King Series Box Set Read online

  Table of Contents

  Dedication

  Fearless

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty-One

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Chapter Forty-Six

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  Chapter Fifty

  Chapter Fifty-One

  Breathless

  Chapter One - Halves

  Chapter Two - Partings

  Chapter Three - Haze

  Chapter Four - -Struggle

  Chapter Five - Glimmers

  Chapter Six - Routine

  Chapter Seven - Change

  Chapter Eight - Souvenir

  Chapter Nine - Firsts

  Chapter Ten - Complications

  Chapter Eleven - Resolved

  Chapter Twelve - Odds

  Chapter Thirteen - Deceptions

  Chapter Fourteen - Fronts

  Chapter Fifteen - -Stones

  Chapter Sixteen - Edges

  Chapter Seventeen - Stutter

  Chapter Eighteen - Tears

  Chapter Nineteen - Shares

  Chapter Twenty - Shimmers

  Chapter Twenty-One - Rattled

  Chapter Twenty-Two - Interlude

  Chapter Twenty-Three - Gift

  Chapter Twenty-Four - Admissions

  Chapter Twenty-Five - Links

  Chapter Twenty-Six - Insights

  Chapter Twenty-Seven - Answers

  Chapter Twenty-Eight - Alliances

  Chapter Twenty-Nine - Confiding

  Chapter Thirty - Disclosure

  Chapter Thirty-One - Denial

  Chapter Thirty-Two - Storm

  Chapter Thirty-Three - Memento

  Chapter Thirty-Four - Agreement

  Chapter Thirty-Five - Revelation

  Chapter Thirty-Six - Redemption

  Chapter Thirty-Seven - Forgotten

  Chapter Thirty-Eight - Release

  Epilogue

  Restless

  Prologue

  Chapter One – Divided

  Chapter Two – Broken

  Chapter Three – Fragmented

  Chapter Four –Vibes

  Chapter Five –Shattered

  Chapter Six - Suspend

  Chapter Seven – Counsel

  Chapter Eight –Rattled

  Chapter Nine –Betrayal

  Chapter Ten –Adjustment

  Chapter Eleven – Innuendo

  Chapter Twelve –Elemental

  Chapter Thirteen – Rectified

  Chapter Fourteen –Stand

  Chapter Fifteen –Unravel

  Chapter Sixteen -Flow

  Chapter Seventeen –Truce

  Chapter Eighteen –History

  Chapter Nineteen –Gusts

  Chapter Twenty –Intersections

  Chapter Twenty-One – Blown

  Chapter Twenty-Two –Nurture

  Chapter Twenty-Three –Wild

  Chapter Twenty-Four –Break

  Chapter Twenty-Five - Bolts

  Chapter Twenty-Six – Toss

  Chapter Twenty-Seven – Guilt

  Chapter Twenty-Eight – Cover

  Chapter Twenty-Nine – Clarity

  Chapter Thirty – Grace

  Chapter Thirty-One – Over

  Chapter Thirty-Two – Destiny

  Chapter Thirty-Three – Salvation

  Chapter Thirty-Four – Truth

  Chapter Thirty-Five – Release

  Chapter Thirty-Six – Resolution

  Chapter Thirty-Seven – Endings

  Chapter Thirty-Eight – Advice

  Chapter Thirty-Nine - Home

  Hopeless- A Rafe Short

  Endless

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgements

  About the Author

  Other Books by Hayson Publishing

  This special box set of The King Series

  Is dedicated to all my readers

  Who cheered on Tasmyn

  Fell in love with Michael

  Sighed over Rafe

  And think Nell is more than just a little scary.

  You inspired me to make King come to life.

  **Smashwords edition**

  Fearless

  Copyright © 2012 Tawdra Kandle

  Published by Hayson Publishing

  St. Augustine, Florida

  All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Smashwords Edition, License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This
ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  New girl. She doesn’t belong here. Doesn’t fit in here. Not one of us.

  I jerked my head toward the sound of the voice before I realized that no one was speaking aloud. None of the students in the Chemistry classroom were paying any attention to me, the new girl, standing up front at the teacher’s desk waiting for a textbook and a seat assignment.

