Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    The Reckoning
    The Reckoning
    The Reckoning
    Ebook342 pages4 hours

    The Reckoning

    By Kelley Armstrong

    4.5/5

    ()

    Switch to audiobook
    Read preview

    About this ebook

    My name is Chloe Saunders. I'm fifteen, and I would love to be normal.

    But normal is one thing I'm not.

    For one thing, I'm having these feelings for a certain antisocial werewolf and his sweet-tempered brother—who just happens to be a sorcerer—but, between you and me, I'm leaning toward the werewolf.

    Not normal.

    My friends and I are also on the run from an evil corporation that wants to get rid of us—permanently.

    Definitely not normal.

    And finally, I'm a genetically altered necro-mancer who can raise the dead, rotting corpses and all, without even trying.

    As far away from normal as it gets.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateApr 6, 2010
    ISBN9780061992032
    Author

    Kelley Armstrong

    When librarians finally granted Kelley Armstrong an adult card, she made straight for the epic fantasy and horror shelves. She spent the rest of her childhood and teen years happily roaming fantastical and terrible worlds, and vowed that someday she'd write a story combining swords, sorcery, and the ravenous undead. That story began with the New York Times bestselling Sea of Shadows and continues with Empire of Night. Armstrong's first works for teens were the New York Times bestselling Darkest Powers and Darkness Rising trilogies. She lives in rural Ontario with her husband, three children, and far too many pets.

    Read more from Kelley Armstrong

    Related to The Reckoning

    Titles in the series (3)

    View More
    View More

    Related ebooks

    Young Adult For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      The Last Survivor

      Aug 26, 2020

      MY FRIEND ROSA AND I talked about the weekend as I settled into work in the Port Authority offices on the sixty-fourth floor of Tower One of the World Trade Center. Rosa was the same age as me, 31, and we loved catching each other up on our lives. My

      6 min read

    • Article

      Leave Me Alone!

      Dec 22, 2020

      Leave Me Alone!
      4 min read

    • Article

      The Thing That looked Like Me

      Sep 28, 2021

      The Thing That looked Like Me
      3 min read

    • Article

      Equinox

      May 18, 2022

      In this strange world, where identities change with the rising and setting of the sun, supernatural forces are at work – and they’re causing trouble… St Leonars prison was an appropriately imposing building. It rose out of the surrounding shacks and

      5 min read

    • Article

      The Silhouette Artist

      Jul 25, 2019

      The Silhouette Artist
      6 min read

    • Article

      THE WALLS Have Eyes

      Aug 6, 2019

      THE WALLS Have Eyes
      4 min read

    • Article

      Cricket League

      Sep 1, 2022

      First prize 10 and under Tang Li, age 9 Palmetto Bay, FL My name is Anisa. I was in Hawaii on vacation. I enjoyed sipping refreshing drinks, overlooking the turquoise ocean, and dancing with others, before I overheard that the priceless Fire Ring wa

      10 min read

    • Article

      Haunted

      Sep 27, 2023

      Haunted
      6 min read

    • Article

      The Family Plot

      May 7, 2020

      The Family Plot
      10 min read

    • Article

      Running Scared

      Dec 22, 2020

      Running Scared
      4 min read

    • Article

      Performance

      Nov 10, 2022

      “Wait here,” the guard said as he shut the door behind him, leaving me by myself. The floor inside the lab was polished, and the air smelled of disinfectant, and yet the room felt unclean. Leaves shook on a tree outside the window, making shadows on

      18 min read

    • Article

      The Floating Eyes

      Mar 3, 2021

      The Floating Eyes
      2 min read

    • Article

      The Man On THE STAIRS

      Nov 26, 2020

      The Man On THE STAIRS
      4 min read

    • Article

      House Of Shadows

      Sep 1, 2020

      House Of Shadows
      4 min read

    • Article

      DON’T GO INTO The Cellar!

      Jan 21, 2020

      DON’T GO INTO The Cellar!
      4 min read

    • Article

      Cooked Alive

      Jun 15, 2023

      Cooked Alive
      5 min read

    • Article

      GHOSTS Got Me A JOB!

      Dec 29, 2021

      GHOSTS Got Me A JOB!
      2 min read

    • Article

      KILL A STRANGER Chapter 2

      Dec 31, 2020

      If you’ve never been in a situation like this before, you just can’t understand it. I’ll be blunt. It was absolutely terrifying. The nightmare started just like that. Bang. I literally woke with a start, and realised that I was being flung around in

      5 min read

    • Article

      Touch Of Evil

      Nov 26, 2019

      Touch Of Evil
      4 min read

    • Article

      The Shadow In The Hallway

      Nov 16, 2022

      The Shadow In The Hallway
      2 min read

    • Article

      House Of Horrors

      Nov 26, 2020

      House Of Horrors
      4 min read

    • Article

      Our Graveyard Ghosts

      Dec 22, 2021

      Our Graveyard Ghosts
      2 min read

    • Article

      It Happened to Me…

      Apr 21, 2022

      It Happened to Me…
      8 min read

    • Article

      A rapist was HIDING IN THE WALLS

      Sep 3, 2020

      Paul Verhoeven, 37, Melbourne, Vic Wandering around my parents’ walk-in-wardrobe, I noticed the pile of cardboard boxes stacked in the corner. I was only seven, but knowing they contained items relating to my dad John’s work as a police officer, I

      3 min read

    • Article

      The Girl I Knew Somewhere

      Dec 2, 2021

      The Girl I Knew Somewhere
      6 min read

    • Article

      A Shock Made Me Psychic

      Jan 25, 2024

      A Shock Made Me Psychic
      2 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for The Reckoning

