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CHAPTER NINETEEN
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Matched (Mortal, Book Three) CHAPTER FOUR
WinterAlec and I run like hell through the woods, branches slapping at our faces and grabbing at our pants. At this point, I can't count the number of times we've run for our lives.I just know that I always hope each time will be the last.The tiny goblins yip and cackle behind us, their calls weaving through the night."I'm sorry," I gasp as Alec and I scramble up a hill. "I thought he was nice.""Remember what I said about when things look too good to be true?"If we weren't running away from evil little goblins right now, I'd probably have a comeback or two. We don't have time to bicker, though."We can't outrun them." He grabs my hand and hauls me beside him, and we sprint through the tree line and back to the wide-open area with the thick grass.I glance over my shoulder and instantly wish I hadn't. There has to be thirty or forty little monsters chasing us now. One of them is leading the charge, twenty or so yards ahead of the others.Curling my hands, I reach into m
Matched (Mortal, Book Three) CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Finnegan"Move, fool." I prod Ted in his back. "Are you just going to stand there?"He hesitates, like a frozen child. "I don't know which way to go now."I sigh in annoyance. The path in the lava is unpredictable. There must be some sort of mathematical equation that's running it, but we didn't have time to stand around and wait to figure the pattern out.Which is why I sent one person ahead. The rest of the team—myself included—is standing in the grass while Ted scouts a way across the lava, which is sometimes solid and sometimes not."You'll be fine," I tell him.He's nearly shaking in his armor, though. I thought I'd picked the best team for this mission, but apparently, I made at least one mistake.A lot of the Silver Hunters are soft. They work normal nine to five jobs, spending their nights in Hunter chat rooms on the dark web and volunteering their vacation time to the cause. They show up at the trainings and meetings, and though they have a passion to eradicate sups,
Matched (Mortal, Book Three) CHAPTER FIVE
Winter"Hey," the monster says.My jaw drops, and the monster—whatever it is—removes a mask. Because it's not a monster at all. It's a human.A boy, really. No, a young man. Maybe five or so years older than me and Alec, in his early twenties. He's tall, with dark blond hair, and he has a backpack slung over his shoulder.I slowly stand. "Uh ... Hi."Alec whirls around, tensing, ready to fight.The guy raises his hands and stops walking. "Easy. I'm not looking for trouble. Sorry if I freaked you out.” He raises the mask, which I now see is made out of leaves and bark. “This helps avoid some of the creatures out here.”“Some of them?” I squeak. Just how many creatures are there?“I heard the kobolds making all that noise, and I thought they were attacking someone.""Kobolds?" I ask.He shrugs, his hands still up. "That's what I call them.""Same thing as goblins." Alec is still watching the guy. "Who are you?""Damon Aldridge." He offers his hand for a shake, but Alec do
Matched (Mortal, Book Three) CHAPTER TWO
WinterReflexively, I jump back. Alec bats at the animal, but he misses. The critter lands on the ground and makes a gurgling noise, almost like it's trying to talk."What ..." My jaw drops. "What is that?"It's not any animal I've ever seen. In fact, it's not an animal at all, is it? It looks more like it would fit in at Dyad Marketplace than the woods."It looks like a tiny goblin." Alec bends to study it but still keeps his distance.The tiny creature is gray green, with a face far too wide for its body. Its eyes are black as coal, and its hands and feet are large and round like a baby's, with long, delicate fingers and toes. It doesn't stand more than a foot tall."It might be a creature native to this pocket dimension," Alec says, eyeing the goblin warily.The creature starts to move towards us, and I take a step back. "Should we ... should we try to communicate with it?""I don't know," Alec says. "It could be dangerous."But the goblin doesn't seem aggressive. It's st
