by Sophia Sharp
“Yes,” Nora admitted reluctantly. She bit her lip. “But it’s also something that I can’t allow myself to do.”
“Why not?” Hunter asked. “If you miss them, and want to see them… I don’t understand.”
“Of course you don’t,” Nora said, brushing his cheek. “What you told me once – that you lived as an orphan – was that true?”
“Of course,” Hunter answered, taking her hand in his and bringing it up against his cheek. “I wouldn’t lie to you about that.”
“I mean, even before…before you were a Vassiz?”
Hunter nodded slowly. “I never knew my family.”
Nora smiled sadly. For someone not to know what their father was like, or what their mother was like, or if they had any siblings…it was upsetting. It must have torn at him to no end.
“I can’t see them, Hunter,” she explained. “Never again. They already lost me once. And I can never explain everything to them, can I?” She shook her head, answering her own question. “Of course not. And that’s partially why I can’t see them again. But the other part – it’s more important. I’ve been gone for so long, I’m sure they’ve made peace with the fact that I’m not there anymore.”
“No…” Hunter started to say, but Nora cut him off.
“Just listen! I can’t go back to them only to disappear again – which is the only choice I’ll have. They can never know what I am and can’t know what you are, either. So I can’t go back to them, no matter how much I want to. It’s better for them to think they’ve lost their daughter once and then slowly forget about her.”
Hunter shook his head. “No, Nora. That’s where you’re wrong. No one could ever forget you.”
She smiled again and looked back out the window. She knew he could never understand. He never knew his family, and despite all his years of experience, he assumed it would be simple for her to just come back home and announce, “here I am!” like nothing ever happened. But it was never like that.
For a few minutes, both of them just stared out the window in silence, Nora alone with her own thoughts, and Hunter with his. Finally, Nora broke the quiet.
“Why did you take me to the dream world?”
“What?” Hunter looked a little taken aback. “What do you mean?”
“I mean the first time, right after we met. Why did you show me the dream realm? Did you know of the danger?”
“Nora,” he began seriously, “if I ever suspected anything like this would happen, I would have never, ever taken you there.”
“So why did you?”
He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came. His jaw worked, and he looked like he was trying to find the right words. Finally, he sighed and lowered his head.
“There was something about you. Something… I couldn’t place my finger on – still can’t, really – but it was there, and you…you called out to me.”
“What?” Nora raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
“It was this feeling I got,” he explained, raising his head a little, “like I’d known you from before. But I knew that was impossible. And yet, the feeling wouldn’t go away, no matter how much I willed it to. I thought it might have been because of the length of time since my last feeding, but when I killed the hitman, and then saw you again…it was still there. And from that point, it was impossible to stay away from you. I don’t know why. It was just something I felt. And showing you the dream world was something I felt like I had to do. To show you that realm, it was just a natural progression. I thought maybe, once I did that, the feeling would go away…” he smiled shyly, “…but it never did.”
“And what about now?”
He shook his head. “It’s still there.”
“So…why is it that you like me?”
“Like?” he laughed softly. “Nora, after what we’ve gone through…after everything we’ve seen together… I’m well past the point of ‘liking’ you.” His eyes met hers, and he held her gaze strongly.
Nora’s eyebrows crept up. “What are you saying…?”
He tightened his grip on her hands, and stared deep into her eyes. “Love,” he whispered.
Nora stumbled back in surprise. Her vision got blurry, and she felt completely disoriented. Hunter gripped her hand. “Nora, I love you.”
The momentary surprise was now over as the words hit home. Hunter was telling her he loved her. Her, of all people. The girl he knew for less than a few months, the one that was so clumsily bumbling along through this strange and unfamiliar world he revealed to her. And despite all that, he still loved her. Hearing him say the words, and having them register…was an unbelievable feeling she could not even describe. All the euphoria and excitement she had ever felt bubbled up inside her, until she realized she was grinning stupidly at him.
She threw her arms around his shoulders. “Hunter, I love you too.”
***
Madison and Alexander met Nora and Hunter in the lobby of the hotel that morning. Nora was sitting on Hunter’s lap at first, but on seeing them approach jumped off to take a chair beside him.
Alexander smiled in amusement when he saw that, but didn’t make any comment as he came up.
Nora cleared her throat. “Morning,” she said.
“Good morning,” Madison smiled. “I hope you enjoyed the room?”
“Very much so,” Nora said quickly, feeling her cheeks heat up. “But what about you guys? What did you do last night?”
“Madison here bumped into an old friend,” Alexander said slyly. “Someone who might be very helpful.”
“I swear, I didn’t know he was going to be there,” Madison began, “anyway. That’s neither here nor there.”
“Not Jacob?” Hunter asked. Alexander and Madison both nodded at the same time. “Were you two together, then? I mean, did he see that you were with her?”
Alexander nodded again. “That’s right. He popped out of nowhere, almost…”
“…surprised even me…” Madison added.
