Leaving Nick and Elizabeth behind at the end of Reborn, genetically-altered Chloe has only one thing on her mind: revenge. She's determined to take the Branch down, starting with the organization's merciless leader Tom Riley. Tracking Riley to Washington, D.C., Chloe seems to be closing in on her goal with each passing hour. But just because the Branch made her virtually indestructible doesn't mean she's immune to her emotions. And when a shadow from her past appears in the unlikeliest of places, Chloe is forced to reexamine her allegiances once and for all. Another sexy and suspenseful novella in the Altered saga by Jennifer Rush. word count: 11,505 words.
Release date:
February 10, 2015
Publisher:
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Print pages:
42
* BingeBooks earns revenue from qualifying purchases as an Amazon Associate as well as from other retail partners.
Loud rock music played overhead, but the heavy bass thumps did nothing to cover up the incessant buzzing of the tattoo machine at my back. I’d decided to go big for my first tattoo, and this was my third and final sitting.
“Almost done,” my tattoo artist said. “How you feeling?”
“Feeling fine,” I answered. “Thankfully, I have a high pain tolerance.”
Tony was the kind of artist who focused more on his work than on his conversation, so I’d filled in the silences during our sessions. I liked to talk. One of my friends, Evan, said I liked to hear the sound of my own voice.
Tony surprised me, though, by pushing the conversation further. “What’s the worst pain you’ve experienced?”
“Getting shot in the head.”
The tattoo gun let out a short buzz and then cut off abruptly. “Seriously?” he asked.
“Seriously.”
The needle returned to my back with a sharp bite. “How’d you survive something like that?”
“I was a test subject in a clandestine government experiment that made me invincible.”
The tattoo machine went quiet again. The radio switched from hard rock to pop and the front desk girl sang along with the lyrics.
Tony still said nothing.
I glanced at him over my shoulder and put on my liar’s smile. “I’m totally kidding, Tony. Do I look like someone the government would turn into a science experiment? I mean, with this sweet, innocent face?”
He exhaled with a shaky laugh. “Dude, I was going to say.”
I chuckled with him. If only he knew.
The truth was, I really had been a volunteer test subject for a program that had made me invincible. The organization behind the program was known as the Branch, and they’d pumped me full of something they’d named the Angel Serum. I had, in fact, died when I’d been shot in the head.
But I came back.
Which was why I’d decided to get the tattoo Tony was currently finishing up.
Fifteen minutes later, he said, “All right, Chloe. All done. Wanna take a look?”
He cleaned off the excess ink, my skin still burning and tender from the needlework. When he was done, he hurried over to his floor-to-ceiling mirror and crossed his arms, waiting excitedly. I held the flimsy sheet to my naked front as I turned my back to my reflection.
The tattoo started at the nape of my neck and ran down the length of my spine, all the way to the small of my back. In swirling, vibrant reds, yellows, and oranges, the phoenix was a symbol of my own resurrection, rising from an inferno of embers and ash.
“It’s beautiful,” I breathed, and twisted left, then right, to get a good look at every angle. “Thank you, Tony.”
He smiled, big and dopey. “You had the vision.”
That I did.
Seven years ago, my family and I had been on our way to see a movie when a semitruck lost control on the icy roads and sent our car through a guardrail, plummeting us into the frigid East River.
The only reason I made it out of the car was because my brother sawed through my seat belt with a pocketknife, then smashed his feet through my window.
That was the last time I saw him. He’d managed to cut through half his seat belt, and the poli. . .
We hope you are enjoying the book so far. To continue reading...
Please log in to recommend or discuss...
