The soldier pushes himself to his feet and glares down at me.
This is the end. I’m going to die in the woods alone.
THIRTY-SEVEN
A shadow falls over me and I blink, tilting my head upward.
The newcomer pulls a neutralizer gun from a holster inside his jacket and blasts the Meleah soldier in the back. The jolt of power makes him seize and slump like a tree falling over. The stranger steps over the limp body.
“Get to your feet,” the soldier commands, grabbing my hand.
My breathing stutters in my lungs as I stare with bulging eyes at Saxton Friggin’ Ridge. I’m pretty sure that my facial expression resembles a deer caught in the headlights of an eighteen-wheeler.
Jerking out of his grasp, I move a safe distance away from him. I steady myself on a tree with one hand, keeping a close eye on him. My stomach heaves.
He’s wearing heavy black body armor, the same gear as all the other ST soldiers. Saxton is not who he seemed to be. Not an average high school student—but a freaking Sector Thirteen spy!
How could I’ve been so stupid? So trusting?
As the initial shock dies away, my temper flares hot as a volcano.
I never should’ve trusted Saxton. The blinders are off now. I might be able to forgive my parents and Hayden for all the lies, but Saxton has dug himself a deep grave and there’s no crawling his way back out if it. This betrayal cuts too deep.
Saxton tucks the weapon into the holster, then holds up his hands. “Don’t scream. I’m not going to hurt you.”
“Holy shit…y-you’re one of them.” I stumble backward, my heart slamming against my ribcage. “You and Tanisha have a lot in common. You’re both backstabbing jerks!”
“It’s not what you think—”
“So you haven’t been busy playing undercover agent?” I spat.
“Okay, it is what you think, but I feel really bad about it now.”
I clap my hands. “Well, it was an Oscar-worthy performance.”
Saxton puckers his brow. “Where is Xavier?”
I stand frozen as he moves around me slowly, like a hungry wolf closing in on a defenseless lamb.
“Zach and Hayden cuffed him to a tree. The GB is coming to take him away,” I say.
“I tried to stop Xavier, but helping him is out of my hands now. But I can still help you.”
“Help? Ha!” I scoff. “You’ve been in league with the Big Bad this whole time. You’re the enemy!”
“But I saved you, which makes me sort of a friend, too.”
“We’re not friends—not anymore.” My teeth grind, and my anger flares to the surface again. “You used me to get information on Hayden, didn’t you?”
“Not exactly. I was supposed to monitor you and him to see how you interacted together—a human and a Meleah. But once ST suspected that your father was the rogue hybrid who’d married a human, I was told to get closer to you.” Saxton clasps a hand on the back of his neck and rubs the tendons. “Look, I know you’re a shalinaya, but I haven’t told Sector Thirteen yet.”
“What does that crazyass—monitor—crap even mean?” I exclaim, my voice rising in pitch.
“My task was to keep a close eye on you while not interfering. I had to find a way to integrate myself into your life as deeply as possible. I started off dating Viola, but when she dumped me, ST moved me to the island and had me transfer to Haven High so I could stay even closer to you.”
My stomach tightens. “But for what purpose? To arrest my dad?”
“I think they have something much more sinister in mind.”
My nerves feel jangled and snappy, as if they are twitchy live wires. I don’t even want to ask what him what he means by that last remark.
“Our friendship was a complete sham. I still can’t believe you’re part of the Doom Squad,” I mumble.
He stops circling me. “Don’t be so heated. I’m a loveable traitor, wouldn’t you say?”
My body tenses, getting ready to run. “Are you here to turn me into ST for one of those barbaric lobotomies?”
“Sloane!” Hayden shouts in the distance. “Sloane!”
“No. And I’m sure you’ve figured out by now that Xavier has gone rogue without Sector Thirteen’s knowledge,” Saxton says. “I didn’t know what he was up to, but when I discovered Xavier was gunning for you, I came as soon as I could. I saw him taking weapons from the lab and recruiting some of the soldiers earlier, so I followed him here.”
“Why are you helping me?” I demand, glancing around wildly and searching the woods for more soldiers. “Is this a trap?”
“Because I…” He bites his lip. “Something bad is going down.”
I narrow my eyes and take a step back. “Why should I believe you?”
“Sloane! Answer me,” Hayden yells again.
I don’t look away from Saxton. I can’t. He saved my life, but I still don’t trust him.
“I want to apologize for being such a world-class jerk the other night when I kissed you. There’s no excuse. My therapist claims I’m just acting out,” Saxton says, then clears his throat. “And, um, don’t tell anyone I was here.”
“Why not? Why can’t I tell anyone you helped me?”
“Please?” he begs.
When I don’t answer, he takes a step closer and I back away.
“This is serious. If you give any kind of damn about me, you’ll promise.”
I let out a breath. “Fine. I won’t tell Hayden for now.”
Saxton rushes forward and clutches my upper-arms, his fingers squeezing my flesh. “Sector Thirteen won’t stop coming after you.”
