COPYRIGHT
First published in the USA by HarperTeen,
an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. in 2013 First published in paperback in Great Britain by HarperCollins Childrenâs Books in 2013 HarperCollins Childrenâs Books is a division of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd, 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF
www.harpercollins.co.uk
The Elite
Copyright © 2013 by Kiera Cass
Kiera Cass asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of the work.
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. ISBN: 978-0-00-746670-2 Ebook Edition © MARCH 2013 ISBN: 9780007466733 Version: 2015-12-09
THE ANGELES AIR WAS QUIET, and for a while I lay still, listening to the sound of Maxonâs breathing. It was getting harder and harder to catch him in a truly calm and happy moment, and I soaked up the time, grateful that he seemed to be at his best when he and I were alone.
Ever since the Selection had been narrowed down to six girls, heâd been more anxious than he was when the thirty-five of us arrived in the first place. I guessed he thought heâd have more time to make his choices. And though it made me feel guilty to admit it, I knew I was the reason why he wished he did.
Prince Maxon, heir to the Illéa throne, liked me. Heâd told me a week ago that if I could simply say that I cared for him the way he did for me, without anything holding me back, this whole competition would be over. And sometimes I played with the idea, wondering how it would feel to be Maxonâs alone.
But the thing was, Maxon wasnât really mine to begin with. There were five other girls hereâgirls he took on dates and whispered things toâand I didnât know what to make of that. And then there was the fact that if I accepted Maxon, it meant I had to accept a crown, a thought I tended to ignore if only because I wasnât sure what it would mean for me.
And, of course, there was Aspen.
He wasnât technically my boyfriend anymoreâheâd broken up with me before my name was even drawn for the Selectionâbut when he showed up at the palace as one of the guards, all the feelings Iâd been trying to let go of flooded my heart. Aspen was my first love; when I looked at him . . . I was his.
Maxon didnât know that Aspen was in the palace, but he did know that there was someone at home that I was trying to get over, and he was graciously giving me time to move on while attempting to find someone else heâd be happy with in the event I couldnât ever love him.
As he moved his head, inhaling just above my hairline, I considered it. What would it be like to simply love Maxon?
âDo you know when the last time was that I really looked at the stars?â he asked.
I settled closer to him on our blanket, trying to keep warm in the cool Angeles night. âNo idea.â
âA tutor had me studying astronomy a few years ago. If you look closely, you can tell that the stars are actually different colors.â
âWait, the last time you looked at the stars was to study them? What about for fun?â
He chuckled. âFun. Iâll have to pencil in some between the budget consultations and infrastructure committee meetings. Oh, and war strategizing, which, by the way, I am terrible at.â
âWhat else are you terrible at?â I asked, running my hand across his starched shirt. Encouraged by the touch, Maxon drew circles on my shoulder with the hand he had wrapped behind my back.
âWhy would you want to know that?â he asked in mock irritation.
âBecause I still know so little about you. And you seem perfect all the time. Itâs nice to have proof youâre not.â
He propped himself up on an elbow, focusing on my face. âYou know Iâm not.â
âPretty close,â I countered. Little flickers of touch ran between us. Knees, arms, fingers.
He shook his head, a small smile on his face. âOkay, then. I canât plan wars. Iâm rotten at it. And Iâm guessing Iâd be a terrible cook. Iâve never tried, soââ
âNever?â
âYou might have noticed the teams of people keeping you up to your neck in pastries? They happen to feed me as well.â
I giggled. I helped cook practically every meal at home. âMore,â I demanded. âWhat else are you bad at?â