Matched (Mortal, Book Three) CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Winter"What?" Alec whirls around and stands, and I hear the pop of his fangs emerging.I can't even find the words. What I'm seeing is so strange, so unexpected. Everything we've come across so far in this pocket dimension falls in the land of natural. This is so obviously man made."That." I point.The fog has thinned, and across the bluff, a silver obelisk shines under the moonlight, its four sides coming to a pointy peek. Right above it, a bright star shines down, illuminating its top. It’s hard to tell how far away it is, or even how tall it is. It looks massive, though."Oh." Alec's fangs retract.I stand and stare at it alongside him. "Yeah."We're quiet for a moment, only the whisper of the wind filling the space. It almost feels like our kiss never happened, like it was nothing more than a dream.But it was real, wasn't it? I can still feel the heat of Alec's lips pressed against mine.And I want more.Not that my desire means anything. Alec is so hesitant. There h
Matched (Mortal, Book Three) CHAPTER THIRTEEN
WinterThe world spins around me as I plummet through the air. The wind screams in my ears, and my hair whips around my face. I can see nothing but darkness and stars, and I wonder if I'm going to die.And then, just as suddenly as it began, it's over. I land on solid ground, my legs buckling beneath me. I look up, gasping for air, and see the others standing around me, looking relieved."We made it," Elena says, grinning from ear to ear.She offers me her hand and pulls me to standing. I check a second time, just to make sure I have it right.Damon. Alec. Hank. We're all here.I sigh in relief. Even though Alec and I just met these three, they feel so important to me already. With nothing but ravenous creatures roaming this dimension, we need each other."Look where we are." Damon points above us.I gasp. Just when I thought this pocket dimension couldn't get any weirder ...Above us, the night sky is illuminated by a swirling mass of colors. It's like nothing I've ever see
Matched (Mortal, Book Three) CHAPTER SIX
NoraThe woods are eerily quiet, even for this time of year. Crouched behind a pine, I survey the hill and the road below it."Well?" Davis Stills looks over my shoulder. "I say we go for it."I frown. Something is off.Sara's house is on a quaint street, a little less than a mile from town. You can see a few other homes from it, but mostly the area is woods. Just like everything else in this little pocket of Maine.Her brick home sits surrounded by a picket fence, the drive and the walkway are unshoveled, and there are no prints in the snow.So, what does that mean?Either she left before the snow fell last night, or she's still in there. The Hawthorn teachers and I have been watching the house for the last twenty minutes, looking for any signs of movement. So far, there’s been nothing.Our attempt to gather any more surviving teachers and amass the Guild is off to a rocky start. We need to take Hawthorn back and rescue anyone left in there, but that’s hard to do with a ra
Matched (Mortal, Book Three) CHAPTER TWENTY
WinterAlec and I walk through the light, hand in hand. Our five sets of footsteps echo in a vast silence. It's like we're in some sort of tunnel, or at the bottom of a well. It's that quiet.And then the light starts to fade. I squint my eyes, waiting for them to adjust."We're inside," Elena says from right behind me.And we are. We’ve made it inside the tower.I'm so happy all I can do is laugh. Alec squeezes my hand, but I can sense his hesitation. He won't be celebrating until the Golden Coin is actually in our hands.The inside of the tower finally comes into focus. There's nothing in here but a winding staircase with no railing, stretching up so high that I can't even see the top.We stand there for a moment, craning our necks back, trying to see what's up there."What do you think," Hank says, "the chances are that the Golden Coin is up there, and we can just walk up there and get it?"We share a round of looks."Without any monsters attacking us?" Damon asks. "I'd
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- Matched (Mortal, Book Three) CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
- Matched (Mortal, Book Three) CHAPTER TWO
- Matched (Mortal, Book Three) CHAPTER FIVE
- Matched (Mortal, Book Three) CHAPTER SIXTEEN
- Matched (Mortal, Book Three) CHAPTER FOUR
- Matched (Mortal, Book Three) CHAPTER NINETEEN
- Matched (Mortal, Book Three) CHAPTER TEN
- Matched (Mortal, Book Three) CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
- Matched (Mortal, Book Three) CHAPTER FIFTEEN
