Below is a romantic short story about the first night Alessa and Isaac were reunited. This would fit right in between Chapters 35 & 36 in the book – hope you enjoy!
Reunited: Isaac & Alessa’s First Night
by Samantha Durante, author of Stitch
Alessa numbly fingered the bare shrub at her feet as Isaac folded the letter and put it back in his pocket. He reached for her hand, squeezing through the thick gloves.
“Less, it’s okay,” he pleaded, willing her to look at him.
Alessa sighed, shifting uncomfortably on the frozen ground. She couldn’t stand the thought of being separated from her sister again; she’d only just gotten her back.
The rough tips of Isaac’s gloved fingers brushed against her chin and she reluctantly lifted her eyes to his. In the cold crystal moonlight, he looked every bit the ghost she’d once believed him to be.
“She’s safe.” As much as she craved a moment to wallow in her shock, Alessa couldn’t resist the entreaty from his shining cobalt eyes. “Probably safer than she would be here with us,” he added. Isaac’s whispered breath floated into the periphery of Alessa’s vision – it was quickly getting cold, she realized.
Pushing her anxiety aside, Alessa tried to focus on the present, on Isaac. She gathered her pack and slipped it over her shoulder. “You’re right. We should go.”
Isaac nodded silently and got to his feet, pulling Alessa along with him. The wind gusted as he brushed off the snow that still clung to the back of his jacket, the thin wool of his pants whipping in the breeze. Alessa noticed that he was favoring one leg, keeping the pressure off the ankle he’d twisted during their mad dash from the compound. They wouldn’t make it far tonight.
Alessa strained in the moon’s glow to pick a path through the thick undergrowth of the forest, Isaac following closely behind. There was sure to be some sort of flashlight in her pack, but she knew it would be suicide to use it – the guards were undoubtedly looking for them, and the last thing they needed now was to draw their attention. They trudged along, Alessa fretting silently over her sister until she tripped on an exposed root and caught herself against a tree trunk, grumbling about the darkness.
Steadying her, Isaac tugged at Alessa’s elbow to steer her toward a well-illuminated outcropping of rocks to their left, the moon shining clearly on them through a break in the trees. “It might be easier to scramble up the rocks… Fewer places to trip, right?” Alessa smiled to herself – no matter what blows life dealt them, she could always count on Isaac’s practical side to shine through. She realized in that moment how much she’d truly missed him the past several months. His presence made her feel complete, secure. She wasn’t on her own anymore.
Sure enough, the boulders proved an easier path and they quickly made progress up the hill. Reaching the top, Alessa turned to offer her hand to Isaac, wincing as he gingerly pressed off his injured foot with a grimace.
Once Isaac had landed two feet on solid ground, Alessa was overcome by the urge to hold him, to reassure herself that he was real. She pulled him into a tight embrace, wrapping her arms around his narrow waist and nuzzling her face into his chest. Panting faintly from the climb, his warm breath pressed through the knit of her cap as he pressed a kiss firmly into the top of her head. Alessa could hear the smile – and the relief – in his voice as he murmured, “I missed you, too, baby.”
Alessa grinned and squeezed him tighter, unwilling to let go of the moment just yet. She looked up at Isaac, drinking in the line of his nose, the curve of his jaw, the swell of his lips. A part of her still didn’t believe that this was happening, that he was actually back in her arms.
There was still so much to talk about, so many months apart to cover, so many decisions to make for tomorrow and the next day and the next. But she was dead tired, and after what Isaac had been through today, he must be feeling even worse. So she let the questions linger. For tonight, Alessa just wanted to revel in the one thing that mattered: they were together again.
“This is far enough, I think,” she said.
Isaac looked for a moment like he might argue, but then he reached down and planted a quick kiss on Alessa’s lips. “Fine with me,” he smiled.
Dropping his pack, Isaac fished out a couple blankets and set them in a clearing on the ground with a flourish. “Your pallet, my queen.”