    4.5/5

    88 ratings59 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      Just great fun. Loved this book, it's a lot darker than the previous ones. Chloe is still getting to grips with her powers but she is strong so the dead and also becoming more twisted and ugly. I'm so pleased the author made sure Derek and Chloe got a couple of pages to themselves in this book. It's the sweetest romance. Not forced and introduced in hints in book one and two. Loved it and have ordered the Darkness Rising trilogy already!
    • 4/5
      3.5 stars It may not be a very well-written series. I can't say it's a satisfying end to a trilogy. It leaves more questions than answers, making me wonder how this could be the end. But I really did love Chloe, and the trilogy was worth reading for her. Ass-kicking heroine, check. Well developed love angle, check. What more can you ask from a YA novel? And did I mention that Chloe and Derek are the cutest?

      5 stars for the romantic development!
    • 4/5
      Read this in pretty much one sitting - great entry in the series, but clearly not really an ending. I'm pleased to see that she has more YA Otherworld books to come, but will miss these characters if they don't show up later.
    • 3/5
      Ok, better. I was a bit apprehensive given the uneven previous parts to the trilogy, but this wasn't bad. The characters began to use their brains a bit more and the story moved along at a good pace.
    • 4/5
      Chloe, Tori, Derek and Simon are safe now with Andrew, a friend of Simon and Derek’s father. Andrew introduces the kids to group of supernaturals (necromancer, witch and shaman) hoping they could teach the kids and helping them to control their powers. They don’t seem to believe that the Edison Group is actually trying to kill them. And when they found out how powerful the kids really are without training, things are starting to go from bad to worse.

      Chloe has always been little too nice and I’m happy she’s finally learning to stand up and not letting others run her down. She finally stands up to Derek who seems to take out his frustrations on Chloe more than anyone else. Derek has his first Change and I love how supportive Chloe is about the thing. But I found it little funny how well she seems to understand Derek in his wolf form. How many different snort/frown can a wolf have? I love it how in books everyone knows what others are thinking and how eyes seems to show everything...

      Tori has made some growing up and while she’s still bitchy she seems to be more part of the group. And the thing about her dad was so unexpected! I wish there would have some more information on that.

      Simon wasn’t much in the book and it seemed his only purpose was to be a part of a love triangle. But for once the triangle didn’t bother me and the guys weren’t really fighting each other for it.

      I still wish there would have been more about their powers. Like why were they given the experiences? What was the ulterior motive?

