Crave. Melissa Darnell

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      Dedication

      As always, thanks goes out first to my hubby, Tim … not just for being my soul mate in every sense of the word, but also for being my best friend, the bouncing board I run all my plot ideas by, my confidant and therapist, the best short-order cook I’ve ever seen, the ultimate beta reader, not to mention so romantic you put me to shame and inspire me daily to write another story! Thank you for showing me just what a true romantic hero should be like! I thank God every day for bringing us into each other’s lives.

      To my boys, Hunter and Alex … you gift me with tons of laughter and smiles and hugs every single day, fueling me to keep on keeping on. I hope that I can make you proud of your mother. I love you guys!

      A huge THANK YOU also goes out to my editor, Natashya. You are truly one of the great unsung heroes in the publishing world, and this story would not be even half what it is without you! Thank you for believing in me and my characters and helping make them so much better. If they live on in even one reader’s mind, it is because of you and your genius suggestions! Also, thank you to everyone at Harlequin TEEN for your awesome ideas and creativity and support for this series!

      Thank you to my agent, Alyssa Eisner-Henkin, for your enthusiastic support and all your hard work. You are an amazing and tireless warrioress for authors, and I am truly blessed to get to work with you!

      To my friends Melissa, Mandi and Corrie … you have shown me the true meaning of lasting friendship over the years, no matter how much or little we had in common (or how bad I stank at sports!), and regardless of how time and miles and crazy schedules have separated us. I miss hanging out with you guys and think about y’all every single day.

      And last, but NEVER least … thank you to my family. You have taught me how to be strong, have faith and have the courage to keep reaching for my dreams. Thank you for your love and your support!

      PROLOGUE

       Savannah

      I edged closer to my unconscious boyfriend cuffed to a chair nearby.

      My judges gathered in a tight half circle a few feet away. Probably so they could see me better as I failed their test.

      The guard’s face looked bored, as if to say this was nothing personal. Which was a lie. This was totally personal. And all my fault.

      He reached inside his inner jacket pocket and took out two items … a syringe and a scalpel. Their clear plastic protectors made loud snicks as he removed them.

      I gulped, the air rushing in and out of my lungs in noisy gusts I couldn’t hide within the silence of the cold cement room.

      The guard stepped closer to us. My thigh muscles tensed, the instinct to fight pulsing through me, and the guard’s eyes grew cautious. He knew I was desperate. But that didn’t make me stupid. The guard was big, built like a linebacker beneath his badly fitted suit. And even if I could somehow fight him off, my audience of judges would step in to stop me.

      I struggled to breathe, calm down and think straight. Time for logic, not emotion.

      Okay. So we were in deep this time. But we weren’t totally doomed. Yet. The judges had promised that I had only to pass one test, and then my boyfriend could go free.

      An innocent boy who wouldn’t even be here if I hadn’t fallen in love with him. My fault he was in danger …

      No, no time for a guilt trip right now. I had to focus on passing this test so we could go home.

      Just one test to pass.

      A test I was genetically destined to fail.

      CHAPTER 1

       Savannah

      The last day I was fully human started off like any other April Monday in East Texas. Oh, sure, there were all kinds of warning signs that my entire world was about to come crashing down around me. But I didn’t recognize them until it was too late.

      I should have known something major was wrong when I woke up that morning feeling like utter crap, even though I’d just snagged a full nine hours of sleep. I’d never been sick before, not even with the flu or a cold, so it couldn’t be anything like that.

      “Good morning, dear. Your breakfast is on the table,” Nanna greeted me as I shuffled into the kitchen. As usual, she was the ultimate in contradictions, her voice and smile a Southern mixture of sweetness and steel. Like your favorite old baby blanket wrapped around a mace. “Eat up. I’m going to go find my shoes.”

      I nodded and plopped down into one of the creaky chairs СКАЧАТЬ