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Back The Ever After Save as PDF
Chapters (92)
  1. Cover
  2. TheEVERAFTER
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
  15. 13
  16. 14
  17. 15
  18. 16
  19. 17
  20. 18
  21. 19
  22. 20
  23. 21
  24. 22
  25. 23
  26. 24
  27. 25
  28. 26
  29. 27
  30. 28
  31. 29
  32. 30
  33. 31
  34. 32
  35. 33
  36. 34
  37. 35
  38. 36
  39. 37
  40. 38
  41. 39
  42. 40
  43. 41
  44. 42
  45. 43
  46. 44
  47. 45
  48. 46
  49. 47
  50. 48
  51. 49
  52. 50
  53. 51
  54. 52
  55. 53
  56. 54
  57. 55
  58. 56
  59. 57
  60. 58
  61. 59
  62. 60
  63. 61
  64. 62
  65. 63
  66. 64
  67. 65
  68. 66
  69. 67
  70. 68
  71. 69
  72. 70
  73. 71
  74. 72
  75. 73
  76. 74
  77. 75
  78. 76
  79. 77
  80. 78
  81. 79
  82. 80
  83. 81
  84. 82
  85. 83
  86. 84
  87. 85
  88. 86
  89. Epilogue
  90. GLOSSARY
  91. TheEVERAFTER
  92. By Amanda Hocking

Once we were out on the landing and the front door was closed behind us, I asked, “Is everything okay?”

He nodded. “Yeah, yeah. I think I’m still in shock seeing Eliana and everything.” Then his expression shifted. “And you! You found out who your parents are. How are you really doing with all of that?”

“Truthfully, I don’t know.” I shook my head. “That’s why I didn’t tell you about Thor being my . . . my dad. I just didn’t want to talk about it with anybody.”

“Hey, no, you don’t owe me an explanation,” he said. “You don’t have to tell me anything until you’re ready.”

I squeezed his hand. “Thanks for understanding.”

“And . . .” He paused and glanced back toward the door. “. . . and I don’t need to worry about you and Jem, do I?”

“No,” I said emphatically, hoping the shameful heat in my cheeks didn’t show. “It’s not like that at all.”

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked.” He shook his head. “I’m feeling a little insecure, and that’s not your problem. Especially not right now. Sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

“I don’t know if it is, but anyway.” He forced a smile at me. “I should get going. But I’ll talk to you later, all right?”

“Yeah. Of course.”

He leaned over and kissed my forehead, and then he jogged down the stairs.

40

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The next day, I headed down to Elof’s lab. It was the soonest he could see me, since he was busy trying to figure out something to help Eliana. Pan came with me, albeit grudgingly, because he still wasn’t convinced this was safe for me to do.

I was tired and walked slowly, so I didn’t mind his pace anyway. Yesterday had been a long, exhausting day, and I hadn’t gotten much sleep. Eliana had bunked up in my bed with me, where there was hardly enough room for us both. Not to mention she was a tiny furnace, and when I finally did fall asleep, I woke up drenched in sweat.

Plus, she’d wanted to stay up all night, bonding over sisterly things. The hardest part about that was that she couldn’t tell me much about herself, so she was mostly asking me questions.

And I just . . . didn’t feel like bonding.

It was bizarre, because I’d spent so much of my life longing for family, and now I’d discovered some of my only living family members, and that I was related to someone that I already knew and cared about . . . and I felt stunningly blank about it.

Maybe because I’d already gone through the roller coaster of thinking that I had many sisters—including my good friend Bryn and my nemesis Noomi—to finding out that I didn’t.