READ THE FIRST TWO CHAPTERS: The Ender by Heather Kindt
Most villains meet a likely doom by the end of their book… most villains are not Enders.
With the power of the codex, the Wanderer sends most of the Golden Recluse into their books and Laney must rush to save them from their own writing. With William, she crosses the page into a horror novel filled with bloodthirsty birds, a romance paperback where, to their dismay, they become the main characters, and a children’s picture book that’s not as innocent as it seems. With each second that passes, the threat of the Wanderer’s pen threatens to end the Weavers.
With everything at stake, Laney realizes that she’s part of something bigger, and it all comes down to a choice that the Wanderer has always wanted her to make: Will she save the man she loves, or the family she’s only just discovered?
Immerse yourself in the ravishing world of The Weaver Trilogy in this, the third installment, THE ENDER by Heather Kindt—out TUESDAY. Pre-order your copy NOW!
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CHAPTER ONE
The end.
The words always nailed the coffin on a really great story. Laney shuddered with the thought of scrawling them on any paper. It was as if she could bring a close to the world outside her window. No more life. No more love. Just darkness.
And now she knew what it meant when things came to an end in this world. First, it was her grandmother, before Laney had any knowledge of the supernatural world that existed around her. After that, it was Jason, who never should have been brought into it in the first place. And now, David. At sixteen, his life had just begun. His sacrifice could not and would not be in vain if Laney had anything to do with it.
She stared up at the ceiling as thoughts swirled through her mind.
“Is that your boyfriend sleeping in the lounge?” The face of her roommate, Missy, was inches from hers, waking her from her thoughts.
The sun’s rays crossed the room. Laney squinted at the clock. Ten thirty. She groaned, throwing her pillow over her head.
“I know he’s been MIA and all, but it can’t be that bad.” Missy lifted Laney’s pillow from her head. “I mean…look at him.”
She rolled onto her back again, raising an eyebrow at her roommate. She wore a pink sweater and her favorite jeans, ready to face her day of frivolous flirting. Laney used to envy her looks and outgoing personality. Now she envied her total cluelessness to what was going on around her.
“I’m back with Brian.” Missy plopped down on the end of Laney’s bed, bouncing up and down. “We’re going to Boston today to some fancy restaurant and a concert at the Garden.”
“That’s awesome.” Laney tried really hard to keep the sarcasm out of her voice but felt as if she were failing miserably.
“So…what’s going on with William?” She rubbed Laney’s feet from on top of her blanket. “How long is he visiting for?”
“He’s not sure yet.” Laney stretched her arms above her head. She had told Missy that William transferred to a college in California while in reality he’d been sent back into her historical fiction novel. “They’ve got kind of a long winter break in California. I think it’s like a couple of months.”
“I want to transfer to his college.” She picked up Laney’s pillow and hugged it on her lap.
“I know. Pretty perfect, I’d say.” Her mind drifted again to David and the creature from the night before. She slipped her feet away from Missy and got out of bed. Still clothed, she went straight for the door.
“Where are you going?” Missy furrowed her eyebrows.
“To see William.”
“But you can’t go like that.” She grabbed a hairbrush and her makeup bag. “You’re a wreck.”
Laney leaned against the door, not willing to go through a makeover. “I’ve got to talk to him. He’s not going to care what I look like.” She turned the knob and headed out.
It was a rare sight to see William sleeping so late into the morning. The events of the night before must’ve worn him out. Many of the students left for winter break, so the upstairs common room was empty except for her Watcher. His light brown hair encircled his face, except for a rebel strand that crossed his forehead. His breath was even and steady. If it weren’t for the urgency of the task ahead of them, Laney would have let him sleep and found a place to sit and observe from a distance. But David was dead, and the rest of the Recluse was in dire need of their help.
She crouched down and ran her fingers through the hair on his forehead. “Good morning.”
William’s eyelids lifted, revealing his deep green eyes. His smile warm on his face. His endearing creases formed by his eyes. “I was having a dream. And it looks like I’m still in the middle of it.”
She sighed. The ease of staying in their bubble tempted her romantic side. They were finally together again after months of being apart. Wasn’t it their time to be happy? Her heart constricted as she thought about David’s sacrifice. He didn’t do it to save them. He did it to save Natalie and Mark and Harriet.
“I wish it were a dream.” She bent forward and brushed her lips against his. “But we need to make it through the Wanderer’s nightmare first.”
“Do you think she knows you have the books?” He folded the blanket he borrowed from Laney’s bed and shrugged his jacket on. “If she does, we don’t have a lot of time.”
“You’ve spent more time with her than I have. It seems like she’s capable of just about anything she sets her cold, stone heart on doing.” She emptied the bag of the Weavers’ manuscripts onto the couch.
William thumbed through Harriet’s manuscript, Foreplay on Friday, and cringed. “I hate to ask you which of the Weavers we should save first.”
“It has to be Mark. He’s in the most immediate danger without the Wanderer calling the shots. We’ve already seen the product of his imagination.” Laney opened the laptop and scrolled through the files. “His latest work is called Sky Devils. I’ll read some of it so we know what we’re dealing with.”
“And what about the Gate?” He settled back onto the couch, Harriet’s book opened in his hands.
“I can’t believe you’re reading that.” She threw a pillow at him.
“What? You said we had to research what we’re dealing with. Who knows what I’ll learn in this book.”
Heat rushed to her face. “I’m not even going to give you the pleasure of acknowledging your research.”
“Anyway, you didn’t answer my question. How are we going to get the Gate to cooperate?” He flipped a page in the trashy novel.
“Brian will never willingly send us into any of the books. It took a lot of convincing to let me save you.” She walked over to the window and stared at the empty quad and then turned back to William. “We’ll get Nick. He’ll help us.”
“But we still need Brian to send us into your book.” He scanned another page.
“He’s sure to help us with that. We left Nick behind, and he has to come back here. Even Brian would agree that a Madison College student doesn’t belong in the seventeen hundreds.”
“That’s true…” His voice trailed off before his face blushed a bright scarlet.
Laney jumped on top of William, tossing the notebook onto the floor. “You’ve got to stop reading that trash. It’s too much for your colonial mind.” She bent down and kissed him, but when she stopped, he drew her back in, entwining his fingers into her hair.
With one swift movement, he had her on the bottom, and his lips explored her neck. Blood rushed through her veins, her heart pounding against her chest. He sat up, and she grasped for him. He smiled while he removed his jacket. She reached for his shirt again and this time was successful in grabbing the material between her fingers.
His lips found hers, and he groaned. Their separation was too long. When William was sent back into the book last year, their relationship was new, even though they already loved each other. He moved up to Laney’s ear and nipped it with his teeth.
Laney gasped, “Did you get that move from Harriet’s book?”
“Was it that obvious?” He chuckled and nibbled her ear again.
The door to the room opened, and Missy stormed in, followed by Brian. She had her hands on her hips and an incredulous look on her face. “Can’t leave the two of you alone for two seconds, can I?”
William backed off Laney and put his jacket on. “We were just talking about you.”
“I hate to point out the obvious.” Brian draped his arm around Missy. “But I don’t think you were talking about us.”
This was their chance. Laney shoved the books back into the bag, shooting a knowing glance at William. He nodded.
“We were coming up to see if the two of you wanted to double date in Boston tonight.” Missy twirled a piece of her blonde hair around her finger. “That’s if you’re not too tired.”
“That’d be fun.” William took the bag from Laney. “I’ll be right back. Need to use the restroom.” He skirted around the couple and blocked the door behind them.
“Do you have extra tickets for the concert?” Laney distracted them, moving closer.