by Melle Amade
“I’m going, too.” Zan’s voice is low and deep in her throat. She doesn’t look up at Aiden when she says it.
I want to tell my friends to not do this. But I need them, and anything I say to tell them to not come would be false. Especially when I am swollen with gratitude that they are volunteering to come with me. I know nothing about the Order.
We all wait for Aiden to speak.
“You understand if they catch you, there will be no trial?” he says quietly. “There will be no way of defending you or for getting you out. They will simply assassinate you.”
“That’s why they’re going to need me with them,” Callum says.
“Even if I command you otherwise?” Aiden asks.
“You’re not going to ask me not to.” Callum’s eyes flash.
My gaze flies to Aiden. His eyes are bright gold with lightning as his face crumbles. “I need you, too,” he says.
“You have Iona. She’ll make a great Ridder in my absence,” Callum says.
“Let’s be honest.” Roman throws Callum a crooked smile. “She’s going to make a better Ridder than Callum.”
“I can’t leave my dad,” Aiden is shaking his head.
“Agreed,” Callum says. “And we’re going to need someone on this side who knows what’s going on.”
“I want to see my mother and Henry first,” I say.
Zan stares at me, her eyes dark, but in them, I see a glimmer of hope for our friendship. We have a lot of work ahead of us to mend it, but at least we didn’t obliterate it. She gives me a slight nod. “It’s a good move. It’ll buy us time and initial safety. Resources, too. But we need to get going.”
“Thank you,” I say to my friends as we rise for the last time in the Sanctuary. I can no longer fly through the canyon. I can no longer see my father. I can no longer live in the society that I wanted so desperately to be a part of. But I still have my friends. And knowing them, if there is any possible way, they will help me to get back all that is mine.
THE END
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Dutch born, Matilde, the estranged niece of Lord Van Arend, barters with her scheming mother to spend the summer with the only friends she’s ever had, the Ravensgaard at Castle Brannach. The only problem is, what she has offered her mother is information, information that will break her friends’ trust and begin the downfall of the regime that governs them all.
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MELLE AMADE BOOKS
Shifter Chronicle Series
Novella – HERITAGE
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1 - SANCTUARY
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2 - REMNANTS
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3 - HARVEST
Coming in Fall 2017
Quest for Shifter Magic Series
1 - IRON CAGE
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Since I was eight I have been writing stories that capture the adventures in my head and the characters strong enough and flawed enough to have them. When I look at an empty field I see a formidable citadel. When I meet a vulnerable old man, I greet an emeritus warrior. When I walk through city streets I feel dimensions hiding around every turn. It has been my lifelong passion to explore these worlds that reveal the pain of loneliness, the joy or self-actualization, and the hope of magic.
I grew up in a place called Potter Valley where the Milky Way is held aloft by a circle of mountains and the central business district consists of a bait store and a saloon. At 19 I moved alone to London and spent the next ten years exploring the world, even becoming an Australian citizen, before I returned to California and found a new home in Los Angeles. My world revolves around my two wee children, storytelling, and my love of travel.
www.melleamade.com
https://www.facebook.com/MelleAmadeAuthor/
twitter: @melleamade
Acknowledgments
My greatest appreciation always goes to God and my muse. Nothing is possible without them.
It is said that writing is a solo journey, but for me it has definitely been a team sport with embattled seasons over numerous years. The ones who have sacrificed the most in support of my driving need for creativity are my husband, Alex, and my children, Armand and Yasmine. Also, my extensive, unruly, hilarious and supportive family: my parents, my stepmom, my brothers and sisters, my nieces and nephews, my in-laws, and the outlaws. You know who you are, we hang out at Christmas and Hanukkah. And, of course, to the writing, editing, designing, marketing, supporting, and mastermind team that have listened, read, and supported me through the years: Ingrid Sundberg, Sheryl Scarborough, Kristen Kittscher, Michael D. Trozzo, Jackie Aaro, Dr. Julie Kokesch, Ross Brown, Derek Murphy, Anita Wright, Hilary Thompson, Sandy Krakowski, Gary Vee, AAYAA, 20booksto50k, the Binders, the team at SCBWI, the resources of AWP, the articles of PW, and the information of WD. This wouldn’t have happened without you.
COMING FALL 2017
Shifter Chronicles Book Three
HARVEST
For more information, please visit:
www.melleamade.com
