?????
I wake from our afternoon nap, and the mist from earlier is now coming down harder. I lay in Ryan’s arms for a while as I watch the raindrops trickle down the windows. I never knew home until now. It’s with him, in this house, in this bed. My mind and body are free of doubt. This is my dream. He is my amazing.
Looking back over my shoulder at him, his eyes still closed as he sleeps, I know I will never love as powerfully as I do with him. I reach down, grab his discarded t-shirt, and shrug it on as I make my way to the bathroom. I flick on the light and before I can close the door, I see my necklace lying next to his sink. Walking over and looking down at it, I see that he got the chain fixed from when I ripped it off my neck. I run my finger along the etched letters: And though she be but little, she is fierce.
Looking up, I see that my toothbrush is still next to the other sink along with a bottle of my perfume. Warm arms slowly snake around my waist as his lips press into my neck. Our eyes meet in the reflection of the mirror. “I could never let you go.”
He picks up the necklace and clasps it back around my neck where it belongs. I will never be close enough to him to satisfy me. Maybe it was supposed to be like this all along; maybe I needed the pain of losing Ryan to make me finally pull myself out of the madness. Maybe I just had to lose him for a moment to keep myself from fading.
Every 2 minutes, someone in the U.S. is sexually assaulted. Approximately 2/3 of assaults are committed by someone known to the victim. And only 46% of assaults are reported to the police.
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You just read about Candace who suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Flashbacks, Sleep Terror Disorder, and Nightmares.
These are only a few of the effects one can experience after being sexually assaulted.
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There is help.
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National Sexual Assault Hotline 1.800.656.HOPE
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National Sexual Assault Online Hotline ohl.rainn.org/online/
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Visit www.rainn.org to find more information and resources.
Other Titles in the Fading Series Freeing
(book 2)
Knowing who you are and accepting who you are come at different prices.
Falling (book 3)
Sometimes it takes someone else to show us what we are truly capable of becoming.
Upcoming Releases
The Black Lotus Series Bang
(book 1)
(Releasing May 22, 2014) They say when you take revenge against another you lose a part of your innocence.
But I’m not innocent.
I haven’t been for a very long time.
My innocence was stolen from me. Taken was the life I was supposed to have. The soul I was born with. The ruby heart embedded in a life full of hopes and dreams.
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Gone.
Vanished.
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I never even had a choice.
I mourn that life. Mourn the what-ifs.
Until now.
I’m ready to take back what was always meant to be mine.
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But every plan has a fatal flaw. Sometimes it’s the heart.
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**Due to the dark and explicit nature of this book, it is recommended for mature audiences only as some scenes may be particularly disturbing.*
Echo
(book 2)
(Releasing Late 2014)
Hush
(book 3)
(Release date unknown)
Connect with E.K. Blair
www.EKBLAIR.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ekblairauthor
Twitter: EK_Blair_Author
Acknowledgements
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Deciding to write a novel did not come easy. There was a lot of self-doubt before I actually typed my first word. I never could have anticipated the power of this journey. It took the support and encouragement of many people to make this book a possibility.