THE IMMORTALS CHRONICLES #3
Coming early 2017
There is only so much one person can endure before they break.
There was nothing I ever wanted less than to be Princess at the Royal Court. After devastation rocked my whole world, the return of my mother doesn't seem like the dream it was supposed to be.
I know how to be a warrior. I have no idea how to be a princess...
With her whole world turned upside down, and her heart still broken, who will Addie be at the end of it all?
Hearts can break, faith can plummet, but souls can Soar.
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There have been so many people who have helped me with this series so far, that it is impossible for me to say thank you to everyone individually, because I know what I’ll forget someone.
Firstly, thank you to you for continuing on with Xander and Addie’s journey. I’m sure at this point you have more than a few choice words for me, but I swear, it will all be worth it in the end. I wouldn’t be here without you, and without you, there would be no reason for book 3.
To my Alpha’s & Betas, thank you for helping me with this at the drop of a hat. It has all been worth it!
To my PA, Danielle Swainson, thank you for putting up with everything, god knows there’s enough to put up with! Thank you for keeping my ass in check, and keeping me focused.
To my family, thank you for all of your support, and a big shout out to my mum for having her ‘proud mum’ moment and shouting about my book from the rooftops.
To Chris, thank you for sacrificing, for allowing me to spread my wings and take this amazing journey.
To Jade, for your stunning covers, I bow down to your genius. Thank you for bringing to life the vision in my head.
Lastly, a big thank you to my editor Katie, for putting up with my crazy PMS’ing during edits. I know I was a royal pain, so again, thank you!
Keep reading for a sneak peek at an amazing new author!
AWAKEN
By
Grace White
Chapter 1
I couldn’t even look at her.
But my sister didn’t care.
She never did.
Three towns in the last four years, and I was just supposed to put on a smile and fake excitement at arriving in yet another new place.
“You could at least get out of the car.”
I folded my arms over my chest and pushed further back into the leather of our sister’s Jeep, refusing to meet her glare.
“Daiya, you’re acting like a child.”
Silence.
It was more than she deserved. Besides, maybe if I ignored her for long enough, she would disappear.
A girl could hope.
“Demi, will you deal with this? I want to unpack and check out the local scene. See where all the hot guys hang out.”
My head whipped around to meet Devlin’s smirk, and she laughed. She actually laughed.
“Are you serious right now? We’ve been here five minutes, and you’re already talking about guys? What the hell is wrong with you?”
The smirk morphed into a snarl, and a low growl formed in her throat. “Tread very carefully, little sister. You wouldn’t want to ruin your first day tomorrow, would you?” Her eyes glowered at me, and I unbuckled my belt and hopped out of the Jeep just as Demi’s voice warned, “Devlin.”
“What?” Her sickly sweet tone caused chills to run down my spine. “I’m only messing with her. Besides, I wouldn’t want to break a nail.”
I brushed past Demi, ignoring the look of pity on her face, and headed inside the house. The place was empty—but I hadn’t expected anything less. Demi always picked somewhere low-key. Our sparse belongings packed in the back of the Jeep wouldn’t even make a dent in the modest house, but by the end of the week, the rooms would be furnished with everything we needed. I didn’t ask for details; I just knew that Demi would take care of it. She always did.
“Are you okay?” My sister’s voice filtered in the room, and I glanced over my shoulder, nodding curtly.
I wasn’t, not really. Not since I turned eighteen three weeks ago, but Demi already knew that.
“She’s just being Devlin. She doesn’t know how to deal any other way.”
“Yeah, right.”
“It’ll be different this time, Day.”
“How can you say that? After Richmond, she promised and then look what happened in Baltimore. She’s out of control, Demi. We need to—”
A slender arm slid over my shoulders, and Demi rounded me, drawing me to her. “Shh, you don’t want to say those words, Day. Never say those words. This time will be different; it has to be. Why don’t you go check out your room, and I’ll order pizza?”
I hugged her tighter, the way I had as a child. “Okay.” The word was muffled by my reluctance to leave the comfort of her sweater. When I finally pulled away, Demi was staring at me, concern shining in her dark eyes.
“Are you going to be okay tomorrow?”
“What’s another high school, right?”
“Daiya.” She reached for me, brushing a stray hair away from my face. “It’s senior year. It’s important. She’d want …” Her voice trailed off the way it did whenever she mentioned our mother, so I saved her the pain.
“I’m fine. It’s all fine. One more year.”
And then I was getting the hell out of here.
Wherever here was.
~
Turned out, here was a small town on the outskirts of Philadelphia. Of course, I’d known the name of the place when Demi had made the last-minute arrangements for us to leave Baltimore, but I hadn’t wanted to know any details. I was too pissed at Devlin for screwing up again. This time would be different, though.
No friends.
No ties.
And definitely no guys.
Not that the last one was ever an issue for me.
I retrieved my few belongings from the Jeep and went in search of my room. I chose the smallest of the three bedrooms—I always did. It wasn’t as if I needed the space. Besides, something about feeling the walls closed in around me made me feel safer somehow. Or maybe Devlin was right, and in the confines of a small space, it was easier to pretend. To ignore what was staring me in the face every time I looked in the mirror.