      I enjoyed the book but it left the feeling that it was unfinished. As far as I know there’s no more books but I could be wrong though.
    • 5/5
      This series was not my favorite. I felt the first two books were very slow going. HOWEVER, this last book was pretty good. I enjoyed the evolution of Chloe and Derek and the direction the charactors went together. I did not like how Simon, Tori and Rae were left flapping in the breeze. What happened to them?? The book just kind of ends. Leaving you wanting more
    • 4/5
      A good finale to the trilogy, though not as satisfying as I'd wanted. I do hope for more.
    • 5/5
      This was everything I hope for in a book that's the last of its series. I couldn't put this down at all. The beginning was a bit slow, but the characters' development and interactions kept me entertained until events started to progress.By the end, the conflict is resolved, but it isn't wrapped up perfectly, which I really appreciated. I was afraid of an unrealistic ending (though I should have known better with Kelley Armstrong!), but that didn't happen. It ends on a positive, hopeful note, but all their problems haven't magically gone away.The characters really grow up in this last book, which is why I loved it so much. They finally stop acting like over-emotional melodramatic teenagers and start facing their situation. Tori, especially, changed a lot. While I hated her character in the previous books, I kind of loved her by the end of The Reckoning. This book has some of the best character development in the series and I was sad to have to leave the characters just as they were starting to mature.If you haven't started this series yet and you're a fan of young adult paranormal: start reading! You're going to love it. Kelley Armstrong has proven that she is the queen of paranormal, whether writing for adults or young adults.
    • 5/5
      ** spoiler alert ** I love that this series is tied to Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series. I think it was a good series overall. I liked the characters and their development throughout and all the twists, even though some of them were predictable.I feel like the ending was a bit of a cop-out though. They are still being hunted more of less, and I know there is another series "Darkness Rising" that kind of continues the story, but it is different characters as far as I can tell...
    • 5/5
      This is the third book in the Darkest Powers seris. It's and amazing ending to this amazing story. i really loved it and the ending really suprised me but in a good way. I think you learn to love all the good guys in this book. I would recomend this book to anybody that liked the first book and second book and would recomend reading all three books in this seris and would recomend it to anybody that likes fantasy and magic and romance.
    • 5/5
      If this isn't a book (a final book nonetheless) made of awesome! I have to admit, usually I don't like werewolves in the books that I read. I have no idea why, I just don't like the "race". But in this book ... really, Derek couldn't have anything but a werewolf, it fit him and it was definitely a part of him. I liked that the heroine for once doesn't completely fall for the hot guy. I think that is seen far too often in YA literature (remember Twilight? Bella only talks to Edward because he's so incredibly hot ...) and while I suppose this could happen in reallife, it's far more likely girls (and boys) will encounter not perfect boys (and girls) because hardly anyone is perfect on the outside, too, right? Well, perfect by Hollywood standard anyhow.I think their attraction was very geniune, you could feel it building until you really only wanted to scream at them to just fess up! Also, why did the other characters keep interrupting them? The relationship was very believable between Derek and Chloe and looking back and the last two books I can literally feel it building up, which makes it so much more real!I loved Chloe's development. Before everything, Lyle House and being on the run, the betrayal by people she trusted ... I think she was a total Say-Yes-Person. She wasn't strong, she was gullible and horribly naive. But over the course of the books she kept involving, and in The Reckoning she did what she had to do in order to save a life, no matter what it entailed.Tori also had some great moments I believe. While I hate those kinds of girls in reallife, I think they are quite entertaining in books, especially if they do come around later in the book. It was pretty heartbreaking in the end, because it made her Mom look so much more human than she ever did in the entire series.I can only compliment the plot as well. To me it seemed hard enough for the group to figure everything out, yet it wasn't unbelievable. The betrayals were not unfounded, and I believe that if you think about it, you can even understand them. Maybe the finale was a little bit over the top, with the walls coming down, but I'm sure it was done for effect and plot equally, since the gang needed some distraction to get away.I'm quite happy there's another trilogy in the Darkest Powers series waiting to be read, and I'm kind of ashamed of myself that this was indeed my first series by Kelley Armstrong. I (and you!) should definitely look out for more to come!
    • 5/5
      Note. This bookw as among my first reviews. The series dripped with the suspense, the final conclusion in The Reckoning had so many twists I was glued. I was sort of team Simon for a while, but eventually turned team Derek who I love! I pray Kelley Armstrong does one more book telling of the final fall of The Edison Group. This was a breathtaking series! flag
    • 4/5
      *SPOILERS*I don't think you can write a review like this, so far in the series, when so much has happened, when a book depends so heavily on the others. Hopefully if you haven't read the first two, you won't read any further. And if you do, it's at your own risk. :P What can I say about this that hasn't been said? I'm not the first to read these, and certainly not the last (I hope, I think they were great!). I still like the characters. I still like the story line. I like that Chloe finally resolved her 3 way love triangle. I like that getting adults involved didn't solve everything. In fact, it messed things up as much as anything. I like that we had closure on a lot of the story lines, if not all of them. (even if I was happy with the way they all resolved.) The adventure was great, and as realistic as it can be in this type of book. Setting was interesting, and always changing. For some reason I really liked it. It really worked in this book. I know this is a weak review, it is very vague, but it's hard to do without TOO many spoilers. I feel like I have talked about most of this for the first two books. My advice? If you have read the first two, don't miss this one. If you haven't, go start at the beginning. It was a great ride. =D
    • 4/5
      Hmmm. While I love Kelley Armstrong, and ADORE her books (exciting supernatural with a little bit of romantic chemistry thrown in), this one felt...light. I honestly felt this book and the second in the series could have been combined, but for some reason the publisher (?) decided that a trilogy would be better?Chloe and her friends - a witch, a sorcerer and a werewolf - are still trying to stay out of the Edison Group's hands, an organization that wants to study and/or terminate the four of them for their way-too-powerful genetically-enhanced supernatural abilities. Chloe's feelings for Derek, a werewolf and their serious, intelligent de facto leader, are deepening and are a complication, as she and Derek's brother Simon have had a serious flirt on for awhile.The book is a fast and exciting read, but so much of it felt like it was being dragged out for the sake of needing a third book. However, I do hope we run into Chloe and Derek in another book later in the series!Recommended!
    • 4/5
      This was a really great series, and I hope Kelley Armstrong revisits these characters again.
    • 4/5
      ***possible spoilers***This was a fantastic conclusion to the series and I wouldn’t know how to end it as good as this. I am glad some of the loose ends have been tied up, however there are still some that are left open. I wonder if there’s going to be more to this (I hope!)The pace is slower than usual, but in return you get great character development Each of these characters had their own issues, and although the bickering still continues, each of them have grown up and matured. What I enjoyed reading was more into Chloe’s gift as a necromancer. There is a lot more to her ‘gift’ and that provided some good interesting reading. What was also interesting was Tori. Although still snarky at times, she’s kept that in check and even manages to help and defend Chloe when needed. I thought she grew up and matured the most. I started liking her a lot more as the trilogy unfolded, at first I used to hate her a lot, now she ended up being much more agreeable and likable. I was so happy with Chloe and Derek! I loved them both together. There was a sense of togetherness and they compliment each other so well. I loved how Chloe was so supportive of Derek and his ‘condition’, and Derek would protect Chloe by any means possible. I think they made a great couple!The story overall was good despite having some loose ends open and close. The writing was still excellent and there were still moments where you had the heebie jeebies. There were quite a few extreme tense moments (especially when you find out who’s on who’s side) and this was great to read, but what I enjoyed the most were the moments with Chloe and Derek. I really loved reading about them together. It was nice seeing these characters develop and grow as the story went along. The ending was really good with a few revelations revealed. Some might say it’s not really an ending as it leaves things to be settled. I still say this was a great ending to this trilogy and I want to know if there’s going to be more to it. Tori has become such a fascinating character all of a sudden that I wish there’s going to be more on these great characters and how they’re going to manage living on. It’s a great series and not one to be missed! I absolutely recommend this for YA Paranomal readers out there!
