The thrilling second book in the internationally bestselling Nightshade seriesWhen Calla Tor wakes up in the lair of the Searchers, her sworn enemies, she's certain her days are numbered. But then the Searchers make her an offer, one that gives her the chance to destroy her former masters and save the pack - and the man - she left behind. Is Ren worth the price of her freedom? And will Shay stand by her side no matter what? Now in control of her own destiny, Calla must decide which battles are worth fighting and how many trials true love can endure and still survive.
Calla's story continues in
BLOODROSE.Andrea Cremer is the internationally bestselling author of the Nightshade series, which includes
Nightshade,
Wolfsbane,
Bloodrose,
Snakeroot,
Rift, and
Rise. She is also the author of
Invisibility, which she co-wrote with David Levithan, and most recently,
The Inventor's Secretand its sequel
The Conjurer's Riddle. When she's not writing novels, Andrea puts her PhD to work teaching classes in writing and history at Macalaster College. She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Visit Andrea online at www.andreacremer.com and follow her on Twitter @andreacremer
PART I
PURGATORYI was exhausted; with the two of us uncertain of our way, we halted on a plateau lonelier than desert paths.
-Dante, Purgatorio
ONE
I COULDN’T SHUT OUTthe screams. Darkness surrounded me. A terrible weight pressed into my chest, making me struggle for each breath as I lay drowning in my own blood. I sat up with a gasp, blinking into the shadows.
The screaming had stopped. The room became still, flooded with silence. I took a couple of painful swallows, trying to moisten my parched mouth. It took me a moment to realize that the screams had been my own, each cry clawing my throat until it was raw. I brought my hands up to my chest. My fingers moved along the surfacel#;