“Right. But he was happy to see her, and I finally had a chance to meet him.”
“So…?” Nora started suggestively. “Did you ask him if he would help us? What did he say?”
Madison laughed, that crystal clear, chime of a laugh. “Not yet, Nora. It was too soon. I still have to feel him out before revealing what we aim to do. To make sure it’s safe for us to approach him.”
“So…then what? You bumped into him, and nothing happened?”
“Well, you should give me a little more credit than that. I arranged to meet with him later today. In a coffee shop.”
“A very public coffee shop,” Alexander said. “In the middle of the biggest shopping mall in Portland.”
Nora felt a stab of uncertainty on hearing that. She and her friends had visited the mall here before, and if she saw any of them this time around…
“We’ll get you the disguise you need,” Alexander said to her, as if he just read her mind. “Nobody will recognize you there.”
“A public mall,” Hunter mused. “That’s good. It means we won’t stand out from anybody else there.”
“And better yet,” Madison added, “is that the coffee shop is in the middle of an open food court. Which means all of you can be there when I meet with him.”
“Watching from far away,” Alexander said.
“Will you go, too?” Nora asked him. “I mean, if you met Jacob last night, were you also invited to the meeting?”
Madison shook her head. “Bringing Alexander would have been an inconvenience more than anything. I need Jacob to be at ease when I make the suggestion…” she shrugged. “Alexander will be watching from a distance just as you will be.”
“But not together with you,” Alexander said. “We don’t want to give you away in case Jacob notices me, either.”
“Right,” Nora nodded. “It makes sense.”
“So when is this meeting, then?” Hunter asked, clasping his hands together. “We’ll need time to pre
pare the disguises if nothing else.”
“Noon today,” Madison answered. “We’ll have a good idea of what our next steps are in only a few short hours.”
**
Nora found herself staring down over the railing at Pioneer Place, the largest shopping mall in all of Portland. The mall was a multi-storey, open structure where the food court on the first floor opened up to the skylights in the roof high above. And from where she stood, on the third floor, she had a direct line of sight to Madison, who sat with her back turned at a vacant table in the Starbucks down below.
Nora had no more worries about anyone she might know recognizing her. After Madison had helped her bleach her hair that morning, she couldn’t even recognize herself in the mirror any more. Her hair was now a well-streaked blonde, and it shone in the light. Every once in a while Nora would catch the hint of it out of the corner of her eye, and every single time finding it there would startle her. She was used to her hair being dark, and this was completely and entirely at the opposite end of the spectrum.
Moreover, the physical changes that had started to manifest themselves after she had become a Vassiz had become even more distinctive since she last saw herself in the mirror in that abandoned farm. Her face looked so much more pronounced, so much more striking than ever before. And that change alone, coupled with the new style of eyeliner that Madison helped her put on, was enough for anyone to mistake her for another person.
She looked down at Madison again, who sat there with her back perfectly straight. She looked very much the queen right then, like someone used to commanding and used to getting her way. It was strange to think Nora was the one who was supposed to lead them all against the elders. And no matter how many times she had confronted the fact, the sheer bizarreness of it never faded. Yet, she was ready, now and always, to do what it took to take down the elders, to get her freedom back, and to release the Vassiz from the elders’ hold of power.
Abruptly Nora noticed someone approaching Madison. A man, covered up by a pure black trench coat. He had broad shoulders, and dark, slightly curling hair fell down past his neck. Nora got a brief glimpse of his face, and saw that it was all hard lines and planes. He was someone definitely used to power.
Madison started to get up as he came closer, but he put a hand up, and she sat back down. From the way he was moving, and the way he was dressed, it was obvious he wanted to avoid attracting attention as much as possible. Or maybe get everyone’s attention, instead. He was very conspicuous in those dark clothes. But anybody who looked twice would not see anything distinctive enough to remember.
“Is that him?” Nora whispered over to Hunter, who had come up beside her. He was leaning casually against the railing, but when he turned his head as if to talk to Nora, his eyes darted down to where Madison was sitting. Then he looked back at Nora and nodded.
“I think it is.”
Nora nodded and found herself gripping the top of the railing hard. The meeting with Jacob down below was their one and only chance of getting to the repository of torrial. Nora wished she could be there. No matter how selfish it seemed, she believed that she could make a difference for the better by being there. But most of all, she absolutely hated feeling useless. Which is what she was now, just standing by.
“What do you think they’re saying?” Nora asked softly. Madison and Jacob had both leaned in to the middle of the table until their heads were almost touching. By the look of it, Jacob appeared to be the one saying the most, with Madison just listening and nodding. But then those nods slowly turned into shakes. And then Madison was shaking her head vigorously, again and again, obviously not happy with whatever Jacob was saying. She kept shaking it. “Hunter?”
“I don’t know,” Hunter said slowly, through gritted teeth. He was looking down there out of the corner of one eye, still positioning his head as if speaking directly to Nora.
