“I’ll still have you, though.”
He started to kiss me again, but I clapped my hands on his cheeks. “Gabe, if you could choose to be immortal or mortal, what would you choose? Honest answer.”
His voice sounded quiet and intimate in the narrow hall. “I would want to be mortal again.”
“Why?” I asked. His hand slid up from my hip to my ribs, and my eyes nearly crossed. I had to remember to breathe to focus again.
“This is a half-life, living without senses or the fear of time passing. I don’t want that.” Gabe’s green eyes blazed with passion. “I want to experience loving you with my senses wide open, savoring every moment like it could be our last. I want to really live with you, to be alive in all senses of the word. That’s what I would choose.”
Are you sure? Seamus said a Phoenix can make a Protector mortal in a second. We could do this now.
Gabe didn’t jump or outwardly react to my thought. Then he said, “Maybe tomorrow. I want to hear your thoughts a little while longer.”
His mouth found my neck.
“You don’t seem surprised,” I said breathlessly.
“I expect the impossible from you, and you never fail to deliver.”
I laughed. “Man, you come up with the best lines. I am putty at your feet.”
He mock-scowled and traced his fingers over my ribs until I laughed again. “I’m being romantic here. Stop ruining the mood.”
“You breathe, and I fall deeper in love with you.”
Gabe’s face took on a stunned expression, and then his eyes narrowed. “You almost had me with that one. What greeting card did you get that from?” I punched him in the shoulder, and he laughed. Then he stepped back and pulled me into his side as he opened a door. “This is the bathroom.”
I had a brief view of a claw-footed tub before the door closed again. “You’re not even going to ask how my powers have increased?”
“Nope.”
Slightly disgruntled, I asked, “Why not?”
He opened another door, and I peeked into the room. It was a bedroom. A guest bedroom if I had to guess.
“Because it won’t change anything,” he said. “This could be your room. Or my room. You never answered my question, you know. About living here.”
“You should care.” At his blank look, I said, “About how my powers have changed.” I sighed when he didn’t say anything. “Now you’re going to make me show you.”
I held up my forearm. I imagined a small cut opening on the tender skin just above my elbow. It split open in a blink. A drop of blood spilled, and then I pictured the injury healing. An instant later, the skin closed with only the drop of blood left behind to prove it had ever been there. No sparks lit the air, and my teeth didn’t chatter with hypothermia. Maybe because the push and pull of energy happened inside me now, perfectly balanced, perfectly controlled.
Gabe stalked forward and stared at my arm in shock. His eyes were huge, and he said, “Maybe you’d better tell me after all.”
I sat on the edge of the bed and explained how my two halves—Protector and Healer—had gone to war when Asher unleashed his energy as part of our plan. I hadn’t expected my injuries to be so severe that I might lose control of my powers.
“Asher couldn’t get free of me, so I imagined a box and I shoved all of my energy inside it so he could escape. As soon as he got away, it hit me. I didn’t have to be one thing or the other.” I shrugged. “They’re both part of me. As soon as I stopped fighting, the two sides melded somehow. Healer and Protector, bonded in a single person.”
I couldn’t think of another way to describe it. Since I’d met the Blackwells, my powers had been knocked off balance, as I absorbed bits of their energy. Then I stole Seamus’s energy, really throwing things out of whack. That was why I’d been so quick to attack Erin, and why I hadn’t been able to stop myself from absorbing her energy when she’d died. But stealing her power had rebalanced things inside me. I just hadn’t known it until I was dying.
“I can control my abilities now. It’s not a struggle like before. It’s as easy as breathing. And I’m not immortal, Gabe. I should be after Erin, but it’s like the energy that I stole from the Protectors canceled that out.”
He listened to my excited explanation, and then he exhaled and stared at the ceiling. “Are you going to go back to Seamus’s?”
“What?” I asked in confusion.
