Torn (The Pteron Chronicles Book 1) Read online

  Torn

  The Pteron Chronicles

  Alyssa Rose Ivy

  Contents

  Copyright

  Books by Alyssa Rose Ivy

  Prologue

  1. Hailey

  2. Hailey

  3. Wyatt

  4. Hailey

  5. Hailey

  6. Wyatt

  7. Hailey

  8. Wyatt

  9. Hailey

  10. Wyatt

  11. Hailey

  12. Hailey

  13. Wyatt

  14. Hailey

  15. Wyatt

  16. Hailey

  17. Hailey

  18. Wyatt

  19. Hailey

  20. Wyatt

  21. Hailey

  22. Hailey

  Afterword

  Forged in Stone (The Forged Chronicles #1)

  James

  Ainsley

  Ainsley

  Copyright © 2017 Alyssa Rose Ivy

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written approval of the author.

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Cover Design: Najla Qambar Designs

  Cover Photography: Lindee Robinson Photography

  Created with Vellum

  Books by Alyssa Rose Ivy

  Flight (The Crescent Chronicles #1)

  Focus (The Crescent Chronicles #2)

  Found (The Crescent Chronicles #3)

  First & Forever (The Crescent Chronicles #4)

  Soar (The Empire Chronicles #1)

  Search (The Empire Chronicles #2)

  Stay (The Empire Chronicles #3)

  Savor (The Empire Chronicles #4)

  Storm (The Empire Chronicles #5)

  Seduction’s Kiss (The Allure Chronicles #0.5)

  Lure (The Allure Chronicles #1)

  Lust (The Allure Chronicles #2)

  Lost (The Allure Chronicles #3)

  Love (The Allure Chronicles #4)

  Dire (The Dire Wolves Chronicles #1)

  Dusk (The Dire Wolves Chronicles #2)

  Dawn (The Dire Wolves Chronicles #3)

  Forged in Stone (The Forged Chronicles #1)

  Forged in Ice (The Forged Chronicles #2)

  Forged in Fire (The Forged Chronicles #3)

  Hunt (The Grizzly Brothers Chronicles #1)

  Heat (The Grizzly Brothers Chronicles #2)

  Torn (The Pteron Chronicles #1)

  Corded (The Corded Saga #1)

  The Hazards of Skinny Dipping (Hazards)

  The Hazards of a One Night Stand (Hazards)

  The Hazards of Sex on the Beach (Hazards)

  The Hazards of Mistletoe (Hazards)

  The Hazards of Sleeping with a Friend (Hazards)

  Shaken Not Stirred (Mixology)

  On The Rocks (Mixology)

  Derailed (Clayton Falls)

  Veer (Clayton Falls)

  Wrecked (Clayton Falls)

  Beckoning Light (The Afterglow Trilogy #1)

  Perilous Light (The Afterglow Trilogy #2)

  Enduring Light (The Afterglow Trilogy #3)

  Life After Falling

  Full Moons and Mistletoe

  www.AlyssaRoseIvy.com

  www.facebook.com/AlyssaRoseIvy

  twitter.com/AlyssaRoseIvy

  New Release Newsletter

  [email protected]

  Prologue

  Hailey

  He lay there completely still aside from his slow and even breathing. I’d never seen him still before. I’d never heard him silent before either, and now he was both.

  I treated myself to one last glance at his relaxed face, his eyelids tightly closed and his dark hair tussled from a sleepless night. A thin sheet covered the lower half of his body, but his chiseled chest, complete with an elaborate pattern of tattoos, was on display under the moonlight.

  I slipped back into my clothes, trying to swallow down the guilt for what I was about to do. I wasn’t the type to run out on a guy, but he wasn’t just a guy. He was a man who could destroy me—who could rob me of everything I held dear. Yet I also knew he could give me more than anyone else.

  What he had to offer wasn’t enough. I turned my back on his sleeping form and reached for my other side—my Pteron side. I released my long black wings and jumped off the mountain side. I glided through the silent, dark night pushing away the clear and urgent warning deep inside my soul. I was making a mistake, but it wasn’t the first time. It also wouldn’t be the last.

  1

  Hailey

  I could finally imagine what it was like to be human. I could fathom what weakness felt like, what powerlessness could do to the soul. I could picture the true darkness of night that existed when your vision couldn’t adjust. And more than anything I knew loneliness. I knew the true loneliness that only manifested when you lost complete touch with the rest of your world.

  I wasn’t actually alone. I had friends and family, but loneliness has little to do with reality and more to do with state of mind. My state of mind was in desperate need of a change.

  I lay in my twisted royal blue jersey-knit sheets and tossed a small rubber ball up in the air. I caught it with ease and tossed it again, this time launching it so it barely missed the ceiling. I caught it and set it down beside me. In theory I should have gotten out of bed, but I was comfortable, so there was no rush.

  “Hailey!” My roommate pounded on my door. “Are you up yet?”

