Marked

by T. L. McDonald

  Fallen.

  Sam’s memories fade away as I come back to myself. The world spins and the brightness of the morning sun is both blinding and disorienting. I cough gasping for breath, but the pressure Blondie’s putting on my throat prevents me from getting any air. I claw at his fingers with no success.

  “Now that wasn’t so hard was it?” Squeezing harder so I’m getting no air at all he pulls me closer. “I’ve enjoyed our time together Hanna, but now that I know who Sam’s brother is, I don’t need you anymore.”

  I try to speak, but he’s holding on too tight.

  “What’s that? Have some last words do we?” He loosens his grip just enough to allow me to speak.

  “You’re forgetting one important thing,” I choke out.

  “Oh really? And what would that be?”

  “The boy you so desperately wanted to find is the same boy you stabbed earlier tonight. The boy you killed.”

  Dumbfounded, the blackness of his eyes pulls inward reverting to arctic blue. So cold, he stares, his face twisting in anger and hate once he realizes I’m right. His jaw clenches, his fingers squeezing around my throat. With one hard shove he lets go and I fall. Down, down, down, I fall.

  The cold water of Lake Haven hits me like a thousand knives stabbing everywhere all at once. Air rushes from my lungs until there’s nothing left but emptiness and pain. Unable to move, the water’s embrace pulls me under. Drifting down, sinking below, my wrist glows with a soft blue light that slowly dims until there’s nothing left. The symbol’s gone and with it so is Sam. Above me, the world shimmers and fades and I smile, because it’s okay, because what Blondie doesn’t know, is that Jared didn’t die.

  ###

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  Read on for a sneak peek of

  Fated

  The second book in The Marked Series

  CHAPTER ONE

  Disjointed visions of violence and pain shift in and out of focus in my mind. Blondie laughing as he drags a sharp blade across Will’s throat. Jared attacking me with no will of his own under the influence of Zoe’s mind control. Blondie and Will fighting. Oceans of warm blood pouring from the gaping hole in Jared’s chest, leaving my hands stained red. Blondie shoving me off a cliff in a fit of anger. Devastating energy rushing from me with enough force to fling Jared and Zoe away as the Earth splits apart. Will pinning me down as he hits Zoe with a ball of purple light created from blood and whispered words. The world in silence, everything moving in slow motion as Blondie buries a knife into Jared’s chest. Zoe forcing me to strangle Will after getting into my head and then making me jump into a chasm afterwards. Blondie slicing his knife down my arm. The wind rushing around my body as I fall forever downward until I inevitably hit the surface of Lake Haven and the icy cold depths of it pull me under. And then finally, the symbol on my wrist as it glows softly to the slow beats of Jared’s heart under my hands.

  I sit up with a start, my hand on my wrist, Jared’s name on my lips. My chest aches with each struggling breath as my eyes squeeze shut against the brightness of the sun.

  The sun?

  I force my eyes open taking in the vast open meadow around me. Flowers of every color imaginable spread out as far as the eye can see. It’s beautiful. It’s wrong. I shouldn’t be here. I should be in the lake. Unless…unless I died, and this is…

  No.

  No. I can’t be dead. I don’t want to be dead. I’m not done. Jared doesn’t know who he is. He’s not safe because he doesn’t know and I can’t tell him because I’m here—wherever here is. I have to go back. I have to warn him before Blondie figures out I lied. I have to protect him.

  The symbol.

  The symbol can take me back. It has to take me back.

  I remove my hand from my wrist. Smooth unblemished skin greets me. It’s gone. How can it be gone? Sharp pain slices through my chest, my vision going hazy as a memory forces its way to the surface. Like the images before, the memory comes in fragments. Dark water, a disappearing world reflected against the surface, and the soft glow of the symbol as it fades away into nothing.

  No. No. It can’t be gone. This can’t be happening. Who’s going to protect Jared now? Who’s going to keep him safe when Blondie realizes he’s not dead?

