Soar
the
empire chronicles
Alyssa Rose Ivy
Copyright © 2013 Alyssa Rose Ivy
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written approval of the author.
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
Cover Design: Phatpuppy Art
Cover Model Photography: K. Keeton Designs
Models: Cameo Hopper and Justin Schrock
Background Photography: Stuart Monk Photography
Formatting: Polgarus Studio
Other Books by Alyssa Rose Ivy
Flight (The Crescent Chronicles #1)
Focus (The Crescent Chronicles #2)
Found (The Crescent Chronicles #3)
The Hazards of Skinny Dipping
Shaken Not Stirred- Coming January 2014
Derailed (Clayton Falls)
Veer (Clayton Falls)
Wrecked (Clayton Falls)
Beckoning Light (The Afterglow Trilogy #1)
Perilous Light (The Afterglow Trilogy #2)
Enduring Light (The Afterglow Trilogy #3)
www.AlyssaRoseIvy.com
www.facebook.com/AlyssaRoseIvy
twitter.com/AlyssaRoseIvy
[email protected]
Acknowledgements
As always, this book would not have been possible without the support of my family. Grant, you know how much I appreciate everything you do.
Thank you to Jessica Watterson, Katy Austin, Melanie Genanatti, and Whitney Perry for beta reading, and to Jennifer Snyder for being the fantastic writing partner that you are. Thanks to Kris Kendall for your editing, and to Kristina Scheid for the proofreading. Thanks to Claudia of Phatpuppy Art for the beautiful cover design.
Thanks to all the bloggers who have continued to help me spread the word about my books, and to my readers for giving me the opportunity to share another story with you.
Chapter One
Casey
Glowing Eyes. In the chaos of the moment, the only thing I could focus on were the yellow eyes that followed my every move. They were eerie and seemed more at home on an animatronic creation than on the living, breathing animal that had me cornered in the alley. I knew I was stuck, but I didn’t think about death. It wasn’t an option because I wasn’t ready for it. Realistic or not, I was a firm believer that we make our own destiny.
I stepped back, convinced that if I walked backward slowly enough, I’d escape. I silently cursed Eric for making me throw out the trash after my shift. He was such an ass of an assistant manager.
At first, the wolf didn’t move—at least I thought it was a wolf, although it seemed two sizes too big. As strange as it should have been to see a giant wolf in an alley, I’d seen far stranger in my nine months of living in New York City.
“Easy boy,” I said in a half whisper, more for myself than for the beast now taking slow, deliberate steps toward me.
All of a sudden, he lunged. Gray fur moved in a blur as I blocked my face the best I could in the spilt second I had. A whimper rang out, and I lowered my arms when the contact never came.
The gray wolf slowly limped out of the alley. I searched for an explanation as I struggled to regain my breath and vaguely saw another figure disappear into the distance. He could have been any man, except that in my adrenaline-rich state, I could have sworn he had wings.
My head started to spin, and I reached out for something to hold onto. Then everything went black.
***
“Hey, Bates! Are you okay?”
I forced my eyes open, confused about the cause of my killer headache and the fogginess permeating my head.
“Casey?” Eric bent down next to me with some legitimate concern on his face. “Are you all right?”
“How long have I been out here?” I glanced around, trying to make sense of how I ended up face down in a pile of trash outside my place of work.
“Not too long. When you never came in from tossing the trash I got worried.”
Likely. Eric was probably more worried about being named in a potential law suit.
“I’m fine… I think.” I struggled to remember what had happened. The only memory I had couldn’t be real. It involved a wolf and a strange guy with wings. Evidently I managed to pass out and hit my head on a trash can. Because that’s normal.
“Are you sure? Do you think you can walk?”
“Yeah, I can walk.” The alternative was to let him carry me inside. Despite his good looks, Eric’s personality nullified any desire to have him hold me, even if walking seemed like an insurmountable task at the moment. Out of necessity, I accepted his outstretched hand and leaned heavily on his shoulder. My head continued to throb, and all I wanted to do was get home and lie down.
He put me down on the couch in the break room. The worn sofa wasn’t a place I ever wanted to lay my head, considering it was twenty years old and had probably never been cleaned, but I didn’t have a choice. The world was spinning.
“Did you hit your head?” Eric asked, taking a seat next to me. His muscular arm blocked my view of the room.
I reached up and touched the knot forming on the back of my head. “Yes. I have no idea how.”
“Only you would do something that ridiculous.” He routinely made fun of me, but something was off. Then again, I’d hit my head so maybe everything was off.
“Can you get my purse? It’s in that locker.” I pointed around him to where I’d stowed my stuff.
“Sure.” He walked across the room and retrieved my ancient knock-off Gucci. He handed it to me, and I fished out my phone.
“Are you calling someone to get you?” He settled in next to me. The couch sunk down from the extra weight.
“Yeah. My cousin.” I hit Rhett’s name on my contacts list.