  I’d been up for hours. I couldn’t break it to her that I only needed a few hours of sleep at night. Telling humans my true nature wasn’t something I did often. “Yeah, what’s up?”

  My door burst open and Sina strode in with a smile so bright it was nearly alarming. “I got in! I got into the program!”

  “The one in Greece?” I sat up.

  “Yes! I can’t believe it!” Her long black hair was in a ponytail rather than styled and down as she usually wore it.

  “That’s great.” It was. For her. “I’m so excited for you.”

  “I know this is going to mess things up for you.” She sat down at the edge of the bed. “I can pay rent until you find someone to take over my half.”

  “Nope. You’re done when you move out. Don’t worry about it. But when will you be leaving?” I didn’t want to tell her I wasn’t worried about the money. I could always find a new roommate. I was sad the only friend I’d made since college was leaving. Everyone left whether they stayed in New Orleans or not.

  “In a few days. I was the last one to get off the wait list.” She stared down at her lap.

  “Wow. That’s crazy. Anything I can do to help you get ready?” I fought down any sign of negative emotion. If she was avoiding my eyes she was worried I was upset.

  “I’m sure I’ll find plenty.” She grinned. “I can’t believe it! I’d completely given up on it happening.”

  “I can believe it. They would have been crazy not to have taken you.” My words were honest. Sina was one of the hardest workers I knew. She was also sweet, attentive to detail, and incredibly easy to get along with.

  “They almost didn’t.” Her smile faded.

  “But they got smart in the end.” I pushed back my blankets and let my pajama clad legs hang off the side of the bed. “That’s what matters.”

  “I’m going to miss you, Hailey. I’m glad we met.” She took my hand in hers. She was far more of a touchy-feely person than anyone else I knew. Paranormal creatures a
s a whole tend to keep their hands to themselves unless sex is involved.

  “Me too.” And I didn’t say that about a lot of people. I also didn’t pull my hand away. Both of those things spoke volumes.

  “We’ll stay in touch. I’m sure of it.” Her smile returned.

  I wasn’t so sure. We’d stay friends on social media, and maybe we’d grab a drink if and when she came back to New Orleans, but that was it. That was how it always was with people, but there was no reason to point that out right now. “Drinks tonight to celebrate?”

  “Oh.” Her face fell. “That sounds great, but I’m meeting with a girl who did this program last year.”

  “Not a problem.” I didn’t bother to make up an excuse about what other thing I had to do anyway. Excuses weren’t worth the effort.

  “You sure? You could come if you wanted.” She attempted a neutral expression, but I saw right through it.

  “Nope. This is for you.” I hugged her. “Enjoy your chat.” I walked past her and down the hall to the shower. When at a loss for what to do, there was always something waiting. Work.

  2

  Hailey

  “About time you got here.” Geo grinned when I stepped off the elevator into the basement of the Crescent City Hotel. It was a basement, mind you, that wasn’t supposed to exist due to the fact that New Orleans was below sea-level.

  I scowled at the college student wearing a muscle shirt. “I’ve put in enough hours this month to last a year.”

  “Still, it’s almost noon.” He cocked his head toward where a large grandfather clock stood in the corner. It was a new addition to the offices of The Society—as was the security officer slash greeter near the elevators. Neither was a change I appreciated much. The former was loud; the latter was annoying.

  “What’s your name again?” I deadpanned. Geo had only been working there for a few months. I’d pretty much grown up there, and I’d worked there since my sophomore year of college.

  “You know my name.” He walked toward me. “And you want to know me better.”

  I rolled my eyes. “No. I don’t want to know you better.” I stepped around him and headed down the dark hallway in which I could still see perfectly clear.

  “You’re into me,” He called to my back.

  “I don’t rob the cradle.”

  “I’m only a few years younger than you. Might be worth the chance.” He was screaming, which was completely unnecessary. I could have heard him whisper.

  “No. Not worth it.” My disinterest had nothing to do with his age. I reached my office and closed the door behind me. In the beginning I’d left the door open, but I learned that only invited interruptions.

  I flipped through the pile of papers on my desk. There was one thing about The Society that had stayed old-school: paper. No matter how well designed online systems were, there were always opportunities for hacking. The king preferred to continue with the long held tradition of sharing confidential information via paper. Thankfully anything non-confidential could be shared online.

  There was only one piece of paper that caught my attention. It was a handwritten note written out in penmanship I knew very well.

  Come by when you get a chance.

  -Allie

  A note from my boss wasn’t one to ignore. I got up and walked down the hall, thankful her office was in the opposite direction from Geo. I was in no mood to deal with him any more than I had already.

  I knocked softly on her door.

  “Come in,” Allie called.

  I opened the door and closed it firmly behind me.

  “Hailey, hey! I wasn’t sure if you were coming in today.” She smiled brightly.

  I stepped into her brightly lit office. She’d made up for the lack of sunlight by having recessed lighting installed nearly everywhere. “Tell that to Geo. He was giving me a hard time for being late.”

