He confused me. What did he mean?
Very gently, very lovingly, Michael placed his hands upon my shoulders and looked into my eyes. “You did it, Ellie.”
“I did?”
“Yes, Ellie. We were transported here when you killed Samyaza before he unleashed the seventh sign upon the earth. Me,” he said sheepishly, even apologetically. “You used the sword of fire.”
I didn’t know how to feel. If I had truly succeeded, if I had actually managed to summon the courage to slay the last fallen and rouse Michael to his calling, the victory was somewhat bittersweet. Imbedded within that triumph was the knowledge that I had killed my birth father. A creature who had loved humankind—and me—albeit in his imperfect way.
I tried to remind myself that the sacrifice was necessary. It had allowed me to rescue the world from the darkness Samyaza would have undoubtedly inflicted upon humankind through his misguided intentions. And give this to the world instead.
“I don’t remember, Michael. I don’t remember using the sword of fire on Samyaza.” I couldn’t bring myself to call him “my father.” It was too fresh a wound.
Michael observed the mixed emotions in my eyes and rushed to reassure me. “You did, Ellie. Together we did what we were born to do. You embraced your full nature and power, instead of hiding behind the facade of a regular girl. I relinquished my hurt pride at not being the Elect One. We stopped the seventh sign. We stopped the end days.”
I gazed into his eyes, and I perceived the truth of his words.
Michael leaned his forehead against mine. For a long moment, we just breathed. Breathed the fresh air of freedom around us. Breathed the sweet relief of each other’s presence. Then he touched his lips to my own.
It was a kiss unlike any other we had shared. Perfect, complete unto itself. No wish for his blood. There was no longer any need, it seemed.
“I love you, Ellie.”
“I love you too, Michael.”
The moment and my vision became one.
With one exception.
After Michael and I broke our embrace to gaze at the bright new world around us, I noticed something. In the far distance, through the filter of a filmy cloud lingering on the edge of the horizon, I thought I saw a distinctive form. I squinted through the mounting brightness of the rising sun, trying to discern the shape. For a fleeting second, the figure materialized.
Broad shoulders; brown hair and eyes; and a wry, knowing smile. It was Rafe.
He was watching me. Watching us. For all eternity.
Acknowledgments
The Fallen Angel series would never have taken flight if not for the encouragement of so many people. I must start by thanking my wonderful agent Laura Dail, who cheered me onto this new venture into the young adult realm and offered invaluable guidance. I would also like to express my appreciation to the fantastic team at HarperTeen, including Elise Howard, Farrin Jacobs, Zareen Jaffery, Sarah Landis, Catherine Wallace, Rose Carrano, Becki Heller, the art department, the promotion and sales departments, and the managing editorial and production departments. And I am so thankful for the Pittsburgh book community of libraries, bookstores, book clubs, reporters, and especially readers.
My extended family and friends provided enthusiasm along the way, including but by no means limited to: my parents, Coleman and Jeanne Benedict; my siblings, Coley, Liz, Lauren, Sean, Courtney, Christopher, and Meredith, and their wonderful families; my in-laws, particularly Catherine Terrell and Alison Lichtenberger; Illana and Sophia Raia; Ponny Conomos Jahn (“my pilot light”); the Six; and Mary Zeleny.
But the people most deserving of thanks are my husband, Jim, and our sons, Jack and Ben. Truly, they make everything in my world possible, far beyond the Fallen Angel series or anything else I can dream up. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
About the Author
Heather Terrell is the author of THE CHRYSALIS, THE MAP THIEF, and BRIGID OF KILDARE. Before she started writing, she worked as a lawyer, and she has more than ten years’ experience as a litigator at two of the country’s premier law firms and for Fortune 500 companies. A graduate of Boston College and the Boston University School of Law, she now lives in Pittsburgh with her family. The books in the Fallen Angel series are her first novels for young adults. You can visit her online at www.heatherterrell.com.
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Also by Heather Terrell
Fallen Angel
Credits
Cover art © 2011 by Andrew Hefter
Cover design by Tom Forget
Copyright
Eternity
Copyright © 2011 by Heather Terrell
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 hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
* * *
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Terrell, Heather.
Eternity : a Fallen angel novel / Heather Terrell. — 1st ed.
p. cm.
Summary: Ellie and Michael’s love is tested as they enter a battle between fallen angels that could destroy the world.
ISBN 978-0-06-196571-5 (trade bdg.)
[1. Supernatural—Fiction. 2. Angels—Fiction. 3. Good and evil—Fiction. 4. Love—Fiction. 5. High schools—Fiction. 6. Schools—Fiction.] I. Title.
PZ7.G7487Et 2011
[Fic]—dc22
2011001883
CIP
AC
* * *
EPub Edition © 2011 ISBN: 9780062084477
11 12 13 14 15 LP/BV 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
First Edition
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Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page
Dedication
Epigraph
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter Twenty-two
Chapter Twenty-three
Chapter Twenty-four
Chapter Twenty-five
&n
bsp; Chapter Twenty-six
Chapter Twenty-seven
Chapter Twenty-eight
Chapter Twenty-nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-one
Chapter Thirty-two
Chapter Thirty-three
Chapter Thirty-four
Chapter Thirty-five
Chapter Thirty-six
Chapter Thirty-seven
Chapter Thirty-eight
Chapter Thirty-nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-one
Chapter Forty-two
Chapter Forty-three
Chapter Forty-four
Chapter Forty-five
Chapter Forty-six
Chapter Forty-seven
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Also by Heather Terrell
Credits
Copyright
About the Publisher
Eternity Page 19