Mania (29 page)

Chloe winked at me, then grinned.

I laughed and said, “Your job leading the Takers might be the easier one … but we'll do our best.”

Parker pulled out his phone and checked the time. “If we're going to make it home in time to beat the others over there … ”

Ever since he'd taken Spectrum, he'd been talking every day about going to see Finn, Addie, and Mia. Their parents had ordered them to come home immediately the instant they'd found out Finn had been hurt.

I lowered my chin and looked at him. “Because they will do
what
if we aren't there on time? You know they'll just be sitting there waiting for you even if we're hours late, right?”

Parker's expression changed to mock dismay at my comment. “Well, we obviously have a lot to teach you about manners now that you're moving in. Being punctual is the same as being awesome.”

“I really think I should reconsider staying here … ” I turned my back on my brother, but he slipped up beside me when I wasn't looking. Before I knew it, he hit my elbow hard enough that my keys flew out of my hand. Then he grabbed them from midair and jogged back toward the driver's side of the van, yelling over his shoulder, “Come on—I'm driving!”

Chloe and I said quick goodbyes to Mason, Randall, and Joey before hopping into the backseat of the van. I was privately grateful that Parker had insisted on driving because I felt like I hadn't had any time to really talk to Chloe alone since she'd taken Spectrum.

My brother seemed intent on giving us some time, too. Before we were even all the way out of the Funtopia parking lot, he had the radio turned up a bit on the front speakers and the rearview mirror was angled so the only thing he could possibly see out of it was the ceiling.

Wow, he was smooth … and not at all subtle. My neck felt oddly hot and I hoped Chloe wasn't paying too much attention to what Parker was doing. If she noticed, she didn't say anything, and I appreciated that.

She sat close enough that our legs and arms touched every time the van went over the slightest bump. It was distracting and fantastic in the best possible way. The color had returned to her face and cheeks slowly over the last week. She now looked positively vibrant with life. If I'd thought she was beautiful before, she was flat-out stunning now. We hadn't kissed since before she'd taken Spectrum, but now my brain didn't want to think about doing anything else.

“I think we need to talk about it,” Chloe said abruptly.

“You do?” I asked, sitting up a little straighter.

“Yes.” She shifted slightly until her body was angled toward me.

“Okay.” I shifted too before following up with the all-important question. “What are we talking about?”

“Drugs.”

I frowned … definitely not even on my remote possibility list for what I'd thought she could be talking about. “Drugs?”

“I've been thinking a lot about doing it.” Chloe reached out and took one of my hands in hers. “I want to know what you think.”

“About drugs and doing it?” I repeated, then realized that this had come out very wrong. The corner of Chloe's mouth quirked up and she put an extremely appalled look on her face. Before she could go any further with teasing me, I decided to cut her off.

“You're messing with me,” I said. “Tell me what you really mean.”

She smiled, and with a slight bob of her head, clarified. “I've been thinking about taking the drug that would turn me into a Builder.” This time, the nervous expression on her face was completely sincere.

I wrapped my fingers tighter around hers. “You're a Taker and you're healthy now. Why would you want to mess with that?”

“Because if I was a Builder, I could help you.” She rubbed the back of her thumb across my knuckles but wouldn't meet my eyes.

What she was offering was huge. It was sweet and generous … and dangerous.

I lifted her hand to my lips and kissed each knuckle. “Thank you, but I'm not willing to risk you for that. We have no idea if any of those drugs are safe. It isn't worth it. Besides, you just spent several days teaching me how cool and useful Taker abilities actually are. You don't want to give that up completely. Regular Builders can help me, and now that you actually have dreams, I can always visit you there.”

Chloe looked half disappointed and half relieved, then looked up at me with a mischievous smile. “Maybe Mia could teach me a few tricks about self-hypnosis?”

A surprised laugh escaped my chest. “That sounds like an idea worth trying.”

Wrapping my arms around her, I pulled Chloe in close and kissed her—first her eyelids, her nose and cheeks, and then down to her lips. We could be as soft and as slow as we wanted, because now we both had all the time in the world, and we were determined to take full advantage of it.

The End

Acknowledgments

Finishing a series is such an amazing thing. You realize how far you've come since the beginning, and sometimes how little you knew before you started. Right now, the main people I want to thank are the readers. You've read and stuck with this story through it all. You've loved it. You've emailed me to talk about your feelings for the story, how it kept you up reading, and then you asked for the next one.

You are incredible. This has become your story. You are the Night Walkers.

Thank you for reading. Thank you for telling other people to read. Thank you for loving Parker, Jack, Finn, Addie, Mia, and hopefully now Chloe. Their stories only became important when you read them and cared about them.

And a special shout-out to all my international readers from around the globe. Your unbelievable support has helped me learn that this world is a smaller, friendlier place than I'd ever believed.

I also want to thank my amazing agent, Kathleen Rushall, who supports me through literally everything. This journey would've been nothing without you! Thanks to Taryn Fagerness, who helped this book get into the hands of publishers and readers around the globe. Thanks to Brian Farrey-Latz, Mallory Hayes, Sandy Sullivan, Lisa Novak, and the rest of the Flux team for making these books stand out in such great ways. You've made this ride so exciting.

Thank you to all of the other amazing writers that help me mold an idea into something that actually makes sense, starting with the Seizure Ninjas, my weekly critique group (long story on the name, don't ask): Janci Patterson, James Goldberg, Heather Clark, Cavan Helps, Heidi Summers, Lee Ann Setzer, Sandra Tayler, and Alex Haig. Massive thanks to you all! You're the reason this book was finished.

Thank you to the writing community, both here in Utah and across the country, as well as to online groups like my lovely YA Scream Queens and the Lucky 13s. You're all so wonderful. Thank you for accepting me with all my quirks.

Also, thank you to my oldest and truest writing friends: Michelle Argyle, Natalie Whipple, Kasie West, Candice Kennington, Renee Collins, Bree Despain, Sara Raasch, and Nichole Giles. You're fantastically awesome. You know how much I love you.

Thank you to my family and friends who read my books: Mom, Krista, Bill, Eric, Grandma Maurice, Nick Whipple, Dave Cutler, and everyone else who helps and supports me in so many ways. You're the best!

Lastly, to my incredible husband, Anders, and our boys, Cameron and Parker. You inspire me. I'm excited to wake up to any day that has all of you in it. Thank you for putting up with my late nights and hectic schedule. I couldn't have written a single page without you. Thank you. I love all three of you with every little piece of me.

About the Author

J. R. Johansson is the author of the Night Walkers trilogy (Flux) and
Cut Me Free
(FSG/Macmillan, 2015). She has two amazing sons and a wonderful husband who keep her busy and happy; in fact, but for the company of her kitten, she's pretty much drowning in testosterone. They live in a valley between huge mountains and a beautiful lake where the sun shines more than three hundred days per year. She loves writing, playing board games, and sitting in her hot tub. Her dream is that someday she can do all three at the same time.

Visit the author online at www.jrjohansson.com.