The Fall (The Siren Series)

by Higginson, Rachel

  From this moment on, I ceased to exist to them.

  And only existed in this new world of my choosing.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Three months later…

  I sunk my toes into the warm sand and breathed in the heady, brackish scent. Hot air cascaded over my skin in a rush of sea breeze.

  The ocean in front of me looked crystalized it was so deeply blue. The sky above was just a variant of the same color and the two great expanses met together on the horizon in front of me.

  The horizon was the only thing in front of me. Well, that and the endless stretch of sea.

  The Virgin Islands.

  I thought they were appropriate.

  More specifically the British Virgin Island of Tortola. A tiny little island with a total population the size of one of Nebraska’s little farm towns. I blended in with the tourists as far as the locals were concerned and the tourists thought I was a native.

  In other words, I was invisible.

  And I was free.

  I gazed out at the ocean again and felt like I was almost home.

  Living on my own wasn’t easy but I was managing. I was a seventeen year old girl that had been pampered and spoiled her entire life. Just finding a healthy, satisfying meal was a challenge most days.

  I had plenty of money from Smith. The cash he gave me would go a long way if I was careful and I had already found a job at a hotel resort restaurant to bring in enough money to live on. I’d hidden the credit cards in the small house I rented and didn’t intend to use them unless there was an actual emergency in which my life was at stake. All of my identification claimed that I was twenty-one and whether people believed that number or not, nobody had asked me about it.

  I had managed three months of solitude, of isolation. I would do whatever it took to manage a lifetime more of this.

  My life was small here. I had no friends and I had nobody I cared about.

  There was nothing special about Genevieve Carston, her supernatural ability had been snuffed out with the completion of a boy she could never see again. She was completely alone and nobody seemed to notice.

  That should have been a bad thing, but for the first time in my life I knew that because I had no one I loved near me, that also meant I couldn’t hurt them.

  I had destroyed so many lives back home. My mom’s… Anaxandra’s… Evaleen’s… Exie’s… Sloane’s… Sam’s… Ryder’s.

  There wasn’t anyone left to hurt here.

  There wasn’t anyone left to ruin.

  Honestly, it hadn’t been easy. And when I first arrived, I checked into a hotel and cried for an entire week straight. But slowly I was coming to terms with this exile. And slowly I was becoming more content with it.

  And if not content, then at least resigned.

  My heart hurt all the time. The acute pain from being away from my sister and friends stung like a dull ache in my chest that never let up.

  And then there was Ryder…

  Thoughts of that boy would stab at my soul and rip open my gut so that I could bleed out all over the ground beneath me.

  Just thinking about him would squeeze my heart so tightly that I could feel it begin to burst in my chest.

  I missed him so much. And I worried that I always would. I worried that it would always be like this. That his name would keep me from breathing, the memory of his touch would send me into a panic attack and the desperation I felt for his kisses would be the real end of me.

  But it was for those same reasons that I stayed away. It was because I loved him that I could never be with him again.

  I loved him too much to infect him with my poison. I loved him too much to make him handle my black heart and ask him to endure my curse.

  He deserved better than me.

  He deserved to be free, too.

  I wiggled my toes in the hot sand and leaned back on my elbows.

  I had to let Ryder go. I had to let everything about my old life go.

  Smith’s demands played in the corners of my mind and I had started to accept those as well. One day Olympus would call for me and I would repay this debt.

  I would go for them. I would return for them.

  I just prayed that they didn’t need me for a very long time.

  Yet, even as I thought those words, I knew I couldn’t always run. There would come a time in my life that I would have to fight my demons, face them and destroy them. I couldn’t run from them forever. I couldn’t be truly free until I slayed them.

  But I would wait for that day to come to me.

  Delphi’s prophecy had said that Nix would not find me until I wanted to be found. So I had plenty of time. I was in no hurry to go back to Nix or the Greek world that would take everything from me. Again.

  In the meantime, I would dream about a boy that made me fall for him; that made me fall so hard I felt like I was still falling… I felt like I would never reach the end.

  The sky shifted to a light gray as the sun set beneath the horizon. It was that in between time when the stars hadn’t yet come out but the sun no longer shined.

  The clouds were silver over my head and blinked down at me with a gunmetal familiarity that whispered promises to my hopeless heart and loved all the broken, damaged pieces of me.

  They reminded me of the happiest moments of my life. They reminded me that I had given my black heart away to a boy that would hold it forever, that would keep it with him for the rest of my life.

  When I had wanted to run, this boy made me fall.

  Look for The Heart, the third and final book in The Siren Series, coming November, 2014

  Acknowledgments

  To my God. For every single thing. For every detail. For every plot twist. For every unexpected piece. You are owed the credit. Thank you.

  To my husband, Zach. I could not do this without you. You are half of me and I could not write about love like this unless you loved me the way that you do. Not a single part of this would be possible without you. And I would not be able to do any of this unless you encouraged and supported me the way that you do. I love you.

  To my children. You little savages. I love you all to pieces. I do this for you. I do this because of you.

