Gena Showalter - Everlife

STAND TOGETHER OR FALL ALONE.

THE FATE OF THE EVERLIFE HANGS IN THE BALANCE.

At seventeen years old, Tenley “Ten” Lockwood had to make the ultimate choice—where to live after she died. Loyalty to her selected realm has not wavered...until now. The numbers-obsessed Conduit is out of time. Sacrifices must be made, and a terrible price must be paid. But is she too late?

As the Everlife descends into darkness, a single truth becomes clear: Troika and Myriad must unite at long last—or perish. In order to bring sworn enemies together, Ten must enter forbidden territory...and destroy the powerful Prince of Ravens. But there’s only one way inside—bonding with Killian Flynn, a deadly rival Laborer who sets her blood aflame.

When nothing goes as planned and betrayal leads to the edge of utter defeat, Ten and Killian will have to rebuild trust from the ashes of their hearts. Victory seems impossible, the odds stacked against them. In the end, how far will they be willing to go for the sake of their realms and the Everlife?

GENA SHOWALTERis a New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author whose teen titles have been praised as “unputdownable.” Growing up, she always had her nose buried in a book. When it came time to buckle down and get a job, she knew writing was it for her. Gena lives in Oklahoma with her family and a menagerie of dogs. Become a fan on Facebookand visit her website at genashowalter.com.

Also By Gena Showalter

The Everlife Novels

(in reading order)

Firstlife

Lifeblood

Everlife

The White Rabbit Chronicles

(in reading order)

Alice in Zombieland

Through the Zombie Glass

The Queen of Zombie Hearts

A Mad Zombie Party

The Intertwined Novels

(in reading order)

Intertwined

Unraveled

Twisted

Copyright

An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

First published in Great Britain by HQ in 2018

Copyright © Gena Showalter 2018

Gena Showalter asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable 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.

Ebook Edition © February 2018 ISBN: 9781474074667

Praise for the Everlife novels

“Lifeblood ramps up the action ‘Ten’fold—don’t miss this exhilarating sequel to Firstlife!”

—#1 New York Times bestselling author P.C. Cast on Lifeblood

“Tense, philosophical, and enthralling.”

—Kirkus Reviews on Lifeblood

“Showalter’s writing is stunning. Her narrative engulfs readers so deeply into her story that they’ll be in danger of forgetting the world around them.”

—RT Book Reviews on Lifeblood, 4 1/2 stars, Top Pick!

“Utterly unique and absolutely riveting—I couldn’t put it down!”

—#1 New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas on Firstlife

“Firstlife illuminates the depths of human resilience and the power of love, even in the darkest hours.”

—Kresley Cole, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Arcana Chronicles, on Firstlife

“Unforgettable and powerful.”

—#1 New York Times bestselling author Kristin Cast on Firstlife

“Raw, edgy and dark, Firstlife will leave you craving more.”

—Wendy Higgins, New York Times bestselling author of the Sweet series, on Firstlife

“Every word grabs hold of your heart and leaves you breathless.”

—New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Roxanne St. Claire on Firstlife

“Showalter creates a vividly unique and edgy new world.”

—Katie McGarry, critically acclaimed author of Nowhere but Here and Pushing the Limits, on Firstlife

To God, my Helper, Healer, Redeemer, Defender, Shepherd, Provider...my everything.

To Natashya Wilson, whose keen insight never fails to amaze me. Thank you for your incredible feedback as I worked on the Everlife series, for asking questions that needed to be asked and helping me reach a new level.

To Vicki Tolbert, Shonna Hurt, Michelle Quine and Christy James, for the prayers I so desperately needed. Also, a special thanks to Vicki for feeding me while I was working!

To Jill Monroe, who gets a thousand emails anytime I’m writing a rough draft. Most of those questions go a little something like this: “What do you think of this? Yes, but what about this? But, but, but what about this?” I am blessed to know you!

And last but not least, to the incredible animals who inspired some of the furry characters in this book: Biscuit, Mary Ann, Ginger, Nemo, Thor, Pepper, Boots, Noel, Peanut, Athena, Boomer, Riggs, Murtaugh, Milo, Goldman, Mya, Barney, Bailey, Champ, Lucy, Roxi, Lefty, Righty, Suzi and Dixie.

CONTENTS

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Praise for the Everlife novels

Dedication

Map

Quote

The End of a Nation

Glossary of Terms excerpted from Myriad’s Book of Evernight

Message Directory

PART ONE

TROIKA

TROIKA

TROIKA

TROIKA

TROIKA

MYRIAD

MYRIAD

MYRIAD

MYRIAD

chapter one

chapter two

chapter three

chapter four

MYRIAD

MYRIAD

MYRIAD

MYRIAD

MYRIAD

MYRIAD

chapter five

chapter six

chapter seven

TROIKA

TROIKA

chapter eight

chapter nine

chapter ten

TROIKA

TROIKA

chapter eleven

TROIKA

TROIKA

TROIKA

PART TWO

TROIKA

chapter twelve

MYRIAD

MYRIAD

MYRIAD

chapter thirteen

TROIKA

TROIKA

chapter fourteen

chapter fifteen

TROIKA

TROIKA

chapter sixteen

chapter seventeen

TROIKA

chapter eighteen

chapter nineteen

TROIKA

TROIKA

chapter twenty

chapter twenty-one

TROIKA

MYRIAD

PART THREE

chapter twenty-two

chapter twenty-three

chapter twenty-four

TROIKA

TROIKA

TROIKA

chapter twenty-five

chapter twenty-six

chapter twenty-seven

MYRIAD

MYRIAD

MYRIAD

chapter twenty-eight

chapter twenty-nine

chapter thirty

chapter thirty-one

About the Publisher

“The time will come, the time will not be long in coming, when new ties will be formed about you—ties that will bind you yet more tenderly and strongly to the home you so adorn—the dearest ties that will ever grace and gladden you.”