A Love that Endures Read online

  A Love that Endures

  Bella Forrest

  Contents

  Also by Bella Forrest

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  1. David

  2. Katy

  3. David

  4. Katy

  5. David

  6. Katy

  7. David

  8. Katy

  9. David

  10. Katy

  11. David

  12. Katy

  13. David

  14. Katy

  15. Katy

  16. David

  17. Katy

  18. David

  19. Katy

  20. David

  21. Katy

  22. David

  23. Katy

  24. David

  25. Katy

  26. David

  27. Katy

  28. David

  29. Katy

  30. David

  31. Katy

  32. David

  33. Katy

  34. David

  35. Katy

  36. David

  37. Katy

  38. David

  39. Katy

  40. David

  41. Katy

  42. David

  43. Katy

  44. David

  45. Katy

  46. Cassie

  Ready for the next part of David and Katy’s story?

  Read more by Bella Forrest

  Also by Bella Forrest

  HARLEY MERLIN

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  Harley Merlin and the Secret Coven (Book 1)

  Harley Merlin and the Mystery Twins (Book 2)

  Harley Merlin and the Stolen Magicals (Book 3)

  Harley Merlin and the First Ritual (Book 4)

  Harley Merlin and the Broken Spell (Book 5)

  Harley Merlin and the Cult of Eris (Book 6)

  Harley Merlin and the Detector Fix (Book 7)

  Harley Merlin and the Challenge of Chaos (Book 8)

  HOTBLOODS

  (Supernatural romance. Completed series.)

  Hotbloods (Book 1)

  Coldbloods (Book 2)

  Renegades (Book 3)

  Venturers (Book 4)

  Traitors (Book 5)

  Allies (Book 6)

  Invaders (Book 7)

  Stargazers (Book 8)

  THE CHILD THIEF

  (Action-adventure/romance. Completed series.)

  The Child Thief (Book 1)

  Deep Shadows (Book 2)

  Thin Lines (Book 3)

  Little Lies (Book 4)

  Ghost Towns (Book 5)

  Zero Hour (Book 6)

  THE GENDER GAME

  (Action-adventure/romance. Completed series.)

  The Gender Game (Book 1)

  The Gender Secret (Book 2)

  The Gender Lie (Book 3)

  The Gender War (Book 4)

  The Gender Fall (Book 5)

  The Gender Plan (Book 6)

  The Gender End (Book 7)

  THE GIRL WHO DARED TO THINK

  (Action-adventure/romance. Completed series.)

  The Girl Who Dared to Think (Book 1)

  The Girl Who Dared to Stand (Book 2)

  The Girl Who Dared to Descend (Book 3)

  The Girl Who Dared to Rise (Book 4)

  The Girl Who Dared to Lead (Book 5)

  The Girl Who Dared to Endure (Book 6)

  The Girl Who Dared to Fight (Book 7)

  A SHADE OF VAMPIRE SERIES

  (Supernatural romance)

  Season 1: Derek & Sofia’s story

  A Shade of Vampire (Book 1)

  A Shade of Blood (Book 2)

  A Castle of Sand (Book 3)

  A Shadow of Light (Book 4)

  A Blaze of Sun (Book 5)

  A Gate of Night (Book 6)

  A Break of Day (Book 7)

  Season 2: Rose & Caleb’s story

  A Shade of Novak (Book 8)

  A Bond of Blood (Book 9)

  A Spell of Time (Book 10)

  A Chase of Prey (Book 11)

  A Shade of Doubt (Book 12)

  A Turn of Tides (Book 13)

  A Dawn of Strength (Book 14)

  A Fall of Secrets (Book 15)

  An End of Night (Book 16)

  Season 3: The Shade continues with a new hero…

  A Wind of Change (Book 17)

  A Trail of Echoes (Book 18)

  A Soldier of Shadows (Book 19)

  A Hero of Realms (Book 20)

  A Vial of Life (Book 21)

  A Fork of Paths (Book 22)

  A Flight of Souls (Book 23)

  A Bridge of Stars (Book 24)

  Season 4: A Clan of Novaks

  A Clan of Novaks (Book 25)

  A World of New (Book 26)

  A Web of Lies (Book 27)

  A Touch of Truth (Book 28)

  An Hour of Need (Book 29)

  A Game of Risk (Book 30)

  A Twist of Fates (Book 31)

  A Day of Glory (Book 32)

  Season 5: A Dawn of Guardians

  A Dawn of Guardians (Book 33)

  A Sword of Chance (Book 34)

  A Race of Trials (Book 35)

  A King of Shadow (Book 36)

  An Empire of Stones (Book 37)

  A Power of Old (Book 38)

  A Rip of Realms (Book 39)

  A Throne of Fire (Book 40)

  A Tide of War (Book 41)

  Season 6: A Gift of Three

  A Gift of Three (Book 42)

