Spark - ARC (28 page)
Authors: Anthea Sharp
Tags: #ya fantasy, #fey, #Fairies, #science fantasy, #computer gaimg, #mmo, #feyland series, #ya romance
“Is this serious?” he asked.
“Let me see.”
He tilted the letter for her to read, then watched the smile blossom across her face.
“Oh, yes,” she said. “VirtuMax needs to hire the best threat testers they can find. They need
you
, Aran.”
“But my background—”
“The company wouldn’t have allowed Vonda to make you that offer unless they’d checked you out thoroughly. The fact that your brother set you up is pretty clear, despite the crappy public defender that let the charges stick. And I think Burt might have given you a character reference.”
Aran stared at her. “Your security guy? He hates me.”
“No, he’s just cautious and good at his job. Notice I’m alone out here?”
He glanced about the beach. No sign of a security team watching.
“I hope he’s nearby,” Aran said. “You’re a little too valuable to be completely unguarded.”
Spark rolled her eyes and shook her head at him. The pink in her hair was echoed by the wash of clouds overhead.
He refolded the letter and slipped it back into the envelope, his insides churning with choices. Of course, he knew that companies hired former hackers to help ensure that their programs and games were as impenetrable as possible. But he never thought he’d get an offer to trade his black hat in for a white one. Well, maybe gray.
Speaking of villains…
“I have a few questions,” he said. “What about those two gamers, the Terabin twins?”
“Gone,” Spark said. “All their daddy’s money couldn’t help them weasel out of the fact they deliberately set that fire. Not with Niteesh as an eyewitness. They might be able to hire good lawyers, but they’re never working for VirtuMax again.”
“They tried to kill you. And me.” He curled his fingers into fists.
Her expression hardened, and she stared out over the water. Aran wanted to touch her face, stroke that grimness away.
“They’ll pay for it,” she said. “The trial’s later this year. But I don’t want to talk about them. I want to talk about you. About us.”
She looked back at him, her eyes serious. Above them, the sky lightened to pale blue, and the sea shone like a broken mirror, bright copper at its edge.
“What do you think?” he asked. “Could you stand seeing me around?”
Her smile was answer enough.
“I talked with the others,” she said. “You’re invited to join the Feyguard. If you want.”
“I do.” It surprised him, how much that meant. And how much he wanted to. Despite everything, he’d found his tribe. And, just maybe, his heart.
“One more thing,” he said.
“Oh?” There was a mischievous tilt to her lips.
Aran leaned forward and brushed his mouth over hers. He felt her smile widen, and then she yanked him against her. Their bodies met with a shock of rightness that reverberated down to his feet.
His heart thumped so loudly he was sure it would knock right out of his chest. He’d hoped, then second-guessed, then buried that hope way down deep, knowing he’d never see Spark again.
But she hadn’t given up on him. Of course not. That girl was always right.
He wrapped his arms around her, kissing her with everything he was, and everything he hoped to be. Stronger. Kinder. Better.
She held him tightly, her lips warm and intoxicating against his, as the sun burst, brilliant gold, over the horizon.
T
he girl huddled away from the cold bite of the wind, a crumbling brick wall at her back. She pulled the thin blanket about her, heart beating fast as a sparrow’s. Already she had learned two things: the mortal world was a dangerous place, and she had just enough magic to slip carefully through its currents, provided she remained alert and wary.
Why had Puck let her through into
this
place?
Darkness had changed to light, then back to dark, a double handful of times. She’d learned how to scavenge for food, how to avoid the yellow-eyed men who stank of cloying smoke, and how to move, silent as a shadow, in and out of the dwelling places of humans.
As soon as full night fell, with its dark covering, she would make her way to the shelter she had found. There, she studied the world she had come into, learning from the flickering vids how to act and speak as a mortal girl.
The time was coming, soon and soon, when she must fully enter the world of the humans and carry out the queen’s bidding.
But not yet. Not quite yet.
The tale continues in
ROYAL: Feyguard Book 2
, which will be released July 25, 2014. Join the new release mailing list
http://www.tinyletter.com/AntheaSharp
to be notified the instant it’s on sale!
Meanwhile, catch up by reading the complete Feyland Trilogy - turn the page for details.
Thank you for reading SPARK! If you enjoyed this book, please consider helping other readers find it:
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~Turn the page to discover more of Anthea’s award-winning urban fantasy~
Anthea’s award-winning fantasy is available in print and ebook at all online book retailers
The Feyland books:
Prequel story ~
FEYLAND: THE FIRST ADVENTURE - FREE!
FEYLAND: THE COMPLETE TRILOGY
in e-book bundle, includes
Book 1 ~ FEYLAND: THE DARK REALM
Book 2 ~ FEYLAND: THE BRIGHT COURT
Book 3 ~ FEYLAND: THE TWILIGHT KINGDOM
Feyland short story ~
TRINKET: A FEYLAND TALE
Coming July 2014 – ROYAL: Feyguard Book 2
Discover more at
www.antheasharp.com
Join Anthea’s new releases mailing list - and get a free short story -
http://www.tinyletter.com/AntheaSharp
Thank you to the many people who made this book better: the invaluable feedback of my first readers Chassily, Peggy, Matt, and my fine editor, Laurie Temple. Thanks also to Arran at Editing720 for quick, professional, and stellar proofreading.
For an absolutely gorgeous cover, huge thanks to Ravven. And for the inspiration to move forward, ongoing gratitude to all the indie authors and publishers who share their journey so generously.
I also greatly appreciate the readers who have taken the time to contact me, leave reviews, and give me reasons to keep writing. This series wouldn’t be here without you! Thank you.
SPARK draws on a number of traditional resources, including my go-to books for Faerie lore:
An encyclopedia of fairies: Hobgoblins, brownies, bogies, and other supernatural creatures
by Katharine M. Briggs, and
Faeries
by Froud, Larkin, and Lee.
Readers will also find references to a variety of fairy tales and story archetypes, as well as the poem
The Song of the Wandering Aengus
by W.B. Yeats.
Growing up, Anthea Sharp spent most of her summers raiding the library shelves and reading, especially fantasy. She now makes her home in the Pacific Northwest, where she writes, plays the fiddle, hangs out in virtual worlds, and spends time with her small-but-good family. Contact her at [email protected] or visit her website –
www.antheasharp.com
and sign up for notification of new releases (and a free story) at
http://www.tinyletter.com/AntheaSharp
Anthea also writes historical romance under the pen name Anthea Lawson. Find out about her acclaimed Victorian romantic adventures at
www.anthealawson.com
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