Revelation Read Online Free Page A

everything, who brandishes guns, willing to use them. . . .
    "You've changed," I finally say, puncturing the stillness.
    "How?"
    "You're just . . . different now."
    His finger traces the rim of the glass, agitating the wine. "Be more specific."
    "I don't know. You're not. . . . You don't seem like you, anymore."
    "I thought every girl wanted the bad guy," he says, taking a swig.
    "You're not a bad guy," I tell him.
    "What am I, then? Or better yet, what, exactly, am I supposed to be?"
    My shoulders lift, a quiet shrug. "I don't know. Carter . Carter Fleming ."
    "What does that even mean?" he asks.
    "It means what it means. This isn't. . . . It's not you ."
    "Why? Because I'm a Fleming? Because we're loaded? No cares? No worries?"
    The fire warms my bare skin, dries my eyes. "That's not what I meant."
    "But it's true. We have our whole lives set up for us."
    My cheeks prickle with the heat of embarrassment.
    The accident—the fight we had .
    "I'm sorry. I was angry. I shouldn't have said . . ."
    "You were right, though."
    "No, I was wrong. I should've never dragged you into this. Your life was perfect before you met me."
    "You didn't drag me into this. And I didn't start living until I met you."
    "This isn't living ," I argue, voice rising. "Not hiding in the mountains. Not running from demons. You should be in school right now. Having fun ."
    "That's not what I want. If I go to college, if I work for my dad, if I become just like him, it's over. I mean, what difference would I make? In a hundred years, who would even care?"
    The flames snap, sparks revolting as they mount the sky.
    "I care." I slide out of the dark cardigan and set it aside. The firelight dances with the images on my arm.
    "I want to be more than a Fleming," he says, ignoring me. "I want a chance to make my own difference, apart from them."
    He takes my hand in his and turns my arm over, examining the flowers and vines, the contrasting colors, patterns. And I hate that I don't know what he's thinking, what he sees when he looks at me. We broke up what feels like forever ago—like yesterday. I fell for my Guardian—the one who was supposed to protect me—and now he's gone. I've lost everything, and it's all my fault. If I would've been better. . . . If I would've fought harder. . . . And here he is, caught in the middle of it all. I swallow back contempt for Viola. The Council. Myself.
    "It's hideous. I hate it."
    "It's beautiful," he replies.
    "It's like I sold my soul."
    "We sell our soul every day, Gee. Little by little."
    I pull my arm away from him, take another quick sip of wine. Carter stares ahead, vacant eyes reflecting the firelight, lost. A log crumbles apart, cracking and popping as it settles.
    "I haven't given you your birthday present," he finally says.
    "This is enough, Carter. I can't pay you back for any of this—everything you've done for me."
    "I haven't asked you to. And I won't. I promised." He clears his throat, a somber frown deepening his features.
    "The thing is . . . I got you something for your birthday, and I need to give it to you."
    His hand slips inside his pants pocket and removes a tiny black jewelry box.
    "What is it?" I ask, hesitating.
    He refuses to meet my gaze, handing it to me. "Open it."
    I slowly lift the cover.
    Inside, nestled between velvet folds—a ring.
    The stone is round, a subtle shade of blue, double band encrusted with tiny, diamond-like stones that sparkle in the firelight.
    I exhale a quick gasp. "Oh My God. Carter! This is beautiful!"
    "It reminded me of you," he explains, with a trace of sadness too hard to ignore.
    "It's like . . . water. A tropical ocean. Is it a topaz?"
    "Something like that."
    I study the ring, turning it this way then that, light springing from every angle. I imagine what it would look like on my finger. It must've cost a small fortune. "I can't accept this," I say, handing it back to him.
    "I knew you were going to say that. And I also know that, not only can you not accept