“Sloane!” Hayden shouts, his voice sounds desperate. “It’s safe now! Where are you?”
“Thanks for the heads up, but saving my life doesn’t let you off the hook,” I say.
He smirks and drops his arms. “Damn. Not even a little bit?”
“You’d better go before I change my mind and start screaming.”
When our paths do finally cross again—as I know they eventually will—I’ll have a lot of questions and yelling to do. Right now, I’m giving him a chance to escape because he helped me. I doubt Hayden will be as nice.
“One more thing, Hayden’s sister is alive. Sector Thirteen has Delta in their lab over at the Naval Base on the island.” Saxton starts to take off into the woods, but pauses to say, “And be careful, Sloane…they’re coming for your family next.”
END OF VOLUME TWO
The last book in this compelling trilogy will be published Fall 2016.
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BEAUTIFULLY BROKEN
Book One of the Bestselling Spellbound Prodigies Series
Ravenwood isn’t like oth
er small towns, it’s a secret community nestled deep within the woods, where forces of both good and evil reside.
And Shiloh Trudell isn’t like other sixteen-year-old girls. She’s a heritage witch with psychic powers, who can communicate with the dead. So when she takes a summer job at the haunted Craven Manor, her life takes a frightening turn after she encounters a ghost with a serious attitude problem, and a demon with an even sinister agenda.
As if things weren’t complicated enough, enter smokin’ hot Trent Donovan, a boy who makes her heart pump faster and yearn for some normalcy. But after stumbling upon a supernatural murder mystery that only she can solve, Shiloh sees her chance at a normal life slipping further away.
Between dating the hottest guy in town, fending off soul-sucking demons, and studying magick, Shiloh finds herself on the verge of uncovering a shocking secret that the others in town have vowed to protect at all costs.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE BOOK...
IMMORTAL ECLIPSE
1# BESTSELLER IN PARANORMAL ROMANCE
Inheriting a haunted house is one thing. Getting hot and bothered by its sexy caretaker is another. But Skylar Blackwell draws the line at voodoo and murder...
Skylar doesn’t believe in things that go bump in the night. But after her uncle’s body is discovered with a mosaic of eerie symbols carved into his chest, she moves to his spooky California estate to get logical answers.
Days after arriving, she’s plagued by haunting nightmares and visits by a terrifying apparition that even she can’t rationally explain away.
Things get even more complicated when Skylar’s investigation leads her straight into the arms of the drop-dead gorgeous, Dorian Delacroix. With his dark good looks and brooding personality, Dorian is like a romance novel hero come to life, but he’s also harboring a dark and dangerous secret.
One that may end up costing Skylar…her very soul.
Want to know what happens in this thrilling tale of paranormal romance?
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sherry Soule is a bestselling author, who lives with her family and one very spoiled black cat in Northern California. She’s always wanted to live in a world where sweatpants are sexy, cupcakes don’t make you fat, and she could adopt every homeless animal.
Many of her books have spent time on the Kindle bestseller lists and have been nominated as top picks in the “Best Paranormal Romance” categories.
When she’s not writing thrilling tales of romance and suspense, often mingled with a splash of trendy fashion, you can find her binge watching Netflix, reading (often crushing on fictional characters), or hanging with her zany family.
As a fan of all kinds of movies, Sherry’s been addicted to horror films because of the thrills and chills since childhood. It might be the adrenaline rush, or that feeling of being kept on the edge of her seat (so to speak) in anticipation of what happens next as one of her favorite kinds of escapism.
Places you can find Sherry Soule online:
Official Author Blog
Twitter: @SherrySoule
Sherry Soule Goodreads
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Table of Contents
ABOUT THIS BOOK
VOLUME TWO
ONE
TWO
THREE
FRIGHT NIGHT BABBLE
FOUR
FIVE
SIX
FRIGHT NIGHT BABBLE
SEVEN
EIGHT
NINE
TEN
FRIGHT NIGHT BABBLE
ELEVEN
TWELVE
THIRTEEN
FOURTEEN
FRIGHT NIGHT BABBLE
SIXTEEN
SEVENTEEN
FRIGHT NIGHT BABBLE
EIGHTEEN
NINETEEN
TWENTY
FRIGHT NIGHT BABBLE
TWENTY-ONE
TWENTY-TWO
TWENTY-THREE
FRIGHT NIGHT BABBLE
TWENTY-FOUR
TWENTY-FIVE
TWENTY-SIX
TWENTY-SEVEN
FRIGHT NIGHT BABBLE
TWENTY-EIGHT
TWENTY-NINE
THIRTY
FRIGHT NIGHT BABBLE
THIRTY-ONE
THIRTY-TWO
THIRTY-THREE
FRIGHT NIGHT BABBLE
THIRTY-FOUR
THIRTY-FIVE
THIRTY-SIX
THIRTY-SEVEN
END OF VOLUME TWO
HUMBLE REQUEST
BEAUTIFULLY BROKEN
IMMORTAL ECLIPSE
ABOUT THE AUTHOR