Citadel

CITADEL CLAIRE KENT This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental. Copyright © 2023 by Claire Kent. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce, distribute, or transmit in any form or by any means. CONTENTS About Citadel Author’s Note Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Interlude About Claire Kent ABOUT CITADEL Ever since the world fell apart, I’ve had no one except my sister. We’ve stuck together and taken care of each other, and I’ve never let anyone else in. But when one bloody night shatters our temporary haven on the flood-ravaged coast, surviving alone is no longer an option. I have to trust someone, and Cole is that person for me. Cole has spent years on a doomed, lonely mission to find his brother, but he goes out of his way to save us. He’s strong and stoic and driven, and I can’t help wanting him as more than my rescuer. But trusting Cole is a mistake. The man will always leave. Two years after I learned this hard lesson, I need his help again. My sister is taken, and I have no one else to turn to but Cole. I’ll accept his help because I have no choice, but I’ll never trust him with my heart or my body again. I’ll do anything for my sister, including once more risking everything on a man who will always leave in the end. AUTHOR’S NOTE Citadel ended up surprising me by becoming the first book in what’s almost a duology. The book is complete in terms of the romance and the character development—there are no major cliffhangers in that regard—but there are still plot threads left hanging at the end of this one which will be addressed and resolved in the next book of the series. We also don’t see any familiar faces in Citadel. The larger connections to the series, including characters from earlier books, will show up in the next book. Since this is a change from my pattern in this series, I figured I’d give you a heads-up about what to expect as you read. The next book is called Sanctuary and will be about Del’s sister, Breanna, but it will pick up the unresolved plot elements from Citadel as well as tie these characters back to the established Kindled series community. Sanctuary should be out some time this fall. Right now, I’m planning this series to be eight books—with Mack and Anna’s being the last. But, if I continue to be inspired, I’ll start a spinoff series after this one is complete. 1 Mornings come earlier as the season shifts into spring, and the sunrise on the ocean always wakes me up. Today I blink into the growing light as I awaken. I must have shifted into a sunspot as I slept last night. We always arrange our blankets so the sun won’t hit our faces through the window openings when morning comes. I turn over onto my other side with a grumble but don’t stay in that position for long. Once I’m awake, I’m compelled to get up and start the day. The fish are closer to the shore early in the morning, and if I can catch enough quickly, I might have time to make it to the beach and do some scavenging. The ocean water is finally retreating after flooding the entire Eastern Seaboard for years. The climate upheavals after the asteroid hit Europe five years ago churned up hurricane after hurricane for nearly a year, submerging every inch of land within fifty miles of the coast. My family used to live in Norfolk, Virginia—fifteen-year-old me, my parents, my older sister, and my baby sister not yet born—and we stayed there for months after Impact despite the warnings from scientists that both coasts would eventually become uninhabitable. After all, we had nowhere else to go. We finally gave up after the third monster hurricane. Packed our car and drove west like everyone else. We ended up in a temporary shelter in Charlottesville until a militia group raided it, stole all the supplies, and killed anyone who tried to defend it. My dad was killed in the raid. My mom and baby sister died a month later in childbirth. Since then, it’s been me and my older sister, Breanna. She’s still asleep, facing away from the sun with a blanket over her head. Vern usually wants to fuck her in the evenings, but she comes to sleep next to me afterward. I get up, do a few stretches to loosen stiff muscles in my back and legs, and then pull on my jeans and a worn, oversized sweatshirt over my tank top. Breanna shifts under the blanket and slides it down to reveal her pretty, freckled face and vivid red hair. She blinks at me groggily. “Mornin’, Del. You leaving already?” My name is Delaney, but everyone has always called me Del. “Yeah. Sun’s coming up.” “Okay. Be careful.” “Always am. If I get an early catch, I’m going to scavenge some more, so I might be later than normal.” “Don’t be too late. It’s not safe all by yourself.” “There’s no one but us around anymore.” “Maybe.” She makes a face. “But you never know who might be passing through.” “Everyone thinks the coasts are unlivable. We’re the only ones crazy enough to be out here.” “Maybe,” she says again. “But there might be a few others as crazy as us. If you see anyone, you run for the boat.” “I will.” “Promise me.” “I promise.” “Okay. Don’t be too late.” She smiles at me before she covers her head with the blanket and dozes off again. She’s always liked to sleep in. I don’t blame