“Apparently, I’m not an ordinary girl.”
He settled back down, embracing me tightly, his lips on mine. From the other side of the hall, I could hear the water turn off in the shower. I was ready to say goodbye to the days of watching him leave, of watching him shimmer and fade. The last time he did that, he didn’t return.
My mother learned enough about his world mirroring our own this week. Nothing unusual was left to make her head spin or leave questions dangling from her lips. There were no secrets anymore.
I sighed, reveling in the warmth of my angel’s arms, with a sense of satisfaction. No more darkness, only light. I thought about the future: my mother’s upcoming marriage, the strange fact that the girl who was once my greatest enemy would soon become my sister, that Nate was going to make a great dad – and Garreth. But in thinking to the future, I couldn’t seem to let go of the past and all who had touched it. They flowed through my veins, forcing me to take stock of the wonder, the irony of how we were all connected.
Garreth, Hadrian, Ryan, Brynn, my mom, my father, Nate . . . and Claire. Eight lives that had touched my own. Eight.
I held them each within my heart, keeping them close and safe with the power of my thoughts. I was also careful to keep others guarded.
We have the power to entertain any thought we wish. To fully embrace them is another matter. Sometimes we get lost along the way, and sometimes we get lucky and find the answers.
I took Garreth’s hand and opened the door. If we hurried, there would be just enough time to put a pot of coffee on for my mom before leaving for school. Pausing, I looked at the endless line of my lemniscate, how it traced and retraced its way across my hand, winding in and out, crossing back to the beginning. This was a new beginning, this world of light that was my own. It was beautiful and it was infinite.
Acknowledgements
It’s time to thank some incredible people who mean the world to me!
First and foremost I owe a tremendous thank you to my family. To my husband Chris, for riding the rollercoaster with me and for listening to my incessant ramblings about writing, edits, plot ideas, and of course . . . books.
Thanks to my son Christian who always informed me when his friends mentioned my books and for sharing the love of YA fiction with me – to my daughter Megan for doing her best to understand when I hogged the computer and for squealing with delight whenever I revealed a new idea floating around my brain.
This would not be complete without my thanking the amazing people I’ve met along the way –
Tom Xander – your talent is truly a force to be reckoned with, an absolute gift. Thank you for devoting so much of your time to share my books with the world.
Lacey Williams – for your contagious enthusiasm! You are the countdown queen!
Michelle Flores – for not only being the first blogger to ever request an ARC of Angel Star but for also being a valuable friend. You’re the best PITA anyone could have!
To the brilliant crafters of YA fiction who so graciously opened their arms and accepted me into their world – Cyn Balog, Christine Johnson, Liza Wiemer and my debut sisters Shelena Shorts, Shannon Delany, PQ Glisson and Jordan Deen.
To Kimberly Martin and Lori Coleman for design and editing, and making sure Lemniscate looked its best.
With absolute gratitude to my publisher, Lisa Paul, who uncannily shares the same vision as I do with this series and surprises me with text messages at random moments of the day to make sure I’m still alive.
Of course this would not be complete without saying thank you to everyone who has fallen in love with Garreth, Hadrian and Teagan – this one’s for you!
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
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 Twnety-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
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