SuperNova: Heroes of Arcania Read online

  Kinda like my heart right now. Oh god, Henry.

  Fortune, the city’s psychotic bank robber, and consequently my little sister’s killer, had attacked the school dance and taken my best friend.

  Because I got in his way.

  That was perhaps the most terrible part, knowing that Henry’s capture was partly my fault. I’d taken two of Fortune’s money-filled duffel bags and prevented him from heisting another bank. I’d irritated Fortune, sure, but he’d attacked my school for another reason. Turned out Henry witnessed us block Fortune’s robbery attempt; he hadn’t recognized us, but somehow Fortune caught wind of the nosey high school reporter. Fortune had actually laughed when he told me he was “doing us both a favor” by taking Henry Wheeler.

  And Penelope. God, it got worse the more I remembered the details. Penelope, Cole’s powerful little sister, had betrayed us. I knew she’d had a wild streak; her gift of Telekinesis had serious mojo and she’d made no secret of her interest in violence. But to team up with Fortune and fling her former friends (not to mention her own brother) into a wall was just plain cruel.

  “We have to go,” Cole said, yanking me to my feet. “The cops will be here soon.”

  “We’ll have to talk to them eventually,” I said, unsure if we should leave.

  “We need to talk to our parents first,” he advised. “They’re the only ones who know the truth.”

  I grimaced, knowing he was right. My dad, Arcania’s top defense attorney, knew my plan for vengeance against Fortune for the murder of my sister. More importantly, he knew about our gifts. I had to tell him the whole story before he heard any other version on the news or from his coworkers.

  I allowed Cole to drag me out of the high school and to his car. We lived in the adjoining neighborhood, only a few blocks away. We were at my house within two minutes; I filled him in on my side of the story on the short ride.

  Cole and I stumbled back into my house, locking the door behind us. I excused myself to go to the bathroom, taking refuge in the empty room. I stood against the door for a long moment. I struggled to breathe evenly, the panic attack about to hit. Tremors shook my body and I whimpered with each racking sob. My hands refused to stop shaking.

  Deep breaths, Nova. There’s too much at stake to fall apart now.

  Before I could slide down to the floor to curl up and weep, I dropped my bag and went to the sink. My hands slapped on the counter and I stared at the girl in the mirror. A girl I barely recognized.

  “The girl who wanted to be a superhero,” I mumbled. “There’s a laugh.”

  My blue eyes were wild and bloodshot, tear-streaked mascara running down my face. The perfect prom hair had been unceremoniously tossed into a messy strawberry-blond ponytail, a few curled pieces sticking out. To my great displeasure, a few ends were singed, presumably from Fortune’s electroshock therapy.

  And my dress. My poor, beautiful, blue princess gown had a gash in the side from where Fortune had zapped me with his gift. The hem was torn, probably from getting trampled in the mix of panicked students. Several beads had fallen off the gorgeous cap sleeves, the threads coming undone.

  I splashed water on my face, not caring if it ruined my makeup. With that thought, I grabbed soap and washed every bit of it away. I wished I could wash the entire night down the drain. I scrubbed my skin raw, my cheeks bright pink and clean. I wanted to look like me again. My red-rimmed eyes looked a little better.

  Taking another long look in the mirror, I sucked in a few breaths. “Okay, Nova. Get it together. You have to save Henry.”

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  I love superheroes, and I love writing them for you. Thank you for joining up with the Heroes of Arcania! I hope you continue the rest of the trilogy, because there are plenty of surprises in store!

  Thank you to Regina Wamba of Mae I Design for her spectacular trilogy covers and incredible HoA logo. Huge thanks to Starfire Press for the interior images. I loved fancy-ing up my chapter headers!

  To my editor, Morgan Wall - thank you for always making my work better. All my love to my beta readers for their feedback and live-email-responses!

  And thank you to my husband (especially for this fancy office chair), family, and friends, both for their support, and always saving me that glass of prosecco at Happy Hour. See you soon!

  Liz Long is a proud graduate of Longwood University. Her inspiration comes from action and thriller genres and she spends entirely too much time watching superhero movies. Her day job includes writing for a magazine publisher in Roanoke, VA. To learn more about Liz (including more information on her books, plus writing, marketing, and social media tips), visit her website: http://lizclong.com.

