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Back The Fell of Dark Save as PDF
Chapters (46)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Notice
  3. Dedication
  4. Epigraph
  5. CAST OF CHARACTERS
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. LITTLE WHITE PICKET FENCES
  44. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  45. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  46. Newsletter Sign-up

I’m so distracted by my jittery thoughts that somehow, ironically, I don’t even realize that I’m not alone on the porch until it’s too late—until the shadows beneath the overhang divide, and a tall figure lurches at me out of the darkness.

11

The keys drop from my hands and I scramble back, my heart slamming into my throat. My heel hits empty space at the top of the porch steps, and I wobble dangerously—my life a Choose Your Own Adventure that’s about to end in either Ninja or Gravity—when the figure moves into the moonlight. “Don’t freak out, Auggie, it’s just me!”

My would-be attacker grabs me and hauls me back to safety. I blink, rapid-fire, not sure I can trust my eyes. The surfer hair, the soft lips, the jawline … I recognize him, of course, but how messed up is it that I’m more shocked to find a cute boy on my porch than a deadly assassin? “G-Gunnar?”

“Hey.” He grins, his smile as warm as my favorite peppermint s’mores mocha. “Sorry, man, I didn’t mean to scare you like that. I got here a few minutes ago and was trying to decide if I should leave a note or just … leave, when your ride pulled up.”

He jerks a thumb in the direction of Daphne’s car, still idling at the curb, her profile a hazy smudge through fogged windows. Can she even see him? I don’t want to sound ungrateful, because she doesn’t exactly work for me, but I could have just been slaughtered on my front porch! This is exactly what I was worried about.

“I…” My brain is still several beats behind. “Sorry, hi. What?”

“I got here a few minutes ago,” Gunnar repeats slowly, his dramatic eyebrows slanting upward with worry. “I knocked, but there was no answer, and I was trying to decide what to do. You probably think I look like a stalker now.”

“No, you look great,” I assure him quickly, because my special talent is humiliating myself in front of cute boys. Sighing, I retrieve my keys. “Sorry. Again. I’ve … had a weird night.”

“I’m sure I’m not helping.” His grin takes on an abashed quality, and my heart melts just a little. And then, remembering Jude, I try to freeze it back up. Maybe I need to stop being such a sucker for a pretty face.

“I don’t mean to sound rude, but … what are you doing here?”