  A House of Mysteries (Book 43)

  A Tangle of Hearts (Book 44)

  A Meet of Tribes (Book 45)

  A Ride of Peril (Book 46)

  A Passage of Threats (Book 47)

  A Tip of Balance (Book 48)

  A Shield of Glass (Book 49)

  A Clash of Storms (Book 50)

  Season 7: A Call of Vampires

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  A Valley of Darkness (Book 52)

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  A Snare of Vengeance (Book 58)

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  Season 8: A Voyage of Founders

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  A Land of Perfects (Book 61)

  A Citadel of Captives (Book 62)

  A Jungle of Rogues (Book 63)

  A Camp of Savages (Book 64)

  A Plague of Deceit (Book 65)

  An Edge of Malice (Book 66)

  A Dome of Blood (Book 67)

  A Purge of Nature (Book 68)

  Season 9: A Birth of Fire

  A Birth of Fire (Book 69)

  A Breed of Elements (Book 70)

  A Sacrifice of Flames (Book 71)

  A Conspiracy of Realms (Book 72)

  A Search for Death (Book 73)

  A Piece of Scythe (Book 74)

  A Blade of Thieron (Book 75)

  A Phantom of Truth (Book 76)

  A SHADE OF DRAGON TRILOGY

  A Shade of Dragon 1

  A Shade of Dragon 2

  A Shade of Dragon 3

  A SHADE OF KIEV TRILOGY

  A Shade of Kiev 1

  A Shade of Kiev 2

  A Shade of Kiev 3

  THE SECRET OF SPELLSHADOW MANOR

  (Supernatural/Magic YA. Completed series)

  The Secret of Spellshadow Manor (Book 1)

  The Breaker (Book 2)

  The Chain (Book 3)

  The Keep (Book 4)

  The Test (Book 5)

  The Spell (Book 6)

  BEAUTIFUL MONSTER DUOLOGY

  (Supernatur
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  Beautiful Monster 1

  Beautiful Monster 2

  DETECTIVE ERIN BOND

  (Adult thriller/mystery)

  Lights, Camera, GONE

  Write, Edit, KILL

  For an updated list of Bella’s books, please visit her website: www.bellaforrest.net

  Join Bella’s VIP email list and she’ll send you an email reminder as soon as her next book is out. Tap here to sign up: www.bellaforrest.com/romance

  Copyright © 2019

  Nightlight Press

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

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  1

  David

  Embankment, London.

  From the shadows of a stone underpass, a man stepped out into a yellowing pool of old-fashioned lamplight, a round wooden clock clutched in both hands. Before him stretched a dark swath of cardboard, dim torchlight, and hunched figures—a small colony of makeshift homes perched by the river. It was where the invisibles of Waterloo lived. The residents of the city that the brisk traders, excited tourists, and gallery-goers didn’t want to see.

  David’s clothes were as worn-down as those of the rest of the homeless, his hair and thick beard just as unkempt, his name unknown to most. Few Londoners ever stopped to look at him. But if they had, they might have paused for a moment—taken aback by his unusually upright posture. By the stark handsomeness of his face, an angular, arrogant jawline and Roman nose, and his youth, at odds with the rest of his shabby appearance. By the long, elegant fingers, better suited to the keys of a piano than riffling through waste bins.

  Eventually, though, the observer would have turned away. The most marked similarity between David and the rest of his kind was all too obvious: the same haunted and defeated look that shadowed his face.

  A roll of thunder echoed overhead, and David kept moving. He approached the colony, his eyes fixed on the far corner, where a group of four was huddled in front of a low wall.

  “Whoa. It’s . . . Clock Man?” One of the group—a wiry, plastic-swaddled male—rose from where he’d been crouched, his pale, grime-streaked face stretching into a broad grin.

  “Shut up,” David muttered, heading for the short wall.

  “Where did you find that?” the man asked as David passed. “And isn’t it for me?” His ginger eyebrows rose in offense.

  “Not tonight, Charles,” David replied, ignoring the first question. “Didn’t you hear the thunder?” He placed the large old clock on the ground and leaned over the brick wall, where he had hidden the materials for his own shelter.

  Charles groaned. “Don’t care, mate. When it’s this bloody cold, it’ll be worth burning even if we only get five minutes from it.”

  “Don’t be daft,” a coarse female voice reprimanded. “That thing’ll last us a few hours. We’re not risking ruining it in the rain! Here, hand it to me, David, love. I’ll keep it with me. My box is always dry.”

  “I’ll bet it is,” Charles replied.

  “Oh, shut it.”

  David sighed as he turned back around, his arms loaded with materials. “Help yourself, then, Tina,” he addressed the thirty-something-year-old woman. He nodded at the clock before proceeding toward the patch of empty ground next to Giles’s shelter.

  “Long day, eh?” the older man asked as David passed his tent.

