CRYSTALLUM (The Primordial Principles Book 1) (46 page)

His arms went around her waist. ”Your dating rule is out the window, obviously, and since you are a Primori, technically speaking, the Warden can't tell me I can't date you. And I'm dying to
tell the world that you're mine." He stopped short, looking down at her. "I mean, if that's what you want. I'll understand if you don't...I get it ... and I'm—I won't...blame you, I—"

"Shut up," she whispered, kissing him. "Just shut up."

A KNOCK ON THE BEDROOM DOOR
made Kade's head turn. Quickly yanking on her boots, she made her away across the small living room in the bunker.

Giselle stood outside in the hallway, a bouquet, bigger than her head, of yellow roses, held in her hands. "Hey."

"Hi." Kade glanced down the empty hall. "How'd you get in here?"

"Well, hello to you, too." Giselle walked into the apartment. "Okay, no fair. You get to stay
here?
While I'm in some little dorm
room?" She handed Kade the flowers. "These are for you."

Kade's face brightened. "Yeah?"

Giselle rolled her eyes. "Why else would I be carrying them around?" She sat on the couch. "I wanted to apologize for being such a
crappy friend over the past few days and not coming to see you sooner. I wasn't...you know." She shrugged. "Maybe you wanted to be alone."

"Thanks, G, really, but you don't have to apologize. I did,
actually, want to be alone." Kade bowed her head for a second before lifting her gaze.

"Are you okay?"

"I am." Kade nodded. "I mean, I'm as good as I can be,
considering, but I think ... it's weird, but I think I will be okay. Finally." She set the flowers on the counter, searching for something to put them in. She placed the arrangement in a tall glass. "Thanks. They'll brighten up the place."

"You're welcome. You know, if there's anything..."

"I know."

"So, you look nice. Where are you going?"

"Out with Cole. We have a date." Kade couldn't hide the
giddiness in her tone.

"A date? Like, in public?"

"Yep." Kade grabbed her coat off the couch. "I thought you were him, actually. He's picking me up. Well, you know, he's coming down here to pick me up."

"How are you guys planning to pull this off? You're not allowed to date each other."

Kade shrugged. "Cole said that since I was born a Primori, the Warden couldn't hold him to the 'no dating me' rule."

"Oh." Giselle glanced at her feet.

"G, I'm sorry. That was completely insensitive. I didn't mean..."

"It's okay. Lindsey and I are good. Danny knows now, and he's fine with it, so I'm good. Better. We're good. It'll just take some time, you know."

"Danny?"

"He's my brother," Giselle said with a shrug. "I figured Cole
would've told you that."

"What? No. He didn't. I can see the resemblance now that you say it. You have the same eyes."

"Yeah. No one knows. Just us."

"Um...how is Danny a Primori and you're a Primeva?"

"A glitch. It's rare. My parents are Primori. I'm like the black sheep." She gave a forced laugh. "In more ways than one."

"G—"

She waved a hand in the air. "It's fine. I'm used to it."

Kade's alarm blared. "What the? Hang on a second." She ran into her bedroom and smacked it, shutting it off, and froze. “Giselle!"

"What? What's wrong?" Giselle ran into the bedroom.

Kade's focus remained on her night stand. "Get Cole. Please. Now."

"Why? What’s wrong?”

Kade pointed, her hand trembling in midair. A small gold chain with a tiny charm of a star sat coiled up next to her alarm clock on her bedside table.

"It's my
Astrum
necklace."

First
,
I’d like to thank Booktrope for taking CRYSTALLUM on. Also my awesome editor, Mary-Theresa Hussey for going round and round with me on all the passes of this story. Appreciate your efforts so much. My Book Manager, Majanka Verstraete, my proofreader, Jessica Minyard, and my cover designer, Amalia Chitulescu who absolutely kicks ass, thank you all for bringing this story to life.

To my beta readers, Nancee Clark, Carol Brown, and Alex Nader, you keep me sane on a weekly basis. Words will never express how thankful I am for you.

Always to my family—thank you for your never ending support. To my sun and my moon, my angel children, love you both.

And of course to the voices in my head who never sleep, thank you for continuing to talk.

With a passion for the supernatural and
all things magical, Laney developed a voracious appetite for reading fantasy at a young age. A vivid
imagination helped set the stage for creating her own worlds and placed her onto the writing
path.

By the time she reached her teens, she’d accumulated notebooks full of poems, which led to short stories and finally novels. Young adult dark fantasy, paranormal romance, and mythology are among her favorite genres.

A former classical dancer and chef, she grew up in sultry Florida where she still resides.

Laney is also the author of the Fire Born Novels

Connect with her:

Blog:
LaneyMcMann.com

Twitter: @LaneyMcMann

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