Into the Fire (30 page)
Authors: Ashelyn Drake
Tags: #Juvenile Fiction, #Love & Romance, #Legends, #phoenix, #Paranormal, #Contemporary, #Romance, #Fantasy, #Folklore, #Mythology
“Did you get that?”
The door jerks open, and Officer Monroe yanks the phone away from me.
“Hey!”
He pockets my cell. “No calls.”
“Why not? You haven’t read me my rights, so I can’t be under arrest. And besides, even if I were, I’m entitled to a phone call.”
“As far as I’m concerned, all you’re entitled to is a dagger to your heart.” He reaches in and grabs my cuffed wrists. The metal digs into me, and I slide out of the car to avoid having my hands cut up.
“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about, and when my father finds out about this, you’ll be lucky if you can find work as a mall cop.”
He grabs my shirt and yanks me to my feet. “Not what I would expect from a Hunter, but I’m guessing you’re new at this. You couldn’t even handle a newborn Phoenix. I’m thinking your father is a different story, though. Is he the one who killed those other people? Did he murder Henry Baker?”
“My dad’s an ass, but he’s not a killer. You have no idea what you’re talking about.” It’s taking all my self control not to spit in this guy’s face.
“We’ll see about that.” He grabs his gun from its holster and motions toward the house. “Get inside.”
I stare at him, not sure how any of this happened. Somehow, I’d been safer in New York than the backwoods town of Ashlan Falls.
I step into the house, and Officer Monroe leads me to the living room. Cara’s mom meets me with a look that could burn me to the ground. Jeremy puts his hand on her shoulder, like he’s trying to keep her from lunging at me. Behind them, two people are sitting on the couch. I’m surprised when Monique gets up and walks toward me. She gives me a look that’s a combination of pity and disgust. I can barely stomach all their glares, but I nearly gasp when Linette stands up and faces me. What is my housekeeper doing here?
Cara walks out of the kitchen on my left and pauses with a cup of hot tea in her hands. She looks at me briefly before walking to her mother. I want to say something to her. Tell her not to believe what they all think of me. I’d never hurt her. But I can’t form the words, because things are becoming frighteningly clear.
Everyone in this room knows about Cara. Knows what she is. And there’s only one explanation for it. Cara, Mrs. Tillman, Jeremy, Officer Monroe, Monique, and even Linette are all Phoenixes.
Where the hell did I move to?
First I have to thank Georgia McBride and the team at Georgia McBride Media Group for their enthusiasm about this series. Georgia, I loved brainstorming with you about this book. To Hallie Tibbetts, thank you for your insight and feedback, which made this story so much stronger. To my copy editor, Bethany Salminen, and my line editor, I appreciate your careful attention to detail in making sure this book was ready for readers.
To my agent Sarah Negovetich, thank you for jumping in and handling this deal for me. You are so good at what you do. To my CPs, writer friends, YA Bound sisters, fellow Darkly Delicious YA authors, and Scene13 bloggers, thanks for sharing this journey with me.
To my daughter, Ayla, thank you for always inspiring me. Your creativity is amazing and unmatched. To my husband, Ryan, I’ll never be able to thank you enough for making it possible for me to write for a living. Patricia Bradley, you are the best mother, beta reader, and friend ever. Thank you for everything you do. To my father, Martin Bradley, thank you for your support and for always telling everyone you meet about my books. To my sister, Heather DeRobertis, thank you for always being there to listen and support me.
To my amazing street team, Kelly’s Coven, you guys are the absolute best. To all the book bloggers, thank you for spreading the word and supporting this industry. And finally, but maybe most of all, thank you to everyone who reads this book. I hope you get swept up in Cara and Logan’s story like I did.
Kelly Hashway grew up reading R.L. Stein’s Fear Street novels and writing stories of her own, so it was no surprise to her family when she majored in English and later obtained a masters degree in English Secondary Education from East Stroudsburg University. After teaching middle school language arts for seven years, Hashway went back to school and focused specifically on writing. She is now the author of three young adult series, one middle grade series, and several picture books. She also writes contemporary romance under the pen name Ashelyn Drake. When she isn’t writing, Hashway works as a freelance editor for small presses as well as for her own list of clients. In her spare time, she enjoys running, traveling, and volunteering with the PTO. Hashway currently resides in Pennsylvania with her husband, daughter, and two pets.
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