by Kyla Stone
The warmth of his body pressed against hers. She breathed in his familiar scent. “What’s wrong?”
He flexed his left hand. His right remained stubbornly limp. He inhaled sharply. “I thought I’d lost you.”
“I’m right here.”
“I was wrong,” he said, still not looking at her. “I thought I could never use a knife or a gun to hurt a living thing. But I can. I did. I had to.
“When that second bear came crashing into the clearing—I thought it was over. That was it. We’d survived so much, and it was all going to end in the middle of nowhere, for no reason. I couldn’t let that happen. I didn’t even think about my own life, Willow.” He cleared his throat, his voice gritty. “All I thought about was protecting you and Benjie.”
“The man protecting the woman is so last century.” But it sounded lame and stupid. She had needed help. Benjie would be dead without Finn. Probably she would be, too.
They were a family. Families protected each other.
She rubbed her hands together in front of the fire, suddenly very aware of how close they were sitting, how his leg was only an inch from hers. “I felt the same way.”
He said the words so softly she barely heard them. “I don’t know what I would do without you.”
The wind picked up, scraping through the trees. Somewhere, icicles tinkled against each other. Her whole body stiffened. “What?”
“I mean,” he stammered, “I know your heart belongs to someone else. I’m not the kind of guy who’d try to get in the way of that, so don’t worry—”
“Wait. Back the heck up. What?”
He poked at the frozen ground with a stick. “You and Silas...”
Her heart stuttered. She gaped at him.
He sighed. “You’re going to make me say it, aren’t you? I know you love Silas.”
“I do love Silas,” she said, amazed at the words coming out of her own mouth. She’d never thought of it that way, but as soon as she’d spoken, she knew it was true. She cared deeply for Silas, loved him even—the prickly bastard.
Finn’s face fell. He gave a pained smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “He’s got a hard shell, but I’m sure there’s some humanity deep inside him…somewhere.”
Willow snorted. She tried to imagine Silas in a romantic situation, with a girlfriend or boyfriend he’d have to actually be nice to—but it was impossible. “Finn. Silas and I are friends.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“We’re only friends.”
“Oh.” He sounded surprised, slightly confused, possibly hopeful.
Her heart leapt. “All this time, you’ve thought…?”
“Yeah, I did.” He shook his head, rolled his shoulders, sucked in a breath. Like he was preparing for something. “I guess you might think I’m an idiot for this, but I need to tell you something—”
Willow put her finger to his lips. His breath warmed her hand. She’d had enough of words. She’d almost lost the two people that meant the most in the entire world. They were her everything.
Life was too short not to take risks. Not to take the leap. Hadn’t they learned that these last desperate months? Hadn’t they learned it again tonight?
She was tired of being scared, of feeling weak, of giving in to her own doubts. She was the girl who’d scaled the outside of a cruise ship in the middle of a hurricane to save her brother. She was the girl who’d killed a Headhunter to protect her own, who blew up a thousand rats in a sewer to save everyone she cared about.
What the hell was she so scared of now?
Here he was, big goofy beautiful Finn, smelling like wood smoke with his huge brown eyes, and an uncertain crooked grin and that adorable gap between his front teeth that always made her blood fizz, that made her stomach flutter, that made her want to do so many things she never thought she would—
And then his hand was on hers, tentative, questioning, so light it felt like the brush of a bird’s wing. She exhaled softly. She couldn’t tear her gaze away from the earnest warmth of his brown eyes.
Finn leaned in and kissed her.
Her lips opened, startled. But she didn’t pull away.
He kissed her again, his lips barely brushing hers, soft and gentle, still hesitant, asking the question her heart was screaming at her to answer.
She kissed him back. Harder, more insistent, leaning into him. Her heart was soaring, her palms damp, her stomach a flutter of thrilled panic.
The world around them was a dark, frozen wonderland, but right here was heat, flame, fireworks.
Life.
Dizziness flushed through her. Willow leaned back with a heady gasp, catching her breath. She lost her balance, her arms flailing. She nearly fell off the log like an idiot, rendered immobile by the sparks sizzling through her veins and exploding in her stomach.
“Sorry.” Her face burned. Pain seared her ribs. She ignored it, waved her hand sheepishly. “I’m not exactly used to this.”
“I don’t exactly mind.” Finn flashed her favorite lopsided grin. He tugged her hand and she went to him. She settled into his lap as he wrapped his strong arm around her. She leaned into him and pressed her face into his broad chest, closing her eyes.
She loved the sound of his heartbeat, so steady and safe, so reassuring.
She had to be strong all the time. Out in the wild, she could never let her guard down. But here, with Finn, she knew she could. She wanted to.
“I really like you, Willow Bahaghari.”
“I—I like you, too.”
“How’d I do? I was going for sexy and suave and smooth.”
“Smooth as gravel, you big oaf,” she said into his chest, smiling.
They kissed again—longer, deeper, hungrier.
