After an emotionally draining year, Meara Quinn is not the same carefree and innocent girl. Graduation is over. Taking a leap of faith and temporarily separating from her one love—Evan—Meara joins her father on a journey to learn more about who she is.
Too bad life is not all starfish and seashells. Meara gains magical abilities, but she’s forced to undergo intense training so she knows what to do with them. Her father chooses her aunt and Kieran as her trainers. And Kieran—a powerful male who’s not from their clan—has the unnerving ability to infuriate and intrigue Meara at the same time.
While Meara begins her new life, Evan endures with her memory and the knowledge that he will see her in July when his internship begins. Although excited about gaining real world experience, it’s the thought of seeing Meara that really drives him. Unfortunately, Evan finds it hard to focus on anything when he’s suffering from vivid nightmares and screaming headaches.
When Meara and Evan reunite, everything seems to fall back into place. The summer appears to be perfect. Then two of her father’s guards are found dead, and foul play is suspected. The façade melts away. Someone is targeting them, and Meara must discover who it is and why. She turns to Evan to help her, but when he gives her the hot and cold treatment, she’s left feeling alone and confused.
As the puzzle pieces move into place, will Meara be able to solve the mystery in time to save her clan and her relationship?
EXCERPT
Training with Kieran
“You’re
not trying hard enough!” Kieran snapped.
“I’m
trying as hard as I can!” I yelled, biting back the insult lurking on the tip
of my tongue. I was exhausted. Last week, he drilled me on transporting. By the
end of the week, I managed to move myself from the bottom of the cove to the
top of the cliff. I was impressed; Kieran was not.
This
week, he was teaching me weather control. A fluffy, white cloud floated above
us. He told me to make it rain. As if I could make that silly thing do
anything. I asked Kieran how to do it, and he told me to picture it like a
sponge filling with water, then wring the sponge cloud in my mind and watch it
rain. Ha! Like anything was ever that easy.
He
blew out a breath and stalked over. His face was inches from my own. I could
feel the heat radiating off his body. I wanted more than anything to take a
step back, but I held my ground. I wouldn’t let him see that he affected me.
“Clear
your mind.” He drew out each word between clenched teeth.
“I
am. I did.” My tone mimicked his.
He
rubbed his temples and closed his eyes. I watched him with some level of
fascination. Did I really have the ability to make him this frustrated or was
this just his normal personality? Temperamental and irritating.
He
smiled at me. Too bad it didn’t reach his eyes. They still looked pissed.
“Let’s try again, shall we?” he murmured. “Close your eyes, Meara.”
I
did as he said. With my eyes closed, I could feel his breath on my cheek.
Couldn’t he back up a pace or two?
“Picture
the cloud.”
I
saw the small cloud in my head. Not much bigger than a cotton ball, wispy and
soft like one, too.
“Can
you see it filling?”
I
did. I saw the wisps growing heavy with dew, the white turning dark with
moisture. The air cooled around me, and a breeze raised my hair off my shoulders.
“Good,”
Kieran whispered. “Good.”
The
edges of the cloud grew black in my mind, saturated to the point of bursting.
“Now,
release it.” Kieran’s voice was a sharp command. I started and saw the cloud
puncture like a water balloon. My eyes flew open when the rain drenched my
skin.
Kieran
beamed at me. “You did it!” His arms circled my waist, and he spun me around. I
raised my face to the sky in awe.
I
made it rain. I. Made. It. Rain.
Kieran
set me down, but he pulled me into a tight hug. “You’re amazing.”
Without
thinking, I slid my arms around his waist. My body fit against his easily. I
missed this closeness with another person. My fingers brushed against his
T-shirt. He rested his cheek on my hair.
My
euphoria began to fade, and I stiffened and jumped back. What was I doing? This
was Kieran, not Evan.
Kieran
dropped his arms to his sides. I crossed mine over my chest. We stared at each
other in silence until he cleared his throat. “That was good,” he said. “You
caught on faster than I expected.”
“You
were yelling at me before,” I grumbled.
He
shrugged and picked up his cap where it was laying on a boulder nearby. I tried
not to notice how good he looked, even in basketball shorts and a faded T-shirt.
“I’m not the most patient of teachers.”
“You
can say that again,” I mumbled under my breath.
He
turned back and grinned at me. “But I won’t.”
He
was so infuriating! I tried to think of a smart reply. Nothing came to mind. I
watched as he placed his cap on his head, adjusting it slightly.
“Oh,
and Meara?”
“Yes?”
“Part
two of your lesson today…” He paused until I motioned for him to go on. “Transport
yourself back to Ronac.” He winked and disappeared.
About the author:
Kelly Risser knew at a young age what she wanted to be when she grew up. Unfortunately, Fairytale Princess was not a lucrative career. Leaving the castle and wand behind, she entered the world of creative business writing where she worked in advertising, marketing, and training at various companies.
She’s often found lamenting, “It’s hard to write when there’s so many good books to read!” So, when she’s not immersed in the middle of someone else’s fantasy world, she’s busy creating one of her own. This world is introduced in her first novel, Never Forgotten. Never Forgotten, a YA/NA Fantasy, will be released by Clean Teen Publishing in the Summer of 2014.
thanks for the giveaway! :)
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