The Thrust Read online

Trent smiled. “I thee wed, in love and truth . . .”

  “In sickness and in health, to love and cherish you, until death do us part.”

  Trent placed the ring on her finger, his hands trembling. “In sickness and in health, to love and cherish you, until death do us part.”

  A small whimper of happiness escaped her mouth, but she was also able to repeat the vows. Her voice shook as she placed the silver ring on Trent’s large ring finger.

  Pastor Dan repeated the vows for Emily and for Jenna, and Clarissa watched as they gazed into their true loves’ eyes and confirmed their promise.

  “May God bless these unions, and provide you with peace and happiness forever. Trent and Clarissa, Emily and Christopher, Jenna and Ken—you have declared your commitment to each other before God and your community, your family and friends. It is my humble and deep pleasure to pronounce each of you . . . man and wife.”

  Their friends burst into applause as the pastor added, “You may kiss your wives, gentlemen.”

  Trent wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her up to meet his face. “I love you, wife.”

  “I love you too. Husband.” Clarissa grinned and kissed him. The world melted away, until it seemed as if they were kissing alone in the apple orchard, under the gazebo.

  When he set her down on her feet again, both Emily and Jenna had similar satisfied looks on their faces—a look Clarissa no doubt shared.

  They hugged one another, congratulated one another. Today was a day to celebrate.

  The reception followed immediately with homemade fruit wine and a proper feast.

  Each table had the very first edition of the Letliv Ledger on it, and their guests passed them around, pointing out bits to each other, showing off the parts they’d contributed.

  “You did an amazing job with the Grand Central story,” Trent said, nuzzling her neck. “I’m going to frame it for posterity.”

  “I couldn’t have done it without you,” she said. “It wouldn’t have happened, if not for you and Letliv.”

  “Have I told you lately how sexy you look with ink-stained fingers?” he teased, and she swatted him playfully.

  “I had a feeling I wouldn’t be able to wash this stuff off before the wedding, but deadlines are deadlines,” she said, smiling.

  She’d been working nonstop since they’d gotten the printing press ready, carefully laying out the tiny letters, creating huge batches of good ink, and perfecting the hemp paper with Rob until they were ready to go to press. The newspaper was a community effort, and everyone seemed extraordinarily pleased with the result.

  So now she was the editor of a newspaper. Unbelievable. Who would have imagined she’d find the perfect career at a time when she had previously thought careers were no longer necessary? Her new passion filled her with pride and a sense of accomplishment, something she realized now had been sorely missing from her pre-Pulse job as a waitress. Yeah, she’d enjoyed the tips. And if she hadn’t been a waitress, that lady choking on her watermelon might not have made it. So there was a reason for everything.

  It was just exciting to have something new, something that she could hold in her hands and be proud of. It was almost as exciting as having a new husband.

  Almost. Clarissa grinned up at Trent.

  As they ate with their friends, Clarissa couldn’t help but overhear some of them talking about checking out the towns with the reconstructed grids. But most, like Clarissa and Trent, preferred to stay in the free areas, without threat of government or military intrusion.

  Some planned on joining Emily and Mason when they moved back to upstate New York, to live in the forested country areas.

  Emily and Mason seemed glad to have new neighbors, and vowed to help them in any way they could.

  “I love it here,” Emily said, “but we had our own piece of paradise in the woods, in our little cabin by the lake. We’ll definitely come visit again, though.”

  “We can visit you too,” Clarissa offered. “If you have room for a tent on your land. You might want some help after your baby is born.”

  “I would love that,” Emily said, hugging her.

  Jenna and Barker disappeared at some point during the reception, which, knowing Jenna the way Clarissa did, meant they didn’t want to waste any time consummating their marriage.

  Clarissa laughed and fell back against Trent’s strong chest, loving how their silver wedding rings matched, how they gleamed when their hands intertwined.

  Yes, today was a day of hope. The future looked good.

  Acknowledgments

  Thank you to my editors Adam Wilson and Julia Fincher at Pocket Star, along with the whole Gallery/Pocket team for working with me to make The Pulse Trilogy the best it could be. Thank you to my literary agent, Courtney Miller-Callihan of SJGA. Thank you to my family for supporting me in my writing career. I love you, DH—and I’m so excited that we’re finally walking the talk and moving to northern Idaho to get away from it all. :)

  And for you, my readers, I love you too—without you, I’d be writing into the abyss. Special shout-out to the Shoshanna Street Team—you guys are awesome. I am truly blessed to have readers like you.

  To find out when my next book releases, please sign up for my mailing list on my website at ShoshannaEvers.com, follow me on Twitter @ShoshannaEvers, and on Facebook at facebook.com/shoshanna.evers. Let’s stay in touch!

  Also by Shoshanna Evers

  The Enslaved Trilogy

  Enslaved

  Enamored

  Enraptured

  The Pulse Trilogy

  The Pulse

  The Escape

  The Thrust

  We hope you enjoyed reading this Pocket Star Books eBook.

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  Pocket Star Books

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  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2014 by Shoshanna Evers

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Pocket Books Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.

  First Pocket Star Books ebook edition March 2014

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  Designed by Lewelin Polanco

  Cover design by Anna Dorfman

  Cover photographs © Miljan Mladenovic/Shutterstock (man) and PlusONE/Shutterstock (cityscape)

  ISBN 978-1-4767-2829-2

  Table of Contents

  Cover

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgments

  Copyright

 

 

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