Beautifully Unnatural: A Young Adult Paranormal Boxed Set

by Amy Miles

  Unable to stay back a moment longer, my fingers splayed across his chest. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  “Fair enough.”

  At the same moment our lips met, my fingers closed around his and buzzing coursed up my arms. Colors exploded in my mind. First white, then pink, fading back and forth between the two. The warmth of his mouth on mine melted with the swirling colors in my head and I wrapped my arm around his neck.

  As we kissed, I thought about Trip, and the person he was. He’d put my crush on Edmond Dantés to shame. He was something Edmond wasn’t. He was real.

  And it didn’t hurt that he was okay with the whole mind reading thing.

  ****

  6:45 a.m.

  Dear Mom,

  I’ve fallen for someone. He nearly died because of me. Guess I’m not what you’d call an ideal girlfriend. My life is way too out of control for that kind of relationship, but he’s stubborn. Way more than I am and that’s saying something.

  Dad’s not my biological father but then I guess you already knew that. I don’t know when Devin will show up again, if I can keep up my 4.0 without using my new powers as a study guide, or if I should forgive my best friend.

  I thought trust was black and white, truth or lie, but now I’m not sure. Tonight, Trip said I’m not an open book and I realized I have secrets of my own. Thoughts I don’t say, powers I won’t reveal and logically this means I keep secrets myself.

  But, don’t we all have something we’re just not willing to share? Some part of ourselves too fragile and sacred to expose? Life’s hard. Much harder than I realized but I’m going to keep trying to do the right thing.

  Part of me wanted to let Aunt Colleen be my mother. To let myself pretend you’re still here with me. Because super genes, secrets, and all the rest don’t change how I feel. I miss you, Mom. But, I can’t deny what’s true.

  You’re gone, but your love is with me. I am, undeniably, the mind reader. What that means, I’m still trying to figure out.

  Love you always,

  Kylie

  THE END

  Acknowledgments

  There’s a saying that writers should focus on the book of their heart. Well, I did, and this is it. So thanks, wonderful reader, for buying Shaken. I really hope you enjoy Kylie’s story.

  As always, when creating an entire novel, there are people who helped me get from beginning to end. First, I’d like to thank Melissa Ramirez and Kathia Zolfaghari for sharing countless bagels and mochas while chatting about The Mind Reader. They loved Kylie’s story from the start and cheered me on as I wrote the first draft. A special thanks to Kathia for suggesting that Trip ‘touch it.’ Priceless suggestion. Seriously.

  Big hugs to my writing buddies Virna DePaul, Veronica Blade, Eileen Rendahl, Rochelle French, Cyndi Faria, Marlo Berliner, and Danica Winters for encouragement and support in all my writing. And to Bev Rosenbaum who sparked the idea for Trip.

  I’m forever grateful to the Romance Writers of America (www.rwa.org)—an incredible writing organization with fantastic craft workshops and such supportive writers. Big shout outs to the following chapters: YA RWA (say it like a pirate!), Montana RWA, and the Black Diamond RWA. You all rock.

  Thanks to Christa Shedd for loaning me some cop lingo. Rachel Justice for keeping me company at the coffee shop while I wrote the first draft of Shaken and for Upland, Indiana (will make sense once you’ve read the book!). Karen Scofield who reads my books on her phone. Ellen Price who is the best sissy ever and who read this book a year before it was published. Ann Rego for constantly prodding me to get that book done. Love you, Mom!

  Hugs and kisses to my awesome critique partner, Veronica Blade, for invaluable feedback, advice, and many laughs along the way. Massive appreciation to my fabulous critique partner, Virna DePaul, who is my rock through each and every writing crisis (yes, there are many) and through the celebrations as well.

  Most of all I’d like to thank my husband, Mike Hatler, for endless enthusiasm and support with my writing. And for reading your first teen novel, Shaken—you’re the best! While this is the book of my heart, you are the journey of my heart. Always and forever.

