infected [in-fekt-ed] noun

a person that has been given a specific formula that subtly alters biological aspects. The formula was created centuries ago by a man named Philo Castor, and he has generated many cult followings in the years since his death in 1352 C.E.

Prominent cult following: an organization led by a man named Donovan Alexis

Origins are unknown, though rumor has it he and his secondhand man Vladimir Jefferson came from somewhere in Eastern Europe. Traces of their organization have been found around the world, and though they largely remain ghosts, each government has a specific department for tracking them down.

U.S. Department: The Office of Cultist Intelligence

The agency hasn’t had much success lately, which limits their funding and credibility. One of their prime targets is Alexis’ protégé, a dangerous young man with an undocumented background that never leaves a trail.

Mr. Sark: the youngest handler in Alexis’ organization

Rather than rising through the ranks like his coworkers, Alexis took a liking to him and fast-tracked him through promotions. Determined to prove himself, Sark pursues his assigned infected relentlessly with the hope she’ll lead him to what his boss is hunting.

Arie: Sark’s assigned infected

She ran away from her home in New York in an effort to escape Sark, only to find he follows her everywhere. He’s relentless, cold, and violent, and will go to brutal lengths to extract the information he believes she might be keeping.

Only she knows that she’s the one he’s looking for.

Begin the journey of Arie’s Story:

SURVIVING ON A WHISPER
Anniversary Edition

Surviving is never easy, especially for Arie

A seventeen-year-old girl who ran away from home after a harrowing betrayal ruined her life. Now she’s a science experiment harboring a massive secret and running from those who want her power for their own vendettas. Stuck in a violent game of cat and mouse, Arie spends every moment evading Mr. Sark—the man representing the organization that would do anything to get their hands on what she’s hiding. Sark is driven, cruel, and desperate to prove himself, and every day he gets closer and closer to unraveling everything Arie is trying to protect.

One mistake on Arie’s part drags a civilian named Erika into the game. Arie is horrified to find Erika involved in Sark’s bloody hunt, and grapples with how to save them all. But Arie can’t do this on her own. She needs some help if she’s going to survive the secret looming over her head.

Walls crumble and lines between friend and enemy are blurred as Arie struggles to decide who to trust while trying to protect her secret and those she loves, knowing not everyone—including herself—can survive. READ MORE

SURVIVING THROUGH THE NIGHT

Life goes on. At least it’s supposed to. These days, Arie isn’t so sure.

She finally managed to escape Dalton’s grasp and find her way back to her makeshift family, but eight months is a long time to be away from home—Arie returns to find that the world kept on turning while she was gone. Alexis has been busy since Arie’s secret got out and she realizes that she’ll have to work harder than ever to keep the key away from him.

But Alexis isn’t the only problem. Dalton’s threat hangs over Arie, dictating her every move, which nobody else seems to understand. And when a sinister assassin begins tracking her down, Arie knows it’s only a matter of time before someone she loves gets hurt again. So the question remains: should she leave in an effort to keep her family safe or stay with those she loves to help them survive?

As danger closes in from all sides, Arie realizes more and more that she’s not who she used to be. Survival comes at a cost, a cost that changes people, a cost that changed Arie more than she’s willing to admit. But there’s something else lurking in the corners of her mind that’s threatening to take control. Her fight against the clock—against her engrained powers as the key—is nearly up. READ MORE

SURVIVING TO THE END

My name is Arie Nolan.

I am nineteen years old. I have blue eyes and dark hair and scarred arms. I’m an infected and I’m a person and I’m trying to figure out what that means.

My name is Arie. I am the key to the formula.

They’re trying to make me a monster.

I don’t want to be a monster.

Please don’t make me a monster. READ MORE

SURVIVING THE AFTER

We talk about the fight like it’s our life.

And in some ways, it is. It’s all we know. The fight against evil, the fight against monsters, the fight against ourselves. It can become everything because it can mean everything, mean life or death, for better or worse. The war consumes us until it becomes who we are.

But sometimes, no matter how long or hard we fight, no matter how much we need or deserve to win, sometimes we don’t. Sometimes we lose. We have to live with that. And sometimes that’s a fight all on its own.

Everyone talks about the fight.

The victory.

Nobody talks about the loss.

The after. READ MORE

Novellas in the series:

THE KIDS AREN’T ALL RIGHT
A Novella in the Arie’s Story Series

Not every story has a happy ending, but every story deserves to be told.

Meet Leslie. She’s a junior in high school out to make a reputation for herself that doesn’t revolve around her last name. After all, her mom is the most successful district attorney in the state, her older brother Peter is a star football player set on the fast track for scholarships, and her dad owns the biggest car dealership in town with eyes only for his son’s college ball. Leslie’s learned the hard way that most people—besides her best friends Amanda and Chet—want to be her friend for two reasons: money or Peter.

Leslie’s sick of the politics and superficiality that comes with the world she lives in, and she’s eager to leave it all behind. Just one more year and then she can get out of her suffocatingly huge home, go to a community college out of state, and work on her art, even though her mom would rather die than send her daughter anywhere other than Yale. Leslie feels trapped—trapped by her mom, trapped by her arrogant brother and his spiteful girlfriend, and trapped by society. She just wishes that something would change.

But then she gets caught in the middle of an act of revenge gone wrong, throwing her menial life into chaos. READ MORE

THE SCIENTIST
Free eBook

Life goes on. At least it’s supposed to. These days, Arie isn’t so sure.

She finally managed to escape Dalton’s grasp and find her way back to her makeshift family, but eight months is a long time to be away from home—Arie returns to find that the world kept on turning while she was gone. Alexis has been busy since Arie’s secret got out and she realizes that she’ll have to work harder than ever to keep the key away from him.

But Alexis isn’t the only problem. Dalton’s threat hangs over Arie, dictating her every move, which nobody else seems to understand. And when a sinister assassin begins tracking her down, Arie knows it’s only a matter of time before someone she loves gets hurt again. So the question remains: should she leave in an effort to keep her family safe or stay with those she loves to help them survive?

As danger closes in from all sides, Arie realizes more and more that she’s not who she used to be. Survival comes at a cost, a cost that changes people, a cost that changed Arie more than she’s willing to admit. But there’s something else lurking in the corners of her mind that’s threatening to take control. Her fight against the clock—against her engrained powers as the key—is nearly up. READ MORE

About Emilee KingEMILEE KING
YA AUTHOR

Emilee King really loves to write fictional stories, she really hates to write biographies. All you need to know is she collects Sharpies, belongs in the Slytherin house, and will be on Team Cap forever. She lives in [LOCATION BLOCKED] with her laptop, where she writes, binges Netflix, and does secret agent work on the side (obviously).
Read twenty random facts about Emilee

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