  Footsteps approach from behind. A boy moves to stand before me. The sun shines at his back casting a golden halo all around him, making it hard to see his face. He lowers his hand. Hesitating only a moment, I accept his help in standing up.

  “Am I dead?” I ask, terrified of what this strange boy will say.

  He shakes his head. “No.”

  That voice. I’ve heard it before. “I know you.” He studies me while I study him: big brown eyes, dark brown hair, gray t-shirt, blue jeans, and red Converse. And then it hits me and I feel ashamed for not knowing right away because I should have. “Sam.”

  He nods.

  A warm breeze blows through the meadow stirring up the fragrance of the flowers. Taken by their scent, I breathe in deeply. There’s something calming about it, almost anesthetic. I close my eyes in surrender, and with each inhale, my shame for not knowing whom Sam was right away, along with my fears for Jared’s safety, begin to fade. Everything begins to fade, all my worries, all my fears, all my memories of my family, my friends. Jared.

  No. I pop my eyes back open. This place is trying to make me forget. I’m not ready to forget. I don’t want to forget.

  “What is this place?” I ask.

  “It has many names, but I like to call it The In-Between,” Sam answers. “It’s where the soul goes when it’s in between life and death.”

  “So what happens now?”

  “Now you either choose to stay, or choose to go back,” Sam says. A quiet sadness lurks within his big brown eyes that’s impossible to hide, no matter how hard he’s trying to.

  “Did you get a choice?”

  He lowers his eyes with a slight shake of his head. “No. It was too late for me,” he whispers. “But it’s not too late for you.” There’s a look of determination in his gaze as he looks back up at me.

  “Then I choose to go back.” I take a deep breath. It hurts, almost as if I were breathing in water instead of air.

  Sam smiles. It reminds me of Jared’s smile minus the dimple. Taking my hand, he flips it over then rubs his thumb over the place where the symbol he marked me with used to be. A symbol that not only allowed me to see and experience his memories as if they were my own, but if what Will said was true, allowed him to share his soul with me too. “If you choose it, I can return the symbol to you marking you as a Guardian.” He looks up meeting my eye. “I never gave you a choice the first time, and for that I’m sorry. It must have been terrifying.”

  “It was a little scary,” I admit. He looks at me with a slight smile and a questioning expression that says ‘only a little?’ “Okay, so it was a lot scary, but I understand why you did it, and if I was in your place I probably would have done the same thing.”

  “Does that mean you want it back then?”

  I don’t know how to answer. Having this symbol the first time around turned my whole life upside down and there were a few dark moments where I would have done anything to get rid of it. But then there were also times where it saved my life, where it saved Jared’s life, and I would do anything to keep Jared safe. If having the symbol back means I can protect Jared from Blondie and The Fallen, then there’s really no decision to make. The choice is obvious.

  I take a deep breath, steadying my nerves. “Yes.” At my answer, Sam places his hand over my wrist. A soft glow shines out from under his hand. “Wait,” I say before he can go any further. He looks up. “Will it be like it was before?”

  “No, not like before. You and I will no longer be connected, but you will have everything you will ever need.”

  “Okay.” So
, no memories of his life or soul sharing, just inhuman super powers I have no idea how to control. I can handle that. Right?

  “Ready?”

  Not in the slightest bit.

  I nod.

  Sam closes his eyes whispering words under his breath. The glow beneath his hand intensifies. My skin warms. All the hairs on my arm stand on end as electricity courses through my veins, spreading outward until my whole body is alive with it.

  Releasing my arm, a new symbol emerges. It’s basically the same as the one before with pale blue lines looping and intersecting over one another. The only difference is that now there are two small dots, one on top of the other, in the same shade of pale blue just off to the right side of its center. I run my finger over the lines tracing its shape.

  A breeze stirs the flowers nearest me. My fingers fall from my wrist as their scent overwhelms my senses. I breathe it in until my lungs can’t hold anymore, until I start to forget that I want to leave.