“Casey?” Rhett answered after two rings. Five years older than me, Rhett and I didn’t hang out much, but he was being seriously awesome by letting me crash in the spare bedroom (read closet) in his apartment in the Village.
“Any chance you could walk down to Coffee Heaven?”
“Sure…but is there a particular reason why?” He sounded distracted, which probably meant he was buried in his research. A twinge of guilt went through me when I thought about bothering him, but asking Eric to walk me home was out of the question, and we were the only two closing.
“I kind of passed out and hit my head.”
“What?” Shuffling, followed by a door slamming, let me know he was on his way. I worked a few blocks from Rhett’s place, so I knew it wouldn’t be long. “Hold tight. I’ll be right there.”
“I could have walked you home.” Eric stood up, probably getting ready to unlock the front door for Rhett. He opened his mouth like he wanted to say more, but he quickly shut it.
“Rhett doesn’t mind.”
Eric mumbled something incomprehensible before stomping off through the doorway. I didn’t really get him. He was a jerk to me most of the time, but then other times he got almost protective.
Eric returned minutes later with Rhett on his heels.
“You okay, Case?” Rhett kneeled down in front of me. As usual, his brown hair was all rumpled, and it looked like he hadn’t showered yet. It was ten o’clock at night.
“I think so.”
“What happened to her?” He looked at Eric, an unspoken accusation hanging in the air.
“I’m not positive. She went out to toss the trash and when I came out to look for her
, she was on the ground.”
“Next time, throw out the trash yourself.” Rhett helped me up. “Casey won’t be coming in to work tomorrow.”
“Hey. I will so. I need the shift.” My savings were dwindling, and that didn’t bode well for going back to school the next semester.
Rhett shook his head. “No, you don’t.”
“I do. Eric, don’t find someone to cover me. I’ll be in.”
“See you tomorrow, Bates.” Eric blatantly ignored my cousin and called me by my last name. No matter how many times I reminded him that I preferred he use my first name, he disregarded the request.
“Night,” I called just before the door closed behind us, leaving us in the brisk night air.
“You’re a glutton for punishment, kid.”
“Who are you calling kid?” I linked my arm with Rhett’s as we walked past Washington Square Park. I was feeling better but was still light headed.
“You’re nineteen. You’re a kid.”
“I don’t feel like one.” Working full time and trying to support myself on only a step above minimum wage had been an eye opening experience, even with the ridiculously cheap rent I owed Rhett.
“Usually you don’t act like one. Rushing to get back to your crap job is acting like a kid.”
“It’s the only job I have, and I need it.” Beggars can’t be choosers in New York when it comes to making money with only a high school diploma and almost no previous work experience. Funny how working at a summer camp doesn’t do much for a resume.
“Or you could pick a less expensive school and not worry so much about financial aid.”
“Says the guy working on his PhD at NYU?”
“Hey, they pay me now.” He opened the exterior door to our building.
“They didn’t when you were an undergrad.”
He let go of me so he could unlock the inner door. You had to tug on the door at the same time you turned the key or it didn’t work. The super was supposed to fix the temperamental lock months before. “True, but my scholarship covered most of it.”
I stood just inside the entryway. “All right, can’t argue with that.”
“Can you make it?” He gestured to the stairs. We lived in a third floor walkup.
“Maybe.” I headed toward the stairs that currently looked like mountains. “It’s worth a try.”
Ten minutes later, I was propped up on the couch with a bottle of water. Rhett worried over me for another few minutes before I made him get back to work. I flipped through the channels, hoping for some random movie. There was absolutely nothing on, so I settled for the local news.
Another animal attack has been reported in Bryant Park. Authorities have not released the names of the victims, but once again citizens are urged to use caution when frequenting outdoor areas after dark.
I’d seen two other news reports just like it that week, although both reported attacks in different parts of the city. I thought of the wolf in the alley. It must have just been my overactive imagination messing with me. I needed sleep, and lots of it. I switched off the TV and closed my eyes. I didn’t even have the energy to move to my room.
Chapter Two
Casey
There’s an art to serving coffee. The trick is knowing what the customer really wants. Putting whipped cream on the wrong person’s Macchiato might mean a bad day for both of you. That might seem melodramatic, but I like to keep things as calm as possible.
After six months at Coffee Heaven, I’d gotten used to my regulars. I learned quickly that most wanted the same drink every day, but others changed it up. I had one girl who seriously coordinated her smoothie with her outfit. I had to give her points for creativity.
I did have favorites. Like this old woman, Mrs. Anders, who came in at seven forty-five every morning for a cup of earl gray tea and a bagel. I got to the point where I had her tea waiting for her because I knew she liked to let it cool. My other favorite was a guy. Tall, handsome, and utterly drool worthy, he caught my attention the first time he ordered a coffee. But what stuck with me wasn’t his appearance; it was how sad he looked. I’d never seen a guy look that heartbroken day after day.
We never talked much. He’d force a smile when I handed him his coffee and asked how he was, but he never asked me anything back. I should have gotten the hint, but I’m a fairly outgoing person, and he seemed in need of a friend.
