So much has happened since the last time I wore the garment. The leaders have been scrambling to contain the fallout from the info leaking to the DarkNet. Governments around the world have condemned the AR. Our economy has weakened and people have started rebelling. News reports talk of another possible revolution—something we don’t need.
Making matters worse is the Canadian government. Leon and Griffin found a cure to the vaccine’s side effects. The Canadians wasted no time going public with this knowledge. The UN is calling for a tribunal to hold the AR’s leaders accountable. On top of that, Riza has been dismantled. There are plenty of soldiers trying to find jobs that don’t exist.
Losing my best friend, however, is what matters to me. Mark, still living in Michigan, got word to us that Ko returned to her parents’ house only to be shunned by her mother. He has no idea where she’s living or what she’s doing for a job.
And Asher? He managed to avoid imprisonment and was able to return to the New Mexican territory. According to Sibley, Asher is back home with his family. She wants Zared and me to have dinner at her place so we can meet the entire family. Definitely a news flash since I was under the impression his family died during the Street Wars and pandemic. Sibley also mentioned Asher needing to discuss something with me. I’ve been avoiding the dinner and him.
“You still holding that old thing?” Zared’s voice comes from the hall.
I stand, with a little difficulty, and return the jacket to the closet. “Just thinking. No big deal.”
He wraps his arms around me the best he can. I swear I feel like a bus. The doctor says I’m only going to get bigger since I’m carrying two babies.
“Sorry, I’m late.”
“You missed the appointment,” I tell him.
Zared makes a face. “I’m sorry, babe. I really wanted to be there.”
“It’s okay. Sibley went with me.” I really should be mad at him, but I can’t stop grinning.
“And?”
Today is the day we learned the sex of the babies. “We should pick names for a boy and a girl.”
A massive smile spreads across his handsome face. “Both?”
“Yeah.” His enthusiasm is contagious. “I’m thinking Gabriela Marie.”
Zared strokes my cheek. “Christopher Thomas for our son.”
My vision blurs. I swear I’m a hormonal mess these days. I cry just going to the grocery store. “Are you sure?”
“Positive. There’s no one in my family I’d name our children after.” He takes my hand and leads me over to the bed.
I sit down and toe off my shoes. I can’t help but laugh when Zared collects them and places them in the closet. “So, what kept you?”
“Great news!” He sits beside me. “Steve helped me find a place for us outside of Paris.”
“Really?” Moving to France is something Zared promised me. I haven’t held him to it though. Having Sibley around has been amazing. I don’t know if I can raise two kids without her help.
Zared pulls his phone from his suit jacket and loosens his tie—yes, another positive change. He said it’s a small measure to show me he’s no longer a kid from the street committing crimes. He scrolls through a few screens and passes the phone to me.
“It’s a four-bedroom house with a garden. There’s even a building we can use for a studio.”
My own studio? I’m crying again.
Zared wipes away my tears. “I promised you a better life. This is it, babe. Oh…um… I have one more thing for you.”
He reaches into his pants pocket and pulls out a small black box.
I gasp.
“Truly Shara Shepard, the first time I saw you I was intrigued. I wanted to know everything about you. It nearly killed me when we lost touch. I thought I’d never see you again. You are my moon, my sun, my reason for living. There’s not a day that goes by I don’t think about you.” He places his hand on my stomach. “You’re the mother of my children. Please honor me and be my wife.”
All I can do is nod. I am absolutely speechless.
Zared slips the ring on my finger and gathers me into his arms. “Babe, you have made me so happy.”
“Always, Zared,” I choke out. “You make me happy, too.”
It took a lot of loss to get to this point, but it also took a lot of courage. This is what I’ve always wanted. A little normalcy in a chaotic world.
Glossary
Alliance: the rebel organization in opposition to the New Order
AR: American Republic, the name of the former United States
CHA: Centers for Human Advancement, run by the government
Hybrid: a multi-ethnic person living in the AR
Purebred: a person of single ethnicity
Network: a splinter unit of the Alliance
New Order: the technocratic government of the AR
Resistance: what the New Order is calling rebels
Author’s Note
Thank you so much for reading Tru and Zared’s story. The conclusion to their tale was a hard one to write. I felt they deserved a happily ever after but it needed to fit their story. I think I accomplished that.
But Rebel is not the end. Asher Jones and Mark Carter became bigger characters in the course of my writing. It’s only right that they get a chance to tell their stories. You’ll get two more books in the Alliance Chronicles series—Restore and Renegade focused on Asher and Mark—in 2018.
Please consider helping other readers decide whether or not to read this book. You may leave a review on Amazon.com or Goodreads.com.
First of all, I have to thank my family. Without their support, none of this would be possible.
A huge thank you goes to my editor, Maria Rosera! Without her, Rebel might not have happened at all.
I want to thank my friend, Neeny, for showing me how Tru and Zared’s story needed a different direction.
I thank my cover designer/artist, Regina Wamba. The cover for Rebel is the best one out of the four books!
Continued thanks go to my formatting team, Cover Me Darling and Athena Interior Book Design.
Mom and Dad…as always—thank you for your continued support.
SF Benson, a Michigan native, resides in Georgia with her husband, a human daughter, and a couple of miniature fur kids (two female short-haired guinea pigs). Once upon a time, she wrangled a household which included three Samoyeds, saltwater fish, a hamster, and three guinea pigs. She’s an avid bookworm who appreciates a well-written book regardless of genre. SF prefers writing stories about strong, diverse protagonists set in dystopian, science fiction, or paranormal worlds.
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Rebel
Copyright
Also by SF Benson
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
; Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Glossary
Author’s Note
Acknowledgments
About the Author