  To my mom. You are the most wonderful woman I know. I could never do this without your unending support and the hours upon hours of babysitting you give me. I love you so much. Thank you for being my biggest fan.

  To Candice, Jenn, Diana and Miriah. Thank you all for reading the roughest versions of whatever I write and for loving them anyway! Thank you for supporting me and encouraging me. Thank you for helping me face my fears and for holding my hand when my insecurities are louder than anything else. I could not publish anything without your stamps of approval.

  Thank you to Caedus Design Co for the amazing new covers and all of the promo work! You know you’re amazing.

  Thank you to Carolyn and your editing services. Thank you for making me sound smart and for making sure what I meant to say actually comes out on the page. You are such a blessing in my life! Thank you!

  Thank you to my Hellcats!! Amy Bartol, Shelly Crane, Angeline Kace, Samantha Young, Quinn Loftis, Lila Felix and Georgia Cates. You girls are just the most amazing women on this planet. Thank you for your support and sounding-board services. You inspire me and encourage me daily. I just love you all! And I’m so grateful for your incredible friendships.

  Thank you to my Rebels!!! Words cannot adequately describe how thankful I am for you and all that you do for me! I love our group so much. And what I love most about it is that we are so much more than a team, we are a community. You make this thing so worth it and you keep me excited about everything when I could so easily be overwhelmed. Thank you ladies!

  And to you the reader. Thank you for downloading The Fall and waiting for the continuation of Ivy’s story. Thank you for being patient with me. And thank you for falling in love with Ivy and Ryder as deeply as I have. The saga continues with one more book and I cannot wait to
give you the completion of Ivy’s story.

  About the Author

  Rachel Higginson was born and raised in Nebraska, but spent her college years traveling the world. She married her high school sweetheart and spends her days raising their growing family. She is obsessed with bad reality TV and any and all Young Adult Fiction.

  Look for more from Rachel in 2014.

  Other books by Rachel to be released in 2014 are Firelight, the third book in The Starbright Series, The Redeemable Prince, the seventh book in The Star-Crossed Series and The Heart, the third book in the Siren Series.

  Other Books Out Now by Rachel Higginson:

  Love and Decay, Episode One

  Love and Decay, Episode Two

  Love and Decay, Episode Three

  Love and Decay, Episode Four

  Love and Decay, Episode Five

  Love and Decay, Episode Six

  Love and Decay, Episode Seven

  Love and Decay, Episode Eight

  Love and Decay, Episode Nine

  Love and Decay, Episode Ten

  Love and Decay, Episode Eleven

  Love and Decay, Episode Twelve

  Love and Decay, Volume One

  Love and Decay, Volume Two

  Love and Decay, Volume Three

  Love and Decay, Season Two, Episode One

  Love and Decay, Season Two, Episode Two

  Love and Decay, Season Two, Episode Three

  Love and Decay, Season Two, Episode Four

  Reckless Magic (The Star-Crossed Series, Book 1)

  Hopeless Magic (The Star-Crossed Series, Book 2)

  Fearless Magic (The Star-Crossed Series, Book 3)

  Endless Magic (The Star-Crossed Series, Book 4)

  The Reluctant King (The Star-Crossed Series, Book 5)

  The Relentless Warrior (The Star-Crossed Series, Book 6)

  Breathless Magic (The Star-Crossed Series, Book 6.5)

  Starbright (The Starbright Series, Book 1)

  Sunburst (The Starbright Series, Book2)

  The Rush (The Siren Series, Book 1)

  The Fall (The Siren Series, Book 2)

  Bet in the Dark (An NA Contemporary Romance)

  Follow Rachel on her blog at:

  www.rachelhigginson.com

  Or on Twitter:

  @mywritesdntbite

  Or on her Facebook page:

  Rachel Higginson

  Keep reading for a sneak peek at the incredible debut novel from Amy Evan’s.

  CLICKS

  the

  DOLPHIN

  Prophecy

  book one

  CLICKS by Amy Evans

  Book One – The Dolphin Prophecy

  Surfers call them clicks. Waves they sense instinctively before they‘re seen or heard. Winners trust their clicks and get in position, drop in on the beginning swell and take even the biggest monsters on a ride. Then there are the rest of us who do not trust the clicks. We question, we wait, and we worry. By the time we see what’s coming and jump on, our timing’s off. It’s too late to get ahead of the curve. Best case, we hang on and let the wave determine where we end up. Worst it sends us crashing to the ocean floor where we fight desperately not to drown.

  <<>>

  Can’t we just skip to the party? Mica clicked, disturbing me with his intense impatience. His average emotional temperature always burned higher and dipped lower than mine. His feelings influenced us more frequently, but I wanted to enjoy tonight in my own way.

  Stop. Breathe. This is happening. Look around and enjoy it, ok? I clicked back, attempting to the same.

  Two sets of twins—me and Mica, and Andrew and Darwen. Blake stood by Shayla, mismatched because neither of their twins was there. Around us, stood relatives; the combined generations of The Guard who’d prepared us for this since we were born.