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed this trilogy. If you like Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series, give these books a try. They are based in the same world & you will recognize names & places from her adult series. To me, it is a little medley of all Armstrong's best supernaturals--there's a necromancer, a werewolf, a wizard & a witch. Yes, they're YA books and there is no "adult content", but if you can live with that, they're really good books. :)
    • 4/5
      Four runaway teenagers with supernatural powers and barely any knowledge to control them can only mean one thing: trouble.In the first two books of Kelley Armstrong's "Darkest Power" series, four teens, Chloe, Simon, Derek, and Tori set out on an attempt to find Simon's father and stop the Edison Group's cruel schemes to experiment on supernatural kids. However, the adventure only truly begins in this third book, The Reckoning!The series left us off at Simon's father's close friend, Andrew's house, where the kids are staying until they figure out their next move. Relationships and feelings change (maybe for the best!), and so do the group's enemies. They learn that Andrew and his team might not be the ones to trust when it comes to seeking help.Chloe's developing but already abnormally strong necromancy powers get out of hand, and she faces many unplanned, and definitely unwelcome undead bodies. Derek and Simon's relationships with Chloe definitely change, which I found somewhat surprising, considering how they all started off on their first encounter.The ending was a little disappointing in terms of the epilogue, because there was no sign that the group of four's escape from the Edison Group ever ended.All in all though, I think this book is a very good ending to the series, and is worth the trouble of finding.
    • 5/5
      This is the best trilogy I have read in a very long time. I loved all three of the books but this one was, by far, the best. Although I am very sad that the author is not continuing on with these characters, I am excited for the next trilogy in the series.
    • 5/5
      This conclusion to the Darkest Power trilogy has Chloe, Derek, Simon, and Tori catch up with the boys' father's friend Andrew. But that doesn't mean they are safe. They are attacked and moved to a safe house. They find that Andrew is part of a group determined to take down the Edison Group and more than willing to use the kids as bait to accomplish that goal. The relationships change in this one. Chloe is starting to like Derek and think of Simon as a friend. Tori is starting to become a friend too. This was an exciting conclusion to the trilogy that leaves a number of questions unanswered. It was nice to get to know these characters. I want to know what is next for them.
    • 3/5
      When it comes to ending a trilogy, this wasn’t the best I have ever read. I was disappointed when I read the ending, seeing how the rest of the series had developed and wanting to find out what happened to all of these brilliant characters. But so many loose ends and plot holes were left at the end that I was a little sad that there wouldn’t be another book to fill them all. There should most certainly be another book to this series, because it ended a bit to suddenly. There wasn’t really a conclusion to the plot either. The romance with Derek and Chloe played out nicely, but the plot was rushed. Overall, it was a disappointment.
    • 4/5
      THE RECKONING, by Kelley Armstrong, is the third and final installment of the Darkest Powers Series. We continue from where the kids are in a safe house and are debating their next move to rescue the others from the Edison Group. They join forces with adult supernaturals who rebel against the Edison Group, but complications arise when the kids find out how powerful they really are.This book was the perfect ending to this series. Many questions were answered and relationships resolved, and the journey was spectacular. In this book, Chloe's skills were becoming more powerful and more difficult to control. I enjoyed getting a deeper look into the world of a necromancer. There were great uses for the gift but being inexperienced did not help matters of raising the dead. There were some instances that everything went right for Chloe and I wanted to jump up and down with happiness for her, she is truly one of a kind. The love triangle with Derek and Simon was explored and resolved. I think fans of this series will be pleased with the result.One of the more enjoyable parts of this book was Derek's transformation and first Change. I am a big fan of Armstrong's Otherworld series and my favorite characters are the werewolves. I enjoy the human qualities that she gives to the werewolves in her books and this one was no different. The support that Chloe gives to Derek during this time is incredibly sweet and kind.This book had a lot of action and suspense. These troubled kids were not given any guidance throughout their time at the Edison Group so they were left to explore their talents on their own with consequences. The situations that they faced from the supernatural adults were dangerous and thrilling. This story will definitely keep you gripping the pages for dear life.Overall this was a great ending to the series, and I look forward to the next young adult series involving other supernatural kids and another project from the Edison Group.
    • 4/5
      I loved this book too bad it ended when it did. I was not happy to have and end to the series. Hopefully we will see these characters in the new series or in her Adult series. I would love it if Chloe and Derek would get their own book in the Adult series that would just make me super happy. I’d also like to see more of Tory, and Simon in the future. Anyway this book while not and ending does give you some satisfaction of and ending. It is the last in this series and ends well. If you’ve read the others you’ve just got to read the final installment.
    • 4/5
      Ms. Armstrong's 3rd offering in the Darkset Powers Series, wraps up a lot of threads, but lets a few more grow. Our group of 4 plus help is back, Chloe, Tori, Simon, and Derek. Old friends and old enemies show up, and much more gets revealed about those who really are, and are not trying to help them. Chloe comes moer into her own powers, learning how to control them, and not pull things by accident. Derek finds his Change, and of course Chloe is there to help him thru it. Some of the angst between Chloe and the brothers is resolved, and they all learn the meaning of sacrifice in a pretty personal way.The series was good, and according to Harper, while she is only making a trilogy with Chloe and crew, the experiments of the Edison Group are far from over, as her next series is a continuation on those groups of experiments.
    • 5/5
      I can't believe this was the final book! Seriously...I absolutely LOVED this series. It makes me sad that its ended. Its so hard for me to finish final books because I can't help but be sad. Even though some have some great endings, I just hate seeing them end.Chloe has finally gotten tough. I loved seeing her ready for action. I was also dying for her to rape Derek! Seriously, those two had so much sexual tension I could practically smell it off the pages. Chloe was such a supportive girlfriend (although they weren't dating at the time) whenever he was ready to Change. I just wish there was more about them.Learning more about his and Simon's past was great, although I would have loved more info. Seriously, the only problem I had with this book was the ending. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy everyone escaped and Derek and Chloe got together but my god I wish we knew what happened AFTER. I feel like we were all left a little empty handed at the end.Overall, I loved this book, this series, this author! I'm going out tomorrow afternoon to buy The Gathering which is a werewolf book in a werewolf series and I'm really looking forward to reading her adult series Women of the Otherworld. I've got the first book right now so I'm really excited. :)Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
    • 3/5
      This trilogy really didn't live up to its potential somehow. I was disappointed in the weak conclusion.
    • 5/5
      This book was so amazing, I couldn't stand to put it down! I love how they created Derrek, it is awesome to see his vulnerable side! The only bad part of this book was I didn't want it to be over, I was so into it. The ending was good too, all though she did leave room for a sequel! It's a trilogy though, and this was the third, so I am really hoping she does a spin off sequel set or something because I love this series! I dreamt about these characters last night! I am so attached!
    • 5/5
      Awesome ending to an amazing series! The only complaint I have is that a couple of the action scenes, namely the one with the werewolves, could have been shortened a bit, but other than that it was perfect. I think that Derek and Chloe are so sweet together and I really hope to see them again in Armstrong's new Darkness Rising series.
    • 4/5
      This is the third book in the Darkest Powers trilogy. The group is still on the run from the Edison Group and has managed to find a safe house, at least for the time being. There they must convince the members of the rebel group to strike back at the Edison members and save Rae and Aunt Lauren. While doing this, Tori, Simon, Derek, and Chloe find out more about the Edison's experiments and intentions, and just how sinister they are.This exciting conclusion answers many questions but leaves an opening for another book or series. Regardless, this is a satisfying conclusion to a fantastic series.
    • 5/5
      My name is Chloe Saunders. I'm fifteen, and I would love to be normal. But NORMAL is one thing im NOT. For one thing, I'm having feelings for a certain antisocial werewolf and his sweet-tempered brother-who just happens to be a sorcerer-but between, you and me, I'm leaning towards the werewolf. NOT NORMAL. My friends and I are also on the run from an evil coroporation that wants to get rid of us-permanently. DEFINETLY NOT NORMAL. And finally, I'm a genetically altered necromancer who can raise the dead, rotting corpses and all, without even trying. AS FAR AWAY AS NORMAL AS IT GETS.

