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a hand clasped Adam’s shoulder, and as I opened my eyes, I saw Jeremy moving forward to stop the officer before he interfered. But it was too late. Adam pulled back, blinking. His cheeks colored and his mouth opened and I knew he was going to apologize, so I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him before he could.

Jeremy said something to the cop.

“I thought you were dead,” I whispered in Adam’s ear.

“That makes two of us.” He paused. “I mean, I thought you were . . . Well, you know.”

He pulled back enough to see me and smiled. I hugged him one more time, then stepped away as Jeremy was saying, “We were walking past when it happened. Managed to avoid the blast, but we thought we heard voices. We’ll leave the searching to you now.”

The officer thanked him, then asked whether Adam and Jeremy had seen anything suspicious, but Jeremy said no, they hadn’t noticed anything until the blast sent them flying. By the time they recovered, people were rushing to the scene.

“You should get checked out,” the cop said. He finally took a good look at me, sopping wet, and frowned.

“Water main break,” I said, waving vaguely. “Fallout from the explosion, I guess.”

“Is that the paramedic over there?” Jeremy said.

The officer nodded and Jeremy bustled us off. We veered away as soon as we could without being stopped. Adam still had his arm around me. I carefully picked my way through the debris and leaned on him for more support than I needed.

Jeremy led us into the alley. Everyone made way for the trio covered in blood and filth. We walked in silence. There would be time to explain later. Time to figure out what had happened and what it meant.

For now, we were all alive and safe. I had to call Sean, to find out where to take Bryce—Los Angeles or Miami. Either way, he’d get the best care possible. Then we’d all take a breather and regroup.

Back in that alley, the man—demon, angel, whatever he was—had told me a war was coming. When I glanced back over my shoulder at the rubble, then ahead at my battered and sick brother coming our way, supported by Jaime, it looked like that war had already begun. The initial battle had been fought. Who’d won? I wasn’t sure. But it had indeed only begun.

We needed to be ready.

I needed to be ready.

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about the author

Kelley Armstrong is the bestselling author of the Women of the Otherworld series, as well as of the New York Times #1 bestselling young adult trilogy Darkest Powers. She has just published The Gathering, Darkness Rising, the first book in her new young adult trilogy. She lives in rural Ontario with her family. Visit her website at www.kelleyarmstrong.com.

BOOKS BY KELLEY ARMSTRONG

The Otherworld Series

Bitten

Stolen

Dime Store Magic

Industrial Magic

Haunted

Broken

No Humans Involved

Personal Demon

Living with the Dead

Frostbitten

Waking the Witch

Spell Bound

The Nadia Stafford Series

Exit Strategy

Made to Be Broken

The Darkest Powers Series

The Summoning

The Awakening

The Reckoning

The Darkness Rising Series

The Gathering

Collections

Men of the Otherworld

Tales of the Otherworld