  Also by Susan Hatler:

  See Me

  Amy Love, a high school junior, plays a Ouija board with friends one night and unintentionally connects with someone whose, well, not visible to the naked eye. When her body’s taken over and her soul is stuck watching helplessly—she’s terrified. When the zombie guzzles bologna that she will have to work off at the gym—she’s angry. And, when her zombied bod pulls up a news article on her laptop about a boy named JJ Miller who was recently in a car crash—she’s . . . intrigued.

  When the zombie chooses another host, Amy learns that the zombie is actually teen JJ Miller, the famous son of Maisy Meow comic creator Jonathan Jacob Miller Sr. JJ tells Amy he doesn’t know whether he’s dead or alive, only that when he’s not in a body, she is the only one who seems to know he exists.

  Amy decides to help JJ discover what happened to him and, when they can’t find his body, they try to find a substitute—preferably one that isn’t occupied. On the journey, JJ leads Amy into all kinds of danger. To her surprise, he also leads her heart to somewhere unexpected. She’s always heard of love at first sight, not love at first fright, but how can Amy be falling for a boy she’s never even seen?

  About the author:

  SUSAN HATLER is a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author, who writes humorous and emotional contemporary romance and young adult novels. Many of Susan's books have been translated into Spanish and German. A natural optimist, she believes life is amazing, people are fascinating, and imagination is endless. She loves spending time with her characters and hopes you do, too.

  You can reach Susan here:

  Facebook: facebook.com/authorsusanhatler

  Twitter: twitter.com/susanhatler

  Website: www.susanhatler.com

  Blog: susanhatler.com/category/susans-blog

  My Wolf’s Bane

  by

  Veronica Blade

  Copyright © 2013 by Veronica Blade. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be used or reproduced in any form or by any means whatsoever without the prior written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  Crush Publishing, Inc

  Sunland, CA 91040

  Crush Publishing, Inc name and logo are trademarks of Crush Publishing, Inc and are used only with its permission.

  The places, characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by author.

  ISBN 978-0-9853434-5-3

  Titles

  Young Adult

  Thrown to the Wolves: The Legend of Hannah & Eli (Shapes of Autumn, book 0.2)

  My Wolf’s Bane (Shapes of Autumn, Book 1)

  Wolves at the Door (Shapes of Autumn, Book 2)

  Something Witchy This Way Comes

  A Bite’s Tale: A Furry Fable (a novella)

  Single-handed (Single Girls micro trilogy, book one)

  Singled Out (Single Girls micro trilogy, book two)

  Single-minded (Single Girls micro trilogy, book three)

  Contemporary Romance

  From Fame to Shame (a novella)

  Blind Date, Checkmate (a novella)

  FOR ALLIE

  To give you life after Twilight

  My Wolf’s Bane

  by

  Veronica Blade

  CHAPTER ONE

  Scooping up my backpack, I abandoned my geriatric car and forged through the double doors of the school. The patter of my sandals echoed through the hallway as I smiled at a group of classmates passing by.

  My nose detected the bathroom before my eyes did, filling with the smell of disinfectant and… paint? Whatever. I’d take the toxic fumes over my former home school
days, where my parents had kept me trapped without a social life.

  Inside the empty restroom, I rummaged through my backpack for my makeup bag. I set it on the edge of the sink, then surveyed the damage. At least I’d had time to do my hair before I’d stormed out of the house. Long, dark brown hair cascaded over my shoulders in thick waves. My face was a different story though. Evidence of sleep deprivation circled my eyes and my normally olive skin was pale.

  As I stared at my reflection, I wondered how to handle my very dead car without involving my mom or dad. After the bomb they’d dropped last night — that we’d be moving again in just a few weeks — I didn’t want to speak to either of them. I mean, what kind of parents uproot their kid two to three times a year? There had to be a way to convince them to stay a few weeks more, until I turned eighteen. Then I could make my own choices.

  The restroom door swung open behind me, letting in the dull roar of voices and banging lockers, and a younger girl disappeared into a stall. Was it time for my first class already? I checked the time on my cell and realized I’d been holding the mascara brush for several minutes, yet my lashes were still naked. Crap.

