Sacrificed (The Ignited Series)

by Dantone, Desni

  Micah.

  He had security outside of his room, for a whole other reason than Alec and I did. At least I knew his guard. That didn’t mean he returned my smile when he saw me.

  Richie was one tough cookie.

  Micah must have sensed me, because his door swung open before I said anything. With a look tossed at Richie, Micah invited me in.

  “Or would you rather go for a walk?” Micah offered. “Get out for a little bit?”

  “No, I’m not staying long.” I had plans to meet Nathan a little later for lunch, and was not going to miss that. “I just…I haven’t had the chance to thank you yet, for what you did. For all of it. So…thank you.”

  Micah shrugged. “No big deal, especially not after what you did for me.”

  The air in his room felt too dry, thinner, and I swallowed a couple of times to dislodge the lump that had formed in my throat. “I wasn’t going to, you know?”

  “Kill me? I know. I think that was the loudest your thoughts have ever been.”

  Right. He’d read me. Of course. “It was the one time I wanted you to read me.”

  We both smiled, but it felt all kinds of awkward. I wondered if we would ever have a normal friendship, one without the added stress of knowing our entwined destinies.

  I often reminded myself of the message Lauren and Megan had given me: Where there is free will, anything is possible. I hoped that meant I would have some say in what became of me, of my future, and who I would spend it with.

  Micah suddenly turned and walked away from me, opening the door to his balcony and stepping outside. The curtains billowed in the breeze. His voice carried to me, where I stood inside.

  “You can fight it all you want, Kris,” he said. “We both know where you’re going to end up.”

  “Reading my mind again, Micah?” I pushed past the curtains and stepped out onto the balcony. Not far. Not close to him.

  His back remained to me as he leaned on the railing. He didn’t answer my question. “You know your heart might belong to Nathan right now, but your soul belongs to me.” He finally turned, and his eyes bored into mine. “Eventually your soul will lead you back to me.”

  I stared at him a moment, biting my tongue a few times before I finally spoke. “Friends, Micah. That’s all we’ll be. And honestly, right now, that’s a stretch.”

  “For now.”

  I nodded once and backpedaled into the room. “On that note, I think I’ll be going. Thank you, again.”

  I was surprised when I reached the door without Micah doing something to stop me. I glanced over my shoulder as I swung the door open, and saw him standing just inside the room, watching me. When my eyes met his, he smiled. And it was that smile I’d always hated, that one that made me think he was hiding something. Or like he knew something that he wasn’t telling me.

  I’d seen that smile one too many times already, and I wanted nothing to do with it now.

  As the door shut behind me, I thought I heard him say something that sounded like, “I’ll be waiting…”

  I could have been wrong, but knowing Micah, I doubted it.

  I wondered if the kid would ever give up. What it would take for him to give up.

  I was with Nathan. Period.

  I loved Nathan.

  And as I left the boys’ dormitory in search of him, for the first time in a long time, I felt hope.

  My destiny awaited, but I no longer feared it. I had free will on my side, and I would bet on that over fate any day. Especially when my will led me to Nathan.

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  I’m humbled by the reception my debut novel, Ignited, has received, and by the requests for more by those that have read it. It’s because of my fans that I’m doing this again…and again. So without you, this series would be nothing but thoughts in my head. Thank you for pushing me to put the words down.

  My first fans were my wonderful family and friends, and I’d like to extend an extra thank you to them for their support through this entire crazy process. There are days I want to throw in the towel, days I don’t think I can do it, days I don’t want to do it, but their encouragement pushes me forward.

  Special thanks to Georgina Brooks for designing my covers. You have a way of taking my poorly constructed ideas and turning them into a work of art, even in the midst of a record breaking heat wave. Looking forward to planning many more covers with you.

  I’d like to thank the first readers, who took the time to dissect the first drafts of Sacrificed. Rachel and Lisa, thanks for pointing out what worked, what didn’t worked, and helping me to piece together the gaps.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Desni Dantone resides in Greensburg, Pennsylvania with her husband, Stephen, son, Nicholas, and their dog and cat. She loves young adult paranormal romance books, and loves to write them even more. You can usually find her curled up on the couch with either a good book or her laptop, and a cup of tea nearby.

  The third book of The Ignited Series, titled Salvaged Soul, is expected in late 2014, with the fourth and final book, Avenging Heart, coming in 2015.

  You can follow her on her website: www.desnidantone.com or on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/ignitedbooks