Reborn (Altered) (29 page)

Authors: Jennifer Rush

Tags: #Juvenile Fiction / Action & Adventure / General, #Juvenile Fiction / Science & Technology, #Juvenile Fiction / Love & Romance

BOOK: Reborn (Altered)

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He asked every day.

I shrugged. “Better than yesterday. Every day is better than the last.”

He nodded. “Good.”

“I just wish things had been different. I wish there’d been a bit more closure.”

Nick’s expression hardened. He knew I was talking about Riley. The man was a cockroach (Cas’s word); no matter how many times the group went up against him, he always seemed to get away.

And if he’d dragged my mother and me into the Branch’s fold once, he could do it again. To me or someone else.

I had this constant fear in the back of my mind, like I could never relax until Riley was gone for good. Anna said that was normal. They all felt that way.

“There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you,” I started, turning back to the lake. Asking what I wanted to ask seemed somehow easier if I wasn’t looking at Nick, at his unsettlingly blue eyes.

“Yeah?” he coaxed.

“Why did you save me that night in the woods?”

I’d thought about that night a lot. Nick had later told me he’d been in the woods chasing Chloe, since his order had been to kill her. He could have easily left me in the woods and continued with his mission. Or he could have given up my hiding spot, and the Branch would have taken me back.

Nick thought for several beats, and I waited impatiently for him to answer.

“I saved you,” he said, “because you needed saving.” His jaw clenched and his eyes grew watery. I could tell there was more he wanted to say, things left unsaid about who he was, and who his father was, and whether or not they were the same.

He’d told me only scant details about his life before the Branch, about his family, and Anna had filled in some of the missing information. But I could tell that always, every day, he was fighting to be a better man than his father had been.

Without warning, tears burned my eyes, too. “Thank you,” I said quietly. He pulled me in closer. “So now what?” I asked.

“Now we go home,” Nick said. “And we…” He tried to read my face. “We watch TV?”

I shook my head.

“We eat dinner?”

Another shake.

“We… read a book?”

“Think cozier.”

He ran his free hand through my hair, drew me in, and kissed me, long and eager. His lips were warm, gentle. So good.

“We go to bed,” he said finally, with a glint in his blue eyes.

I nodded. “You lead, and I will follow.”

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

There are always a gazillion people I want to thank when it comes to completing a book.

My husband, JV, for putting up with me.

My agent, Joanna Volpe, for putting up with me.

My editor, Pam Gruber, for putting up with me.

All my friends and family—for putting up with me.

In all seriousness, these books would not be written without these people.

JV takes care of me when I’m an emotionally crippled mess.

Jo has all the answers, and tons of patience.

Pam has the wisdom to make these books better (and trust me, she helps me make them TONS better).

And my friends and family have always supported me, with encouraging words, home-cooked meals, cookies (thanks, Mom!), and good humor.

Writing a book is not a solitary experience. It takes a village to make it happen.

And lastly, thanks to all the readers—for buying the books, for reading the books, and for spreading the love! Anna, Sam, Nick, Cas, and Trev would not be where they are without you.

Contents

COVER
TITLE PAGE
WELCOME
DEDICATION
CHAPTER 1: NICK
CHAPTER 2: ELIZABETH
CHAPTER 3: NICK
CHAPTER 4: NICK
CHAPTER 5: ELIZABETH
CHAPTER 6: ELIZABETH
CHAPTER 7: NICK
CHAPTER 8: ELIZABETH
CHAPTER 9: ELIZABETH
CHAPTER 10: NICK
CHAPTER 11: NICK
CHAPTER 12: ELIZABETH
CHAPTER 13: NICK
CHAPTER 14: ELIZABETH
CHAPTER 15: NICK
CHAPTER 16: ELIZABETH
CHAPTER 17: NICK
CHAPTER 18: ELIZABETH
CHAPTER 19: NICK
CHAPTER 20: ELIZABETH
CHAPTER 21: NICK
CHAPTER 22: ELIZABETH
CHAPTER 23: NICK
CHAPTER 24: ELIZABETH
CHAPTER 25: NICK
CHAPTER 26: ELIZABETH
CHAPTER 27: NICK
CHAPTER 28: ELIZABETH
CHAPTER 29: NICK
CHAPTER 30: ELIZABETH
CHAPTER 31: NICK
CHAPTER 32: ELIZABETH
CHAPTER 33: NICK
CHAPTER 34: NICK
CHAPTER 35: ELIZABETH
CHAPTER 36: NICK
CHAPTER 37: ELIZABETH
CHAPTER 38: NICK
CHAPTER 39: ELIZABETH
CHAPTER 40: NICK
CHAPTER 41: ELIZABETH
CHAPTER 42: NICK
CHAPTER 43: ELIZABETH
CHAPTER 44: ELIZABETH
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
COPYRIGHT

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

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First ebook edition: January 2015

ISBN 978-0-316-32368-0