Up In Flames
Kelly Hashway
Release Date: March 28, 2016
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance
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Seventeen-year-old Cara Tillman is in more danger than ever.
All around her, Cara’s fellow Phoenixes are being attacked. With no other choice, she and her group take the only option they have—call more Phoenixes out of hiding and wage an all-out war against the Hunters. But with the lines of loyalty blurred, and Phoenix secrets to be kept, there’s no guarantee anyone can be trusted.
Logan Schmidt walks the blade of love and obligation—and just one slip may end them all.
After stealing the Phoenix dagger and going into hiding, the Hunters are convinced Logan is one of their own. But with Cara’s memories recovered, her heart is set on Logan’s return. The problem is, she may be the only one who trusts him.
It isn’t long until Logan’s disappearance is noticed by his long-time friend, Anton Botas, who is more than just an outsider. Though Logan trusts him, the Phoenixes do not, opening yet another fault line in their plans.
Where there is one, there are many.
Determined to end this once and for all, Cara and the others must destroy the Phoenix daggers—the only weapons able to kill her kind. But in a raging battle, Cara learns the awful truth about the relics. Destroying them may destroy the Phoenixes in the process.
Can Cara and her friends end this war, or is their future destined to go Up In Flames?
EXCERPT
Logan
I’m an idiot for thinking the dagger would be safe here. It drew the bastards right to my doorstep. Now I have to protect Cara without the weapon I need to do it. Though I doubt they got the safe open, if they even found it in Dad’s office, it’s not like I’m going to have a clear path to it either.
“Stay here,” I whisper to Cara.
She shakes her head. Of course she’s not going to listen. Right now she’s the only one with a weapon— her firepower.
“Then at least stay behind me.”
She holds her palm face up and a flame forms, growing into a ball of fire. I can’t help feeling a little emasculated right now. I push the door enough to see inside. The place is a mess. The couch cushions are on the floor, the end table is turned over, and the picture frames are off the walls. Definitely the work of Hunters.
I can’t hear anything inside, which hopefully means they have moved on. Would they if they didn’t find what they were looking for though? I nod to Cara and take a step inside. She matches my step, keeping her fireball at the ready. Damn, I wish I had a useful power like that. No guy wants his girlfriend to have to protect him. Some Guardian I’m turning out to be.
Panic washes over Cara’s face and she tugs on my arm. “Linette,” she mouths.
Shit! What if Linette was here when this happened? If she was attacked again because of me...I move toward the kitchen. Linette was going food shopping. If she was back before this happened, then the fridge would be stocked. I’m tiptoeing, being careful not to make a sound. I reach the refrigerator and pull the door open. There’s food on every shelf. Damn it! I close the door and look at Cara, who is bright red and ready to burn the place down.
I motion toward Dad’s office, needing to see if the dagger is still locked in the safe or if we have a missing dagger and a missing Phoenix on our hands. The office door is kicked in, which doesn’t surprise me since I know Dad keeps it locked at all times. Totally ineffective against me since I can pick locks, and it’s apparently useless against blunt force too. The desk is torn apart with the drawers open and papers everywhere. Dad’s computer is tipped over in the garbage can. Even the throw rug is in a ball in the corner. They didn’t leave anything untouched. I walk over to the mini fridge and flip it upside down.
“What are you doing?” Cara whispers. “Who cares if the fridge still works? Let’s get the dagger and get out of here. Those guys might still be upstairs.”
I pull the false bottom off the fridge and reveal a panel with several small holes inside a square. I press the button next to the square and say, “Heather Schmidt.” As soon as Cara hears Mom’s name, her face falls and the fire in her palm extinguishes. Maybe it’s the way I said it, or maybe she knows me well enough to figure it out.
The panel clicks open and I reach inside the safe for the dagger. Clutching it tightly, I feel its power flow through me. I motion for Cara to back away from me, but she doesn’t move. Why won’t she listen to me about this? It’s so frustrating. All my focus is on controlling the dagger before it controls me. I step around Cara, being careful not to get too close, and exit the office. She is back in stealthy Phoenix mode, her fireball ready once again.
I know we should get out of here, but something tells me I should search the other rooms, make sure Linette isn’t a pile of ashes on any of the floors. But that means I have to bring Cara with me. I head to my room, thinking maybe the Hunters followed my scent since I was the one carrying the dagger. The door is closed, not how I left it. It could mean Linette cleaned in there, or it could mean I’m about to come face to face with some Hunters.
I can’t see anything through the gap between the door and the frame, so I get down on the floor and peer under the door. At first I don’t see anything but clothes on the floor, and my bed looks like it’s tipped over. Then something moves. Someone wearing black sneakers walks across the room. I spring to my feet and mouth, “Someone’s in there.”
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Kelly Hashway grew up reading R.L. Stein’s Fear Street novels and writing stories of her own, so it was no surprise to her family when she majored in English and later obtained a masters degree in English Secondary Education from East Stroudsburg University. After teaching middle school language arts for seven years, Hashway went back to school and focused specifically on writing. She is now the author of three young adult series, one middle grade series, and several picture books. She also writes contemporary romance under the pen name Ashelyn Drake. When she isn’t writing, Hashway works as a freelance editor for small presses as well as for her own list of clients. In her spare time, she enjoys running, traveling, and volunteering with the PTO. Hashway currently resides in Pennsylvania with her husband, daughter, and two pets.
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