  I tossed the makeup bag into my backpack, slung it over my shoulder and whipped open the door. Barreling out of the bathroom, I slammed into what felt like a walking boulder. I ricocheted off the human rock and my backpack hit the wall behind me, throwing me off balance and pitching me forward into the hard, linoleum tile.

  My palms cushioned my fall, but I winced as pain spiked up my wrists. On all fours, I lifted my chin and peeked through my curtain of dark hair.

  He wore a black tee that molded to his wide, muscular shoulders and jeans that fit over powerful legs. Wow. I’d thought my soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend was cute, but this guy…

  “You okay?” the hottie asked in a sexy, gravelly voice, stretching a hand toward me. His hand wrapped around mine and effortlessly pulled me up, as if I weighed no more than my calculus book. Maybe it was the throbbing in my limbs or the warmth of his hands on my elbows. Or maybe it was his earthy scent invading my senses, but a wave of dizziness hit me and I tipped forward.

  His hands shot to my hips to steady me. “Easy there.”

  I stared into his deep, green eyes as my palms rested on his hard biceps for support. Lord, he smelled good, like the forest after rain.

  My breath hitched.

  The scuffling of feet and rustling clothes seemed quieter than it should’ve been. I glanced over my shoulder to see what was up. Nearly everyone in the hallway had their eyes fixed on me. No doubt, most of them had witnessed me doing the Humpty-Dumpty and, by the end of the day, the incident would be all over school. Probably even caught on video and uploaded to YouTube, me with no makeup and totally un-cute. Ugh.

  Hot Guy may have been standing right in front of the bathroom in my way, but I shouldn’t have been speeding. I opened my mouth to apologize when I recognized Daniel’s voice.

  “That’s my girl you’re touching, freak.” Daniel sneered, flicked his long, dirty-blond hair over his shoulder and clamped onto my wrist. “Hands off.”

  Hot Guy nudged me aside and stepped forward until he almost butted chests with Daniel. “You need to learn some manners.”

  “Oh, yeah? You gonna try to teach me, girly boy?”

  Though I knew Daniel was acting like an idiot, the school gossip mill didn’t need any more material on me today. I was more than finished with Daniel, but I didn’t necessarily want him to get a public smack-down — even though he probably deserved it. Wedging myself between them, I twisted to meet Daniel’s gaze. “Let’s just go.”

  “Good idea.” Daniel gave Hot Guy another scalding look before grabbing my hand and jerking me away. I breathed a sigh of relief that I wouldn’t have to referee a brawl.

  “Ass hat,” Hot Guy muttered.

  Daniel kept walking, practically dragging me along. He couldn’t have heard the insult or he would’ve stopped and turned on Hot Guy. But I had heard it so clearly. Weird.

  “Hang on and I’ll walk you to class.” Daniel paused at his locker and spun the combination lock.

  “Sure,” I said absently. I glanced over my shoulder to Hot Guy, who was leaning against a locker fiddling with his cell phone. The least I could do was give him an apologetic smile and mime, “Sorry.”

  I didn’t get a chance. His gaze met mine, his mouth twisting as he raised one brow. Okay, so this wasn’t going to be an easy fix. Hot Guy seemed too old to be in high school anyway. Probably a college student dropping off his younger sibling, which meant I’d never see him again.

  I wanted to keep staring at his perfectly sculpted nose, angular cheekbones and deep brown hair that fell haphazardly over his forehead, but he spun and strolled off in the opposite direction. A tug of my hand drew my focus back to my future ex-boyfriend.

  “Hold up,” I said. The warning bell sounded, but I barely heard it as I yanked my hand from his. “Why’d you have to act like such a psycho?”

  Daniel shrugged, as though the answer was obvious. “He was touching you.”

  I laughed. “Seriously?”

  “You’re mine, Autumn. No other guy can ever touch you again.” He said it like he couldn’t believe I’d even question him.

  “I’m no one’s property,” I hissed. “Besides, I tripped and he was just helping me up.”