    Book preview

    The Reckoning - Kelley Armstrong

    One

    AFTER FOUR NIGHTS ON the run, I was finally safe, tucked into bed and enjoying the deep, dreamless sleep of the dead…until the dead decided they’d really rather have me awake. It started with a laugh that slid into my sleep and pulled me out of it. As I rose on my elbows, blinking and struggling to remember where I was, a whisper snaked around me, words indistinguishable.

    I rubbed my eyes and yawned. Dull gray light shone through the curtains. The room was silent and still. No ghosts, thank God. I’d had enough in the last few weeks to last me a lifetime.

    A scrape at the window made me jump. These days, every branch scratching the glass sounded like a zombie I’d raised from the dead, clawing to get in.

    I went to the window and pulled back the curtains. It’d been nearly dawn by the time we got to the house, so I knew it had to be at least midmorning, but the fog outside was so thick I couldn’t see anything. I leaned closer, nose pressed to the cold glass.

    A bug splattered against the window and I jumped a foot in the air. A laugh sounded behind me.

    I whirled, but Tori was still in bed, whimpering in her sleep. She’d thrown off the covers and was curled up on her side, her dark hair spiked across the pillow.

    Another chuckle erupted behind me. Definitely a guy’s laugh. But no one was there. No, strike that. I just couldn’t see anyone. For a necromancer, that doesn’t mean no one is there.

    I squinted, trying to catch the flicker of a ghost and saw, off to the left, the flash of a hand that was gone before I could see more.

    Looking for someone, little necro?

    I spun. Who’s there?

    A snicker answered me—the kind of snicker every fifteen-year-old girl has heard a million times from jerk boys.

    If you want to talk to me, you have to show yourself, I said.

    Talk to you? he said in an arrogant high school quarterback voice. I think you’re the one who wants to talk to me.

    I snorted and headed back to bed.

    No? His voice slid around me. Huh. I figured you’d want to know more about the Edison Group, the Genesis experiments, Dr. Davidoff…

    I stopped.

    He laughed. Thought so.

    The four of us—Tori, Derek, Simon, and me—were on the run from the Edison Group after discovering we were subjects in the Genesis project, an experiment for genetically modifying supernaturals. My aunt Lauren had been one of the doctors involved, but she’d betrayed her colleagues by helping us get away. Now she was being held captive. Or so I hoped. Last night, when the Edison Group tracked us down, a ghost had tried to help me…a ghost who had looked like Aunt Lauren.

    We were supposedly in a safe house owned by a group opposing the experiments. Now a teenaged ghost showed up, knowing about the project? I wasn’t about to banish him, however tempting it might be.

    Show yourself, I said.

    Bossy little necro, aren’t you? His voice slid behind me. You just want to see if I’m as hot as I sound.

    I closed my eyes, pictured a vague male form, and gave a mental tug. He began to materialize—a dark-haired guy, maybe sixteen, seventeen, nothing special, but with a smarmy smile that said he thought he was. I could still see through him, like he was a hologram, so I closed my eyes to give him another pull.

    Uh-uh, he said. You want more, we gotta get to know each other a little better. He disappeared again.

    What do you want? I asked.

    He whispered in my ear. Like I said, to get to know you better. Not here, though. You’ll wake your friend. She’s cute, but not really my type. His voice moved to the door. I know a place we can chat in private.