They were so focused on each other that they didn’t see the pair of yellow eyes or sense the dark shape slinking through the trees until it was right on top of them.
Finn gasped. Willow leapt up, tuning out her body’s aching protest. Whipping her handgun from its holster, she spun around, aiming at shadows.
Or, more specifically, one shadow.
“Took you long enough,” came a voice from the woods. A figure eased into the clearing and stepped off her hoverboard. She flung back her hood, revealing glossy black hair and a small, tough face, her mouth twisted in a wry smile.
Shadow and Raven had found them.
The End
I hope you enjoyed Breaking World! If you liked the book, please consider leaving a quick Amazon review HERE. Reviews help readers find good stories and help authors reach new readers. I read every review.
Amelia, Willow, Gabriel, and Micah’s story isn’t over yet. The final book in The Last Sanctuary series will be out July 2018. Look for Raging Light on preorder soon!
To hold you over until then, scroll ahead for a sneak peek of Raging Light.
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Acknowledgments
Thank you to my awesome beta readers. Your thoughtful critiques and enthusiasm are invaluable, as always: Lauren Nikkel, Kimberley Trembley, Michelle Browne, Leslie Spurrier, Jazmin Cybulski, Jeremy Steinkraus, and Barry and Derise Marden.
To Michelle Browne for being a great developmental and line editor. And to Eliza Enriquez for catching those last little proofreading errors.
To my husband, who always helps with deadlines and plot holes and listens patiently to problems about imaginary people.
And to my kids, who are my everything.
About the Author
Kyla Stone is an emerging author of contemporary
young adult fiction and apocalyptic dystopian novels. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband, two children, and two spoiled cats. When she’s not writing or spending time with her family, she loves to read, hike, draw, travel, and play games. Her favorite food is dark chocolate.
Kyla loves to hear from her readers. For news and new releases, visit her at:
www.FaceBook.com/KylaStoneBooks
www.Amazon.com/author/KylaStone
Email her at [email protected]
Also by Kyla Stone
Beneath the Skin
Before You Break
Real Solutions for Adult Acne
Rising Storm
Falling Stars
Burning Skies
Breaking World
Part I
Raging Light Sneak Peek
1
Micah
“They’re not doing anything,” nineteen-year-old Micah Ramos Rivera said. “Why aren’t they doing anything?”
He stood with Silas, Theo, Fiona, and Kadek outside a bot-repair center in sector three. They leaned against the wall, Smartflexes and holopads in hand, pretending to be engrossed in the latest vlogger feed while surreptitiously scanning the crowds.
Dozens of Sanctuary citizens were out and about, hurrying to jobs or home for lunch or strolling with small children, all hunched inside their coats. Their faces were more tense, the shadows under their eyes deeper perhaps, but they were still going about their daily business.
There was no uprising. No protests. No revolt.
Four nights ago, President Sloane had put out an emergency broadcast, a mere twenty minutes after they had hijacked the network. She’d sat calmly in her presidential suite, modeled to resemble the Oval Office in the White House, and informed the people she would do everything in her power to determine the truth.
“I’ve been listening to my co-workers, my family, anyone I could get close enough to overhear,” Fiona said, twirling a bright-red curl between her fingers. “They’re angry, sure, but they feel helpless. Two elite women were going on and on about how Declan Black’s confession must have been coerced or faked. How easy it was to manipulate pixels.”
Silas shoved his hands deep in his pockets. His gray eyes were cold, hard. Micah wasn’t sure what he was thinking. How did he really feel about all of this? Declan Black was his father, after all. But Silas was an enigma. His face revealed nothing.
“Or they say it was Declan Black acting on his own, a rogue agent, that there was no way our government would ever kill their own citizens,” Kadek said. He spat in disgust.
“They don’t want to believe,” Micah said, still watching Silas.
“Or they’d have to do something about it.” Kadek’s narrow face darkened. “If they believe the government intentionally harmed their own citizens, how could they stay here and continue to trust that same government? They couldn’t. But this is the only place they’re safe. So it’s better to disbelieve evidence they’ve seen with their own eyes than to risk their safety and the people they love, the few who are still alive.”
“I understand it,” Theo said, his voice cracking. He held an unopened bag of gummy worms in his hands. He twisted the bag over and over, crumpling it between his fingers. He had been uncharacteristically subdued since the broadcast. Micah didn’t know him well, but he’d been full of optimism and enthusiasm all the time Micah spent with him. He truly was nothing like his sister. “I don’t agree with it, but I understand.”
Fiona glanced at the time on her SmartFlex. “Thirty seconds until President Sloane’s broadcast.”
They stared up at the huge holoscreen affixed to the five-story building across the street. All over the city, ads, vlogs, and video feeds cut out on every screen and holoport and SmartFlex. A tiny version popped up in glowing 3D over Theo’s, Fiona’s, and Kadek’s wrists.
