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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

She smiled at me, her hands on her hips and her blond curls pulled back into a slick ponytail. “Hey, Ulla. Sorry I couldn’t be there to pick you up. I hope your trip was okay.”

“Yeah, yeah, it was,” I said.

“So.” She glanced over to the kitchen. “I don’t know how you’re feeling or what you—”

“I think you’re my sister,” I blurted out.

15

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Confessions

Bryn stood in the living room, her eyes wide and confused. She still wore the crisp white pants of her guard uniform, but the blazer hung on the back of the chair, so she just wore a tank top that showed off her scarred, muscular arms.

“What are you talking about?” she asked after a tense silence.

“I know it’ll sound far-fetched, and I’m sure it doesn’t help that I’m just saying it like that,” I said quickly, and I knew I was talking too fast, but I felt nervous and couldn’t slow down. “I wanted to wait for the right time, but then I saw you, and I just wanted to talk to you about it, and so I’m just telling you, we might be sisters.”

“Okay,” she said cautiously, and glanced over at Ridley. He was standing near the sliding glass doors that led out to a small balcony, his arms folded over his chest, and he only shook his head.

“You’re clearly upset. Why don’t we sit down and talk about it?” She motioned to the couch, so I took a deep breath and sat down, and she perched on the arm of the couch.

“Are you thirsty? I’ll get you some water,” Ridley said, and went into the kitchen.

“So, Ulla, why do you think we’re sisters?” Bryn asked gently.

“You know how I was left as a baby in Iskyla?” I asked her, speaking more at my regular speed.

She nodded, and I launched into the whole thing, from the few things I knew from Mr. Tulin to finding out about Indu from Bryn’s friend Bekk to my journey to Isarna to meet Indu myself.

“So you’re saying that this Indu is going around impregnating all those women?” Bryn asked skeptically. “Why?”

“I don’t know exactly,” I admitted. “Most of them don’t seem to survive.”

“Why not?”

I shrugged grimly. “I don’t know, actually.”

Bryn stared straight ahead, out the glass doors, the sunlight shining across the balcony and the city wall beyond. Her face was impassive, and her posture was rigid and still—no doubt from her guard training—except for her right hand, where she twisted the rings on her fingers.

“This Indu doesn’t sound like a reputable guy,” she said at last.

Our water sat on the mirror-top coffee table, ice cubes slowly melting in the glasses, and Ridley sat on the ottoman nearby, his fingers tented together.