    Yeah, right. Did he think I’d just started talking to ghosts yesterday? Well, close—two weeks ago, actually. But I’d already seen enough to know that while there were some ghosts who wanted to help and some who just wanted to talk, there were more who wanted to cause a little trouble, spice up their afterlife. This guy definitely fell in the last category.

    Still, if he was another Edison Group subject, one who’d presumably died in this house, I needed to find out what had happened to him. But I wanted backup. Tori had no experience helping me with ghosts and, while we were getting along better, she still wasn’t anyone I wanted watching my back.

    So I followed the ghost into the hall, but stopped at Simon and Derek’s door.

    Uh-uh, the ghost said. You don’t need to bring a guy along.

    They’d like to talk to you, too. I raised my voice, praying Derek would hear me. He usually woke at the slightest noise—werewolves have superhearing. All I could hear, though, was Simon’s snores. There was no one else upstairs. Andrew, the guy who’d brought us here, had taken the downstairs bedroom.

    Come on, necro girl. This is a limited-time offer.

    You know he’s up to no good, Chloe.

    Yes, but I also needed to know if we were in danger here. I decided to proceed with extreme caution. My subconscious voice didn’t argue, which I took as a positive sign.

    I started walking.

    We’d gone straight to bed after we got here, so I hadn’t gotten a good look at our new place. I only knew that it was huge—a rambling Victorian straight out of a Gothic horror movie.

    As I followed the voice down the hall, I had the weird sense I was in one of those movies, caught in an endless narrow corridor, passing closed door after closed door until I finally reached the staircase…heading up.

    From what I’d seen of the house as we’d driven up, it was three stories. The bedrooms were on the second floor, and Andrew had said the third was an attic.

    So the ghost was leading me to the dark, spooky attic? I wasn’t the only one who’d seen too many horror films.

    I followed him up the stairs. They ended at a landing with two doors. I paused. A hand appeared through the door in front of me, beckoning. I took a second to prepare myself. No matter how dark it was in there, I couldn’t let him see my fear.

    When I was ready, I grabbed the doorknob and—

    It was locked. I turned the dead bolt latch and it clicked free. Another deep breath, another second of mental preparation, then I swung the door open and stepped in—

    A blast of cold air knocked me back. I blinked. Ahead, fog swirled.

    A dead bolt on an attic door, Chloe?

    No, I was standing on the roof.

    Two

    I WHEELED AS THE door swung closed behind me. I caught the edge, but something hit it, hard, and it slammed home. I grabbed the handle as the dead bolt clanked shut. I twisted the knob, sure I was mistaken.

    Leaving so soon? he said. How rude.

    I stared down at the handle. Only one very rare type of ghost could move stuff in the living world.

    An Agito half-demon, I whispered.

    Agito? He twisted the word with contempt. I’m top-of-the-line, baby. I’m a Volo.

    Which meant nothing to me. I could only guess it was a more powerful type. In life, a telekinetic half-demon could move objects mentally. In death, they could move them physically. A poltergeist.

    I took a careful step back. Wood creaked underfoot, reminding me of where I was. I stopped short and looked around. I was on a kind of walkway that circled the third floor—the attic, I presumed.

    To my right was a nearly flat section littered with rusty bottle caps and beer cans, like someone had used it as a makeshift patio. That calmed me down. I wasn’t stranded on a roof, just a balcony. Annoying, but safe enough.

    I rapped on the door, lightly, not really wanting to wake anyone, but hoping Derek might notice.

    No one’s going to hear you, the ghost said. We’re all alone. Just the way I like it.

    I lifted my hand to bang on the door, then stopped. Dad always said the best way to deal with a bully was not to let him know you were frightened. At the thought of my father, my throat tightened. Was he still looking for me? Of course, he was, and there was nothing I could do.

    Dad’s advice for bullies had worked with the kids who mocked my stutter—they gave up when they couldn’t get a reaction from me. So I took a deep breath and went on the offensive.

    You said you know about the Edison Group and their experiments, I said. Were you a subject?

    Boring. Let’s talk about you. Got a boyfriend? I bet you do. Cute girl like you, hanging out with two guys. You’ve gotta have hooked up with one of them by now. So which one? He laughed. Dumb question. The cute girl would get the cute guy. The chink.

    He meant Simon, who was half Korean. He was baiting me, seeing if I’d leap to Simon’s defense and prove he was my boyfriend. He wasn’t. Well, not yet, though we seemed to be heading that way.

    If you want me to stay and talk, I need some answers first, I said.

    He laughed. Yeah? Doesn’t look to me like you’re going anywhere.

    I grabbed the doorknob again. A bottle cap pinged off my cheek just below my eye. I glowered in his direction.

    That was only a warning shot, little necro. A nasty tone edged his voice. "Around here, we play my game by my rules. Now, tell me about your boyfriend."

    I don’t have one. If you know anything about the Genesis experiment, then you know we aren’t here for a vacation. Being on the run doesn’t leave much time for romance.

    Don’t get snarky with me.

    I banged on the door. The next bottle cap hit my eye, stinging.

    You’re in danger, little girl. Don’t you care? His voice lowered to my ear. Right now, I’m your best friend, so you’d better treat me good. You’ve just been led into a trap and I’m the only one who can get you out.

    Led? By who? The guy who brought us here— I thought up a fake name fast. Charles?

    No, some total stranger, and Charles just happened to bring you here. What a coincidence.

    But he said he doesn’t work for the Edison Group anymore. He used to be their doctor—

    He still is.

