Dying for Her: A Companion Novel (Dying for a Living Book 3) (26 page)
Read Dying for Her: A Companion Novel (Dying for a Living Book 3) Online
Authors: Kory M. Shrum
“Fuck this.” I sidestep Jason and grab hold of Ally. Her shield falters just long enough for me to wrap her in my arms and yank her forward. Before she can process what is about to happen, I shove her out the big window and don’t let go.
Her shriek is muffled by the wind whipping around us, tearing at our hair and clothes.
I suppose this is a perfectly natural reaction to your friend shoving you out of a high-rise building.
“It’s okay.” I squeeze her against my chest. “The shield will hold.”
“Right?”
I
ask Gabriel.
“What about you? What about you?” Ally screams.
“You will not survive the fall.” He plummets with us, his wings folding back to embrace the drop. “You must shield yourself.”
“Ally lives, not me. We have a deal.”
“You must shield yourself also.”
“I don’t know how. You have to help me.”
“Envision it.” Gabriel’s wings open, lifting him up into the air. “See it grow larger.”
The field shines about an inch or so above Ally’s skin, it touches parts of me, but it sure as hell doesn’t cover anything important.
“Hurry,” Gabriel says. “See it around you.”
I close my eyes and see us falling in my head. The building rushes past us. The freezing air tears at our clothes and hair relentlessly. Lights shine from windows in a blur as we pass. I picture my shield bigger. I picture it around me and Ally, covering us both from head to toe.
“Good. Do not stop now,” Gabriel says.
I peek my eyes open to see purple has crept over my arms and shoulder, the shield half devouring my body—until pain erupts through my legs, my back, and the whole world goes black.
I would like to gratefully acknowledge my Horsemen of the Bookocalyspe: Kathrine Pendleton, Angela Roquet, and Monica La Porta. Thanks also to Mike Billington and J. Richie for their expertise on all things military. And a shout-out to Michelle Pike for last minute edits. You guys were indispensable. All mistakes are my own.
Many thanks to family, friends, bloggers, and Twitter-ers who first showed love for
Dying for a Living
and no less enthusiasm for this third book. There are too many to name, but I adore every single one of you.
Thanks to Tim O’ Brien for writing a great and inspiring book
The Things They Carried
(Mariner Books; 1st edition October 13, 2009), which I shamelessly used as Gloria’s bible.
Thanks to
John K. Addis
for his help with the cover and author photo. And for you horror fans, I highly recommend his awesome book, The Eaton.
And thank you, Kimberly Benedicto, my love and biggest fan. I hope you like this ending better.
Kory M. Shrum lives in Michigan with her partner Kim and her ferocious guard pug Josephine. She is very fond of naps and foods made of sugar, which is, as you can imagine, a deadly combination. But she tries to compensate for her extreme physical laziness with her overactive imagination. She’s an active member of SFWA, HWA, and the Four Horsemen of the Bookocalypse, where she’s known as Conquest.
When not writing, she can be found teaching, traveling, and wearing a gi. She’s very likely to tempt you to an ominous tarot or palm reading—anything spooky-foo to pass the time until Guardians of the Galaxy or Sherlock returns. She’s not-so-secretly dying for the next season to begin. The two of you could also kill time socializing on
Facebook,
Twitter,
or her
website
.
If you like free stuff, be sure to sign up for Kory’s
mailing list
, and be the first to hear about giveaways and updates on her work. And don’t forget to leave a *very much appreciated* review (however short! Good or bad!) for this book wherever you can. Kory and fellow readers really do depend on you.
