Destined for Dreams: Book One
Page 22
I peer through the peep hole and I smile at a delivery man from The Haven as I open the door. He hands me a small envelope. I thank him and close the door, leaning my back against it. I tear it open only to find a small piece of paper and another envelope with my name on it.
I read the note.
This was left with our security guard. -Cian
A pot clatters in the kitchen and I turn toward the kitchen door. Alyssa flies out and snatches her car keys from the front table. She grabs my arm and pulls me to the front door. “Come on, we have to hurry.”
I let her tug me onto the porch. “Where are we going?”
“You’ll see, but we need to go now. You can open the letter in the car.”
HUNTER
I’m nervous. After dropping off a note in the city in hopes that it’ll find Nadia, Jacqueline insisted we hang out at a small park in the suburbs. She needed a break from the board and I need a break from my room, so here we are.
It’s hot outside and I’m sweating. Jacqueline sits on the park bench next to me and we watch the ducks swim on the man-made lake. She tosses a handful of duck feed she purchased from a small machine and the ducks waddle to the shore.
I dry my hands on my jeans. “Are you sure this place is safe? You don’t want anyone catching us hanging out.”
“Maybe that’s what needs to happen for them to trust you again.” Jacqueline pushes her sunglasses on her head. “It’ll show your mother that you believe in their cause.”
I lower my brows. I don’t think I can fake it. Thinking about the board’s hatred toward supers makes me sick. “I want to show Dr. Sullivan what I really think of their cause.”
Jacqueline bumps my shoulder and grins. “We will. Give it time.”
“I just want to make it safe for Nadia, you know?”
I stand up and go to the edge of the water, startling the ducks. I pick up a rock and throw it into the lake and turn to look at Jacqueline. I blink a few times and then rub my eyes. I can’t believe it. Maybe I fell asleep and I’m dreaming.
Nadia stands at the edge of the parking lot. Her long, blond hair blows behind her and she tilts her head toward the sky as she laughs at something Alyssa says. She’s wearing an ivory halter dress that stops just above her knees and glittery gold sandals. She looks just like I remember her—beautiful, ethereal, angelic—not the monster she thought she was.
I’m overwhelmed with so many emotions that I don’t move. It feels like I’m meeting her for the first time, but I know I love her. This is real. She is real.
Seeing Nadia gives me hope for a better future, a future with her, and a future without the board or the council. A future where we only have to worry about ourselves.
Jacqueline stands up next to me. “Then make it safe for her. I’m with you, Hunter, and I bet others will be too.”
I grin. “I plan on it, but, I’m not going to do it just for her. I’m going to do it because it’s the right thing to do. I plan on changing the world.”
It needs to be changed.
I know I can change it.
NADIA
“You didn’t tell my father?” I say as I get out of Alyssa’s car.
She shakes her head and follows me out. “Nope.”
“We’re going to be grounded for a week.”
She cringes. “Actually, make it two.”
I sigh and we both laugh. I’d follow Alyssa again even if it meant I’d be grounded for the rest of my life. It’d be worth it.
I turn away from Alyssa and toward the small man-made lake. My breath catches and I bring my hand up to my lips. Hunter’s still here. I was so afraid he’d be gone by now. I slam the car door and glide through the field in the direction of the lake. It feels like I’ve been waiting forever for this moment. I never thought it would come.
Hunter’s dark hair is styled messily around his head and his hazel eyes shine. He’s wearing dark denim jeans and a blue-plaid shirt with a tan jacket over it even though it’s warm out.
He steps away from Jacqueline. She’s in the body of the agent I’ll never forget. The one who almost killed us both.
“You found me,” he says.
“I got your letter and Alyssa had a vision of you coming here.”
He opens his arms and I fall into them. “You’re real. This is real.”
I tilt my head up to him and he leans down and kisses me. Electricity zings through me as I kiss him deeper. His lips are soft and he tastes of mint and orange, and I want to stay in his arms forever. It takes everything in me to pull away.
He tucks my hair behind my ear and smiles. “I’m glad you found me. I hated being away from you. I can’t picture not being with you.”
I kiss him again before meeting his hazel eyes. “It’s going to be hard.”
“I don’t care. I’ll fight to stay with you.”
And I know he will.