All of a sudden, Jacob leaned back. Madison shook her head again, and Jacob lifted both hands. Then he pushed himself away from the table and started to get up. He took a few steps away before Madison grabbed his arm and pulled him back. Then Nora was caught staring as Madison turned slowly to look up right at her. Their eyes met for a long second.
“What is she doing?” Nora hissed, ripping her head away. “She looked right at me!”
“Right at us,” Hunter corrected. “But hold on… I think she’s motioning us over.”
“What?” Nora demanded. “He’s not supposed to even know we’re here!”
“I know, but…look.” Nora moved her head back reluctantly. Slowly, her eyes trailed back to where Madison was seated, where, sure enough, Madison was nodding them over with her head.
“You’re right,” Nora said in disbelief. “Do you think…? I mean, what could have happened…?”
“I don’t know,” Hunter said, “but be careful.” He took her hand in his and took a step toward the escalator. “Whatever happens, do not leave my side.”
Nora nodded. Even though she thought she could take care of herself, she wouldn’t leave Hunter for the world.
“And hold your tongue when we get there. Remember, we do not know what he said yet.”
As they started down toward the table, Nora saw Madison look to where Alexander was, across the opening and on the other side, and motioned to him the same way. He immediately started walking down without even the hint of hesitation.
As they made their way down the escalator, Nora could see Jacob’s face more clearly. He had dark eyes to match his hair, and the planes of his forehead and cheeks were like chiseled rock. A hard man, no doubt. Nora thought Madison, sitting beside him, looked completely at ease. But then she saw the tightness in the corner of her eyes and the strained way she pursed her lips. And suddenly, Nora felt a lot more uncertain about what was going to happen next.
As she and Hunter walked closer, she saw the man beside Madison – Jacob – was looking right at her. But Alexander arrived first.
“Alexander,” Jacob said cordially, when he walked up to them. He had a deep, rich voice. “I knew you wouldn’t be far away.”
Nora tightened her grip on Hunter’s hand, and they took the last step to the table.
Immediately, Jacob turned and looked right at her. “And you,” he said without his voice giving anything away. “I know others have been looking for you.”
Nora felt a stab of fear at that, a constriction right in the middle of her chest. She felt Hunter tense beside her. He hadn’t said anything, but was staring right at Jacob. It felt to Nora like she was in the crystal clear moment that came just before a storm broke out.
“Do not worry, little one, I will not give you away,” Jacob said quickly. “My friend Madison here has been very insistent upon that.”
“Then why scare her like that?” Hunter growled.
Jacob held out a hand. “You need to be aware of the danger you are in. All of you.” He looked at Madison, and Nora thought she saw just the hint of affection. A very fatherly affection. “But let’s not mince words here. I know what you want, and Madison has told me why you need it.”
Nora gulped. This was it. The next words would determine her fate far into the future.
“What’s it going to be, Jacob?” Hunter said harshly.
Jacob looked to Hunter, and then over to Nora. He took a deep breath, then rubbed his temples with both hands. He nodded to himself, as if making the final decision. “I will fly you to Egypt.”
The End, Book Three.
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Foretold
(Book Fou
r of the FORSAKEN SAGA)
Copyright © 2014, Sophia Sharp
Awesome editing provided by: Denise Nicholls
eBook Version 1.0
Publication Date: February 27th, 2014
Cover Art by: Laura Sava
http://sophiasharp.blogspot.com
Book Description:
In the epic conclusion to the Forsaken Saga, Nora comes face to face with the elders for the first time. With Hunter and the angels at her side, she will try to do that which no one has done: destroy the elders, and break their terrible reign of power.
But it will not be easy. The elders have held on to their posts since the first memories of the Vassiz. Will prophecy be enough to guide Nora against them?
If she succeeds, the world as she knows it will change forever. But if she does not, everyone she knows will suffer a terrible fate. She is determined, but there are hidden secrets that may yet prevent her from reaching her goals..
Chapter One
~A Bitter Mood~
A dry wind blew sand across the plain. Nora shielded her eyes to avoid getting stung. That only helped a little. The thin cloth handkerchief that hung around her neck was not much protection against the gusts, no matter what the locals said. Still, it allowed her to breathe the arid air a little easier.
It was not until she got to Egypt that she realized just how pure the air back home had been. After her transformation, and the sensory magnifications that came with it, she should have been more attuned to it. For some reason, she had never really noticed.
Maybe it was just because of her transformation, but once she stepped off the plane onto the small, hidden airfield Jacob had somehow gotten access to the assault on her senses began. The air here scratched her throat and dried her skin. Within minutes of exposure, she felt more uncomfortable than she ever had in her life. It was the dry climate that did it, coupled with the monstrous heat. As a Vassiz, she would have thought herself less susceptible to such irritations, but apparently, that wasn’t the case.
