* SPOILER ALERT *
Warning, contained below is a synopsis and sneak peek into the third installment of the Hleo series – Aliege. There are major spoilers if you have not read Hleo or Veridan. Reader Beware!
WELCOME TO THE CONTINUATION OF THE HLEO SERIES – ALIEGE
All is not right in paradise. Hannah is convinced that the mysterious Glain Neidr stone is the key to unlocking the purpose behind her ability to see and draw protecteds. Ethan doesn’t agree, but his refusal to explain why he doesn’t want to pursue finding the necklace as a possible means of helping Hannah pushes a wedge between the two.
When an accident drives that wedge deeper, and a truth comes to light that rips them apart, Hannah is left alone, overwhelmed and confused about the future of her status as a protected and, more importantly, her relationship with Ethan.
Fighting to regain control over her own destiny, Hannah is forced to place her trust in the last person on earth she ever expected she would turn to. All in the hopes of restoring her life to the way it was before everything got turned upside down.
CHECK OUT THE SNEAK PEEK INTO ALIEGE!
I held up my hands as I crossed the dimly-lit parking lot. “Look−”
“Are you crazy? Do you know how dangerous what you’re doing is?” Ethan’s usual calm demeanor was gone. He drove his fingers through his dark hair in frustration.
I shrugged. “He’s harmless.”
“How do you know that Hannah?” Ethan’s green eyes flashed fire. “How do you know he isn’t a member of the Bana stringing you along, trying to lure you into a trap?”
“I just do.” I squared my jaw defiantly. The truth was, I didn’t know for sure, but Milton definitely didn’t look like a member of the Bana.
Ethan threw his hands up in the air. “You told me you were going to stay away from all of this, that you were going to drop it. Then you sneak off in the middle of the night to meet up with some stranger at a random coffee shop along the highway after an attempt is made on your life. Of all the—”
“Tell me Ethan, right now, what happened?” I stared him down.
He hesitated, dropping his chin and squeezing his eyes shut. “The brakes on your car were cut in a way that would look like mechanical failure, and the sensors tampered with so there would be no warning that the car was slowly leaking brake fluid.”
Even though deep down I’d known he was going to tell me something along those lines, it still felt as though I’d been punched. I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to stop my stomach from lurching.
“Hannah−” Ethan reached towards me, but I backed away. I didn’t want to hear that I wasn’t responsible for this, or that there was no way I could have known.
“Don’t say it.” I shook my head and turned from him to stare at the restaurant.
“This isn’t your fault.” Ethan slid a gentle hand onto my shoulder.
I bristled and whirled back around to meet his gaze. “How can you say that? Of course this is my fault, it’s always my fault. Every time a person ends up directly in the line of fire and suffers because of me and my stupid visions, it’s my fault. We don’t even know if the Bana want to kidnap me or kill me, and I’m sick of it, Ethan. Can’t you see how sick of it I am?” I waved my arms wildly. The group of guys from school had exited the coffee shop and were looking over at our heated exchange with curious stares. I ignored them. “I’m walking around like some sort of sideshow at a carnival and I don’t know how to fix it. I need something to change.”
“I get it, I do, but what you’re doing isn’t safe.” Ethan’s voice was soothing as he held out his arms to me.
I crossed mine. “Milton isn’t Bana. He’s an eccentric little man who has devoted himself to finding the Glain Neidr.” I watched his face closely. This is your chance Ethan; come clean and admit you know the Hleo have the Glain Neidr.
Ethan dropped his arms to his sides, his fists clenching. “You’re right, Hannah, Milton Cambry’s not Bana, but the people who are into these mystical artifacts are fanatical, they’ll stop at nothing to get their hands on one, even if that means hurting someone in the process.” Ethan’s shoulders had tensed. I knew the sign; his composure was wavering.
“Just stop with all this dangerous talk, I know the stone is with the Hleo.” I gave him a steely glare, hurt that he kept lying to me.
Ethan’s eyes widened. “What are you talking about?”
“You don’t have to keep it from me anymore. Milton told me. He told me that the necklace is with a secret organization that controls destiny. All this time you just kept saying you didn’t know where it was, or that it was too dangerous to go after. How exactly are the Hleo dangerous, Ethan?” I leaned right into his personal space, not at all concerned that my voice was coming out in a full on yell. Let people overhear me, I don’t care anymore.
“It’s not with the Hleo, it’s with the Bana,” Ethan shot back, his voice as forceful as mine.
“The Bana.” I blinked and took a step back. I don’t know why, but the Bana had never entered my thoughts as Milton had been talking. Now, belatedly, I realized that made perfect sense.
“Yes, the Bana; the other organization that plays with destiny.” Ethan glanced around, then lowered his voice. “And it’s not with just any Bana member. It’s with Alexander. He wears it as a source of power so he can see into the future the way Gabriel does. Not only that, but there’s a duplicate, a fake that the Bana have fabricated. That way if someone does want to try to steal the stone, chances are good they aren’t even grabbing the real one. Whichever necklace isn’t around his neck is kept in one of the many secret Bana storage facilities around the globe.”
“Is that what Kai told you at Veridan? That the Glain Neidr was with the Bana?” I shifted my weight from one foot to the other.
Ethan pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose, as though trying to stave off a headache. “Yes.” The word came out in a sigh.
“Why didn’t you just tell me?” My forehead creased. “Maybe I would’ve been more understanding if you’d explained that to me right from the beginning.” His lack of trust in me caused a lump to form in my throat. I swallowed it away.
“I’m not used to sharing sensitive information, especially with my protecteds.” Ethan lifted his shoulders lightly.
I drew in a sharp breath. “I’m more than that.” Calling me a protected felt like a slap in the face. I strode over to my dad’s car, jabbing at the unlock button on the keys.
Ethan caught up to me and grasped my elbow to stop me. “I know. I’m sorry.” He turned me to face him. “Alexander’s ruthless, and he has every synthetic Bana protecting him as though it were their lives at stake, because it is. He guards the Glain Neidr with all the fervor he guards himself with, so whether it is with him or in storage, we’d be going up against the full arsenal of the Bana to get it. I was hoping that I’d be able to figure out something else. I know you want answers, but I have to keep you safe.” Ethan eyes searched mine.
He wanted me to cave, and there was a big part of me that wanted to sag against his chest, feel the strong muscles in his arms surround me, and forget this terrible fight, but the anger and hurt won out. “Well, we haven’t figured anything else out. Maybe it would be hard, but I know you could get past Alexander and his army, I just know it. I need to believe the Glain Neidr will work, Ethan, it’s the only shred of hope I have that my life will go back to the way it was before all of this. It’s become too much; I need things to be back to normal again. To go back to the way it was before I found out about the Hleo and Bana.” The words tumbled out, clearly cutting through him. His eyes were dark with pain, but I couldn’t stop myself, not after everything that had happened.
“Hannah−” Ethan breathed out, stumbling backward as though I’d pushed him.
“I need a night to myself, okay?” I climbed into Dad’s car before he could say anything more and drove away, refusing to look back and see him standing alone in the empty parking lot.
How could Ethan have shut me out like that about the Glain Neidr’s location? How could we be a real couple if we kept things from each other? I gripped the steering wheel tightly with both hands. That was the one question in my life I did know the answer to.
We couldn’t.