Silver (Wicked Woods #3) Read online

  “Here you go, Heidi. This is a special invitation to Kama’s eighteenth birthday. Liam was nice enough to al ow us to throw this great bash at his house, that’s right, the Governor’s Manor. We sure do hope you can be there.”

  I’d known Heidi since the third grade and while we weren’t close friends, I did enjoy her quiet and reserved company.

  “Hey, isn’t that the gang from your old neighborhood?” Sarah said as we moved on.

  At the far end of the hal , I saw Jocelyn and Matthew.They’d both lived in the Ruby District their whole lives.

  With al of our parents working in industries other than the Committee, we had a lot in common and it brought us closer.

  However, as Sarah reached out to hand them their invitation, I could’ve sworn they both cringed. Was the thought of attending my birthday bash so unappealing?

  “I’l see if I can make it,” Jocelyn said.

  I immediately knew it meant she’d do anything to ensure she had something else to do.

  “Me, too,” Matthew added. He carelessly shoved the invitation into his pocket.

  Part of me wanted to question their lack of interest, but I also didn’t want to dwel on it. I was in a good mood, it was a beautiful day and my birthday was just around the corner. I turned to fol ow Sarah to the cafeteria, putting them out of my mind.

  “There’s Liam,” Sarah shouted as we entered the cafeteria. “I’l go grab a slice of pizza and come meet you guys.”

  I stood there for a moment, taking in al of Liam – his blond hair, smooth skin, earnest green eyes, ful lips, and his tal muscular physique. Physical y, he was beautiful, but everything else about him made me love him more. He’d already taken his seat at the table reserved for the children of Committee workers. I glanced sidelong at the students who watched me make my way to the table I didn’t yet official y belong to. If not for Sarah and Liam, I wouldn’t be al owed there.

  “How are you doing, Kama?” Liam rose to give me a quick kiss. “I got you the minestrone soup and turkey sandwich.”

  Ever since he’d taken to getting my lunch every day, he never erred. He had a way of knowing what I wanted every day. “Perfect, just like always.” He was perfect, just as always, and every girl in school knew it.

  Most of the senior class was in love with him, and those who didn’t love him, envied him. He had everything -

  looks, wealth and a personality to warm the coldest heart.

  It was amazing how, out of al the pretty, pretty girls he could have chosen, he’d chosen me, and I was forever grateful for his love and affection.

  “You spoil me, Liam Seer,” I whispered as I came up close and raked my fingers through his mass of golden curls. How was it possible for a guy to be so devilishly handsome and so positively angelic at the same time? To think he was to one day be Governor of Arcadia, the most powerful person in our state. It was in his Life’s Plan.

  “Your smile, warm kisses and your eternal love are al I ask in return.” His eyes fil ed with love and he grinned a sil y grin. “I’ve missed you.”

  Taking my seat, I smiled and glared at him. “Liam, you saw me yesterday.”

  “Yeah, but you ran out on me so fast. I thought you would come back in but you just left.”

  “I know,” I said, looking for a solid explanation. “My head must be in the clouds these days, what with my birthday, Life’s Plan and al that. I’m real y sorry.”

  “I thought you would at least cal afterwards.”

  “You're right. I real y should have. I can’t apologize enough.”

  “You said you owed Tula money, but I didn’t see her outside when you ran out. Are you sure she was real y there?”

  I heard a hint of suspicion in his question and didn’t know what to say. I couldn’t possibly tel him of the mysterious man who cal ed to me from across the street, who entered my mind with his thoughts and who disappeared, leaving behind an orchid. Nor could I tel him of how the entire episode left me feeling.

  My heart had raced the whole way home. I’d been completely unaware of my surroundings as I strol ed down Main Street, and had only managed to find my way home on auto-pilot. My mind had been fil ed with the image of his face and the strong sense of… of what? Attraction?

  Desire?

  I hated keeping this from Liam. We’d been best friends for so long and had shared so many secrets, it felt unnatural, a betrayal, not to tel him. The only secret he’d ever kept from me over the years was his growing love. By the time he final y asked me out two years earlier, he’d been harboring strong emotions for three whole years.

  He was quiet for a long moment. His hand reached for his sandwich, but his gaze was focused somewhere in the distance. I watched his Adam’s apple rise and fal a few times before he final y turned to look me in the eye.

