Uncontrollable (The Nature of Grace, Book 2)

UNCONTROLLABLE

The Nature of Grace – Book 2

by S.R. Johannes

Praise for the Series

Winner of the 2012
Indie Reader Discovery Award
(Young Adult)

2012 Georgia Author of the Year (Young Adult, Nominee)

2012 Kindle Book Review - Best Indie Book of the Year (Young Adult, Finalist)

“Grace is a spunky, independent nature girl who doesn't need a boy to save her. With wilderness survival, a juicy love triangle, and more twists and turns than a roller coaster, this fast-paced novel had me holding my breath until the very last page—and still begging for more!”

–Kimberly Derting, author of
The Body Finder
series

“This thrilling story is a dramatic entanglement of mystery, deception and teen romance. The action flows like a brisk mountain stream interspersed with rapids, holding suspense to last page.”

–
Kirkus Reviews

“Johannes has done a marvelous job of creating a suspense-filled mystery with surprises that keep you guessing all the way to the end.
Untraceable
is a thoroughly engrossing and riveting page-turner.”

–IndieReader

“
Untraceable
takes readers on a thrill-ride through a beautiful forest full of dangerous creatures. Grace deals with more than her fair share of tensions and surprises as she works to uncover the mystery behind her father's disappearance.”

– Confessions of a Bookaholic

“It was high-speed, non-stop action/thriller. Any book that has you biting your nails in the first two pages is a definite winner for me.”

–Reading Teen

“A thrilling murder mystery set deep in the heart of North Carolina's Smoky Mountains,
Untraceable
is a suspenseful page-turner loaded with plot twists, action, and a swoon-worthy romance.” – Mundie Moms

“Can I just say this book left me going O.M.GAHH! Where to start?
Untraceable
is a non-stop thrilling ride! You have mystery, blurred lines of who is good and who is bad, animals, totally guy hotness *with accent* ...You have a steamy love triangle and one Kick-Butt, do things for herself, strong-willed girl that is Grace.

– SupaGurlBooks

This book was abso-bloody-lutely amazing and like nothing I’ve read before.

– Step into Fiction (a.k.a. Fictional Distraction)

“This book made me feel so many different emotions in a short amount of time. S.R. Johannes definitely made it impossible for me not to love Grace’s story. I can’t even explain how much I enjoyed reading
Untraceable
. It captivated me until the very end, and I cannot wait to read the next book.”

– The Readiacs

“Chilling, shocking, and horrifying are the three words that come to mind when Grace finally gets to the bottom of what’s going on with her dad’s disappearance. Some mystery novels are amazing with the build-up of clues and suspense, only to falter anti-climatically in the revelation.
Untraceable
has no such problem.”

–Refracted Light Reviews

“
Untraceable
has a great ending. I enjoyed the book but loved the ending.”

– I'm a Reader, Not a Writer

“Overall, an amazing thrill-ride with real, three-dimensional characters that will have you sitting on the edge of your seat to find out what happens next.”

– YA Bound

“I don't know where to start or how to describe this book. It has a mixture of everything from mystery, to investigation, to romance, to murder making this book a fantastic read. Grace reminds me a lot of Veronica Mars, who will stop at nothing to learn the real truth behind her father's disappearance.”

– Once Upon a Twilight

A fast-paced thriller, full of interesting characters, and a never ending supply of unexpected turns. As Grace's investigation pulls her deeper in to a much larger web of lies and corruption, the intensity rises and just when you (and Grace) think you have it all figured out, Bam! you get side-swiped with a new twist.

– Teens Read and Write

Coleman & Stott

Uncontrollable: The Nature of Grace series, Book 2

Electronic Edition

Copyright © S.R. Johannes, 2012

www.srjohannes.com

All rights reserved.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

Cover model: Leilani Jade Flannagin

Cover photograph/copyright by Vania Stoyanova VLC Photo © 2012

Design and typography by GraphicCat.com

All right reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, photocopying, mechanical, or otherwise—without prior permission of the publisher and author.

ISBN ebook: 978-0-9847991-5-2

Dedication

To my husband and soul mate,

who always believed I could create beautiful things
.

Table of Contents

Preface

Survival Skill #1
,
Survival Skill #2

Survival Skill #3
,
Survival Skill #4

Survival Skill #5
,
Survival Skill #6

Survival Skill #7
,
Survival Skill #8

Survival Skill #9
,
Survival Skill #10

Survival Skill #11
,
Survival Skill #12

Survival Skill #13
,
Survival Skill #14

Survival Skill #15
,
Survival Skill #16

Survival Skill #17
,
Survival Skill #18

Survival Skill #19
,
Survival Skill #20

Survival Skill #21
,
Survival Skill #22

Survival Skill #23
,
Survival Skill #24

Survival Skill #25
,
Survival Skill #26

Survival Skill #27
,
Survival Skill #28

Survival Skill #29
,
Survival Skill #30

Survival Skill #31
,
Survival Skill #32

Survival Skill #33
,
Survival Skill #34

Epilogue

Preface

Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened
.

Hello
…

The word flashes on my computer screen in time to the seconds ticking away on Mom’s old clock.
Hello. Hello. Hello
.

I stare at it as if I’ve never seen it before.

Stupid spammers. When will they realize pop-ups never work? No, I don’t need a date nor do I want to give you any money for your imaginary hardships. And if I did, I certainly would not send money to an online creepy person.

Ignoring the message, I close the window and finish reading the news article on the Red Wolf Recovery Program.

Another Endangered Red Wolf Found Dead on Conservation Land

Agent Sweeney of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was quoted as saying, “At this time, we think the deaths were due to natural causes or possibly some kind of accident. I assure you, if I find out this was intentional, I will arrest whoever is responsible for these acts against nature and against wolves.”

I sit back and sigh, still staring at the type on the screen. Four wolves dead. Two found by me; the other two located by the second team. All in different locations.

At first glance, it appears to be natural causes, yet Agent Sweeney seems to think otherwise. Even though there’s absolutely no proof, could he be right? After all, being a USFWS agent has blessed him with killer instincts. Then again, why would anyone harm these gorgeous creatures on purpose? And more importantly, who?

Al Smith’s sneering face flickers across my mind, and scenes play out in my head. How the poacher attacked me. How his knife gleamed in the dim light. And that awful moment when he shattered my family forever. I hear myself gasp, and my chest tightens as I remember how Dad saved my life.

And lost his own.

I shake the haunting images from my brain before they consume me again. If I let myself slide down that path to despair, I’m afraid I’ll never find my way back. Refocusing, I enter the rest of my observation notes from my field research into the database. My fingers skip over the keys so fast they leave behind a trail of typos.

Agent Sweeney is going to freak out when he sees my latest project entry. Because this time, the wolf I’m documenting – or the
Rufus canus
as Dad would call it – was alive!

I scan through my scribble-scrabble to ensure I’ve logged in all the necessary stats on what I observed:

Healthy male, about seventy pounds, approximately twenty-six inches at the shoulder and four feet long from nose to tail. Presumed to be the alpha male
.

I note the unique markings:

Four white paws and white circles around both of his eyes (kind of like a mask)
.

In the Extra Findings section, I jot down the name I awarded him:
Bandit
.

Not many people would find that part very interesting, and it’s hardly scientific. But it’s a way for me to remember the wolf in case I ever see him again – should I be so lucky.

When I get to the Location field, I stop and stare at the coordinates I logged, indicating the exact place where I saw the wolf pack.

If Sweeney is right and someone is hurting these animals on purpose, maybe I shouldn’t enter this part. I skip over the fields and submit my report, knowing I can always add in extra data later.