Expiation the whisper of.., p.1
Expiation: The Whisper of Death (Touched #4),
p.1
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Copyright 2015 by Elisa Amore
Translation copyright 2016 by Leah Janeczko
Editor: Annie Crawford
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All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying, and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the Author.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Artwork by Nathalia Suellen
TOUCHED SAGA READING ORDER
Book 1: Touched – The Caress of Fate
Book 2: Unfaithful – The Deception of Night
Book 3: Brokenhearted – The Power of Darkness
Book 4: Expiation - The Whisper of Death
Box Set: The complete Series
TOUCHED SAGA SPIN OFF (Drake’s Story):
Book 1: Dark Tournament
TOUCHED SAGA SHORT STORIES:
Book 1.5: The Shadow of Fate, Gemma’s Prequel
Book 2.5: The Mark of Fate, Evan’s Prequel
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PRAISE FOR THE TOUCHED SAGA
“As seductive as Meet Joe Black. As mysterious as City of Angels. As powerful as Twilight.”
“Elisa S. Amore is one of the few phenomena in Italian self-publishing.” Vanity Fair
“Girls who dream of love, a new novel just for you has come out in bookshops.” Marie Claire
“The Caress of Fate is the literary success of the year.” Tu Style
“A winning novel that’s fresh and interesting, one that belongs on your bookshelf.” Io Donna
“Italy, too, is seeing the rise of the fantasy genre served with a side of romance. Its undisputed queen is thirty-one-year-old Elisa S. Amore.” F Magazine
“A sensationally successful debut.” La Sicilia
“Elisa S. Amore is an unquestioned star of the supernatural fantasy genre.” Metro
“For those who think emotions shouldn’t die out as you grow up, this novel has a lot to offer you.” Vero
“With The Caress of Fate, Elisa S. Amore makes her bookstore debut, but if you look up her name on the web you’ll discover a whole world. Elisa S. Amore’s narrative skills are clear; it’s like reading a classic American-made saga.” Pop Up Literature
“A truly incredible fantasy novel in which love is masterfully combined with the supernatural. A new saga whose readers are already anxiously awaiting the second—and no doubt spectacular—installment.” Il Recensore
“A love story that goes beyond the confines of reality to unite two souls as they overcome every obstacle. Recommended for all romantics and everyone who dreams of immortal love.” Gli Amanti dei Libri
“Elisa S. Amore has created a world around her novel, making it something unique.” Lo Schermo
“A modern version of the Italian masterpiece Death Takes a Holiday.” Elena - Goodreads
“As fascinating as Meet Joe Black, but for young adults. And not only.” The Bookworm
“Following the Italian success of Alberto Casella, another fascinating story about death and love.” R. Fantasy
Hailed by readers as a perfect mix of City of Angels and Meet Joe Black, with a pinch of the Orpheus legend.
Table of contents
Touched Saga Reading Order
Praise
Prologue
Chapter 1: The Colors Of The Soul
Chapter 2: Potential
Chapter 3: Hide-And-Seek
Chapter 4: Foul Play
Chapter 5: Uncontrollable Instinct
Chapter 6: Blocks Of Ice
Chapter 7: Fireworks
Chapter 8: Gifts From Hell
Chapter 9: Dangerous Nostalgia
Chapter 10: The Darkness Summons
Chapter 11: Poetry In The Sky
Chapter 12: Stay With Me
Chapter 13: A Soldier Of Death
Chapter 14: Heaven And Hell
Chapter 15: Dusty Memories
Chapter 16: Parallel Worlds
Chapter 17: The Snowball Hop
Chapter 18: The First Dance
Chapter 19: Waiting
Chapter 20: A Sad Farewell
Chapter 21: Disagreements
Chapter 22: The Forest Awakens
Chapter 23: Light And Darkness
Chapter 24: The Awakening
Chapter 25: Blood Bond
Chapter 26: A New World
Chapter 27: Queen Of The Skies
Chapter 28: Promises
Chapter 29: Dangerous Temptations
Chapter 30: The Whisper Of Evil
Chapter 31: Insatiable Thirst
Chapter 32: First Reaping
Chapter 33: The Illusion Of Having You Near
Chapter 34: A New Desire
Chapter 35: Millicent And Prisca
Chapter 36: Absolon
Chapter 37: Hidden Truths
Chapter 38: Mind And Soul
Chapter 39: The Light Of The Soul
Chapter 40: The Eye Of Destiny
Chapter 41: Point Of No Return
Chapter 42: Heart Of Ice
Chapter 43: A Painful Goodbye
Chapter 44: Seduction And Temptation
Chapter 45: Kiss Of Darkness
Chapter 46: Sweet Poison
Chapter 47: Unforgivable Insult
Chapter 48: The Opalion
Chapter 49: Mortal Challenge
Chapter 50: To The Death
Chapter 51: The Whisper Of Death
Chapter 52: A Final Promise
Chapter 53: Eternal Peace
Epilogue
Acknowledgements
VIP LIST
ALSO BY ELISA S. AMORE
THE AUTHOR
“The universe will never be extinguished
because just when the darkness
seems to have smothered all,
to be truly transcendent,
the new seeds of light
are reborn in the very depths.”