  I bit my lip and= kept my eyes glued to the floor. This wasn’t the first time I’d mistaken someone’s thoughts for spoken words. Sometimes the voice was so clear in my head that I could swear I actually heard it, just another benefit to my particular talent.

  I wondered which of my new classmates was already thinking about me in such glowing terms. I’d had more than my share of first days at new schools. I was used to the gamut of reactions, from warm welcome to a sort of benign neglect, but I hadn’t had anyone hate me right from the beginning. Until today.

  Before I could begin to brood in earnest, the teacher handed over a thick hard cover book and looked at me appraisingly.

  “Tasmyn...” She pronounced my name very exotically, and with more of a z sound than the softer s that I used. I detected a slight accent in her words. “Very different. And quite lovely.” She gazed at me with frank curiosity. “May I ask what your science background is?”

  What was this, an interview? Did I have to qualify for this class?

  “I took Physical Science when I was a freshman, and Biology last year,” I answered. “And actually, it’s Tasmyn. Rhymes with... has-been,” I added with a self-conscious laugh, shifting from one foot to another and wishing I was anywhere but here.

  Ms. Lacusta stood, and I saw that she was shorter than me by several inches. She couldn’t have been much more than thirty-five or so; her jet black hair was long and curling, offsetting nearly translucent skin and flashing dark eyes. She wore a white lab coat over black cotton pants and a flowing turquoise shirt.

  She examined me in silence for a moment and then nodded. “Fine, Tasmyn. You probably won’t have any difficulty with this class, then.” Her eyes scanned the classroom briefly, and I knew she was looking for a place to seat me. “Why don’t you join Liza at her table? She’s in need of a lab partner. Right there, behind Nell and Casey.” She gestured to an empty seat on the left side of the room.

  Liza was a cool blonde, with lightly tanned skin and blue eyes. As I approached the table, she looked at me with cursory interest before turning back to the conversation she was having with the girls in front of us. Perfectly manicured fingernails tapped absently on her open notebook as she listened to the other two girls.

  They were both turned slightly in their seats, facing our desk. Casey had light auburn hair, cropped short around her small face. She was very animated, and as she spoke in a low voice, her hands never stopped moving.

  In contrast, her lab partner—I thought her name was Nell—sat quite still. She was about my own height, with hair nearly as dark as our teacher’s. It was long and waved about her shoulders. Her complexion was olive-toned, and her eyes were a very pale blue. The striking differences in her hair, skin and eye color were startling enough to be attractive. She appeared to be listening to the other girls, but I noticed that her eyes slid to me speculatively for a moment.

  I sat down next to Liza and tried to be as inconspicuous as possible. Glancing around the room, I noticed with a little bit of surprise that most of the students were girls. There were only two boys, sitting in the back. This was an upper level Chemistry course; I would’ve expected it to be a little more testosterone heavy.

  First day jitters made it harder for me to maintain my mental block. I struggled to keep out the floating thoughts in the room by focusing on the front of my new textbook; filling my mind with anything else, concentrating hard, sometimes helped me mute the voices. It wasn’t working at the moment.

  Hope she doesn’t call on me… didn’t get that homework… look at Casey’s shoes, wish I could buy stuff like that… don’t care what anyone says, she’s weird… who wants to be in that stupid chemistry club anyway… meeting at the clearing tonight, what will she teach us?

  A blood sacrifice. It has to be a blood sacrifice.

  A chill ran down my back, and I scanned the room in alarm. A blood sacrifice? Someone had actually been thinking that? It was impossible for me to tell whose thought it was since I didn’t know anyone yet. Sometimes I could zero in if I were concentrating on a particular person or familiar enough with a mind—like my parents. It was easy to recognize their thinking after seventeen years of hearing it—or trying not to hear it. But here it could have been anyone.

  My palms were damp, and I forced my hands open, rubbing them against my jeans. There had been malice in that thought, a palpable cruelty. I usually picked up on emotions and feelings even more easily than I did on thoughts, and the evil I perceived now was chilling.

  At the front of the room, Ms. Lacusta began her lecture. The girls in front of me turned around, and next to me, Liza busied herself with finding a pencil. I tried to steady my own hand as I got ready to take notes, and the minds in the room receded to a steady hum.

  It had to be a mistake. Or a misunderstanding. There must be a perfectly good reason why one of my new classmates was considering a blood sacrifice.