  “I’ve known you for ages, Kama. I know you inside and out. You didn’t go out there to see Tula. You’re careful with your money and you never borrow money from anyone.

  So what did you go out there for? What did you see?”

  I kissed him, partly to reassure him of my love for him, partly to buy me a moment of time to find a suitable answer. My lips lingered over his and I felt him relax. “I’m going to be turning eighteen in a few days. I’ve been a wreck as I try to imagine what my Life’s Plan could be. I’m scared. What if it’s not what I desire? What if I’m one of those who don’t get the plan they want? What if you’re not in it?”

  “You have nothing to worry about.”

  “Listening to Sarah and her perfect plan, just the way she wanted it… I was happy for her, I real y was, but it made me realize just how devastated I’l be if my plan doesn’t turn out to be what I desire.”

  “Kama, you’re worrying over nothing.”

  “You don’t know that. Nobody does.” I looked at the steam that rose from my bowl of soup. “I just couldn’t stand being in there hearing about Sarah’s plan another minute. I know it sounds selfish, but I am worried, Liam.”

  “Look at me,” he said as he took a firm grip of my jaw and turned me to face him. “I’l do al that I can to make sure you get exactly what you want. After al , what you want is what I want.”

  “I know you have a certain degree of power, Liam.

  But even with the Governor as your father, you can’t dictate to the Committee what they chose and for whom. It’s a lot bigger than that. They’ve studied and tested and studied again to make sure they give everyone the perfect plan for them. You can maybe make a suggestion or two, but you can’t change the course of their plans.”

  “There are always exceptions, and you and I are one of them. Our plans have to include one another. Everyone says so. If that Committee doesn’t have me in your Life’s Plan, the whole city wil be on their back.” He chuckled in that reassuring, boyish way he had, then looked at me, his eyes set in a dead serious stare. “Besides, I love you, and nobody can change that.”

  “I love you, too, Liam.” I couldn’t help but grin. He was so adorable and he had a way of always making everything bright. Forgetting al about my lunch, I leaned in to kiss him, my lips forceful and possessive over his.

  He returned the kiss, quickly becoming passionate and heated. I had to pul back before we were thrown out of the cafeteria for indecency.

  “Come over tonight, Kama,” he said, his voice suddenly throaty and deep. “Come home with me tonight. I need to spend some time with you, alone.”

  I hushed his lips with the tip of my finger. “You know we can’t, Liam… not until we’re…”

  His face hardened, not with anger but with hunger and concern. “What if you're right?”

  “Right about what?”

  “Your Life’s Plan… What if I’m not a part of it?”

  “You just told me not to worry…”

  “I know what I said, but what if I’m wrong. What if the Committee decides we can’t be together? The day you turn eighteen they won’t al ow us to see each other anymore. I can’t bear the thought. I want t
o be with you al the time, Kama… al the time. I’m already going nuts spending my nights without you. The thought of never holding you in my arms…”

  “Okay,” I whispered as though fearing the Committee was already watching us. “You know I can’t turn you down.”

  His smile cracked his face in a way that made me love him al the more. As luscious and dreamy as he was when he was dead serious, he was heavenly and irresistible when he smiled. I’d gladly give him the world.

  “I’l pass by to pick you up after dinner.”

  He wrapped his arm around me and pul ed me in for a passionate embrace. His lips were hot over mine and as he slipped his tongue in to taste me, I felt a jolt of pleasure soar through my body. The anticipation for the night to come, grew.

  “Liam,” I muttered through his lips. “Everyone is gaping.”

  “I don’t care,” he said, pul ing me closer. “I don’t care.”

  From Wicked Woods Author Kailin Gow comes DESIRE

  A Dystopian world where everyone’s future is planned out for them at age 18…whether it is what a person desires or not. Kama is about to turn 18 and she thinks her Life’s Plan wil turn out like her boyfriend’s and friend’s – as they desired. But when she glimpse a young man who can communicate with her with his thoughts and knows her name…a young man with burning blue eyes and raven hair, who is dressed like no other in her world, she is left to question her Life’s Plan and her destiny.

  Visit: http://www.desiretheseries.com

  Releases

  March 24, 2011

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  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Book 4 of Wicked Woods

  Book 1

  Prologue

  Chapter 1