It was obvious in everything, from their shared room to the way they fretted over each other to the way they seemed to be incapable of not flirting with each other even after being married so long.
If anyone had told me I might consider that a possibility for myself a month ago, I’d have rolled my eyes and walked away. Now? Well, it didn’t seem so far-fetched. I didn’t expect to find what my parents had or even what Ahren had found with Camille. But . . . maybe I could find something. Maybe there would be one person who’d still want to kiss me when I had a runny nose or would rub my shoulders after a long day of meetings. Maybe I could find someone who didn’t seem so scary, who made letting him past the wall seem natural. But all that still could be asking for too much.
Either way, I couldn’t slow now. I knew that for my sake—for my family’s sake—I had to finish my Selection.
And, when I did, I’d have a ring on my finger.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
SPECIAL THANKS TO:
You, for being a generally cool person, but mostly for picking up a fourth book when you thought there’d only be three.
Callaway, for everything, but mostly for doing dishes and math, so I don’t have to.
Guyden and Zuzu, for being the cutest kids ever, but mostly for giving me snuggles when I’m having a rough day.
Mom, Dad, Jody, for all your encouragement, but mostly for being as weird as I am.
Mimi, Papa, Chris, for being so supportive, but mostly for watching the kids over Christmas break so I could sleep.
Elana, for being a really incredible agent, but mostly for making me feel certain that if anyone tried to pie me in the face, you’d tackle them for me.
Erica, for being a very talented editor, but mostly for letting me call you about eighteen times a week without complaining.
Olivia, Christina, Kara, Stephanie, Erin, Alison, Jon, and a gazillion other people at HarperTeen, for being generally awesome people, but mostly for making my life much easier even though we, like, never see one another.
God, for being God, but mostly for making a world where things like kittens wearing bowties are a reality.
And to anyone else I forgot—which is undoubtedly a lot of people—because I’m generally forgetful, but mostly because I’m so tired now, I’m typing this with my eyes closed.
Love you all!
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
PHOTO BY DUSTIN COHEN
KIERA CASS is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Selection series and The Siren. She is a graduate of Radford University and currently lives in Christiansburg, Virginia, with her family. Kiera has kissed approximately fourteen boys in her life. None of them were princes. You can learn more about Kiera’s books, videos, and love of cake online at www.kieracass.com.
Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at hc.com.
BOOKS BY KIERA CASS
The Selection
The Elite
The One
The Heir
The Selection Stories: The Prince & The Guard
The Queen
The Favorite
Happily Ever After: Companion to the Selection Series
The Selection Series Sampler
The Selection Series 3-Book Collection
The Selection Series 4-Book Collection
CREDITS
COVER ART © 2015 BY GUSTAVO MARX/MERGE LEFT REPS, INC.
COVER DESIGN BY ERIN FITZSIMMONS
COPYRIGHT
HarperTeen is an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
THE HEIR. Copyright © 2015 by Kiera Cass. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, 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 hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
www.epicreads.com
Library of Congress Control Number: 2015933400
ISBN 978-0-06-234985-9 (trade)
ISBN 978-0-06-240550-0 (special edition)
ISBN 978-0-06-239746-1 (special edition)
ISBN 978-0-06-239130-8 (international edition)
ISBN 978-0-06-240918-8 (special international edition)
ISBN 978-0-06-239745-4 (special edition)
EPub Edition © April 2015 ISBN 9780062349873
15 16 17 18 19 CG/RRDH 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
FIRST EDITION
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