The morning after my hallucination in the alley incident, he didn’t show up at eight like he usually did. He was twenty minutes late. Having arrived at work at six, I was already regretting my decision to come in. Exhausted and still feeling out of it, I could practically hear Rhett saying “I told you so.” We had almost a brother-sister relationship. He was really close with my older sister, and I was the little kid always chasing them around.
“Running behind this morning?” I asked as I placed the piping hot cup of coffee down on the counter. For once, the cup didn’t have Toby scrawled on the side. In the rush of the morning, I didn’t even have time to add names.
He picked up the coffee without bothering with a cardboard sleeve. He must have had some real heat tolerance. “Yeah, something like that.” He hadn’t shaved, and the stubble on his face only accentuated his rugged good lucks. A lot of my friends were into pretty boys, but I always preferred my men a little rougher around the edges.
“I’m kind of having a morning like that too. That’s why my hair’s up.” I gestured to where my chestnut brown hair sat piled up into something resembling a bun on the top of my head. I’d barely made it out of bed in time, and anything more than a quick rinse off shower and brushing my teeth was out of the question.
Toby glanced at my hair and then back at my face.
“I usually wear it down…” Evidently he hadn’t noticed every little detail about me. To be fair, most people didn’t remember every little detail about the person serving their coffee. Still, I’d held out some hope he’d noticed more than my mad skills at filling a paper cup.
He nodded. “Oh. Okay. Cool.”
“Yeah. Well, I hope the rest of your day goes better.” I smiled, refusing to let his reluctance to talk affect me.
“Thanks. You too.” He half waved before walking out the front door. I enjoyed the view of him from behind. He could wear a pair of pants well.
“Man, that guy is hot.” My coworker, Remy, picked that moment to turn away from fixing the espresso machine. I’m sure it wasn’t random.
“That he is.” I tried to hide my disappointment at his disinterest as I helped another few customers, glad that the morning rush was almost over.
“His name’s Toby, right?” she asked even though she knew the answer. We’d discussed him on more than a dozen occasions.
“Uh, huh. I guess he kind of looks like a Toby.”
She laughed. “Whatever a Toby looks like. I’ve never met one before.”
“You know what? Me either.” There was nothing wrong with a less popular name. I kinda liked Casey for that reason. It was common enough that everyone could pronounce it, but I never had to go by Casey B in school or anything.
“Jess and Emmett are having a party tomorrow. Do you want to go?” She referred to our mutual friend from NYU who’d just moved in with her boyfriend. Jess was more her friend than mine, but she seemed pretty nice. Just another NY suburb kid like me; although she was from Westchester, and I was from Long Island. I’d gotten the sense that she wasn’t from tons of money either.
“Sure. Is this a housewarming party or something? Do we need to have a gift?” Always practical, I didn’t want to be the rude one who showed up empty handed.
“Hmm, I guess so. I’ll get something from my sister’s store. I think Jess would like her stuff.” Remy’s sister owned this cute little boutique that specialized in candles, lampshades, and other household accessories.
“Can I chip in? I don’t think I’ll have time to stop anywhere.” I also didn’t have much cash to spare. Remy was usually pretty reasonable with her
money so I didn’t worry she’d pick out something extravagant.
“Sure. “
Remy was one of my few friends from NYU I still talked to regularly, and that was probably only because we worked together. When my dad lost his job, I made the decision of where to cut back easy on my parents. I took a semester off.
I’d planned on just moving home, but when Rhett offered me the closet, I jumped on it. Moving back home felt like giving up somehow. I’d always wanted to live in the city, and I wasn’t willing to let go of that dream just yet. I also wasn’t willing to let go of NYU. I’d started working full time with the hopes of making some cash and getting myself categorized as an independent for financial aid. My goal was to return part time in the fall. My back up plan was to apply to a less expensive school, which wouldn’t have been the worst option. Still, less expensive school or not, I had to pay my living expenses.
I wanted to see my other friends, but when you leave school, it’s sort of hard to stay part of the social scene—not to mention it’s kind of depressing. Who would have thought I’d ever be jealous of my friends for having to go to class and study?
“Want to meet at my place and grab dinner before we head over?” Remy rang up a customer. She wore her long, strawberry blonde hair in a braid down her back. I wished I could pull off a braid like that. I just looked like a little kid when I did it. She looked fun.
“Yeah, that sounds good.” I wasn’t surprised she didn’t suggest my apartment. I’d been trying to avoid bringing friends over. Rhett was already doing me a favor. He didn’t need a bunch of “kids” messing up his place.
The rest of our shift was uneventful. Remy left at lunch time to get over to campus for class. I tried not to feel too jealous as I wiped down the counters.
“Any big plans this weekend, Bates?” Eric snuck up behind me. He seemed to always wait until I was the only other one working to show his face. I was slightly surprised he hadn’t started out by asking about my head, but that was Eric. You never knew what to expect from him.
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