Lauren Kate - Torment (Fallen)

First, inexpressible thanks to my readers for all the effusive and generous support. Because of you, I may just have to keep writing forever.

To Wendy Loggia, whose belief in this series was a great gift, and who knows just how to make it more like what it always wanted to be. To Beverly Horowitz for the sharpest pep talk Ive ever received, and the dessert you stuffed into my purse. To Krista Vitola, whose good-news emails have made so many of my days. To Angela Carlino and the design team, for the jacket that could launch a thousand ships. To my traveling partner Noreen Marchisi, Roshan Nozari, and the rest of the tremendous marketing team at Random House. You are magicians. To Michael Stearns and Ted Malawer, tireless geniuses. Your wit and encouragement make you almost too much fun to work with.

To my friends, who keep me sane and inspired. To my family in Texas, Arkansas, Baltimore, and Florida for so much exuberance and love. And to Jason, for every single day.

ALSO BY LAUREN KATE

FALLEN

L AUREN K ATE grew up in Dallas, went to school in Atlanta, and started writing in New York. She is the author of the international bestseller Fallen and The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and is learning how to surf.

EIGHTEEN DAYS

L uce planned on keeping her eyes closed all six hours of the cross-country flight from Georgia out to California, right up until the moment when the wheels of the plane touched down in San Francisco. Half asleep, she found it so much easier to pretend she was already reunited with Daniel.

It felt like a lifetime since shed seen him, though it had really only been a few days. Ever since theyd said goodbye at Sword & Cross on Friday morning, Luces whole body had felt groggy. The absence of his voice, his warmth, the touch of his wings: it had sunk into her bones, like a strange illness.

An arm brushed against hers, and Luce opened her eyes. She was face to face with a wide-eyed, brown-haired guy a few years older than her.

Sorry, they both said at the same time, each retreating a few inches on either side of the planes armrest.

Out the window, the view was startling. The plane was making its descent into San Francisco, and Luce had never seen anything like it before. As they traced the south side of the bay, a winding blue tributary seemed to cut through the earth on its way to the sea. The stream divided a vibrant green field on one side from a swirl of something bright red and white on the other. She pressed her forehead to the double plastic pane and tried to get a better view.

What is that? she wondered aloud.

Salt, the guy answered, pointing. He leaned in closer. They mine it out of the Pacific.

The answer was so simple, so human. Almost a surprise after the time shed spent with Daniel and the othershe was still unpracticed at using the terms literallyangels and demons. She looked out across the midnight-blue water, which seemed to stretch forever west. Sun-over-water had always meant morning to Atlantic coastraised Luce. But out here, it was almost night.

Youre not from around here, are you? her seatmate asked.

Luce shook her head but held her tongue. She kept staring out the window. Before shed left Georgia this morning, Mr. Cole had coached her about keeping a low profile. The other teachers had been told that Luces parents had requested a transfer. It was a lie. As far as Luces parents, Callie, and anyone else knew, she was still enrolled at Sword & Cross.

A few weeks before, this would have infuriated her. But the things that had happened in those final days at Sword & Cross had left Luce a person who took the world more seriously. She had glimpsed a snapshot of another lifeone of so many shed shared with Daniel before. Shed discovered a love more important to her than anything shed ever thought possible. And then shed seen all of that threatened by a crazy, dagger-wielding old woman whom shed thought she could trust.

There were more out there like Miss Sophia, that Luce knew. But no one had told her how to recognize them. Miss Sophia had seemed normal, up until the end. Could the others look as innocent as this brown-haired guy sitting next to her? Luce swallowed, folded her hands on her lap, and tried to think about Daniel.

Daniel was taking her someplace safe.

Luce pictured him waiting for her in one of those gray plastic airport chairs, elbows on knees, his blond head tucked between his shoulders. Rocking back and forth in his black Converse sneakers. Standing up every few minutes to pace around the baggage carousel.

There was a jolt as the plane touched down. Suddenly she was nervous. Would he be as happy to see her as she was to see him?

She focused on the brown and beige pattern on the cloth seat in front of her. Her neck felt stiff from the long flight and her clothes had a stale, stuffy airline smell. The navy-blue-suited ground crew outside the window seemed to be taking an abnormally long time to direct the plane to its Jetway. Her knees bobbed with impatience.

I take it youre staying in California for a while? The guy next to her offered a lazy smile that only made Luce more anxious to get up.

Why would you say that? she asked quickly. What would make you think that?

He blinked. With that huge red duffel bag and all.

Luce inched away from him. She hadnt even noticed this guy until two minutes ago when hed jarred her awake. How did he know about her luggage?

Hey, nothing creepy. He shot her a strange look. I was just standing behind you in line when you checked in.

Luce smiled awkwardly. I have a boyfriend streamed from her mouth. Instantly, her cheeks reddened.

The guy coughed. Got it.

Luce grimaced. She didnt know why shed said that. She didnt want to be rude, but the seat belt light went off and all she wanted to do was barrel past this guy and right off the plane. He must have had the same idea, because he edged backward in the aisle and swept his hand forward. As politely as she could, Luce pushed past and bounded toward the exit.

Only to get caught in a bottleneck of agonizing slowness on the Jetway. Silently cursing all the casual Californians shuffling in front of her, Luce stood on her toes and shifted from foot to foot. By the time she stepped into the terminal, shed driven herself half insane with impatience.

Finally, she could move. She wove expertly through the crowd and forgot all about the guy shed just met on the plane. She forgot to feel nervous that shed never been to California in her lifenever been further west than Branson, Missouri, that time when her parents dragged her to see Yakov Smirnoff doing standup. And for the first time in days, she even briefly forgot the horrible things shed seen at Sword & Cross. She was headed toward the only thing in the world that had the power to make her feel better. The only thing that could make her feel that all the anguish shed been throughall the shadows, that unreal battle in the cemetery, and worst of all, the heartbreak of Penns deathmight be worth surviving.

There he was.

Sitting exactly as shed imagined he would, on the last in a block of sad gray chairs, next to an automatic sliding door that kept opening and closing behind him. For a second, Luce stood still and just enjoyed the view.