She hugged me and disappeared before a protest could slip past my lips, and the door to our room swung open a split second later. Sarah’s pale face caught me off guard, along with the tears streaming down her cheeks. Hurt and anger burned like wildfire in her icy eyes. She crossed the room in two steps, reeled back, and slapped me across the face.

My eyes watered, cheek blazing under my palm. “Are you off your nut? What the hell did I do?”

She shoved a crumpled blue card into my hand, went into her room, and slammed the door. Still trying to retrieve my senses from where they’d been smacked loose, I looked down at the paper, dazed. Oz’s name and bio information printed across the top, along with his birthday—today.

Underneath it, the name of his True Companion marched in black typeface against the light blue background, impossible to miss, even harder to believe:

Kaia Ruth Vespasian (August 16, 33 NE– )

Acknowledgments

Return Once More is the book that has taken me the longest to get from conception to publication, and there are so many people who have helped along the way. I believe it’s a better story for all of the ups and downs and changes and ideas.

The first person I called when I had this idea was Melissa Triebwasser, and even though she is sometimes inclined to inform me when things that come out of my head are silly, this time she didn’t! She’s been a supporter of the book since the very beginning all the way until the end, when she encouraged her high schoolers to create a fabulous book trailer for the story. Thank you.

My critique partners and early readers, all of whom thought this book could be something special – Denise Grover Swank, who is there not only for craft and business questions, but for wine drinking, television watching, and general wallowing and/or celebrating any night of the week. Leigh Ann Kopans, who has become one of my best friends over the past three-plus years, and without whom I would have nowhere to be myself without fear of judgment. Also without whom I quite possibly would never have tried baking challah, which would be a terrible dystopian version of my life. Amalia Dillon, you know your insight and quality as far as a historical sounding board is priceless to me and my stories, never mind the satisfaction and thrill one gets from discussing history with another nerd as big as one’s self.

Danielle Poiesz, my longtime content and line editor, was the first to look at this book in a professional manner. My initial edit letter was a record 38 pages. Thank you, for this one and all the ways you’ve helped me become a better writer as we’ve worked together on so many projects.

Kathleen Rushall, the agent who took a chance on me as a New Adult author but loved Return Once More (then The Historians) enough to want to find it a home in the traditional publishing world. I can’t thank you enough for believing in my stories, my career, and in me. I am full of gratitude.

To Meredith Rich and the team at Bloomsbury Spark, a million and one thank yous for taking a chance on this manuscript and on me, for loving it like it’s your own, being tough in order to bring out the best possible story, and for being so patient with my overbearing control-freak nature over the past year and a half. I hope that we get the chance to work on more projects together in the future.

To the history teachers, professors, and fellow enthusiasts who gently prodded me into a love of the subject, my life has been the better for it. Passion is a gift, and I plan to spend a lifetime unwrapping mine.

To my friends and family, my boyfriend, the kids I teach on occasion, the people who deliver my mail, the guys at Fun House Pizza, and anyone else who has to tolerate my messy, sometimes un-showered, often plot-foggy brain on a daily basis – thank you for putting up with me and, in some cases, even loving me anyway.

About the Author

Trisha Leigh is a product of the Midwest, which means it’s pop, not soda, garage sales, not tag sales, and you guys as opposed to y’all. Most of the time. She’s been writing seriously for five years now, and has published 4 young adult novels and 4 new adult novels (under her pen name Lyla Payne). Her favorite things, in no particular order, include: reading, Game of Thrones, Hershey’s kisses, reading, her dogs (Yoda and Jilly), summer, movies, reading, Jude Law, coffee, and rewatching WB series from the 90’s-00’s.

Her family is made up of farmers and/or almost rock stars from Iowa, people who are numerous, loud, full of love, and the kind of people that make the world better. Trisha tries her best to honor them, and the lessons they’ve taught, through characters and stories—made up, of course, but true enough in their way.

Trisha is the author of THE LAST YEAR series and the WHITMAN UNIVERSITY books. She’s represented by Kathleen Rushall at Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.

And if you love adult romance, be sure to check out MISTLETOE AND MR. RIGHT, now in print from Bloomsbury Publishing!

Bloomsbury Publishing, London, New Delhi, New York and Sydney

Copyright © 2014 by Trisha Leigh

The moral right of the author has been asserted.

All rights reserved. You may not copy, distribute, transmit, reproduce, or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means, (including without limitation electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, printing, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

This electronic edition published in 2015 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

First published in October 2015 by Bloomsbury Spark, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing, Inc.

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eISBN: 978-1-61963-785-6

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Cover design by Nathalia Suellen