The room was a perfect rectangle with high ceilings and a bay window complete with window seat. I smiled to myself as I imagined sitting there wrapped in my favorite blanket, the one Mom had knitted for me as a child, and writing in my journal or escaping between the pages of a good book. When your life was as unbalanced as mine was, you had to take comfort in the little things. Hands planted on my hips, I turned slowly, taking in the rest of the room. It wasn’t much, but it was mine, and for now, that would be enough.
It had to be.
“Day, pizza’s here.” My sister’s voice carried upstairs.
Unpacking could wait; three bags and one box wouldn’t take long to organize.
I found Demi and Devlin sitting in the middle of the living room on scattered cushions with two pizza boxes between them.
“God, I’m starving.” Devlin groaned, and Demi and I shared a look before training our frowns on our sister. Helping herself to a slice of pizza, she paused and said, “What? I am. It’s been forever since we ate pizza.”
At the reminder, my stomach growled, and we all laughed. Demi lit some candles and started into the pizza.
A new town.
A new house.
Tomorrow, a
new school.
But right here, right now, was all I needed.
Even if I wanted to strangle the living daylights out of Devlin sometimes—okay, most of the time—she was still my sister.
My blood.
And that meant something to me.
Because in the end, it was all I had.
~
As I entered the kitchen, Devlin shoved a protein bar at me. “It’s the best I could do,” she grumbled. I was surprised she even spoke, seeing as it was before nine and we had no coffee in the house yet.
Unwrapping the bar, I leaned against the counter and took a bite. My whole body ached from sleeping on the floor in just a sleeping bag placed on top of a thin mat, but when you had to up and leave town in a hurry, there wasn’t much time to order furniture.
Demi breezed into the room, looking more awake than the two of us put together. “Morning,” she mouthed with her cell phone to her ear.
I smiled while still chewing the protein bar, and Devlin waved her hand limply while helping herself to a cup of water before hopping onto the counter. Even in her tired state, she still looked every bit the runway model. Long legs, covered today in skintight pants, and wearing a blouse that revealed more than it should, she had a figure that most girls would die for; Devlin was devastatingly beautiful.
My friends—if you could call them that—back in Baltimore had asked me more than once how I lived with two older sisters who could give the likes of Cara Delevingne and Adriana Lima a run for their money, but it didn’t bother me anymore. It wasn’t as if I was ugly. I had a good figure, and although I was shorter than my sisters were, I still stood around five-foot-six. But where Devlin and Demi exuded sexual confidence with their dark, mysterious looks, I was more girl next door, preferring jeans and a tee. Much to Devlin’s disappointment.
“Okay,” Demi’s perky voice snapped me from my thoughts. “We should have the bare minimum by the end of the day. Couch, beds, kitchen essentials. The rest we can buy as we go.”
“No fucking way. I need cable, Demi. You promised.”
Demi swung around to face Devlin, who had jumped down from her position on the counter, and sighed. “I told you. No luxuries until we’re settled.”
Devlin stepped up to her, squaring her shoulders. Demi had an inch on Devlin, but what Devlin lacked in height, she made up for in venom.
“And I told you, it’s handled. I’ve got it under control.”
Demi’s eyes shuttered, and I could see her fighting the urge to pull rank. It didn’t happen often—she preferred the mantle of peacekeeper to leader—but if Devlin stepped too far out of line, Demi wouldn’t hesitate to do whatever was necessary.
“Do you? Because you said that in Baltimore.”
“That was different, Demi, and you know it.”
Demi’s eyes softened a fraction, and she reached for Devlin, laying a hand on her shoulder. “I know. But we need to make it work here. It’s Daiya’s senior year. It’s important she has roots.”
Roots.
Given my life over the last few years, the idea seemed ridiculous, not to mention pointless.
Devlin’s gaze flickered over to me, and I blanched, feeling her rage. She wanted to argue—to point out that not everything was about me and that there were three of us to consider. But to my surprise, she dropped her shoulders in defeat and said, “Okay. No luxuries until we’re settled, but can I at least request coffee?”
“As if I’d ever forget.” Demi smiled revealing a mouth of pearly white teeth. “Are you okay finding your own way there today? Late registration is tomorrow, but I need to take care of some things in town.”
“Sure.”
Demi nodded before turning to me. “And you?”
“I’m pretty sure I can find my way there.”
“Okay. Straight back here after school’s out and we’ll all go into town and explore tonight.”
It wasn’t a question. This was the protector in Demi. We both nodded. We knew the drill by now.
“Please say we can hit a bar? She’s eighteen now.”
“Devlin.”
“It’s fine,” I said, picking my bag off the counter. “We can go explore and hit a bar or two. I might as well at least try to get to know the place.”
A strange expression flashed over Demi’s face, unlike Devlin who grinned wider than the Cheshire cat. Bounding over to me, she slung an arm around my neck. “See, little sis, I knew there was a party girl in there somewhere. I have the perfect bar-cherry-popping outfit you can borrow.”
I let Devlin drag me out of the house, chatting excitedly about all the possibilities the night held.
I didn’t reply.
I didn’t protest.
Because it was easier that way.
Because one way or another, Devlin would get her way.
All I had to do was go along for the ride … and survive.
To keep reading get the full book here;
http://mybook.to/awakenGW
Table of Contents
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Authors Note
Crash (The Immortal Chronicles Book 2) Page 18