“It’s okay if that’s what you want. I know he thinks you belong with the O’Malleys, and if you want to be there, then we’ll make it work. I bet we could still catch a train if you wanted to get back there tonight.”
I stared after him in bewilderment as he disappeared in the direction of the living room. It occurred to me that I’d handled this all wrong. He thought I didn’t want to be here.
I rose and followed him to the living room. He stood in the middle of the room, looking a little lost.
“Do you remember that last night in your kitchen in Blackwell Falls when I showed you what I imagined our future would be like?” I asked. He spun to face me, and I kept on. “I had it all wrong. Do you want to see what I picture now?”
He gave me a slow, hopeful nod, and I held out a hand to him. “Close your eyes.” I waited for him to listen. I walked backward and pulled Gabe after me as I took small steps. Then I opened my mind and let the movie roll.
We lived together in this apartment. I went to school to become a doctor. He studied music and played a guitar in the evenings while I did my homework. Some nights my family or his would call—because it was safe for them to do so now—and we would catch up on all we’d missed and talk. And even when he made me mad, he could say something and I would laugh, and an argument would end with lots of kissing. We were happy and in love and our life together began when I led Gabe down the hall to our room and we opened the door together.
Gabe’s eyes opened, and he lifted a hand to my cheek. “I love you, Remington.”
I turned my face to kiss his palm and whispered, “I know. It says so right there on your chest.”
His gaze shot down and he peered under his T-shirt. I stood on my tiptoes to spy the design, a replica of the Sharpie markings he’d once tricked me into “healing.”
“Wow,” I said. “I did that without even looking. These new powers are going to be awesome.”
Gabe smiled. “Guess what?”
“What?” I asked cautiously. He had the look of someone who was up to no good.
A second later, he whipped a Sharpie out of his back pocket. The same pen he’d used to write my scavenger hunt notes. His eyes promised retribution, and I took a quick step backward.
“Don’t run, sweetheart. I might mess up and have to start over again.”
He uncapped the marker, and I shrieked with laughter.
The chase was on.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First and foremost, I want to thank the readers and bloggers who have loved this series from the beginning. Your notes, reviews, posts, tweets, and pictures put a smile on my face every day. I’m so humbled by your love for Remy and her world. Special thanks to the Mundie Moms for arranging the Touched blog tour and trailer premiere and to Jaime Arnold of Two Chicks on Books who live tweeted her reading of Pushed and Ignited, much to my enjoyment.
With every novel, I learn how to write all over again. Ignited required frequent phone brainstorms and panicked meetings at Mel’s Diner and/or Starbucks to work through twisty plot points. Lots of love to Kari Young for listening to me blather on about “emotional continuity.” You have the patience of a saint, friend.
To my agent, Laura Bradford, I’m so glad you loved this series and that you made it possible for me to write the whole thing. Thank you for letting me discover who Remy would become.
I owe my editor, Martin Biro, a big basket of Ghirardelli chocolate for his work on this book and the series. Thanks for everything you and the team at KTeen do to get these books out into the world, with special gratitude to Vida E
ngstrand, Craig Bentley, Arthur Maisel, Alicia Condon, Alexandra Nicolajsen, Michelle Forde, and Megan Records, who encouraged the direction this book took. I also want to give thanks to the team at ThienemannVerlag who contributed edits and input to the series, especially Heike Brillmann-Ede, Bettina Traub, Heidi Lichtblau, and JuttaWenske. Thanks to all of you for letting me discover who Remy would end up with.
AC Gaughen and Tracy E. Banghart, your notes were brilliant, especially the lusty ones about Gabe. Thanks for making this book far better than I could alone! The same goes to my crit group—Kari Young, Jay Lehmann, Stephanie Kuehn, Karen Langford, Angelica Hagman, and Justin Sloan—who were always there to celebrate my successes and give me a shove when I was ready to give up.
To the Class of 2k12, Bookanistas, Apocalypsies, and YA Rebels groups, I couldn’t have made it through the last two years without you.
