by Sam Hall
Because you knew, my mind said. You knew you didn’t deserve this, that this wasn’t really yours.
Somehow, my words were worse than their cruel ones, stabbing into me until I found it hard to breathe. I fell forward onto the dirt, gasping, feeling the bile rise inside my stomach, feeling that horrific rush of pain and shame wash over me as a quick montage of the guys, of the sights and smells of their bodies, of the savage way they came together, of those complex webs of interconnection I’d thought I’d seen flooded my brain, pummelling me harder and harder and harder until—
I roughly shoved it to one side. The feeling of arid emptiness instead was so welcome that I grabbed onto it with both hands, my fingers digging deep into the earth. I felt it quiver under my rough embrace, as if the world itself recoiled from my pain. I wanted to break off every thought, feeling, and experience I’d had with each and every one of them like branches off a tree to leave me limbless and empty. My lips pulled back in a snarl, my teeth lengthening, my mouth filling with saliva as I hungered to fight, my enemies, my lovers.
“Who knows?” someone said. It was my vocal chords the sounds came from, but the noises were something I’d never managed before. It was the smashing of cars, metal colliding and scraping and tearing their passengers in two.
“Everyone.”
I looked up at Duke through narrowed slits, my gaze stabbing into his impassive form.
“Jen? Vervain? Marlow?”
I didn’t want to say their names. The words hurt to get out, my throat seizing up as I tried.
He just nodded.
“You?”
He nodded again.
“Why didn’t you take me? Put in to be my preceptor? Get me out of this?”
“You wouldn’t have come. They said it right. They are in you.” He leant over and his finger pressed into my breast bone. “I wasn’t bringing no Hartley snitch into my court. If I’d told you, you wouldn’t have listened. You were too invested in the idea of being with your Rutherglen friends and having the romance you’d always dreamed of. But the real reason? I ain’t here to rescue you. I told you, my strength is truth. I’m here to arm you.”
He nodded with satisfaction when I got to my feet, and somehow, he didn’t seem so tall or big anymore.
“My people survive in a system designed to break us. We endure everything. We remain strong, and we keep on rising. Girl, you’re gonna need some of that in you for what’s coming.”
“So arm me already.”
He shook his head, smiling, but it wasn’t a happy thing.
“You think getting angry is gonna be enough.”
“I don’t need words of wisdom, Yoda. Let’s do it.”
“Alright.”
His arm snapped out, snatching one of those pretty little birdies out of the air, breaking its neck before it could even react, then tearing its head off. The pitiful amount of blood inside it coated his fingers, and then he painted me.
Circle, bisecting line, feathery shapes off the main line, slash. The shape was drawn onto my chest with a bloody finger, and then he stepped back with a nod.
I turned around to find another rent in reality had appeared, showing me an idyllic field, complete with sun, grass, trees, and some animals grazing.
“It’s not time to hatch out of that chrysalis. It’s time to rise up beyond all of this.”
I didn’t get a chance to respond, as firm hands landed on my shoulders and then shoved me through.
The sun warmed my face, drying my tears to sticky trails as I rolled over, groaning. A shadow fell over my face, allowing me to open my eyes to see a familiar face leaning over me.
“Hello, my flower,” Aen said.
What next?
So, you must be pretty mad right about now. I’m hoping your Kindle has survived, though your faith in me might not have. I guess I can only say this. I need characters to experience serious growth and Kira is going to experience more than any of my other characters. She’s gone from sick, hemmed in and hassled, to living the high life, only for it all to be yanked away from here and I needed this to happen for one reason: she needs to find her power. She’s been bossed around by her parents, then manipulated by the band, now is her time to step beyond all of these external forces and find out what she wants and needs, which is what Book 3 will be about.
Get it here!
Looking for the next Pack Heat book?
Get Book 4 here!
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Facebook author group: Sam’s Hall of Heroines
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Come and see teasers and me explain what the hell was going on in my head when I was writing that.
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Teasers, WIPs and pictures of my animals here!
Acknowledgments
Gonna change things up this time. Matt, you know you’re the king but everyone’s sick of hearing about you. ;)
To my author group: you guys are amazing. From ARC reading to giving me feedback on WIPs and tossing around ideas, you’re always there for me. You’re amazing!
To Belle, my fellow tunnels and trains aficionado! You’ve made this whole process a lot less lonely, having someone to bounce ideas and WTF moments with.
Editing was done by the lovely Meghan Leigh Daigle. She’s amazing and if you’re looking for an editor, she’s your girl.
https://www.facebook.com/Bookish-Dreams-Editing-105567517555119/
Cover was created by the amazing team at Mibl Art
https://miblart.com/
Special thanks to Katie, Richelle, Jennifer and Jess. Katie helps me get it all making sense and Jess helps me make those characters 3-D and actual feeling humans rather than bitchy automatons. Richelle reassures me that I’m not completely insane and I did do what I tried to do and if everyone could just see things the way we do, that’d be awesome! Jennifer helps me see how a reader would perceive my writing, basically acting as mirror into readers’ brains, which is a great help. You’re all amazing!
Extra special thanks to the wonderful Samantha. I bounce crazy theory driven ideas off her at all ours and with that big momma energy, she patiently talks me through them and gives me awesome readings to keep broadening my mind.
To the amazing betas, Rebekah, Teresa, Carol and Richelle. You jumped in at short notice and scoured the WIP, found teasers and are indispensable members of the team. Couldn’t do it without you!
About the Author
I grew up in that bit of Australia you saw in Crocodile Dundee. Yup, I have seen saltwater crocs in the wild, have held a koala (the 70s, when stressing wildlife for the kiddies was still cool) and have swatted an insane number of hand sized spiders (they think I am their queen and are always wherever I am!). I have a gorgeous child with ASD, a super supportive, truly awesome partner and so, so many animals. Seriously, there are double the pets to people.
Being a little baby writer, trying to make her way in the big, crowded, world of self-publishing, reviews are our lifeblood. Seriously, we’re sitting in isolated rooms wondering what the hell we are doing with our lives, so chuck a review on Amazon or Goodreads and I will loooove you!