“Citizens of the Sanctuary,” President Sloan announced. She was standing on a raised platform before the marble steps of the capitol, the grand, ornate building gleaming white behind her. She was surrounded by a retinue of secret service agents, soldiers, advisers, and generals.
Micah sucked in a startled breath. Amelia stood beside President Sloane, dressed in slate-colored silk dress and a chinchilla-gray fur shrug. Her hair was long again, blowing like a white-blonde ribbon in the frigid wind.
President Sloane’s hands gripped the narrow, transparent podium. A hovercam floated a foot from her face. Her jaw was set, her eyes grim. She projected power and authority, someone fully capable of enacting justice and keeping her people in line. “After seriously investigating the accusations made against former BioGen CEO Declan Black,” she announced, “the Coalition has determined the validity of the televised confession and Declan Black’s guilt.”
Everyone within sight stopped whatever they were doing. They craned their necks to stare up at the closest holoscreen or peered down at their Smartflexes.
“The investigation found that Declan Black acted as a lone wolf, manipulating the government and deceiving those who most trusted him. He is a terrorist and traitor of the worst caliber, his every intent and motive to destroy the very fabric of this great nation and the world.”
“She’s still lying,” Micah whispered. There was no way Declan Black acted alone. “The Coalition was involved. They had to be.”
“This will not stand,” President Sloane continued, her strong voice carrying over the wind and the American and Coalition flags whipping behind her. “For his crimes, he will be sentenced to die by firing squad at six p.m. on January thirtieth, in two days, right here in Unity Square in front of the capitol. Attendance is mandatory. We will eradicate this threat to our safety, to the well-being of our children, I promise you that.
“If any among you would plot against that safety and attempt to take it from us, we will retaliate with the full force of our power. We will find you, and you will pay for your crimes against humanity, just as Declan Black will do.” She leaned over the podium, her eyes glittering intently. “Hold your children close tonight and sleep in peace. Tomorrow is a new day.”
Her gaze slanted at Amelia, hovering there for a moment longer than necessary. Then she turned back to the cameras and lifted her right arm, punching the air with her fist. “Unity through might. Freedom through strength. Peace through safety!”
The Coalition’s symbol appeared—a white triangle with the American flag flying behind a menacing sword—hovering over thousands of Smartflexes and holo ports before winking out.
The regular ads returned, a buzz of nonsense that Micah instantly tuned out. He spun to face Theo. “What now? Why is Amelia there and not here? What’s going on?”
Theo sighed heavily. “I don’t know.”
Silas glared at him. “That’s unacceptable!”
Theo didn’t answer. He tilted his head back and gazed up at the darkening sky. From the west, a bank of black, billowing clouds was rolling in. “Storm’s coming.”
“What are you thinking?” Fiona asked Theo quietly.
“We have no choice now.” Theo balled up his bag of gummy worms and shoved it in his pocket. “If Amelia can’t get us the cure, and the people just accept President Sloane’s word that Black is the only mastermind, then Cleo’s plan wins.” He sounded tired. Angry and defeated. “We have no choice but to take the Sanctuary by force.”
“Amelia promised to smuggle out the cure!” Micah said. “She’s going to do it. She just needs more time.”
Theo shook his head sadly. “We’re out of time.”
“Sloane and all the Coalition minions will be on the stage for the execution,” Fiona said. “That’s the time to take them out. We can get a message to General Reaver and coordinate the attack.”
Silas surged toward her, his expression ferocious. “Amelia might be on that stage.”
Fiona threw up her hands and retreated a step, her back against the white quartz wall of an apartment building. “I’m just saying. It’s an idea.”
“Amelia can’t
be hurt.” Micah knew he should stop Silas, step between him and Fiona and the others, but the sickening, wrenching sensation in the pit of his stomach prevented him. All he could think of was the danger threatening Amelia from every side. “Do you hear me?”
“You should leave,” Kadek said as he forced himself between Fiona and Silas. His narrow features sharpened, his gaze bristling with hostility. “Now.”
Theo spread his hands. “Everyone back up ten paces and take a breath.”
“This isn’t helping anyone,” Micah said. “Not Amelia, not us, not the cause.”
Kadek and Silas glared at each other for a long, tense moment.
“Fine.” Silas unclenched his fists. He stepped back, palms up, standing down.
Micah took a relieved breath. Fighting among themselves helped nothing.
Fiona crossed her arms over her chest. “He’s still right. It’s not safe for you here anymore. You heard Sloane’s announcement. Anyone she finds, she’ll just lump them in with Declan Black. And she’s definitely still looking for you. They’ve increased patrols threefold since our network hack.”
“It’s going to be incredibly dangerous for you here,” Theo said heavily. “War is coming. My mother and Cleo will attack in only a few days’ time. I don’t know how much longer we can assure your safety.”
“We can sneak you out tonight,” Kadek said. “The Sanctuary is more concerned with what’s coming in than what’s going out. We can get you out the service entrance. We’ll hijack a few of the nighthawks to give us cover just in case.”