And last, but never least, to my family, thanks for putting up with me. I love you more than salted caramel mochas with whipped cream and those little salt sprinkles.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
1. Four months have passed since the end of Pushed. How has life changed for Remy, Asher, and Lucy? How has life on the run affected their relationships?
2. In Touched, Remy was isolated and traumatized by the physical and emotional abuse inflicted on her by her stepfather, Dean, and her mother. How has she changed over the course of the series?
3. In Pushed, Asher was kidnapped and tortured by Franc’s men. How did this experience change him? How has it impacted his relationship with Remy?
4. Lucy blames Remy for their changed circumstances, including what has happened to their parents. Is she right to punish Remy? Could Remy have done anything to change the outcome? How does Lucy change over the course of the series?
5. Remy discovers that Erin has also been abused. How did they each deal with the abuse? How does Remy’s discovery affect her relationship with Erin? Why do you think Erin makes the choice she does at the end of the novel?
6. In Touched and Pushed, Remy struggles with how others view her abilities and how she chooses to use them. Sometimes the others call her a martyr or criticize her willingness to sacrifice her well-being. What drives Remy to put herself at risk? Does her view of her own abilities change in Ignited?
7. Remy is torn between Asher and Gabe. Do you believe it’s possible to love two people at once? How does her love for each of them differ? How does their love for her differ?
8. Remy has often been disappointed by her family, but in Ignited, her ideas about a family unit change. What does a family look like to her? What does each member of her group bring to their family? Does having a family change Remy? If so, how?
9. How is the Phoenix symbolic of Remy’s internal and external journey over the course of the series? How does it reflect who she has become?
10. At the end of the novel, Remy is beginning a new life. Is her ending a happy one?
SOUNDTRACKS
When I begin a book, I create a playlist. The songs I pick fit the mood of the novel, or the lyrics may reflect a certain moment or character. As I write, I listen to these songs over and over. By the time I finish a book I’ve listened to each song upwards of 100 times. They become so much a part of my process that they feel like the backbone of the story. Below is a partial list of songs that I listened to while writing the Sense Thieves series. A lot of these bands may be new to you, but I hope you check them out
Touched
Song (Artist)
Because of You (Kelly Clarkson)
Waiting on an Angel (Ben Harper)
Daughters (John Mayer)
Breakable (Ingrid Michaelson)
Yes I’m Cold (Chris Bathgate)
Trouble Is a Friend (Lenka)
You’re Not Sorry (CSI Remix) (Taylor Swift)
Hangin’ by a Thread (Jann Arden)
Falling (Tyrone Wells)
Inside My Head (Clare Reynolds)
Come Down to Me (Saving Jane)
The Death of Us (The New Amsterdams)
Hero/Heroine (Boys Like Us)
Falling (Keri Noble)
Next to You (Tim Easton)
Closer (Kings of Leon)
Hang On (Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan)
So Long Sweet Misery (Brett Dennen)
Winter Song (Sara Bareilles & Ingrid Michaelson)
Arrivals (Aqualung)
I Would Die for You (Jann Arden & Sarah McLachlan)
That’ll Be the Plan (Daniel Martin Moore)
The Night Will Go As Follows (The Spill Canvas)
All I Can Do (Tyrone Wells)
Don’t Give Up (Clare Reynolds)
Pushed
The Light Song (The Homes)
Come Over Here (Sarah Bettens)
Someone to Fall Back On (Aly Michalka & I Can’t Go On, I’ll Go On)
The Fear You Won’t Fall (Joshua Radin)
The Road Knows (The Homes)
Stay Over (The Rescues)
Youthless (Beck)
Into Dust (Mazzy Star)
Safe & Sound (Taylor Swift)
