by Frankie Rose
Tess put down her glass of apple juice and then immediately picked it back up again, surveying the room with a look filled with self-pity. She drained the glass and handed it off to Oliver with a forced smile.
“You guys are bullies.”
I laughed at her unwillingness to be a good patient and grabbed her feet through the blanket at the end of the bed. Tess squealed and lashed out, but then settled back into the bed to catch her breath. She still wasn’t back to complete health. We all had to keep reminding her to take things slowly.
That night, when Daniel had carried me out of the fastness, the journey through the winding, dark tunnels had gone by in a blur. When I’d woken up, I was in the back of an SUV with Tess’ head in my lap, speeding through the streets of downtown Los Angeles. Daniel and Oliver had searched for Tess as we’d left the Tower, and had gotten us out together. Tess had been getting sicker by the second and there was nothing Daniel could do. He wasn’t like the Immortals. He wasn’t of their line, and he didn’t have the same capabilities that they did. He couldn’t take life or give like that.
But Oliver could.
He hadn’t listened at first, but Daniel kept telling him over and over that it was too late: it was already done. He must feel it inside him. He had taken life, and their energy had become his. It was the same ritual his family would have forced him to undertake to become one of them.
Oliver had told him he was crazy and denied it until he was blue in the face, but Tess kept getting sicker and sicker. In the end, he hadn’t been able to pretend anymore.
Daniel had told him what he needed to do and Oliver had done it, placing his hand on her skin until he felt a sort of two-way connection. Daniel had explained that all he had to do was concentrate on feeling the energy leaving him and not the other way around, otherwise he would take what little life was left in her. It was over in an instant, and I had been secretly disappointed that the show hadn’t been more spectacular. My feelings were assuaged by the fact that Tess had sat bolt upright in bed and looked at us all like we were crazy for huddling around her sick bed.
“Back up, people.” Her typical remark had me laughing for the first time in days, and the worry shed from my bones. She was going to be okay.
It’d taken a long time to explain what happened to Tess; our capture at the hospital and the events of the Tower were not something you could skip through lightly. By the time we were done telling the story, I was drained all over again.
Oliver hadn’t wanted to tell Tess how he’d saved her. He was terrified of what had happened to him and what it meant. It was hard to find an explanation as to why he was still the same as he had been before. Every experience Daniel had with the Reavers told him Oliver should be an entirely different person, a cold and brutal shadow of his former self. He was totally thrown. He thought perhaps that, because Oliver had killed to save his friends and not gain power for himself, the Immortal’s hunger and greed wasn’t present to taint his soul. It sounded plausible, and none of us had any other ideas, so we took it on face value. Oliver felt like a monster, but Tess just looked at him with love and admiration in her eyes.
It had been like that for most of the day: her gazing starry-eyed up at him, and him returning the favor. “I think it’s sweet that I have a part of you inside me,” Tess told him, now, when she thought we couldn’t hear. Daniel grinned with his back to the bed and gave me a sly wink.
“I very much doubt it’s him.”
I dug him in the ribs with my elbow, and he feigned injury but soon wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into a bear hug.
“I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t made it,” he murmured into my ear. He was still so shy when he whispered things like that. My heart skipped a beat every time. His eyes were ablaze with intensity as he held onto me like he had no plans of ever letting go. I reached down to kiss the strong arm that encircled me.
“I’m not going anywhere,” I whispered.
“Promise?” he whispered back.
“Promise.”
“Good.” He got his own back, digging his fingers in my sides. I squirmed uselessly and then gave up, letting him tickle me until I couldn’t breathe anymore. When he eventually stopped, he spun me around to nestle his face into the back of my neck and nipped me teasingly, making my head swim.
“Hey, do you think Kayden’s okay?” I asked, quickly changing the subject.
Daniel drew back and sighed a heavy sigh. Kayden was a sore topic, but Daniel did seem a little concerned, even if he didn’t want me to know it. “I don’t know. It was a pretty reckless call, going against the Quorum like that. It’s almost impossible to do. He must have broken his ties with them in order to act alone.”
I stiffened. “You mean he’s not with the Quorum anymore?”
Daniel shook his head. “He essentially cast himself out.”
“Sounds like the angels getting cast out of Heaven. It’s not as bad as that, is it?”
Daniel kissed the back of my neck gently, keeping his silence for a moment. When he spoke, his voice was all business. “No. Nowhere near as bad. Come on, let’s crash the invalid love-fest.”
“When do you think she’ll be ready?”
“In a few days,” he replied. He seemed to know how keen I was to get moving, despite the fact that I did my best to hide it. Tess needed to recover, after all.
“Do you think we’ll find them?”
“I don’t know. I hope so. I know a hundred places they could be.”
I nodded, clinging to the hope that there was a good reason why we hadn’t heard from Agatha and the others since they disappeared. “So a few days?”
He murmured, inhaling the scent of my hair. “Yes.”
“What about the Reavers? There’ll be more, won’t there?”
“Without a doubt. There’s always three Immortals in residency at the Tower. More will be assigned now.”
My happiness faltered. “And the Quorum think you broke your oath…”
“Mmm.” Daniel drew back and twisted me around to face him. He placed a slow, thoughtful kiss on my forehead and sighed. “Yes, they do. We’ll just have to deal with them when the time comes.”
It was a terrifying prospect. Daniel pulled me tight to his body so that his legs pressed against mine, his strong arms enveloped me like a vice. “But we have other things to worry about right now. We have to find our friends. We have to find Agatha.”
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Acknowledgements
This is one of the hardest bits! Well, actually that’s not strictly true. It’s very easy to be grateful to those who have helped and supported me through writing this book. The hard part is finding the appropriate words to let them know how much their tireless support has meant to me.
First off, I have to thank my husband. Some people leave the best until last but I’m going to lead out with mine. Nick, without your help and bewildering optimism I wouldn’t have had the nerve to do this! My beta readers Gemma, Kellie, Alice, and Vicky—only one of you is my sister by blood, and one of you by law, but I think of you all as family. That you loved Farley and Daniel, and helped by making suggestions or just by encouraging me, has made this process so much fun. I have to thank my grandparents, Olive and Tony; you brought me up to believe in myself and taught me I was capable of anything I set my mind to. You never told me once I couldn’t do it.
Big thanks to Emma Michaels and Chelsea Starling, who worked so hard on the beautiful first version of the cover for Sovereign Hope. Another massive hug to Victoria Faye Alday for creating the stunning work of art that adorns the front cover today.
Lastly, I would like to thank everyone who has bought and enjoyed this book. I wrote it for you, and I hope you’ve loved the ride. Look out for book two, Eternal Hope, which is out now!
Lost Hope will be coming out March 20th 2014!
About the Author
Frankie Rose lives in Sydney, Australia, her borrowed homeland. She writes in the paran
ormal romance, dystopian and contemporary romance genres, and hopes to dip her toes in many more. She is an avid reader, skier and snowboarder, and also loves to climb and hike in the outdoors. You can reach Frankie at [email protected] or visit her website at www.frankierosewrites.com for further details of her upcoming projects.
And don’t forget! If you enjoyed Sovereign Hope, please leave a review!
