Passage

Paso a Paso. Step by step.My best friend is dead. My best friend is dead, and it’s Bird’s fault. On the surface, my path seems clear: get to Bird. Infiltrate the Exiters. Bring them to justice.But I have never been more confused in my life.Before I can even think about finding Bird, Zenith has to locate the Exiters. And before I can infiltrate them as a spy, I have to complete training to hold my own. Which means training with Johnny. Which means being close to Johnny. Very close. I may not know how I feel about Bird anymore, but I definitely don’t know how I feel about Johnny either.And I haven’t told anyone, but despite what they did, there’s still a tiny part of me that thinks the Exiters may be right about the world. Am I falling for their propaganda? Or is Bird right? Are the Exiters humanity’s only hope?An ExcerptJohnny turns his eyes back up to mine, gently pulls on my tie and brings my mouth to his. As our lips touch, all that buzzing, anxious energy rushes up inside me. I almost pull away, but he tightens his grip and doesn’t let me, and as the kiss deepens I close my eyes and let him guide me.He leans in, bracing his free hand to my hip, the hand on my tie holding me still as his mouth becomes more insistent. My heart is beating so hard I feel it in my whole body-in my hands and feet. It’s all I can feel: my heart and his lips.He rolls halfway onto me, one knee between mine and his weight on my hip as he pushes me to my elbows and then onto my back. Blood is roaring in my ears. My heart is going crazy fast. I part my lips because I feel like I can’t breathe and he immediately pushes his tongue in. I gasp in surprise and my palm comes to the front of his shoulder and he stops.He pulls back, one hand still on my chest. 'Are you okay? We can stop. Any time.''No, I-' He shifts his weight and I manage to pull some air into my lungs. 'I don’t want to stop.'His eyes burn into me as he carefully lowers his mouth and touches it to mine so gently that it takes my breath away all over again. I part my lips and let his tongue in, and he groans and goes hard against my hip.Holy shit.'Still okay?' he says. I nod, speechless, staring at the sky. 'You have to tell me if you want to stop.''I don’t want to stop.'