Devlan fires a round of white blasts into the air, hitting the cannibal. He falls to the earth. He jerks a couple of times before he dies. Tendrils of smoke curl off his body.
Shaking his head, Devlan walks up to the cannibal. He releases another round of blasts from his sword into the thing. I stand and wrap my arms around my stomach. “That’s the second one that came alone.” I glance around. “That’s not like them.”
He sheaths his sword and faces me. “They’re scouting,” he says. “But at least we’ve pushed them back this far. I just wonder what their twisted minds are thinking.” He walks over to me and takes my hand. “Do you have it?”
“Oh. Yes.” I take out the wrapped seed from my pocket.
We grab the reins of our horses and head toward the large boulders. My hand reaches for the locket around my neck, and I rub the cool silver.
Along with Madity’s necklace, I still wear my commitment gift from Sebastian. Devlan only asked me about it once, right after we buried the former prince of Karm beside his father near the Outside compound. I grasped it in my palm, stared down at the newly made grave, and explained that it’s a reminder. That even the best of intentions can be lost if you allow this world to corrupt you.
And privately, for me, the lock of hair inside is a reminder of the boy who had visions and dreams, of who Sebastian was and could’ve been.
I smile, looking at our baby behind the boulder. Luckily, the cannibal didn’t have time to ruin anything.
“It’s grown.” I squat down and hold out the wrapped seed. “Where should I place this?”
Devlan balances on the balls of his feet near me, running his finger along the green leaves of our tiny apple tree. “About six feet away,” he says. “Let’s keep them close so they can have company.” He gives me his gorgeous smile.
I scoop out the dry dirt, about six inches deep, then open my canteen and wet the earth. Placing the seed in the hole, I look up into Devlan’s blue eyes. He helps me fill in the hole, his hand resting on top of mine after I pack the dirt tightly. I lace my fingers through his, and the mix of cool earth and his warmth sends shivers along my skin.
Maybe one day we’ll ride out here and the dirt will have a fresh patch of grass. Or our trees will thrive, bearing fruit in a barren world. Until then, I’ll savor every moment of hope the world allots me.
And I’ll bask in every unguarded smile Devlan gifts me.
For however long we thrive.
Acknowledgements
Fireblood has been a long time in the making. Sounds like a movie thing, huh? But I kid you not, from the moment this story was a little glimer of a thought, to the time I sent the final round of edits to my editors, the journey in between has been just that. An amazing, at times frustrating, but wonderful journey. And it’s not over yet.
So many people have been a part of this story, and I hope that they all know how much they mean to me. If I’ve left anyone out, it’s not that I forgot (okay, I forgot, but remember how fried my brain was during edits?), it’s that there has been so much love and support from so many people that I just simply can’t keep count anymore. But please know how thankful I am for you all.
First, I have to thank my amazing critique partners, as always. I wouldn’t be a writer today without them. Rachel Harris, Shannon Duffy, Victoria Scott, and Patrice Michelle, thank you for teaching me how to write, how to torment my characters, how to swoon it up, and most of all, for giving me your friendship. Best friends a girl could have.
To my mother, for always being there and for your priceless input on the “hot” scenes. You’re the coolest mom ever, and you’re my rock. To my dad, who has always believed in me no matter what. I’m forever a daddy’s girl. You and Mom are my main support system, and your encouragement and love means everything. I love you.
To my amazing team of beta readers and early readers and cheerleaders. I just don’t know what I’d do without you! Not only did you give me priceless feedback, your enthusiasm in emails and on Twitter got me through the tough times. In no particular order, thank you to Nereyda Gonzalez, Jaime Arnold, Jessica Estep, Nicole Mainardi, Damaris Cardinali, Kayleigh-Marie Gore, Lindsay Mead, Pavan Hansra, Julie Brazeal, Valerie Fink, Brenda Drake, Kelsey Ketch, Tiffany King, Ashley The Bookish Brunette, and Amber Troyer. I have so many more to thank…but just know I appreciate you all!
To the Tuff Girl Legion Street Team. Woots! Girl power FTW. You are the best. You’re unstoppable. And you rock. Thank you for your support and your praise, and for just being the best street team ever. And to all the amazing, supportive YA book bloggers! You guys make crazy cool things happen. I’m honored to be a part of your community.
To the girls of YA Bound. You ladies are some of the most talented authors and bloggers I’ve had the privilege of working with, as well as swooning with. Thank you for your support, Tara Fuller, Rachel Harris, Eileen Li, Nereyda Gonzalez, and Kelly Hashway.
To Lauren Hammond, for your unflappable faith in my writing and stories, and for finding Fireblood a wonderful home. You loved Fireblood from the start. Thank you.
To Wendy Higgins, for saying “yes” and making me squee. Hearing how much you enjoyed this story and loved the characters rocked my world, and I can’t thank you enough for doing the cover blurb. Heart you so hard.
To my very talented and wonderful and ass-kicking editorial team—Patricia Riley, Danielle Ellison, Trisha Wooldridge, Sunder Cameron Addams, and Rich Storrs. You know you can’t go wrong with so many cool “Trishas” in the mix. Thank you for helping me shape this story into something readable and that I could be proud of.
And to the whole Spencer Hill Press family, but especially Kate Kaynak, for taking a chance on me and my work. Your belief in this story astonishes me. Thank you for everything. To my publicist, Tara Turner, for kicking it with me and getting the word out.
Thank you to my husband who puts up with my late-night writing sessions, missing showers for days on end, and for loving me so much despite my headache-inducing career choice. My son tolerates a lot of neuroticism from me, also. So thanks, Blue, for only slightly ducking your head when we walk into a store and your mom’s got dried, crusty milkshake in her hair. My guys are the best.
To Claudia McKinney of Phatpuppy Art, thank you for creating the gorgeous, breathtaking, beyond-my-wildestdreams cover art. Working with you was purely epic. You took my ideas and the images in my head and made them a beautiful reality. The setting and the characters are vividly displayed for readers because of your talent and skills. You amaze me.
To Teresa Yeh of Teresa Yeh Photography, thank you for organizing and shooting the cover photo. You are simply amazing. I think you were just as excited as I was about this shoot, and being able to share this experience with you made it all the more memorable. Your enthusiasm is infectious. Thank you for finding the models (they are perfect!) and putting together the shoot. You blew me away.
To Stephanie Mooney of Mooney Designs, thank you for designing a beautiful, stunning cover that exceeded my expectations. You’re beyond talented, and you took my vision and made a masterpiece. The font work is striking, and fits the story perfectly, as does the whole feel of the cover. Thank you.
To the cover models, Emily Burns and Jesse Colton (you guys are hot!), thank you for dedicating so much time to learning about Zara and Devlan, and for rocking the shoot. I wish I could’ve been there, but being able to see the photos and how much fun everyone had was awesome. You both are so talented, and make the perfect dynamic couple that is Zara and Devlan on the cover.
Thank you to Veronica Bailey of Storied Threads. I was amazed (amazed!) by your vision for the costumes. Thank you for designing the wardrobes for the cover shoot. Your quick work and knowledge of weaponry added so much to the outcome that is this gorgeous cover.