Alessa laughed. “Nothing but the best…”
Isaac crawled in and held the covers open invitingly for Alessa with a mischievous grin. “Get in here.” It may have been a meager excuse for a bed, but Alessa had never been so eager to lie anywhere.
Dropping her backpack, she snuggled in next to Isaac, her back pressing against the broad expanse of his chest. Alessa sighed contentedly as he pushed her hat aside and buried his face in her hair, breathing deeply. Finding the only exposed inch on her neck, Isaac gently pressed his lips to her skin, sending shivers down her spine. “There’s nowhere I’d rather be than here,” he purred.
Her eyelids already fluttering closed against her will, Alessa could only squeeze his hand in response. Submitting to the irresistible pull of sleep, she reminded herself that tonight was only the beginning; she’d have many more nights cocooned in the warmth of Isaac’s limbs. A lifetime of them, in fact.
And basking in Isaac’s touch, it was easy for Alessa to brush aside the truth – that with the dangerous mission they had before them, she didn’t know how long that lifetime might last. But with Isaac’s steady breaths on the back of her neck, she was willing to let herself be lulled into a peaceful sleep. Isaac was here now, and for tonight at least, that was the only thing that mattered.
To end her book tour, Samantha is giving away 5 signed print copies (US only) or e-book copies (international), format of the winner’s choice, open from 10/31 to 11/7.
Her heart races, her muscles coil, and every impulse in Alessa’s body screams at her to run… but yet she’s powerless to move.
Still struggling to find her footing after the sudden death of her parents, the last thing college freshman Alessa has the strength to deal with is the inexplicable visceral pull drawing her to a handsome ghostly presence. In between grappling with exams and sorority soirees – and disturbing recurring dreams of being captive in a futuristic prison hell – Alessa is determined to unravel the mystery of the apparition who leaves her breathless. But the terrifying secret she uncovers will find her groping desperately through her nightmares for answers.
Because what Alessa hasn’t figured out yet is that she’s not really a student, the object of her obsession is no ghost, and her sneaking suspicions that something sinister is lurking behind the walls of her university’s idyllic campus are only just scratching the surface…
The opening installment in a twist-laden trilogy, Stitch spans the genres of paranormal romance and dystopian sci-fi to explore the challenges of a society in transition, where morality, vision, and pragmatism collide leaving the average citizen to suffer the results.
Samantha Durante lives in New York City with her husband, Sudeep, and her cat, Gio. Formerly an engineer at Microsoft, Samantha left the world of software in 2010 to pursue her entrepreneurial dreams and a lifelong love of writing. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Jerome Fisher Program in Management & Technology, Samantha is currently working full time for her company Medley Media Associates as a freelance business writer and communications consultant. Stitch is her first novel. Learn more about Samantha at www.samanthadurante.com.
8 comments
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Trudy
October 31, 2012 at 11:17 AM (UTC -3) Link to this comment
Thank you for the chance. This sounds good
Maria D.
October 31, 2012 at 1:00 PM (UTC -3) Link to this comment
thanks for the excerpt! Stitch sounds like an interesting book
Viki S.
October 31, 2012 at 1:32 PM (UTC -3) Link to this comment
This sounds different. Thank you for the excerpt and giveaway.
erinf1
October 31, 2012 at 9:41 PM (UTC -3) Link to this comment
sounds fantastic! Congrats on the new release!
Samantha Durante
November 1, 2012 at 12:59 AM (UTC -3) Link to this comment
Thanks so much for stopping by everyone!
Cindy Barton
November 2, 2012 at 3:41 PM (UTC -3) Link to this comment
Sounds good to me. Congratulations on your release.
Mary Preston
November 3, 2012 at 9:00 AM (UTC -3) Link to this comment
STITCH looks like such fabulous read. Loved the excerpt thank you.
Trudy
November 3, 2012 at 7:17 PM (UTC -3) Link to this comment
The excerpt was good. Thank you. Congrats on new book