Philip K. Dick
PROLOGUE
“Simon, behind you!” I shouted from atop one of the boulders, but my voice was drowned out by the explosion of the fireball hurled at my brother. I held my breath in alarm, but moments later Simon emerged from the cloud of dust, a thousand shards of rock still raining down.
“Where’d he go?!” he shouted, agitated, shielding his eyes with his arm to avoid the shower of shattered stone.
I hadn’t seen where the Subterranean had gone, but a fleeting movement caught my eye. “Over there! By the wall!”
Simon narrowed his eyes and disappeared into a crevice in the rocks.
“You take care of him, little brother,” I murmured. “I’ll keep climbing.”
I had no idea what that hellish place was. It looked like a world in ruins from one of Drake’s video games. The wreck of an old galleon stood among the rocks like a sentry and small pools of water dotted the sandy earth. Around me, the rocks rose in a circle all the way up to the ceiling of the cavern, where light streamed in through a hole. It was as though a giant hand had descended from above and punched through the rocks, opening a passageway to Hell while groping with its fingers to dig channels all around it. The result was a bizarre labyrinth of tunnels that made their way up toward the surface.
A movement to my left. I gripped my dagger and stood motionless, all my senses alert. The Subterranean materialized behind me but I spun around in time, blocked his fist, and slammed him against the wall. He shot to his feet and rushed me at warp speed. My blows were brutal and direct, but the young redheaded Subterranean put up a good defense. He broke off a jagged piece of rock and wounded my bare chest with it. I gritted my teeth, absorbing the pain.
I jumped up, grabbed hold of a vine dangling among the rocks, and pinned the Subterranean’s head between my legs. I whipped him around, releasing my grip and dropping him several levels. Keeping my eyes trained on him, I opened my hand and summoned the poison-tipped dagger that had slipped to the ground.
The Subterranean shot me a glare brimming with contempt and r
I followed the sound of his footsteps racing through the unpredictable twists and turns. A mortal wouldn’t have been able to handle the dizzying pace of the obstacle course, but with me chasing him, that Subterranean was doomed.
“You can’t keep her away from us forever,” he shouted.
I pounced in front of him and shoved him against the wall. “But I’ll never stop trying.” As I drew my dagger its blade hissed and I pressed it against his throat.
“Others will come,” he warned, his eyes full of fear.
“I have a plan for that too,” I shot back, my expression threatening.
We’d spent a whole week, day and night, formulating a plan, studying every detail. Now that Gemma had sworn loyalty to the Witches she’d never been more in danger. The Màsala wanted to take her before she transformed, but I wasn’t about to let anybody touch her.
The Subterranean cringed, bracing for the blow. Instead I grabbed his hands and pinned them to the rock. An arrow whistled past my ear. I spun around and her eyes pierced me, as golden as those of the hissing Dakor coiled around her wrist.
A Witch.
The Subterranean let out a wail of terror but she continued to stare at me, a mix of excitement and bitterness in her eyes. She had a proud face, dark skin, and a long ponytail as black as ebony.
Bathsheeva.
She set another poisoned arrow against her bow and took aim at me, but a second before she released it her arm tipped up and she hit her real target. The Subterranean who’d just materialized in midair crumpled to the ground, the arrow protruding from his leg.
Like a bolt of lightning, another arrow flew straight toward us and lodged inches from the head of the Subterranean I’d immobilized. With a fierce snap, a black leather cord whipped around his wrists, binding him to the wall. The Angel of Death howled with pain from the poison the cord had been soaked in and passed out, scarlet trickles of blood streaking the mark of the Children of Eve on his arm.
The Witch narrowed her threatening eyes at me once again, then took a mighty leap and set off to track down her next prey. The Subterranean she’d hit in the leg was writhing on the ground just steps from me, his flesh sizzling from the arrow’s poison. Framed by long black hair, his face was covered with welts, painful testimony to his personal battle with the Witch.
I clenched my fists. He was about to die, but in his gray eyes there wasn’t a shadow of fear or remorse—only the proud awareness that with his death others would come to complete the mission. I raised my foot and kicked him hard in the face to erase that satisfied smirk.