Sit With Me Tonight (Garrison Star)
Jungle (Emma Louise)
The Trapeze Swinger (Iron & Wine)
The Only One (The Black Keys)
Lonely Hands (Angus & Julia Stone)
Fever (Adam Freeland & Sarah Vaughan—Verve Remixed 3)
Run (Katherine McPhee & Smash Cast)
Firefly (Ed Sheeran)
Call It Off (Tegan and Sara)
The House That Built Me (Miranda Lambert)
Somebody That I Used to Know (Gotye)
Free (Graffiti6)
If Not Now, When? (Incubus)
Falling Awake (Gary Jules)
Live Forever (Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors)
Sail (AWOLNATION)
Ignited
Cripple Me (Elenowen)
You Can Close Your Eyes (feat. William Fitzsimmons) (Brooke Fraser)
Belong (Cary Brothers)
Falling (The Civil Wars)
Titanium (Madilyn Bailey)
I Will Fall (Nashville Cast Album version) (Clare Bowen & Sam Palladio)
Too Close (Alex Clare)
Turn into Earth (The Yardbirds)
Half Moon (Iron and Wine)
Can’t Go Back Now (The Weepies)
High Hope (Glen Hansard)
Stubborn Love (The Lumineers)
Counting Stars (OneRepublic)
Ho Hey (The Lumineers)
All Your Gold (Bat for Lashes)
Into the Wild (Lewis Watson)
If I Didn’t Know Better (Nashville Cast Album version) (Clare Bowen & Sam Palladio)
Stay Over (The Rescues)
Feel Again (OneRepublic)
Fade into You (Nashville Cast Album version) (Clare Bowen & Sam Palladio)
Heavy Cross (Gossip)
I Will Follow You into the Dark (Death Cab for Cutie)
Home (Gabrielle Aplin)
Carry (Chris Ayer)
Overwhelmed (Tim McMorris)
See how Remy’s journey began in Corrine Jackson’s
TOUCHED
You’d think being able to heal people with a touch
would be a blessing. But to 17-year-old Remy O’Malley,
it’s more like a curse.
Every injury Remy heals becomes her own. She lives in
fear of the day she’s forced to mend a wound from
which she can’t recover—and she’s desperate to keep her
amazing ability a secret.
Enter Asher Blackwell, a scarred eighteen-year-old with
dangerous powers of his own. Asher seems to know
more about Remy’s abilities than she does—and maybe
more than he’s letting on. If she opens up to him, she
might find out what it truly means to be a Healer. But
she’ll also expose herself to capture by an old and very
determined enemy. And if they catch her, they won’t
just injure her.
Turn the page for a special excerpt.
A KTeen trade paperback on sale now
Okay. This is going to hurt like hell.
Taking a deep breath, I stepped into the room, my movements piercing the alcoholic haze insulating Dean. He straightened to his full six-foot-three when he noticed me, his eye twitching when I stared back unblinking. Maybe he suspected I was a freak and it scared him. Maybe he was scared of himself, of what he wanted from me. I figured that’s why he mostly hit my mother when I wasn’t around.
Unknotting my hands from white knuckled fists, I hoped to defuse the tension before it exploded.
“You’re home early,” he said, his heavy-lidded stare straying over me without meeting my eyes.
Tall and plain, I was skinny with no curves, but that didn’t matter. My skin crawled when his pale blue eyes tracked me through a room. I went out of my way to stay away when he was alone in the apartment, but sometimes he managed to corner me in the shadows of our dim hallway. Sick in ways I couldn’t cure, he’d crowd me with his hulking body and laugh when I’d lurch away to avoid his touch.
The funny thing was that Dean looked like the grown version of that charming, innocent boy all the girls crushed on in high school. He had soft, blond curls and a friendly, open face that charmed the unaware. Perhaps that’s what had attracted Anna to him in the first place.
“Maybe I should call ahead next time?” I mused. “That way you could plan to finish beating my mother by 9:05, I can arrange to have the ambulance here by 9:10, and we can all be in bed by midnight.”
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