  David paused to look the ex-businessman in the eyes. “Yeah,” he replied simply.

  The lines of Giles’s tired face deepened as he chuckled—then deepened some more as he rasped out a heavy cough.

  David managed to return a faint smile. “You’d better get inside, old man. You’ve still got that fleece blanket, right?”

  Giles nodded slowly. “Yeah. Don’t worry about me.”

  David nodded and continued on his way. He had to get set up before the rain started.

  “Hey—wait, Tina!” Charles called out behind him. “Hand me that thing for a sec. It looks antique.”

  “Says the man who was about to burn it on sight,” Tina snapped.

  Letting the bickering of his neighbors fade into the background, David arranged his collection of plastics and cardboard and got to work on his pop-up home. He set up as quickly as he could in a race against the blackening sky, then pushed open the plastic flap leading to his shelter’s dark, musty interior and crawled inside.

  He fumbled in his pocket for his rusty light, switched it on, and began to organize himself for the night. He pushed his boots and coat to one end of the shelter while gathering some newspapers he had collected and smoothing them out over his coarse woolen blanket. They would provide extra warmth during the night, as well as help to absorb any water that seeped through the ceiling. He was almost done laying them out when rain began to batter the roof. The newspaper right in front of him crumpled, then began to stain under an onslaught of drops.

  But the tent roof had held fast. This was not the rain. This water was spilling from his eyes.

  For they’d caught a glimpse of a bold line of text. A headline that drove the cold already inhabiting his limbs straight to his heart.

  Barely breathing, he clutched the sheet of paper and shook it straight with one hand, his other illuminating the text with his light.

  “Princess in London for Grand Engagement at Palace,” the headline blared.

  The princess in question was Princess Katerina De Courtes, touted by the media to be one of the most beautiful and eligible bachelorettes in the world. “A modern-day Grace Kelly,” no less.

  And at the sight of her picture, every memory David had fought to forget over the past five years came crashing back into him, ripping the breath from his lungs and crushing his windpipe.

  The shock. The pain. The grief. The anger. The disgrace.

  The injustice.

  Each one a searing bolt of emotion, hot-wired to his chest.

  Flashes of scenes lit up his mind like an unstoppable movie, forcing him to relive every second of it all.

  He tore his eyes away from the paper, gasping for breath.

  “You okay, David?” the muffled voice of Giles called from his left.

  David swallowed hard, realizing his tears had been accompanied by sounds. Too-loud sounds. He quickly cleared his throat. “Fine,” he grated out.

  Pushing the newspaper and the light to one corner, he swiped roughly at his eyes with the back of his sleeve and slowly leaned back in the gloom.

  What would he have told his friend, anyway, even if he had wanted to talk?

  For who would have believed it . . . that an invisible like him could ever have held the heart of a princess?

  2

  Katy

  Cambridge, Massachusetts.

  Five years earlier.

  Katerina stared at the letter, her heart in her throat. Her eyes zoomed in on the closing sentences.

  “Think about it, Katy. Please. I know I’ve been an absolute jerk but I am so, SO sorry for everything, and I’m paying for it now with each day we’re apart. I’m thinking about you all the time, remembering when you stayed with me here in our chalet. I’m missing you, gorgeous, so very much . . . From Russia with love, Alexei.”

  She scoffed in disgust, then finally tossed the letter aside and slid off the kitchen stool. The heady scent of fresh cupcakes filled the room, but her stomach was roiling.

  How dare the selfish prick contact her again! How dare he. After all he’d done. After all the hell he’d put her through. She always knew the guy had a pair of balls large
enough for two, but she had never thought that he would stoop to this.

  “Has the rage-baking session been helping any?” her cousin Cassie murmured, eyeing Katy closely from where she was perched across the table, frosting cupcakes.

  Katy stopped by the counter and leaned against it. Exhaling heavily, she glanced over at the short, blonde-haired girl.

  “He’s already trying to convince me to get back together with him," she replied, struggling to keep her voice even. “Wants me to meet him in Paris over the winter break. We’ve barely started sophomore year, for crying out loud! He must think I’m completely stupid—or an utter narcissist. Like a bunch of smarmy declarations that I’m the center of his universe could erase the fact that he wasted three years of my life.”

  Cassie smiled. “I’ll take that as a no, then.”

  Katy dropped her head into her hands, giving another sigh. Usually, rage-filled baking with Cassie was the ultimate stress reliever. When her dad was being completely unreasonable and wouldn’t let her garden because the hobby was “beneath her”? They’d rage-baked coconut macaroons. When her mom snidely told her she ought to try starving herself once a week? They’d rage-baked a decadent chocolate cake slathered in ganache. When Alexei’s letter had arrived, Katy had immediately proposed making red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.

  But today, none of it was helping. Not even the bonus multicolored sprinkles Cassie had discovered in a drawer.