  It’s so peaceful here.

  Maybe I should stay.

  “It’s time,” Sam says.

  “Time for what?” The way the slight curls around the edges of his hair ruffle in the breeze reminds me of something. No—someone.

  “To go back.”

  “Back?” I reach out touching a strand of his hair trying to remember who he reminds me of. Jared. His hair curls like Jared’s. All of my fuzzy memories clarify. “Jared. I have to go back for Jared.”

  “Come on. There isn’t much time.” Sam holds out his hand for me to take and as I do, a white door appears in the distance standing alone in a field of flowers. He leads me to it. At my questioning look he says, “All you have to do is open the door.”

  There’s a sad longing in the way he looks at the door that breaks my heart. He died so young and so violently before he ever had a chance to really live. It’s not fair. “Come with me,” I say.

  The corners of his mouth lift in a sad sort of smile. “I can’t. This door is only for you.” Letting go of my hand he takes a few steps back.

  I wish there was some way the powers that be could make an exception in his case. “I wish you could come.”

  “Me too.” He takes a few more steps backwards.

  I reach for the doorknob. It feels like ice against my skin. I start to twist.

  “Hanna.”

  I look over my shoulder.

  “Tell Will I don’t blame him. Tell him it wasn’t his fault.”

  “I will.” The sun at his back intensifies until I can no longer see him standing there. Turning back to the door I twist the knob.

  ***

  Everything hurts. I can’t breathe or open my eyes and the ground under my back is hard and cold. A great force shoves down rapidly against my chest causing my ribs to ache under the pressure. Once the shoving stops, air is then forced into my burning lungs. Water pours from my mouth as my head is turned to the side and each breath I take after, feels like tiny knives slicing away at my throat and lungs.

  The sensation of water dipping onto my face pulls my thoughts away from the pain of my breaths. I slowly open my eyes to harsh light and blurry shapes. After several blinks a pair of deep blue eyes come into focus, peering at me heavy with relief. Will sighs, smiles, and then scoops me up in his arms to hold me tight against his chest.

  He kisses my forehead. “You scared the hell out of me. For a moment there I thought I wasn’t going to be able to bring you back.” He hugs me tighter then semi-releases me to look down at my face. “That’s twice now you know.”

  “What?” It hurts to talk and my voice sounds like it’s being dragged over gravel.

  He smiles. “That I’ve saved your life in the last twenty-four hours.” His fingers brush across my cheek before tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. A pained sort of longing flickers in his eyes, but he shoves it away so fast, I can’t really be sure it was there at all. “So,” He tugs at the ends of my hair playfully. “I’m wondering if this is going to become a recurring thing, my constantly saving you, because if so, I’m going to have to rearrange my schedule.”

  Is he being serious right now?

  “You know, in some cultures it wouldn’t be unheard of to say that you’re now indebted to me,” he says with a sly grin.

  I get shoved off a cliff, nearly die, visit The In-Between where I’m rebranded with a symbol from Sam and now Will is…is making jokes and…and flirting with me? I don’t even know how to respond to that right now.

  “I’ve started making a list,” he continues, voice very serious though his eyes are teasing.

  “A list?” Why am I even entertaining him?

  “Of all the ways you can pay me back of course.”

  “Really? And what’s on this list of yours?” This is stupid. I shouldn’t even be playing along. What I should be doing is asking about Jared, but after everything that’s happened, i.e., getting mixed up in a war between The Fallen and The Guardians, nearly dying at Blondie’s hand, finding out my boyfriend is destined to either save or destroy the world because some prophecy says so—a little harmless fun doesn’t sound so bad. In fact, it sounds really nice.

  “Things.” He winks then flicks his eyes to my mouth where they linger long enough to make me blush. A slow grin spreads across his face. “Get your mind out of the gutter Hanna Harper. Although…”

  “Ugh,” I shove away from him. “You’re insufferable, you know that?” I say, despite the smile I’m so desperately trying to keep from forming.

