Read Online EXALTED (An Exalted Novel) by Tara Elizabeth - Free Book Online
Authors: Tara Elizabeth
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woke when it was still dark outside, my head pounding and my heart racing. The memory of the endless barrier stretched out before me, keeping me safely locked away in the Republic’s boundaries—but last night, the dream was slightly different. Instead of struggling with my father to put me down, I urged him to lift me over the wall. “Let me out!” I shouted at him. He continued to walk on without acknowledging me or responding to my pleas.
Now, as I lay in bed, I’m longing for the day to start so that I may begin to put behind me the nightmare that’s beginning to plague me every morning. I roll over and face the empty gray wall. I trace my finger over the smooth surface, replaying my dream once more. A restless energy surges through my entire body as dawn finally arrives. Ethan and I are scheduled for the afternoon patrol today, but I have to make it through the morning routine first.
Our morning run and breakfast flash by so fast that I almost forget not to take the purple pill the medical citizen hands me. The repetitive action takes over my hand and brain, and I nearly swallow it down. I stop myself at the last second and stuff the Pump in my sock like before. When I get the opportunity, I will flush it down the toilet.
Ethan holds the door open for me to our training building, showing me that some Exalted males actually have the ability to be chivalrous. My mouth curls up on one side as I pass by him. As soon as it happens, I slap my hand over my rebellious face.
“Were you going to say something?” Ethan studies me closely.
My heart races, and for an instant I feel like the little girl in my dream. I’m not confident and strong right now. I’m scared. My mouth feels as dry as the wastelands beyond the Republic’s walls when I go to answer him. “No, sorry. It was just an itch.” I furiously scratch the side of my cheek as if I were inflicted with some kind of deadly rash. “Thanks for holding the door,” I mumble as I evade the situation.
Focus Mena!
I hurry further inside the training facility, desperately seeking out Garret. We need to begin class so Ethan will forget about the suspicious incident. What was that? I ask myself. Before the fear took over, I felt like my chest was lifting and the sun was breathing on my face. I think I liked that a boy opened the door for me. In particular, I think that I liked that Ethan opened the door for me.
Is this what the marauder/Taken/Exalted guy ( I don’t even know what to call him) had been warning me about? Am I coming alive?
Garret instructs Ethan and me to practice some of the knife-disarming exercises that we learned in combat training, with the addition of a second attacker. Taking turns as the “first” attacker, we have to advance on each other with a mock blade. The opponent is expected to counter the attack, steal the knife away, and kill the “first” attacker. Finally, the opponent must turn, roll, and release the stolen weapon into the air. The goal is to bury the knife into the “second” attacker, which happens to be one of the lifeless dummies that hang from the ceiling.
My endurance and speed are finally starting to return to me as the side effects of the withdrawals wear off. My headache is nearly gone this morning, and my mind has pretty much come out of that strange fog. It’s been lifting slowly, day-by-day.
Today, I power through Garret’s class and impress even myself.
* * *
After lunch, Ethan jogs with me over to the East Gate for our scheduled patrol. Our platonic relationship has begun to change in hints and whispers of the union that could be. I’m enjoying the change. Everyday I spend with him, he becomes more attractive to me as a mate and less like the childhood friend I’ve been thinking of him as.
Ethan has been consistently joining Val and me for our evening meals. He takes the pressure off me to keep up conversation with Val. She enjoys discussing the Trials and the new moves we learned in
Now, as I lay in bed, I’m longing for the day to start so that I may begin to put behind me the nightmare that’s beginning to plague me every morning. I roll over and face the empty gray wall. I trace my finger over the smooth surface, replaying my dream once more. A restless energy surges through my entire body as dawn finally arrives. Ethan and I are scheduled for the afternoon patrol today, but I have to make it through the morning routine first.
Our morning run and breakfast flash by so fast that I almost forget not to take the purple pill the medical citizen hands me. The repetitive action takes over my hand and brain, and I nearly swallow it down. I stop myself at the last second and stuff the Pump in my sock like before. When I get the opportunity, I will flush it down the toilet.
Ethan holds the door open for me to our training building, showing me that some Exalted males actually have the ability to be chivalrous. My mouth curls up on one side as I pass by him. As soon as it happens, I slap my hand over my rebellious face.
“Were you going to say something?” Ethan studies me closely.
My heart races, and for an instant I feel like the little girl in my dream. I’m not confident and strong right now. I’m scared. My mouth feels as dry as the wastelands beyond the Republic’s walls when I go to answer him. “No, sorry. It was just an itch.” I furiously scratch the side of my cheek as if I were inflicted with some kind of deadly rash. “Thanks for holding the door,” I mumble as I evade the situation.
Focus Mena!
I hurry further inside the training facility, desperately seeking out Garret. We need to begin class so Ethan will forget about the suspicious incident. What was that? I ask myself. Before the fear took over, I felt like my chest was lifting and the sun was breathing on my face. I think I liked that a boy opened the door for me. In particular, I think that I liked that Ethan opened the door for me.
Is this what the marauder/Taken/Exalted guy ( I don’t even know what to call him) had been warning me about? Am I coming alive?
Garret instructs Ethan and me to practice some of the knife-disarming exercises that we learned in combat training, with the addition of a second attacker. Taking turns as the “first” attacker, we have to advance on each other with a mock blade. The opponent is expected to counter the attack, steal the knife away, and kill the “first” attacker. Finally, the opponent must turn, roll, and release the stolen weapon into the air. The goal is to bury the knife into the “second” attacker, which happens to be one of the lifeless dummies that hang from the ceiling.
My endurance and speed are finally starting to return to me as the side effects of the withdrawals wear off. My headache is nearly gone this morning, and my mind has pretty much come out of that strange fog. It’s been lifting slowly, day-by-day.
Today, I power through Garret’s class and impress even myself.
* * *
After lunch, Ethan jogs with me over to the East Gate for our scheduled patrol. Our platonic relationship has begun to change in hints and whispers of the union that could be. I’m enjoying the change. Everyday I spend with him, he becomes more attractive to me as a mate and less like the childhood friend I’ve been thinking of him as.
Ethan has been consistently joining Val and me for our evening meals. He takes the pressure off me to keep up conversation with Val. She enjoys discussing the Trials and the new moves we learned in
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