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  Other Titles

  Liked the gifted world? Check out my other series, The Donovan Circus. This urban fantasy takes place in the same gifted world as Heroes of Arcania, but with a group of circus freaks. Check it out here on Amazon:

  Gifted, a Donovan Circus Novel for Kindle

  Burned, a Donovan Circus Novel for Kindle

  Hunted, a Donovan Circus Novel for Kindle

  Witch Hearts is also available on Amazon. A paranormal thriller, this standalone novel focuses on a serial killer hunting witches for their power.

  Witch Hearts for Kindle

  Plus check out A Reaper Made, a New Adult paranormal romance where a human turned Reaper must save her sister’s soul from a demon - all while trying not to fall in love with the human boy who makes her laugh.

  A Reaper Made for Kindle

  THE HALFLING

  The Aria Fae Series

  Book 1

  H. D. GORDON

  PRELUDE

  Life had been admittedly difficult to live as of late, but that didn’t mean I wanted to get shredded to pieces and eaten by a monster.

  In fact, I wasn’t sure I could think of a worse way to go. So I ran. I ran like the love child of Forrest Gump and Bruce Jenner. I ran for my life. It was fitting, I supposed, as I’d started this story out running, that I should end it that way as well.

  I was fast, of course, but the beast was faster.

  It was gaining on me; I could feel its hot breath against my back. The whole world became the chase, just me and the creature coming after me. Nothing existed outside of that. My mind could go no further than to tell me to move. The factory lights were bright above me, but I was lost in the darkness, perhaps had been for a while, but only now could see so.

  My arms and legs pumped, my breath tearing in and out of my lungs. Terrible pain exploded across my back as the beast’s sharp claws cut through my jacket and ripped through my skin. I cried out in pain, stumbling, nearly falling, but somehow kept my feet.

  To fall now would mean certain death.

  I ran, but knew I could not keep it up much longer. I couldn’t leave here without her… but it seemed I was unable to save her, and thus, I would likely not leave here at all.

  How had things gotten so dire so quickly? How was it that I was going to die before ever seeing eighteen, or graduating from high school… or falling in love for the first time?

  And worse, so was she, because I couldn’t save her, because I was too weak to save her.

  Terrified as I was, I could not run much longer. That left only the option of turning, and facing the beast for a fight.

  CHAPTER 1

  Ten days earlier…

  The place was new. A city this time, rather than a small town. I’d needed a change. Had needed to run, I guess, depending on how you looked at it.

  The high school was much larger than my last one. Easily five times the students, stuck right in the center of Grant City. The walls were made of stone a
nd the windows offered views of brick and concrete. I hated it instantly, or so I told myself. Realistically, I recognized that it was not the place I was unhappy with.

  It was my life in general at the moment. Things had taken a nosedive in a record timeframe, and this was my way of dealing with it. I had run, and found that my issues had tagged along with me.

  “Miss Fae?” said the teacher, a mousy woman whose name I hadn’t yet remembered, pulling me from my thoughts. “Do you want to stand up and introduce yourself to the class?” She smiled at me and waved her hands in a come on, get up gesture.

  I suppressed a sigh and stood from my seat. I couldn’t understand why teachers always asked this question. Was anyone’s answer ever really, “Why, yes, I’d love to do that!”

  “My name is Aria,” I said, trying not to fidget. All the attention, the eyes of the other students, made me uncomfortable. “I moved here from Blue Hook. I like reading and long walks on the beach.”

  No one in the class laughed at this little joke. No one even smiled. Feeling like a super buttwipe, I sighed and took a seat.

  “Thank you, Aria,” said teacher-what’s-her-name. “And welcome to Grant City. I’d imagine it’s quite a change from Blue Hook, but it’s not so bad once you give it a chance.”

  I gave her a small smile. I could sense she was a good person, and despite the rancid air, constant noise, and lack of green, maybe city life wouldn’t be so horrible after all. If there was one thing I prided myself on, it was my ability to adapt. I had to believe I could find happiness here, because like my current issues, I knew my happiness came from within me.

  And, yet, my depression was overwhelming; my moods unpredictable, my emotions a roiling sea. My mother was dead, and I had been cast out by the people who’d been the closest things I’d had to calling my own.

  I was a wanderer, an orphan, a soul without a home.

  These were the conditions under which I arrived in Grant City. Nothing more, nothing less, than that. I’m not sure if that makes all the things that happened next fate, but looking back now, it sure feels like it.

  To continue reading THE HALFLING, click HERE, or to sign up for H. D. Gordon’s Newsletter click HERE.