  “Uh-huh, sure I am.” He smiles suggestively. “Anyway, number one on the list is laundry. I was thinking you could do mine from now ‘til forever. I hate doing laundry.”

  “Um, no. Let’s not forget that I’ve saved your life a few times too. I’d say we’re even.”

  Will scrunches his face up in a thoughtful expression. “I suppose we could call it even—for now anyway. There’s always tomorrow.”

  God I hope not. Nearly dying twice in one day is enough. Although with the insane life I’m now living there’s a very good chance one of us will be saving the other soon, just hopefully not tomorrow. With Blondie in the dark about Jared being alive I’m hoping for a bit of a breather before everything goes to hell again.

  My thoughts drift back to my near death as I stare up at the cliffs above Lake Haven. If Will hadn’t pulled me out when he did, things would be very different right now. I look over at him from the corner of my eye. “Thank you by the way, for saving my life.”

  “I told you before, you don’t have to thank me.” He nudges me with his shoulder. “I’m just glad I got here when I did. When you didn’t show up at the church and you weren’t answering your phone I knew something was wrong. I got here just in time to see Blondie shove you off the cliff. So I jumped in after you. It took me forever to find you and when I finally did, you were so cold and blue and I thought, I’m too late. I’m really glad I wasn’t.”

  “Me too.” Pulling my knees up to my chest I wrap my arms around my legs to hold them tight. “Do you know why he shoved me over?”

  “You mean other than the fact that he’s an evil bastard?” Will says in a half joking tone. He’s trying to make light of the mess we’re in and I have to say, I appreciate it. Without these little moments to lighten the weight, we’d all be completely crushed by now.

  “He made me see what I was fighting so desperately to protect, what Sam died for to protect,” I say softly. Sam and I may no longer be linked, but I still remember how he felt when he saw his brother for the first time. Terrified, extremely nervous, and optimistic all at once. He had so much he wanted to share with him and now that’s all gone.

  I glance over at Will. A struggle shows within his dark blue eyes despite the blank expression on his face. He wants to know what happened the night Sam died and at the same time he doesn’t. He lowers his eyes to the ground. “Tell me.”

  “Sam performed a ritual that night linking himself to his brother through their shared blood. Following the pull, he ended
up at The Iron Knife where a halo of light surrounded a boy standing in line. He could only see the back of him, so he ducked into the alley to get a better view. He was so nervous about what to say or how to approach him that he started freaking out and pulling at the ends of his hair.”

  Will smiles at this. “Sam always does…I mean did that when he got nervous or upset about something. Half the time he looked like he’d been caught in a windstorm with his hair sticking up every which way.”

  “His brother does the same thing.”

  Will looks over at me curiously. “You know who his brother is?”

  I nod. “So do you. And so does Blondie. Except Blondie thinks the person he’s been searching for is dead. He doesn’t know Jared’s still alive.”

  “Jared?” Will's eyebrows gather together in bewilderment. “Sam’s brother is Jared? Your Jared?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Huh.” Will lowers his eyes back to the ground as he absorbs this bit of information. “So Jared’s the Chosen One. Didn’t see that one coming, although now that I’m thinking about it, there is a resemblance between them.” He pauses, half smiling to himself. “Sam always wanted a brother.” He glances back up long enough for me to see the pain and guilt he’s holding on to. “Did I ever tell you that?” I shake my head. “He used to tell me all the time how lucky I was to have siblings and how he wished he did too. And then he finds out he does only to have it taken away before he can even experience it, because of one of my sibling. How ironic is that?” He slowly shakes his head side to side. “If only I’d been there with him that night, maybe things would have been different.” He glances back up. “Sam would have been a great brother.”

  I put my arm around his shoulders, hugging him. “What happened to Sam wasn’t your fault. He wanted to find Jared on his own and he did. What happened after that, no one could have predicted. He doesn’t blame you.”