    H-he’s Dr. Fellows? The one they were talking about at the lab?

    None other.

    Are you sure?

    I’d never forget that face.

    Huh, well, that’s weird. First, his name isn’t Charles. Second, he’s not a doctor. Third, I know Dr. Fellows. She’s my aunt, and that guy downstairs looks nothing like her.

    The blow hit me from behind, striking hard against the back of my knees. My legs buckled and I fell on all fours.

    Don’t toy with me, little necro.

    When I tried to rise, he hit me with an old plank swung like a baseball bat. I tried to twist out of the way, but he got my shoulder and knocked me into the railing. A crack, and the railing gave way. I toppled, and for a second, all I could see was the concrete patio two stories down.

    I caught another section of railing. It held and I was steadying myself when the plank swung straight for my hand. I let go and scrambled onto the walkway as the board hit the railing so hard that the top rail snapped and the plank snapped, too, splinters of rotting wood flying.

    I ran toward the flat section of roof. He whipped the broken board at me. I stumbled back, bumping into the railing again.

    I caught my balance and looked around. No sign of him. No sign of anything moving. But I knew he was there, watching to see what I’d do next.

    I ran for the door, then feinted toward the flat part of the roof. A crash. Shards of glass exploded in front of me and the ghost appeared, lifting a broken bottle. I backpedaled.

    Sure, that’s a great idea. Just keep backing into the railing, see how long it’ll hold.

    I stopped. There was nowhere to run. I considered screaming. I’ve always hated that in movies—heroines who scream for help when cornered—but right now, caught between a broken-bottle-wielding poltergeist and a two-story fall, I could survive the humiliation of being rescued. Problem was, no one would get here in time.

    So…what are you going to do? The superpowerful necromancer against the bullying poltergeist?

    That was right. I did have a defense, at least against ghosts.

    I touched my amulet. It’d been given to me by my mother. She’d said it would ward off the bogeymen I’d seen when I was little—ghosts, as I knew now. It didn’t seem to work that well, but clutching it helped me concentrate, focus on what I was.

    I pictured giving the ghost a shove.

    Don’t you dare, little girl. You’ll only piss me off and—

    I squeezed my eyes shut and gave him a huge mental push.

    Silence.

    I waited, listening, sure that when I opened my eyes, he’d be right there. After a moment, I peeked and saw only the gray sky. Still, I gripped the railing tight, ready for a broken bottle to fly at my head.

    Chloe!

    My knees shook at the shout. Footsteps thudded across the roof. Ghosts don’t make footsteps.

    Don’t move.

    I looked over my shoulder to see Derek.

    Three

    DEREK MADE HIS WAY across the flat section of the roof. He was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, but his feet were bare.

    Watch out, I called. There’s broken glass.

    I see it. Stay where you are.

    It’s okay. I’ll just back up and— The wood creaked under me. Or maybe not.

    Just stay there. The wood’s rotting. It’s holding your weight as long as you stand still.

    But I walked out here, so it must be—

    We’re not testing that theory, okay?

    There was none of the usual impatient snap in his voice, meaning he was really worried. And if Derek was worried, I’d better stay right where I was. I gripped the railing.

    No! he said. I mean, yes, hold on, but don’t put any weight on it. It’s rotted through at the base.

    Great.

    Derek looked around, like he was searching for something to use. Then he stripped off his shirt. I tried not to look away. Not that he looked bad without his shirt. The opposite, actually, which is why…Let’s just say friends are really better when they’re fully dressed.

    Derek got as close as he dared, then knotted a corner of the T-shirt and tossed it to me. I caught it on the second throw.

    I’m not going to pull you in, he warned.

    A good thing, because with his werewolf strength, he’d probably wrench it from my hands and I’d tumble off the roof backward.

    Pull yourself along—

    He stopped, seeing I was already doing that. I made it onto the flat part, wobbled a step, then felt my knees start to give way. Derek grabbed my arm—the one without stitches, bandages, and a bullet graze—and I lowered myself slowly.

    I—I’m just going to sit for a minute, I said, my voice shakier than I liked.

    Derek sat beside me, his shirt back on. I could feel him watching me, uncertain.

    I—I’ll be okay. Just give me a second. It’s safe to sit here, right?

    Yeah, the slope’s only about twenty-five degrees, so— Seeing my expression, he said, It’s safe.

    The fog was lifting, and I could see trees stretching into the distance on all sides, a dirt road winding through them to the house.

    There was a ghost, I said finally.

    Yeah, I figured that.

    I—I knew I shouldn’t follow, but— I paused, not ready for the full explanation, still shaky. I stopped outside your door, hoping you’d hear me. I guess you did?

    Kind of. I was dozing. Woke up confused, so it took me a while to get out here. Got a touch of fever.

    I saw it now, the flushed skin and glittering eyes.

    Are you—? I began.

    I’m not Changing. Not for a while. I know what that feels like now, and I’ve got a ways to go. Another day, at least. Hopefully longer.

    I bet you’ll Change completely this time, I said.

    Yeah, maybe. His tone said he doubted it.

    As we sat there, I snuck a look at him. At sixteen, Derek was more than a foot taller than me. Solidly built, too, with broad shoulders and muscles he usually kept hidden under baggy clothes, so he wouldn’t look as intimidating.

    Since he’d started Changing, Mother Nature seemed to have cut him some slack. His skin was clearing up. His dark hair didn’t look greasy anymore. It still hung in his face—nothing emo, just like he hadn’t bothered to get it cut in a while. Lately, that would have been the last thing on his mind.