From Hunter I’ve learned that life isn’t supposed to be easy. It should be messy and out of control sometimes. It should be unpredictable, full of love and hope and promise. It should be worth the fight.
And now, as I stand here with the people I care about, I know it is.
Acknowledgements
I’d like to thank first and foremost, Jamie Hall, who was the very first reader for Destined for Dreams. She saw my novel at its roughest, and still loved the story enough to read every draft I sent her way. She spent many late nights talking me through characters and plot points, and I don’t know what I’d do without her.
I’d also like to thank Jan Moran, my mother-in-law, for helping me make Destined for Dreams possible. It would’ve never made it into my readers’ hands if it weren’t for her knowledge, passion, persistence, and the faith she has for me and all my endeavors.
I owe so much to my husband, Eric, for all the hours I spend sitting at my desk, lost in my head, and for thinking I’m only a little bit quirky for conversing with imaginary people. Thanks to my daughter, Zoë, for sharing my love of books at such an early age. I also want to thank her for the long naps—without them, I’d be exhausted from staying up all night.
Thanks to my mother, Elaine, for encouraging me to continue writing when I want to give up, for introducing me to creative writing through her own stories, and for all her unconditional love. Thanks to my father, Gary, for sharing my love of all things fantasy and supernatural. No one I know is more enthusiastic about supernatural creatures than he is. Thanks to my step-dad, Eddie, for his love, kindness, and guidance over the years. I know my teenage years weren’t always easy. Also, thanks to my step-mom, Sue, for her love and support.
More thanks is owed to my family and friends for their support through the years—thanks to Jazmin Garcia for reading my novels and loving my characters as much as I do, and for letting me talk about them as if they’re real people. Thanks to Renee Behrens for sharing the same love of fantasy and art, and for starting Silver Starlight Designs with me. Working with her is always a blast. Thanks to Malory for rekindling my love of reading many years ago after I took a year hiatus from opening a book. It wasn’t until then that I wanted to write novels.
And lastly, a special thanks goes to my niece, Lilyana Millan, for her interest in my stories, her willingness to answer any question I throw at her, for helping me choose the cover design, and for loving to read as much as I do.
About Ginna Moran
Ginna Moran is a writer living in San Diego, California. She started writing poetry as a teenager in a spiral notebook that she still has tucked away on her desk today. Her love of writing grew after she graduated high school and she completed her first unpublished manuscript at age eighteen.
When she realized her love of writing was her life’s passion, she studied literature at Mira Costa College in Northern San Diego. Besides writing novels, she was senior editor, content manager, and image coordinator for Crescent House Publishing Inc. for four years.
Ginna is now the Co-Founder of Silver Starlight Designs, where she took her passion
of reading, writing, and design and co-created a company that provides exceptional and affordable design services for authors.
Aside from Ginna’s professional life, she enjoys binge watching television shows, playing pretend with her daughter, and cuddling with her dogs. Some of her favorite things include chocolate, anything that glitters, cheesy jokes, and organizing her bookshelf.
Ginna Moran loves to hear from readers so visit her online at www.GinnaMoran.com. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. If you loved Destined for Dreams, leave a positive review online for fellow readers.
Ginna Moran is currently hard at work on her next novel.
Table of Contents
1. A TERRIBLE HOST
2. THE OUTSIDE WORLD
3. A STRANGE FEELING
4. NOT A DREAM
5. SO MANY SECRETS
6. TWO DIFFERENT WORLDS
7. NOT GIVING UP HOPE
8. LIFE WITH A DREAM BOY
9. I AM A MONSTER
10. CAN'T STAY FOREVER
11. UNLOCKING SECRETS
12. DANGEROUS BY ASSOCIATION
13. EVERYONE HIDES SOMETHING
14. REAL TO ME
15. DESTINED FOR DREAMS
16. BREAKING POINT
17. SURVIVOR
18. OUT OF CONTROL
19. FOREVER CHANGED
20. WE'RE ONLY TWO PEOPLE
21. IN OVER MY HEAD
22. SAVING YOURSELF
23. A FIGHTING CHANCE
24. YOU CAN'T SAVE THEM ALL
25. CHANGE OF PLANS
26. SAVE WHO YOU CAN
27. HOPE FOR CHANGE
EPILOGUE
Acknowledgements
About Ginna Moran