BooksBarbecue
Back Truth of the Divine Save as PDF
Chapters (70)
  1. Also By Lindsay Ellis and Available From Titan Books
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Dedication
  5. Contents
  6. Author’s Note
  7. Part 1: It’s A Fool Who Plays It Cool
  8. 1
  9. 2
  10. 3
  11. 4
  12. 5
  13. 6
  14. Part 2: Love Has A Nasty Habit Of Disappearing Overnight
  15. 7
  16. 8
  17. 9
  18. 10
  19. 11
  20. 12
  21. 13
  22. 14
  23. 15
  24. 16
  25. 17
  26. 18
  27. 19
  28. 20
  29. 21
  30. 22
  31. 23
  32. 24
  33. 25
  34. Part 3: A Crowd Of People Stood And Stared
  35. 26
  36. 27
  37. 28
  38. 29
  39. 30
  40. 31
  41. 32
  42. 33
  43. 34
  44. 35
  45. 36
  46. 37
  47. 38
  48. 39
  49. 40
  50. 41
  51. 42
  52. 43
  53. 44
  54. 45
  55. 46
  56. Part 4: Happiness Is A Warm Gun
  57. 47
  58. 48
  59. 49
  60. 50
  61. 51
  62. 52
  63. 53
  64. 54
  65. 55
  66. 56
  67. 57
  68. A Fiction Agreed Upon
  69. Acknowledgments
  70. About the Author

When they arrived at the top of the mountain, the situation felt even more surreal. Alone in the dark in the woods with this man who was about to take her home with him. But for now, he didn’t do anything more intimate than offer his hand to hold while they walked through the woods, illuminating the ground with his little flashlight. He approached a tree and patted the trunk. “Was this one mine?”

It took her a moment to see what he was getting at. Was it? She couldn’t recall. It was so cold. He had forgiven her very quickly for what she’d done to him. She didn’t have to do what she did. It had been so cold that night. But she’d done the humane thing and brought him in eventually, hadn’t she? He stopped, and she questioned the wisdom of being out here alone with him.

Why? He’s not going to do anything. Even if he were that type of person, Ampersand could be anywhere. Trying something would be suicide.

“Maybe this one was it? I feel like it had a knot. I remember a knot.”

He wants revenge.

No, he is joking. This is dark humor.

He wants revenge.

The thought was infecting her mind now. No, it didn’t jell with anything she knew about the guy, or any logical track he might take, but it was there in her head. He’s mad. He wants revenge. He hates me.

“You okay?”

“Yeah,” she said. Her breath was shallow. Her whole body was shaking.

He shone the flashlight at her. “You don’t look okay.”

“I don’t know. I honestly don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

He reached out to take her by the shoulder, but she flinched away.

“Are you scared of Nikola?”

“I don’t know. I’m sorry!”

“Is it me?”

Yes.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

“Stop apologizing,” he said point-blank.

“Mmph.” She sucked her lips under her teeth to stifle the instinct to apologize, to apologize for apologizing. What is wrong with me? “He made me do it.”

“What?”

“I’m sorry for what I did to you. He told me to restrain you. I know I shouldn’t have done it. I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”

“It’s okay, I’m not upset about that.” He moved toward her, but she backed away on instinct, right into a tree. “Hey, it’s okay. PTSD is an anxiety spectrum disorder. Did you know that?”

“No.”