The sounds of the battle echoed off the walls. There was no time for long farewells because we weren’t done fighting yet. I ran in the direction of the shouts and leapt off the rocks into the void. Aiming for one of the two Subterraneans Simon was battling, I landed on him with all my weight, like a hungry lion pouncing on its prey. I was well aware of my peers’ blind dedication during battle, but my strength had another source, another energy, another name. My need to protect Gemma was unstoppable. I could feel the fire grow stronger inside me every time I struck. And struck. Again and again. I would slaughter them all, each and every one of them. No one was going to take her away from me again.
I dragged the Subterranean back and slammed him against the ground. My hair fell over my face, my breathing ragged and my muscles quivering as I held him in place.
He stared at me in terror as the earth cracked beneath him. What scared him most, I could tell, were my eyes. They were the same ice-color as his, but mine held a fire he’d never seen before.
Someone clapped, deliberately, and I slowly raised my eyes.
“What an exciting show. I’d almost forgotten how ardently you used to battle in the Opalion.” Devina emerged from the shadows, moving with feline grace as four black panthers stalked from different crevasses in the rock and positioned themselves in a circle.
Terrified, the Subterranean beneath me tried to break free, but I tightened my grip. “Too bad the show didn’t feature you,” I shot back at the Witch, my sarcastic voice overflowing with hatred.
She leaned over and stroked my cheek with her black-painted fingernail. Her fiery eyes told me she still desired me. She slid her finger down my neck and across the long, deep scar on my shoulder. A dark shadow veiled her gaze at the memory of when she’d left her marks on me, almost as though she’d branded me as her property. Her Dakor slowly slithered out of her thick red hair and hissed close to my face.
I grabbed the hand she was touching me with and glared at her with contempt.
“Such bitterness,” she lamented, her voice honeyed. “After all the time we spent having fun together . . .” One of the panthers roared and she sneered.
In a silent challenge, I held her ardent gaze as her serpent circled down her arm. The blond Subterranean struggled beneath me, terrified, as the Dakor slithered closer and closer to him and the air filled with tension.
Another panther roared, and this time the sound filled the entire cave.
“Oh, all right! You’re all so tiresome!” Devina stood up and cracked her whip, winding it around the Angel’s throat. She jerked it back and smashed him against the galleon’s fragile wooden hull, shattering it and revealing what was hidden inside: a cluster of Subterraneans bound to tall posts.
I went to stand beside Simon, my muscles tensed. He too had captured a Subterranean. The two panthers facing them transformed into Witches, seized his prisoner, and bound him to a post beside the others as more Sisters leapt down from the rocks with their prey.
Devina smiled at me, in her eyes a glimmer of nostalgia and a hint of promise. I turned to follow Simon, but something stopped me. The burning pain registered before the crack of the whip; Devina’s poisoned lash had coiled around my wrist. “Leaving so soon? The fun is barely starting.”
Simon and I exchanged glances. He seemed worried about my intentions, but I grabbed the whip, ignoring the pain, and jerked it out of Devina’s grip. Before she realized what I was doing, I threw myself on her, forcing her backwards with my body and pressing the whip tightly against her throat. “We’re not in your world now, Witch. Just because we’ve formed an alliance doesn’t mean I’m willing to put up with you. Try that again and I’ll incinerate you.”
Three panthers crept toward us threateningly. “Evan,” Simon called.
I looked at the Witch again. Would I ever manage to wipe that smug smirk off her face? I turned my back to her and followed Simon to the waterfall above. There, behind the curtain of water, was the way out. I opened the door and behind me Simon pressed the black carbonado button. Our surroundings changed: the ruins slowly turned into the familiar walls of the workout room. The rock beneath our feet flattened out to form the floor, like a lake gradually freezing over, sealing the Subterraneans in our dungeon below, guarded by a group of ferocious panthers who were prepared to devour them.
“Luring them here was a great idea, bro. Well done!” I told Simon, throwing myself down onto the sofa in the living room. He straddled a chair and started munching popcorn. After various days of nonstop battling the Subterraneans sent in to kill Gemma, we’d come up with a strategy. Originally, we’d only had to deal with one Executioner at a time, but this time they’d sent in nine of them at once. The Witches had helped us secure the training room area, and one by one the Executioners had fallen into our trap. Once they’d been lured in, they had no way out. Now they were under round-the-clock surveillance by a group of Drusas—guardian Witches—who were keeping them in a weakened state with their powerful venomous blood. Even if they broke free, the perimeter of the workout room was sealed off so they couldn’t dematerialize. We had them in the palm of our hands.