  “He’s only giving you a hard time because he’s trying to get your attention.” Allie shut down the top of her laptop. “It has nothing to do with the time of day.”

  “And I’m not interested.”

  “I know.” Allie folded her hands on the desk in front of her. “The question is who you are interested in?”

  “No one,” I answered immediately.

  “And that’s precisely the problem.” She pushed some of her brown hair behind her ear.

  “How is it a problem?” I took a seat in my usual spot in front of her desk. I always picked the one on the left even though it was further from the door.

  “You’re holding yourself back from potential happiness.” She took a black cardigan from the back of her chair and put it on. If you didn’t already know Allie was human, that would have tipped you off. The supernatural—particularly the kind I was—never got cold.

  I snickered. “Oh yeah?”

  “Yes. You deserve to find someone.”

  “Not all of us are going to find princes to sweep us off our feet.”

  Her face fell, and for a moment I regretted my words. My best friend couldn’t help she’d become a paranormal princess—and now a Queen. I knew better than to back pedal though. Allie wouldn’t appreciate it.

  “I deserved that.” She folded her hands in front of her on the table. “But don’t forget things with Levi didn’t exactly go swimmingly at first. We went through a lot.”

  They had gone through tons, but that didn’t change that she was now happily married and a mom to two children to boot.

  “I’m not interested in meeting anyone right now.” I was in my early twenties, that should have been enough. I couldn’t help that all of my friends seemed to couple off insanely early.

  “I don’t mean marriage, Hailey. I mean date. When’s the last date you were on?”

  “It’s been awhile.” It had been longer than I was ready to admit.

  “I’m your best friend. It’s my job to worry about these things.”

  “In other news, Sina is moving to Greece.” The all-important art of changing the conversation when things got uncomfortable was one I was well versed in.

  “Moving there?” Allie raised an eyebrow. “Permanently?”

  “She’s going for a year, so I consider that moving there.”

  “Don’t worry about finding another roommate. You’re getting a raise.”

  “Nope.” I shook my head. “No handouts.”

  “It’s not a handout. You work more hours than nearly anyone.”

  “Not more than you.”

  “I’m the queen.” She blinked a few times, and I noticed just how tired she looked. Her usually bright green eyes seemed dulled. They also made me think of another set of green eyes I wanted to forget about.

  “You do realize none of the queens before you spent this much time here.”

  “And none of them had counsel.” She beamed at me. My position in The Society was a new one. “But I’m not them. And they worked just as hard, just in different ways.”

  “I don’t need a raise.”

  “You really want to go through a roommate search again?” Allie rolled her shoulder as if to get out a kink.

  I shrugged. “There’s always someone looking for a place.”

  “I know you’re insanely strong and everything, but what if you end up with a psycho one of these days?”

  “Ok. I have a better idea. I’ll move out and crash in your guest room.”

  Allie tried to play it off, but her eyes gave her away. “You are always welcome at our house.”

  I laughed. “Would Levi say the same thing?”

  “Of course he would,” she said a little bit too quickly.

  "Ok I’m not moving in with you."

  “Yeah, I know." She leaned back in her chair.

  "But I appreciate your unwavering friendship."

  "Since you are here..."

  "Ugh. Those words never lead to anything good." I was only pretending to mind. I liked staying busy.

  "Could you go to a meeting in my place?"

  "What k
ind of place?" Considering how exhausted Allie looked I wouldn’t say no even if it was Antarctica.

  "Don't you want to know what the meeting is first?"

  "Place is more important."

  "It’s being held outside San Francisco. But the meeting does matter. It’s a conference on the Women’s Role in Supernatural Leadership."

  "Why would you miss that? It's right up your alley." It was also her major platform as the queen.

  "It's the same weekend as Georgina's 90th birthday party. I can't miss the party. I purposely had them schedule the conference for the week after, but some sort of conflict arose so they moved the date last minute, and now I’m stuck."

  "You mean I'd have to miss your mother-in-law’s birthday party?” I feigned disappointment. I was a fan of the royal matriarch but those kind of parties were far from my scene.

  "I have a prepared speech I need you to give, but otherwise you just have to be there to represent The Society. The rest is up to you.”

  "The rest us up to me? You know how dangerous that is for you to say?” I grinned.

  "And you know how important these issues are to me. You'll be fine." She sat forward again. “I’m not expecting this to be ground breaking, just an opportunity for the groups to get together to discuss progress. You know as well as I do this is a formality more than anything. It’s going to take centuries to change things.” She sighed.

  “That’s not true. You’ve made some inroads already, but you know my feeling on this.” I dropped my attempt to reassure her when I saw her frown. "Do I get the jet?"

  "You don't want to fly yourself?"

  "That's a long flight." She wasn't talking about flying my own plane. When I flew myself it was something else entirely.

  “I’ve never heard you complain about a long flight before.”

  “All right. You’ve got me. I wanted to see how many perks I could get out of the deal.” And I wanted to lighten the mood. The job of queen was taking more of a toll on my friend than I’d realized. Hopefully Levi, the king, realized that too.