Down
Page 33
Arms. Fingers. Legs. Breathing the air. A whole new evolution.
Yes, Mo. I am new. We have evolved.
Evolved. God.
Have you decided?
Had he? He’d thought so. But now . . .
Evolution. Breathing air. Soon, they’d overrun the planet.
Mandala had to know this. He had a responsibility.
The thing who’d been Armin—I loved you, Armin, God—moved closer. The black eyes were sad. Too late. Cannot be stopped. Not now. It has begun. His long, long fingers stroked Mo’s hands, the touch so soft, so gentle. You are here, in the sunlight world. You do not have to change, or die. You can live, and remain human. Your choice is truly your own.
Rage shot through Mo’s blood like a summer storm and died away just as quickly. It wasn’t fair that he should have to make this choice. But life wasn’t fair. Nothing was fair. Everybody did the best they could and lived with the consequences.
He stared into Armin’s bottomless eyes. “I’ve made my decision.” He waded closer, reached out, and touched the cold, cold skin of Armin’s strange new face. “Life isn’t life without you. My decision was made the minute you went overboard nine months ago. I’ll be with you, whatever it takes. Whatever I have to be.”
A pulse of mingled grief and joy flowed into him through the strange connection between himself and Armin. You’ve chosen. Now let it happen.
Mo’s pulse jumped with an explorer’s excitement as Armin took him beneath the waves and he felt his body begin to shift. He’d always loved an adventure. And he’d never been afraid of the dark.
Dear Reader,
Thank you for reading Ally Blue’s Down!
We know your time is precious and you have many, many entertainment options, so it means a lot that you’ve chosen to spend your time reading. We really hope you enjoyed it.
We’d be honored if you’d consider posting a review—good or bad—on sites like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Goodreads, Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, and your blog or website. We’d also be honored if you told your friends and family about this book. Word of mouth is a book’s lifeblood!
For more information on upcoming releases, author interviews, blog tours, contests, giveaways, and more, please sign up for our weekly, spam-free newsletter and visit us around the web:
Newsletter: tinyurl.com/RiptideSignup
Twitter: twitter.com/RiptideBooks
Facebook: facebook.com/RiptidePublishing
Goodreads: tinyurl.com/RiptideOnGoodreads
Tumblr: riptidepublishing.tumblr.com
Thank you so much for Reading the Rainbow!
RiptidePublishing.com
Many thanks to my editor, Del, for her technical expertise and assistance on this book. She helped me so much in working out the tech-related kinks! Any remaining oopses are solely my own.
Long the Mile
Flesh and Song (part of the Bump in the Night anthology)
Hell’s End (Hellscape book 1)
Hell On Earth (Hellscape book 2)
Demon Dog (Mojo Mysteries book 1)
A Ghost Most Elusive (Mojo Mysteries book 2)
Oleander House (Bay City Paranormal Investigations book 1)
What Hides Inside (BCPI book 2)
Twilight (BCPI book 3)
Closer (BCPI book 4)
An Inner Darkness (BCPI book 5)
Where The Heart Is (a BCPI-related story)
Love, Like Ghosts (a BCPI-related story)
Love’s Evolution (Love’s Evolution book 1)
Life, Love, and Lemon Cookies (Love’s Evolution book 2)
Dragon’s Kiss (Mother Earth book 1)
Shenandoah (Mother Earth book 2)
Convergence (Mother Earth book 3)
Adder
All the Moon Long (in the Shifting Sands multiauthor anthology)
Catching a Buzz (also part of the Temperature’s Rising print anthology)
Eros Rising (also part of the Hearts From the Ashes print anthology)
Forgotten Song
Easy
Naked Richmond (also part of the Razzle Dazzle print anthology)
Untamed Heart
The Happy Onion
Fireflies
Christmas Future
Graceland
These Haunted Heights
The Mountain
Willow Bend
Eight Arms to Hold You
Ally Blue is acknowledged by the world at large (or at least by her heroes, who tend to suffer a lot) as the Popess of Gay Angst. She has a great big suggestively shaped hat and rides in a bullet-proof Plexiglas bubble in Christmas parades. Her harem of manwhores does double-duty as bodyguards and inspirational entertainment. Her favorite band is Radiohead, her favorite color is lime green, and her favorite way to waste a perfectly good Saturday is to watch all three extended version LOTR movies in a row. Her ultimate dream is to one day ditch the evil day job and support the family on manlove alone. She is not a hippie or a brain surgeon, no matter what her kids’ friends say.
Website: http://www.allyblue.com
FB profile: http://www.facebook.com/AllyBlue.author
FB fan page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ally-Blue/98548113963
Twitter: http://twitter.com/PopessAllyBlue
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/popessallyblue/
Tumblr: http://therealallyblue.tumblr.com
Yahoo group: http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/loveisblue/info
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/34997.Ally_Blue
Enjoy more stories like Down at RiptidePublishing.com!
Hammer and Bone
www.riptidepublishing.com/titles/hammer-and-bone
Bliss
www.riptidepublishing.com/titles/bliss
Earn Bonus Bucks!
Earn 1 Bonus Buck for each dollar you spend. Find out how at RiptidePublishing.com/news/bonus-bucks.
Win Free Ebooks for a Year!
Pre-order coming soon titles directly through our site and you’ll receive one entry into a drawing to win free books for a year! Get the details at RiptidePublishing.com/contests.