when I get back.”

  “Le’s do it now,” he offered, overcome with the idea.

  Bailey chuckled again. “Now? It’s late. Won’t everyone be going to bed?”

  “It’s ok.” He shrugged. “I’ll push it out th’ front gate before we start it, an’ we can take a quick run—up the road an’ back. Whadda ya say? No one gets disturbed that way. Slip home an’ grab a jacket an’ meet me there.” Not waiting for a reply, he took off, ready to retrieve his ride from the garage behind his parents’ house.

  Staring after him when he left her, the girl shook her head slowly. Crazy goof. Part of her thought the idea silly, but deep down she felt eager to join him on their last adventure together before she made her way back to the city.

  Almost skipping down the path, she crept into the ranch house, taking the stairs much more quietly this time. Locating the sweatshirt and hoodie that she had packed for cooler evenings, she carried them both with her and headed for the front gate.

  When she arrived, Caleb had the motorcycle waiting outside and hit the keypad to close the large covering behind her.

  “We won’t be gone long, will we?” she asked, growing a little nervous that it might upset someone that they had.

  “Not too long,” he reassured.

  Pulling both articles on, the girl adjusted the hood portion over her ears and slid onto the back seat behind him. Working her arms around, the engine seemed loud, and she gripped him tightly, emitting a low squeal as the pavement began to move beneath them.

  The ride felt thrilling, her excitement only partially caused by the rush of air against them. Digging her fingers into his chest, she smiled at the thought of him and how much he had come to mean to her in the few months she had known him. Resting her head against his back, she sighed her joy that she had chosen to take the ride with him.

  She still wore a small elated grin when they reached the cattle guard at the end of their private road and pulled out onto the main highway to turn around. Stopping on the far side, Caleb killed the engine and swung off the bike, facing her.

  She thought he might have wanted to talk, but instead he slid his arms around her, placing his palm against the back of her head and holding her against him. Exhaling a loud breath, he dared to let his feelings show, if only for the moment.

  “I can’t do this,” he whispered into her auburn locks, nuzzling her ear. Her uncle had filled him in on the parts of their plan she wouldn’t find out about until it was too late, and he had been wrestling with the issue ever since. He knew he needed to take her someplace safe, and what’s worse…he knew what it was going to cost him if he did.

  Unsure what he couldn’t do, Bailey looped her arms around him while still straddling his bike. Finding herself caught up in the rush of being close to him, she sighed, curious if he wanted to kiss her as well. The thrill of the idea gave her quivers of excitement, and she stroked the nape of his neck tenderly in anticipation.

  To her surprise, he extracted himself from her grasp and slid back onto the seat in front of her. Restarting the engine, he allowed her to cling to him once more. Only he didn’t steer them back towards the compound.

  Instead, he headed down the highway, rolling north. Deciding he wasn’t ready to end the ride, she continued to hold on to him, growing weary as the hour grew late. A short time later, they pulled up at the small convenience store, surrounded by open pasture, the same one they had stopped at on the way down from Midland a few months before.

  Although the interior appeared dark, the pumps beneath the awning were open twenty-four hours. Coming to a stop, Caleb killed the engine and opened the tank.

  “I guess we’ll head back now.” She gave him a weak smile, standing herself to stretch her legs. The thrill of the moment had passed, and she only wanted to get some sleep.

  Without looking at her, he inserted the nozzle. “I can’t take you back.”

  Bailey could feel the air slowly escape from her chest. “What do you mean you can’t take me back? Why the hell not?” She sidled up next to him, reaching for his arm.

  Twisting his appendage, he caught her hand and pulled her up so that his face lay right above hers, and he could glare into her perfect green orbs. “They weren’t takin’ you to Midland, little bit,” he breathed. “If you had gotten on that plane…” His voice trailed away.

  She could see his eyes squeezed into slits, the crystal blue boring into her. “You said that everything was ok,” her voice grew small.

  “Yeah, I know.” He nodded generously, turning back to the hose and closing the tank. “I thought that it was. But The Ranch’s full o’ people, an’ in the end, it’s a lot of responsibility, keepin’ everyone safe.”

  “So I was too much of a threat?” she asked angrily.

  “Something like that. If you got on the plane, if you chose t’ leave… The guys were to take you away so the boys thought you had gone to school. Then, when you didn’t come back next year, it would be because you had chosen not to.” He cut his eyes over at her, waiting for her response.

  Bailey glared at him, anger boiling. “And we left them there?!?” her voice grew shrill.

  “Your brothers are fine. They were always wanted…needed. You’re the one no one really cared about.” His face dropped to plant his chin against his chest, ashamed of the part he had played in the group’s sinister plot.

  “So what do we do? Go back and get them?” she demanded bitterly.

  “No.” His gaze shot up to meet hers. “No, we go on to Midland. We can stay at the apartment. I’ll get a job, an’ you can go t’ school.”

  “Won’t they just come after us if they want to get rid of me that bad?”

  “I don’t think so.” He heaved a deep breath. “I think we’ll be fine. Anyways, I’ll contact my dad in a day or two an’ make peace.” Reaching up, he caught a few auburn curls, tugging on them lightly. “I’m sorry. I really wanted everything to work out.”

  Glaring at him beneath the fluorescent glow of the canopy, her heart pounded wildly inside her chest. “This is insane.” Her mind screamed at her in warning. “I can’t believe they would really hurt me,” she whispered.

  Caleb only grimaced, ready to put her back on the bike and be on their way. Believe it, little bit, he mentally challenged, and you wouldn’t be the first.

  Books in the Irrevocable Series

  RECOMBINED

  Book Two

  RECOMBINED

  COMPLETE BOXED SET

  Maps

  Flowcharts

  About the Author

  Anyone who knows me could tell you, I am a friendly kind of person, never met a stranger and take up conversations anywhere at any time. I work hard, and my mind never seems to shut down, as I wake up often in the middle of the night with ideas pouring out and demanding to be dealt with. Of course that means much of my books were written in the middle of the night.

  I grew up and still live in the great state of Texas where everything is bigger, where we have warm weather and a central location. I
love my state, my town, and my family, which includes my four sons, my significant other, and many friends as well.

  I have thoroughly enjoyed writing this story and hope that you will love reading it just as much. And of course, there will be many more adventures to come.

  You can follow Samantha Jacobey at:

  Website: www.SamJacobey.com

  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SamJacobey

  Twitter: https://twitter.com/SamJacobey

  Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/samanthajacobey/

  Other works by Samantha Jacobey

  http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00GEB5LX0

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  http://myBook.to/ANewLifeSeries

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  For Caleb Cross, the Ranch is a way of life. The members of their group are family, and none should come between them. Smitten from the moment he met Bailey, his choices are no longer easy, his path no longer clear. He wants to welcome her and the twins into their fold and hopes his kin will agree.

  But the elders who lead them aren’t interested in the troublesome girl. They are plotting for the time they will be rid of her and expect Caleb to go along with their plans - he is after all one of them.

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  Princess Kaliwyn… Dragoness and heir to the throne of Eriden. She is cursed to human form, stripped of her memory and cast out of the magical kingdom. But her dragon heart is strong, and it is her destiny to return and set right the grievances her people have suffered.

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  Elves, trolls, dwarves and daemons all take sides in the battle that threatens to rip their kingdom in two. Friends turn and allies fall, but the will of the group to prevail remains strong, even in the darkness of all they have lost.

  Can they survive the great war that threatens to leave both Eriden and the Rim of Mortals in ruins?

  Sweet Christmas Series

  http://myBook.to/SweetChristmasSeries

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  Unexpected Magic Series

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