  “Welcome to First Night,” said Stoney, his rumbly voice so much like Blake’s. “Please close your eyes.”

  Following orders, I concentrated on the shadows and flashes I saw in my mind and let my other senses capture the moment. Briny saltwater and honeysuckle hit my nose, the wind shivered with expectation.

  “On this First Night, we rededicate ourselves to an ancient covenant that is symbolized by this pin, which represents the balance in our world. You join those who’ve come before you and vow to protect the ocean from land, nature from man. You may now look.”

  As head lifeguard, Stoney had top authority on our Island and the run of this ritual. Silver flashed through his long fingers, the famous pin. I recognized it without ever seeing it before. Stoney placed it on a central stone.

  The pin needed to stand at a right angle to the ocean, representing the pivotal balance between ocean and land, animal, and man. When it did, our Island, our people, and the ocean stayed healthy. When it tilted, disease and disaster would come.

  I held my breath, wondering how it looked for us this year. The pin wavered for just a moment, then landed perpendicular to the horizon line. A celebratory cheer went up all around us, and the music started again.

  A combination of beats, claps, clicks, and hums that I’d heard since in the cradle, but never in a ceremony like this. Rhythm and music were a big part of Pinhold life. Visitors joined our weekly drum circles on the beach, and stayed to listen to the wave organ built into the cliffs that played a series of gong sounds at every high tide. Tonight, they stirred that feeling of connection and continuity that had always eluded me before.

  To the untrained ear, the clicks and whistles probably sounded like nothing more than rhythmic nonsense that played along with the beat. When, in fact, they were imitations of the sounds made by the dolphins that lived in our bay—we were inviting the dolphins to join us and witness our commitment to protect their home.

  “We call you to pledge yourself as the guardians of the sea. Witnessed by the sacred swirl, do you pledge to protect the ocean from land and the animals from man?” Stoney asked. His voice pulsed in time with the pounding drumbeats.

  “Yes,” said six voices in unison, including mine.

  “Now, it is time to answer in the language of the ancients.” Stony instructed, keeping his voice low. “When I touch you, repeat after me.”

  Stony started with Mica. The strange sounds rolled from his tongue with ease. Instantly I heard the dolphins chattering over the kicked up breeze. My heart jumped along with their increased activity in the water. The legends said we needed them to witness our pledge, but they didn’t come around for every ritual anymore.

  As each of my friends took the vow, the dolphins’ talk faded, as if they headed the wrong way. The tension grew palpable until Blake spoke, when the noise got louder, but not closer. Finally, my turn came.

  I inhaled deeply and shut my eyes, seeing the location of the dolphins clearly in my mind. They frolicked in the riptide off towards the open ocean. They heard us calling them but did not swim closer to watch. For maximum success, we needed them to join our swim. My heart churned as I realized now, that was all up to me.

  I wondered how on earth I’d reach them with my low, scratchy voice. Speaking loudly never worked well for me. Then, I heard their noises change as they went under the surface to play and swim even further from us.

  You can do this, clicked Mica, straight into my brain. Slow and low. He said the syllables silently, emphasizing all the proper points for inflection. With this info, I realized that Stoney hadn’t repeated it perfectly. Somehow Mica had already learned which tones to pay attention to.

  I repeated it silently then spoke it as loudly as possible. My voice lacked volume but I added energy by sending vibrations swirling through my bones, through the rocks and into the water, hoping to reach the dolphins below the surface.

  They reacted instantly, repeating the clicks and whistles I made sound for sound. Quickly they moved towards me, churning through the thirty-foot sea waves that made Pinhold a famous surfing spot.

  “Again!” Stoney said, insistently.

  So I listened,
repeating myself five more times, until the dolphins came right into the bay. The mood shifted and I opened my eyes to the pure joy of their arrival. As if sensing my attention, the huge pod began playing and showing off in the waves. They flipped, jumped and twisted in the air—showing off with glee.

  “Well done,” Stoney said, looking proud of us all. “Now, go join the guardians of the sea for the traditional swim.”

  I took a second to appreciate their silvery grey bodies moving before I dove off the rocks, getting in the water first. While everyone in The Guard would swim, only those of us pledging for the first time tonight had anything to prove.

  The inky-black water surrounding me hid silvery bodies darting around. They brushed against me, skin like neoprene, swimming in front, behind, churning the water to actually move me along. I stayed under with them as long as I could, reluctant to give up my primo spot for something as ordinary as air. When I finally surfaced, a dolphin with skin brighter than the others stopped, raised her head and stared. It felt like she recognized me, but I know I’d never seen her before.

  But I’d heard of her, of course. White dolphins played a large role in Pinhold mythology. Based on her size and age, she was the elusive albino born the month before me. I never believed that she actually existed.

  She dove back under the water and I followed without taking enough oxygen. Underwater, she nudged me forward, and, as I picked up speed, she came alongside me. Her smooth movement created a slipstream, a pocket in the liquid that let me stay right up against her. I focused on staying with her as we moved in front of the crowd and lost track of all the other dolphins, and the people too.