    I tried to relax and enjoy the fog-laced view, but Derek fidgeted and squirmed, which was more distracting than if he’d just been his usual self and demanded to know what had happened.

    So there was this ghost, I said finally. He said he was a Volo half-demon. Telekinetic, but a stronger type than Dr. Davidoff. Probably the same kind Liz is. He lured me out here, locked the door, then started pelting me with stuff.

    Derek looked over sharply.

    I banished him.

    Good, but you shouldn’t have followed him at all, Chloe.

    His tone was calm, reasonable, so un-Derek-like that I stared at him, the weird idea that this wasn’t Derek creeping through my head. Before I’d escaped the Edison Group laboratory, I’d met a demi-demon, chained there as a power source. She’d possessed someone but only a ghost. Could Derek be possessed?

    What? Derek said as I stared.

    Are you okay?

    Yeah, just… He rubbed the back of his neck, wincing and rolling his shoulders. Tired. Feeling off. Really off. Too much… He struggled for the word. Being here. Being safe. I’m still adjusting.

    That made sense. Derek’s werewolf protective streak had been in hyperdrive for days, keeping him awake and on guard. Having someone else to watch out for us now would be weird. Still, not blasting me for blithely following a random ghost onto a roof was so totally not Derek that I knew there was more to it.

    When I asked what was bothering him, he muttered that it was nothing. I backed off and was about to explain more about the ghost when he blurted, It’s Tori. I don’t like her story about how she got away.

    When the Edison Group had almost captured us last night, they’d nabbed Tori. Yet when they’d refocused their efforts on the biggest threat—Derek—they’d left the young witch with only a single guard. She’d locked him in a binding spell and escaped.

    You think they let her get away?

    I’m not saying…It’s just…I don’t have any proof.

    And that’s what was making him uncomfortable, that his misgivings were based on nothing but a gut feeling. The math and science whiz really preferred dealing in facts.

    If you’re thinking she’s been a plant from the start, she hasn’t. I lowered my voice. Don’t tell her I told you this, okay? When she helped me escape, she only wanted to get away from the Edison Group and run back to her dad. So she called him. Instead he sent her mom—the woman we’d just escaped. Tori was hurt, really hurt. In shock even. She couldn’t have faked that.

    I didn’t figure she was in on it from that far back.

    Just that she cut a deal last night?

    Yeah.

    "Would Tori turn us in for the promise of getting her old life back? It’s possible, and we should be careful, but I do buy her story. Unless her mom told them Tori was figuring out how to cast spells—which I doubt—then, as far as they know, she just has random outbursts of power. Her binding spell could have taken out a single guard. I’ve seen her use it. She doesn’t even need to say an incantation. It’s like, if she thinks it, she can do it."

    No casting? No practicing? He shook his head. Don’t tell Simon that.

    Don’t tell Simon what? said a voice behind us.

    We turned to see Simon step out of the doorway.

    That Tori doesn’t need to use incantations to cast, Derek said.

    Seriously? He swore. You’re right. Don’t tell me. He picked his way across the roof. Better yet, don’t tell her that I need incantations and weeks of practice, and I still suck.

    You were good with that knock-back spell last night, I said.

    He grinned. Thanks. Now, do I dare ask what you guys are doing hiding out up here? Or is it going to make me jealous?

    Simon was smiling as he said it, but Derek glanced away with a gruff Course not.

    So you weren’t having another adventure? Simon lowered himself on my other side, so close he brushed against me, hand resting on mine. It sure looks like a good spot for one. Rooftop hideaway, old widow’s walk. That is what that is, huh? A widow’s walk?

    Yeah. And it’s rotting, so stay off it, Derek said.

    I did. So, adventure?

    A small one, I said.

    Oh, man. I always miss them. Okay, break it to me gently. What happened?

    I explained. As Simon listened, intent and concerned, he cast glances at his brother. Foster brother, I guess you’d say—one look at them and you knew they weren’t related by blood. Simon is fifteen, a half-year older than me, slender and athletic, with dark, almond-shaped eyes and spiked blond hair. When Derek was about five, he’d come to live with Simon and his dad. They were best friends and brothers, blood tie or not.

    I told him as much as I’d told Derek so far. Then he looked from me to Derek.

    I must have been sound asleep if I missed all that shouting, Simon said.

    What shouting? Derek said.

    You mean that Chloe just told you that she followed a ghost onto a roof, and you didn’t blast her all the way to Canada?

    He’s a little off this morning, I said.

    "More than a little, I’d say. Aren’t you going to ask her for the rest of the story? The part where she explains why she followed the ghost? Because I’m sure there was a reason."

    I smiled. Thank you. There was. It was a teenage guy who knew about the Edison Group and the experiments.

    What? Derek’s head whipped around, the sound more growl than question.

    That’s why I followed him. There’s a dead kid here who might have been another subject, and if he died here…

    Then that’s a problem, Simon said.

    I nodded. My first thought, naturally, was ‘Oh my God, we’ve been led into a trap.’

    Simon shook his head. Not Andrew. He’s one of the good guys. I’ve known him all my life.

    But I haven’t, which is why I prodded the ghost, and it was clear he hadn’t recognized him. Andrew said this place was owned by the guy who started his group and was involved in the experiments. If there’s a link to this kid, I think we’ll find it there.

    We can ask Andrew— Simon began.

    Derek cut him off. We’ll find our own answers.

    Simon and Derek locked gazes. After a second, Simon grumbled something about making things difficult, but he didn’t argue. If Derek wanted to amuse himself playing

    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1