  “Why are you defending that loser?” His voice rose and his face flushed.

  My hands balled into fists. “Because I don’t like how you treat people.”

  “What are you talking about?” He gave me a look that said it all — I was insane. I opened my mouth to start in on him, but his eyes swept the corridor before he said, “We’re gonna be late for class.”

  Daniel was right. The hall was deserted. A stream of mild curses spewed from my mouth as I sprinted to homeroom with only seconds to spare.

  † † †

  Just before lunch, I scribbled notes in my textbook and tried to concentrate on the current assignment, but my mind drifted to Hot Guy. Why had I heard his insult when Daniel obviously hadn’t?

  The bell rang and I gathered my books and headed to the cafeteria. As soon as I entered the corridor, I caught a whiff of cinnamon and orange. John’s signature scent, since he always chewed this weird gum. I glanced around, expecting him to be right next to me.

  A moment later, John stood beside me and that same cinnamon-orange scent heightened. But why had I smelled it before he even got there?

  “Hey.” I flashed him a smile.

  Daniel and my friend Gina didn’t talk to super-geeks like John. I did though, ever since a few weeks ago when I’d watched him get between little Benny Frampton and two big jocks.

  To avoid witnessing carnage, I’d rushed over and flirted with the bullies. John took his cue and got the kid out of their way. Ever since then, I never treated John like a nerd, no matter how much Daniel and Gina protested my friendship with him. To me, he was Brave John, my friend.

  “Heard what happened this morning,” John said as he fell into step with me, “but I see you’re still in one piece.”

  Ah, the gossip mill running fast, as usual. “Yeah. Good as new,” I said, marveling at how my hands and knees weren’t sore at all. First the amazing hearing, then the super-human sense of smell and now the lack of bruises. Weird. Was I sick or something?

  “So you want to see a movie tomorrow?” he asked. “I bet Maya would come.”

  My jeans vibrated. I stopped to juggle books to my other arm and reached into my pocket to read the text. It was from my mom. Coming home directly after school, sweetheart?

  I groaned, answered the text and shoved the phone back in my pocket. “Unfortunately, I can’t go anywhere this weekend.”

  “Oh.” He nodded slowly, frowning. “Grounded again?”

  “Yep.”

  “How much do you owe this time?”

  As we passed other students along the hallway, I flicked the lapel of my new leather jacket and wagged a finger toward
my jeans. “These weren’t cheap. I think my latest shopping euphoria gave me amnesia that I still owed my parents.”

  When they gave me an advance, it had to be paid back before leaving the house the following weekend. That was the rule. Paying my debts and keeping my agreements was supposed to teach me discipline. Why couldn’t they just hand over an allowance, with no strings attached, like other parents?

  “Wait.” John took hold of my arm, stopping me in my tracks. “Have you told Daniel yet? He won’t be too thrilled about his girlfriend ditching his party.”

  Daniel had exercised astounding patience over my parents’ rigid rules and nine pm curfews, but missing his party? He’d probably dump me… which would save me the trouble of breaking up with him.

  “True.” I landed a playful punch on John’s bicep as an arm wrapped around my waist, spinning me around and pulling me against a firm chest.

  “Hi, babe,” Daniel said. Always on the alert with him now, I flattened my palms against his stomach, ready to shove him away.

  When we’d first started dating a couple of months ago, Daniel did the sweetest things, like bring me daisies stolen from his mom’s garden. He’d won me over all the way the day he’d changed my flat tire. But in the last few days, Daniel had gone from loving and considerate to demanding and offensive. Worse, he’d become hard of hearing when it came to the word “no,” and I wasn’t in the mood to fend off his pawing. I was so over him, no matter how uber-popular he was.

  “Hey, Daniel,” John said.

  Daniel ignored him. John rolled his eyes, then ambled away.

  “You could try being nice,” I said, moving out of Daniel’s grasp. I wanted to end it with him right then, but a hallway swarming with people wasn’t the best place. “What’d John ever do to you?”