Shadowed (Fated) - By Sarah Alderson Page 0,105
line creased between his eyes.
She cleared her throat. She’d been waiting for the right time. The memory of Cyrus – of both the kiss she’d shared with him and the expression on his face when he’d seen her with Lucas a few hours ago – had been nudging at her. The guilt she was feeling for him – about him – was sliding like a knife under the surface of her happiness, threatening to puncture it. Cyrus she would need to confront eventually face to face, but Lucas she had to deal with right now. She had to come clean.
She took a deep breath. ‘Lucas,’ she said, ‘I need to tell you something.’
He paused, his hand on her stomach. ‘No. It’s OK,’ he said softly, shaking his head. ‘You don’t need to tell me. I know.’ And then, after a beat, ‘I understand.’
She tensed. He knew? He’d seen? Of course he had, that’s why he’d been so cold with her at first, so distant.
‘I missed you so much,’ she began, her voice faltering as the excuses started tumbling desperately from her lips. ‘I thought that I would never be the same again. I lost a part of myself the day you died. Or the day I thought you’d died.’
‘You have me back,’ he said, taking her face in his hands, holding her there until she raised her eyes to meet his. ‘I’m yours now for ever,’ he said. ‘I’m not going anywhere.’
‘Unless my mum kills you,’ Evie said, swiping at a tear. ‘She thinks you abandoned me in New Mexico. And now she thinks I’m a drug addict. A pregnant one. And that you’re to blame.’
‘Well, maybe one day I’ll be to blame for the last part.’
Evie felt her cheeks blazing red.
‘Don’t worry,’ Lucas said, smoothing a strand of hair out of her eyes. ‘Enough people have tried to kill me. And I’m still here. I’ll take my chances with your mum. I’m not leaving your side ever again.’
She kissed him and then, laughing, fell back against the pillow.
He leant up on one elbow to look at her. ‘What? What is it?’ he asked.
‘Just that you were right.’
‘About what?’
‘You said once that life takes us down a path, that it leads us places that sometimes we don’t want to go.’
He smiled, his fingers stroking along her cheekbone. ‘But it always, always brings us to exactly the point where we’re supposed to be,’ he murmured, leaning down and kissing her.
Acknowledgements
Thank you:
As always to John, my love, words can’t express my gratitude for your continual reassurance along this trajectory we’re on.
To Alula, who’s still too young to read any of my books but whose imagination. creativity and songs inspire me daily. I love you a billion and a hundred. And you can’t plus one.
My friends Vic and Nichola who are my daily inspiration.
Laurie, because I want to be your screensaver again.
All the lovely bloggers and reviewers who take the time to read and review my books. I am honoured and grateful.
Jill Alger for the edit.
Leila, for the laughter and the many wonderful expressions I’ve borrowed, including the sucking balls one.
Hannah, for your helpful editing advice early on.
Jamieson, Vero and Lobo the dog, for allowing me to use your names (I did ask, right?). I hope you like your namesakes and that they do you proud.
Asa and Kiana, for the playdate provision which proved a lifeline. Thank you so much.
Liesel, for the final proofing (and for loving Lucas!)
More about the author
Having spent most of her life in London, Sarah quit her job in the non profit sector in 2009 and took off on a round the world trip with her husband and princess-obsessed daughter on a mission to find a new place to call home.
After several months in India, Singapore, Australia and the US, they settled in Bali where Sarah now spends her days writing by the pool and trying to machete open coconuts without severing a limb.
She finished her first novel Hunting Lila just before they left the UK, wrote the sequel, Losing Lila, on the beach in India, and had signed a two book deal with Simon & Schuster by the time they reached Bali.
Fated, which was written during their stay in California, was published in January 2012. Her next young adult book, The Sound, is out in August 2013.
Sarah also writes adult romance under the pen name Lola Salt.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Acknowledgements
More about the author
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Acknowledgements
More about the author