The Given (40 page)

“So not Pure?” she said again, making sure. The feathers were bent, clutched in her fist.

“Not Pure,” Grif confirmed, then smiled at her like never before. “Just Chosen.”

The whole room brightened. She didn't know how long they remained like that, staring at each other, tucked into the corner of their newly born lives, but when the song ended, he was still, miraculously, there. Same as the song after that. And after that. Finally, Grif touched his lips lightly to hers, fusing them both in time and place, in the moment. Together. “I've got a proposition for you, Craig.”

“Do you?” she breathed, her head gone light all over again.

“How about you and I go make some memories?”

“How about an entire lifetime full of them?” she replied, finally able to breathe, to smile. To
live.

She hoped Sarge could feel this. He needed to know that it wasn't the pain and sorrow, but the joy in fleeting moments that told a person they were alive. Sure, Kit thought, death always loomed somewhere in the future, but there were worse things to fear than that. Like going through life and never really living at all.

“I think it's only fair to warn you,” she told Grif, as they sauntered from the club. “I've been told that I can be a bit chatty at times.”

“And I can be a bit gruff, or so I hear,” he said, draping his arm over her shoulders. “But one thing's for sure . . .”

Kit smiled, and finished the thought for him. “We make a damned good team.”

And even the angels in heaven couldn't argue with that.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

T
his book is for my readers—my VPeeps, my friends, my Tribe. Thank you for taking time to reach out to me via my website, for chatting with me on Twitter, and for giving me a home on Facebook, where I am as teased about my cooking as I am encouraged to write. (Just like real life.) Extra thanks to Facebook friends: Justin Allen for allowing me to abuse his good name and Michelle Ritter Pearsall for suggesting the name Eric. Jann McKenzie and Joy Bannister served as beta readers for this final installment in Kit and Grif's journey, so if there's anything amiss in the text, I'm happy to forward along their personal e-mails as places to rant. Finally, to every reader who has opened up his or her mind to meet me on the page, I thank you.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

VICKI PETTERSSON
is the
New York Times
bestselling author of the Sign of the Zodiac novels, a six-book urban fantasy series set in her hometown of Las Vegas. Though she'll always consider that glittering dust bowl home, she now divides her time between Vegas and Dallas, where she's learning to like good Tex-Mex (easy) and the Dallas Cowboys (easier than you'd think).

www.vickipettersson.com

Visit
www.AuthorTracker.com
for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins authors.

BOOKS BY VICKI PETTERSSON

C
ELESTIAL
B
LUES
S
ERIES

The Taken

The Lost

T
HE
S
IGN
OF
THE
Z
ODIAC
S
ERIES

The Scent of Shadows

The Taste of Night

The Touch of Twilight

City of Souls

Cheat the Grave

The Neon Graveyard

PRAISE FOR VICKI PETTERSSON'S
CELESTIAL BLUES TRILOGY

“Pettersson impressively deepens and darkens the compelling romance between her complex and irresistibly tormented protagonists. Even minor figures are fascinating, as is the ruthlessly realistic setting.”

—
Publishers Weekly
(starred review) for
The Lost

“
The Lost
is one exciting follow-up! The romance between Kit and Grif is equal parts passion and doubt, keeping readers hanging on to reach the conclusion. And what a conclusion! . . . This is a wonderful sequel.”

—
Romantic Times BOOKclub

“Pettersson's amazing new series is off to a rocking start with this compelling read.”

—
RT Book Reviews
(top pick) for
The Taken

“Exceptional. Mystery, crime-scene drama, and more than enough romance to keep the heart pumping blend seamlessly into an enthralling read that kept me glued to the pages. I can't wait for the sequel.”

—Kim Harrison

“A delectably dark paranormal thriller. I've always been a fan of Pettersson's work, but she knocks it out of the park with this one.”

—Kelley Armstrong

“A stylish, atmospheric mash-up of rockabilly and angelic affairs quickly reveals itself to be so much more:
The Taken
proves that Pettersson is not afraid to explore the darkest corners of the human heart—and that her gift for redemption is unsurpassed.”

—Sophie Littlefield

“Intriguing mix of paranormal, romance, and mystery with just enough suspense!”

—
Suspense
magazine

“Pettersson hits every note in the familiar duet of a ‘reticent, complicated, darkly sexy man' and a luscious, plucky ‘girl reporter.' . . . The resulting irresistibly good yarn proves that there's still plenty of room for brilliant innovation in urban fantasy.”

—
Publishers Weekly
(starred review) for
The Taken

“A sure bet for urban-fantasy readers of all types, but especially fans of Carrie Vaughn, Jim Butcher, and P. N. Elrod.”

—
Booklist

CREDITS

Cover design by Richard L. Aquan

Cover illustration by Larry Rostant

Author photograph by Jeferson Applegate

COPYRIGHT

Harper Voyager and design is a trademark of HCP LLC.

THE
GIVEN
. Copyright © 2014 by Vicki Pettersson. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

FIRST
EDITION

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Pettersson, Vicki.

   The given / Vicki Pettersson. — First edition.

      p. cm. — (Celestial blues ; book three)

   ISBN 978-0-06-206620-6

   1. Private investigators—Fiction. 2. Paranormal romance stories.

I. Title.

PS3616.E877G58    2014

813′.6—dc23

2014007696

EPub Edition MAY 2014 ISBN 9780062064141

14  15  16  17  18   
OV
/
RRD
   10 9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1