Claimed

by Sarah Fine

  “Hello, Aislin,” her brother said, casually wiping his bloody hands on the upholstery of a nearby chair. “I thought it was time we had a talk, just the two of us.”

  Sarah Fine’s Fated is available Fall 2015 from 47North

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  To my editor, Leslie “Lam” Miller: Without you, this book never could have become what I wanted and needed it to be. Thank you for your honesty, your patience, and your willingness to push me until I made you believe in the story and the characters. The someday-drinks will be on me, by the way. Now it’s in writing. So there.

  So much gratitude goes to the amazing team at 47North. Thanks to Jason Kirk for shepherding the book from the start, and to Britt Rogers, Justin Golenbock, Ben Smith, and so many others for making sure this series has the visibility it needs to reach its audience. I feel so fortunate to have all of you on my side. Thanks also to Elizabeth Johnson, my awesome copyeditor, for fabulous attention to detail and the occasional saucy comment in the margins. Cliff Nielsen gets my deep appreciation for designing me such amazing covers.

  My agent, Kathleen Ortiz, gets credit for holding me together. We’re way past color-coded schedules, KO, but you still help me stay on the rails, which is no easy feat. I’m also grateful to the staff at New Leaf, including Danielle Barthel, Jaida Temperly, Dave Caccavo, Pouya Shahbazian, and Joanna Volpe, for providing excellent behind-the-scenes support.

  A major thank-you goes to Paul Block, who went over and above to make sure I could write this book while staying connected to my other professional role. More thanks go to Catherine Allen, for captaining the ship, and Casey, Chris, Kristal, Bethany, Erica, Anne-Marie, Yerissa, and the entire staff of CCBS for being a fabulous group of people to work with.

  Lydia Kang: What to say? Thank you so much for lending your biomedical expertise (and I fully acknowledge that any immunological ridiculousness in this story is my error and mine alone). But beyond that, and even more importantly, thank you for being a dear friend. Thanks also to Jaime Loren for beta-reading at the speed of light, and to Virginia Boecker for cheering me on.

  Mom and Dad, thank you for Wednesday morning calls and constant support. Cathryn and Robin, I am so lucky to have you as my sisters. Asher and Alma, you delight me.

  And to my readers, thank you for existing. I’ll try to keep telling stories that are worthy of you.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Photo © Rebecca Skinner

  Sarah Fine is a clinical psychologist and the author of the Guards of the Shadowlands series (Sanctum, Fractured, and Chaos), as well as other young adult novels and the adult fantasy novel Marked. She was born on the West Coast, raised in the Midwest, and is now firmly entrenched on the East Coast, where she lives with her husband and two children.