I thought of Maxon sneaking Marlee into the depths of the kitchens. Even if I wasn’t here for very long, I knew he would do a better job than his father. Maxon at least had the capacity for compassion.
I continued to breathe slowly, and once I felt composed, I carried on.
I walked into my room and scurried over to press the button that sent for my maids. Faster than I could have imagined, Anne, Mary, and Lucy came running breathlessly into my room.
“My lady?” Anne said. “Is something wrong?”
I smiled. “Not unless you think me staying is a bad thing.”
Lucy squealed. “Really?”
“Absolutely.”
“But how?” Anne asked. “I thought you said—”
“I know, I know. It’s hard to explain. All I can say is that I’ve been given a second chance.
Maxon matters to me, and I’m going to fight for him.”
“That’s so romantic!” Mary cried, and Lucy started clapping her hands.
“Hush, hush!” Anne called out sternly. I thought she would be excited and didn’t understand her sudden seriousness.
“If she’s going to win, we need a plan.” Her smile was diabolical, and I grinned with her. I’d never met anyone as organized as these girls. If I had them, there was no way I could lose.
END OF BOOK TWO Back Ads
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
WELL, HELLO THERE, SASSY READER. Thank you for reading my book! I hope it made you have unbearable feelings that you find yourself tweeting about at 3:00 a.m. That’s what it does to me, so …
To Callaway, the sweetest hubby a girl could have. Thank you for your support of and pride in what I do. You make it so much better. Lurve you.
To Guyden and Zuzu, Mommy loves you bunches! I’m crazy about the stories I write, but you’ll always be the best things I ever made.
To Mom, Dad, and Jody, thanks for being the weirdest family possible, and for loving me just like I am.
To Mimi, Papa, and Chris, thanks for your love and support, and for being so excited every step of the way.
To the rest of my family—too many names to even think about listing—thank you! I know that, wherever you are, you’re always bragging about your niece/granddaughter/cousin who writes books, and it means a lot to me to know you’re behind me all the way.
To Elana, thanks for pretty much everything under the sun. This wouldn’t have happened without you.*awkward hug* To Erica, thanks for letting me call you a zillion times and for being as excited as I am about this story and for just generally being awesome.
To Kathleen, thank you for making it so people in Brazil and China and Indonesia and wherever else get to read these books, too! Still blows my mind.
To the gang at HarperTeen, you guys are unendingly rad, and I love you.
To FTW … *throws ham in celebration* To Northstar, thanks for being home for the Cass family.
To Athena, Rebeca, and the gang at the Christiansburg Panera for making me great hot chocolates and being awkward in the background while I did phone interviews. Thanks!
To Jessica and Monica … basically because a promise is a promise, and you guys make me laugh.
To you for sticking with America (and with me) while this all unfolds. Also, you rock my face off.
To God for the mercy that is writing. I’d be lost otherwise.
To naps … which is where I’m going now. And to cake, just because.
About the Author
KIERA CASS is a graduate of Radford University and currently lives in Blacksburg, Virginia, with her family. She is also the author of the
published fantasy novel THE SIREN. Kiera has kissed approximately fourteen boys in her life. None of them were princes. You can learn more about Kiera’s books, videos, and love of cake online at www.kieracass.com.
Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins authors.
OTHER BOOKS BY KIERA CASS
COVER DESIGN BY ERIN FITZSIMMONS
Copyright
HarperTeen is an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
THE ELITE Copyright © 2013 by Kiera Cass All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non- transferable right to access and read the text of this ebook on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins ebooks. www.epicreads.com Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Cass, Kiera.
The Elite / Kiera Cass. — 1st ed. p. cm.
Summary: “Sixteen-year-old America Singer is one of only six girls still competing in the Selection—but before she can fight to win Prince Maxon and the Illean crown, she must decide where her own heart truly lies”— Provided by publisher.
ISBN 978-0-06-205996-3 (trade) ISBN 978-0-06-226285-1 (int’l ed.)
[1. Marriage—Fiction. 2. Contests—Fiction. 3. Social classes—Fiction. 4. Princes—Fiction. 5.
Love—Fiction.
6. Revolutionaries—Fiction.] I. Title.
PZ7.C2685133Eli 2013 [Fic]—dc23
2012038124 CIP AC
13 14 15 16 17 CG/RRDH 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 FIRST EDITION EPub Edition © APRIL 2013 ISBN: 9780062059987 About the Publisher Australia HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty. Ltd.
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