  I was still pretty shaky when I left Chemistry forty minutes later. As I walked toward the door, someone bumped me from behind, hard enough to make me stumble.

  “Sorry!” The voice was low and intense and sounded everything but apologetic. Watch where you’re going was what I heard, and the thought was accompanied by a nasty tone as the girl who sat in front of me stared me down.

  “I was—I mean, no problem.” I concentrated on answering only what Nell said aloud and tried to get out of her way.

  Unfortunately, she followed me through the door and into the open-air walkway. I was more used to a traditional school building with hallways linking classrooms, but apparently in Florida, the classroom doors opened directly to the outside. Covered sidewalks took the place of the tiled hallways, and lockers were against the stucco building between the brightly colored doors.

  I fumbled with my bag, trying to find the paper that told me where I was supposed to go next and hating first days at new schools with a renewed passion. I knew Nell was still standing behind me—I could hear the low rumble of her mind—but I pretended that she wasn’t there.

  “Where did you come from?” Her question was clipped and abrupt. I decided to pretend that she was asking it in friendly interest.

  “Uh—well, the last place I lived was Wisconsin. We just moved down here. I really like Florida—”

  “Why are you taking Chemistry?” Nell demanded. There was another flare of animosity in her thoughts.

  “Because the guidance counselor said so?” I didn’t mean it to sound like a question, but it did.

  “I think you’d be happier in another class,” Nell announced. She glanced around us, as though she didn’t want anyone to overhear what she was saying. I didn’t blame her. I wouldn’t want anyone to hear me being a bitch, either.

  “Um-Nell? That’s your name, right? Did I do something to offend you just now? Did I kick your chair or breathe too heavily? Because I can’t think of any other reason for you to say that.”

  She raised one perfectly groomed eyebrow and pinned me with a stare that I assume brought other people to their knees. I could hear the fury churning in her mind; it kept me from making out any particular thought.

  “We’re very selective about who joins this class. Ms. Lacusta isn’t a typical teacher, and it’s—it’s a very demanding course. I think if you go to the office and tell them you wan
t to transfer to botany or astronomy or whatever, they’ll take care of it.”

  “What if I don’t want to transfer?” I countered. I wasn’t usually able to stand up for myself like this, but something about this girl just got under my skin.

  “I think you’ll live to regret it.” Nell all but hissed this last line. She sounded like the villain in a bad melodrama, and I stifled a completely inappropriate giggle.

  “Hey—what’s going on?” Nell and I tore our eyes away from each other to glare at the boy who had interrupted our conversation. Nell looked away again quickly, but I didn’t. In fact, I didn’t look away at all.

  He was taller than me by a good half a foot, and he had light brown hair that hung just a little long over his ears and forehead. But the eyes that held mine were what made breathing tough. They were huge, deep green and framed by the most improbable lashes I’d ever seen on a boy. And they were fastened on me, filled with an expression I couldn’t quite read.

  Impulsively I pulled the focus of my mind away from Nell’s and aimed it toward the boy. I only picked up a few stray phrases over the buzz of the people pushing around us.

  …the girl… beautiful… wonder what… her name… Nell up to her…

  “Michael, this has nothing to do with you,” Nell said smoothly. “Leave us alone.” She gave him the same stare she’d given me a few moments before. He only rolled his eyes.

  “It sounds like you’re giving her a hard time.” Michael jerked his head in my direction. “Wouldn’t it be nice to let the new girl settle in before you begin the torture?”

  The temperature around us seemed to suddenly drop several degrees. Nell took a step closer to Michael. “It’s none of your business. Leave us alone.”

  “Not going to happen.” Michael stood relaxed in front of Nell, but I sensed the subtle alertness lying just beneath the surface. Nell might have realized it, too, because she gave a slight shrug.

  “Whatever.” She flicked her eyes across my face. “We’ll talk again later. You might want to give some thought to my advice.” She walked away from us without looking back.

  I watched her go, still more than a little mystified by the hostility. A sudden tingle jolted my attention back to Michael; he was touching my shoulder, looking down at me with concern.

  “Are you okay?” he asked. “Don’t worry about Nell. She’s that way to pretty much everyone. It’s not just you.”