As we finished, we compared schedules for the week. Life was busier now than it had been in Salmon Creek. Busier and more complex. Not just the added complications of dealing with and working on our powers, but personal stuff, too. I had Ash and Antone to factor into my life. Daniel was dealing with his brothers, one of whom wanted to come live in Badger Lake for the summer. He was pre-med and the Cabal had offered him work here, then wanted him to go to medical school in Toronto. Daniel was happy to have his brother around, but not really sure how he felt about him joining a Cabal. He was coming tomorrow for a birthday visit . . . and a recruitment chat. So, yes, complications.
"Is your Wednesday still free?" I asked. "I can slot you in for Wednesday."
A short laugh. "Yeah, it's starting to feel like that, isn't it? Yes, keep Wednesday night free and we'll hang out. Also, don't forget we're driving into the city Saturday. Just the two of us. Not a word of it to the others until we're five kilometers away."
"Trust me, I know better. Mention 'field trip' and we'll be stacking them into your truck like cordwood."
Yes, Daniel had a truck. No, it wasn't his old, falling-apart one. It wasn't brand-new, but the Nasts diligently rewarded responsibility. Daniel could be trusted not to take off at midnight and go partying in the next town, so Daniel got his own truck. Corey had a bicycle.
"Do we have plans for this trip to town?" I asked.
"Lunch and a movie, I thought. Maybe dinner, too, if your folks are okay with you coming back late."
"Oooh, that almost sounds like a date."
Spots of color flushed his cheeks and he forced a laugh. "Yeah."
I reached for a brownie and asked, as nonchalantly as I could manage, "And what if I wanted it to be a date?"
"What?"
I steeled myself, struggling to calm my racing heart, and forced my gaze to his. "What if I wanted it to be a date?"
He tried for a laugh, but didn't quite find it, then rubbed at his mouth, his gaze dipping from mine. He cleared his throat and unfolded his legs, shifting position. Then he looked at me again, his gaze wary, guarded.
"Is that a no?" I said.
"No. I mean . . ." He struggled for the smile again. "I'm just waiting for the punch line. Something about making it a date so I need to pay. Or you expecting flowers. Or . . ." He trailed off.
"There isn't a punch line," I said.
I rose onto my knees and inched over, in front of him. Then I stopped about a foot away.
"No punch line, Daniel," I said. "I'm asking if you'll go out with me."
He didn't answer. Just reached out, his hand sliding between my hair and face, pulling me toward him and . . .
And he kissed me.
His lips touched mine, tentatively, still unsure, and I eased closer, my arms going around his neck. He kissed me for real then, a long kiss that I felt in the bottom of my soul, a click, a connection, some deep part of me saying, "Yes, this is it."
Even when the kiss broke off, it didn't end. It was like coming to the surface for a quick gasp of air, then plunging back down again, finding that sweet spot again, and holding onto it for as long as we could. Finally it tapered off, and we were lying on the picnic blanket, side by side, his hand on my hip, kissing slower now, with more breaks for air, until I said, "We should have done that sooner."
He smiled, a lazy half smile, and he just looked at me for a moment, our gazes locked, lying there in drowsy happiness, before he said, "I think now's just fine." And he kissed me again, slower and softer now, as we rested there, eyes half closed.
"So, about Saturday, did you ask me?" he said after a minute. "Because I'm pretty sure that means you're paying."
"Nope. You were imagining it. Considering how you eat, the meal bill is all yours. But I will spring for the movie. And bring you flowers."
He chuckled. "Will you?"
"Yep, a dozen pink roses, which you'll have to carry all night or risk offending me."
"And what happens if I offend you?"
"You don't get any more of this."
I leaned in and kissed him again. And we stayed out there, on the blanket, as the sun fell, talking and kissing, mostly, just being together. We had a long road ahead of us, and I knew it wasn't going to be easy. But I had everything I wanted--everything I needed--and I'd get through it just fine. We all would.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
FIRST, A HUGE THANK-YOU to my agent, Sarah Heller, for taking my dream of writing YA and making it a reality. And an equally huge thanks to the editors who took a chance on this new direction of mine--Rosemary Brosnan at HarperCollins US, Antonia Hodgson of Atom UK, and Anne Collins and Kristin Cochrane at Doubleday Canada.
A special thanks goes out to my beta readers for this series. Stephanie Drum, Terri Giesbrecht, Matt Sievers, Nicole Tom, and Sharon Young all read early copies of most of the books and helped keep me from making some humiliating mistakes. Thanks, guys!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Photo by Curtis Lantinga
KELLEY ARMSTRONG is the bestselling author of the Darkest Powers trilogy, which includes THE SUMMONING, THE AWAKENING, and THE RECKONING. This is the third book in her New York Times bestselling Darkness Rising trilogy. You can visit Kelley online at www.darkestpowers.com.
Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins authors and artists.
OTHER BOOKS
ALSO BY KELLEY ARMSTRONG
THE DARKEST POWERS TRILOGY
The Summoning
The Awakening
The Reckoning
THE DARKNESS RISING TRILOGY
The Gathering
The Calling
COPYRIGHT
Cover art (c) 2013 by Carrie Schechter Cover design by Erin Fitzsimmons THE RISING. Copyright (c) 2013 by KLA Fricke Inc.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
www.epicreads.com
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Armstrong, Kelley.
The rising / Kelley Armstrong.--1st ed.
p. cm.--(Darkness rising; bk. 3)
Summary: "The race for survival comes to a thrilling conclusion when Maya and her friends--who all have supernatural powers--find help against the Cabals from unexpected places"--Provided by publisher.
ISBN 978-0-06-179708-8
EPub Edition February 2013 ISBN 9780062202987
[1. Supernatural--Fiction. 2. Shapeshifting--Fiction. 3. Survival--Fiction. 4. Wilderness areas--Fiction. 5. Vancouver Island (B.C.)--Fiction. 6. Canada--Fiction.] I. Title.
PZ7.A7336Ris 2013
2012025325
[Fic]--dc23
CIP
AC
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13 14 15 16 17 LP/RRDH 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
FIRST EDITION
ABOUT THE PUBLISHER
Australia HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty. Ltd.
Level 13, 201 Elizabeth Street Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia https://www.harpercollins.com.au/ebooks
Canada
HarperCollins Canada 2 Bloor Street East - 20th Floor Toronto, ON, M4W, 1A8, Canada https://www.harpercollins.ca
New Zealand
HarperCollins Publishers (New Zealand) Limited P.O. Box 1
Auckland, New Zealand https://www.harpercollins.co.nz
United Kingdom
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
77-85 Fulham Palace Road London, W6 8JB, UK
https://www.harpercollins.co.uk
United States
HarperCollins P
ublishers Inc.
10 East 53rd Street New York, NY 10022
https://www.harpercollins.com
Kelley Armstrong, The Gathering (DR)
(Series: Darkness Rising # 3)
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