Thank you, Gena!
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
If humanity discovered beyond doubt that there was life after death, how do you think people would react? How would or wouldn’t the value of human life change?
Ten believes Firstlife matters and Killian at first does not. Who is right, and why does Killian’s perspective change? Discuss elements in the book that support your answers.
Killian and Archer were friends before they became deadly enemies. What turns the tide in their relationship and motivates them to form a new relationship? Point to specific scenes in the book to inform your answer.
Killian has relied on his charm and attractiveness to convince his targets to sign with Myriad. When that doesn’t work with Ten, what changes does he make in his approach and why? How well does that work with Ten?
Symbolism plays a huge part in the book—or does it? What symbolism, if any, did the author use to represent another idea via association or resemblance? What themes did the author explore?
What passages in the book struck you as the most insightful? The most profound?
Ten comes to learn a single decision boils down to only right and wrong—for her and those she loves—and the consequences of making a mistake can have eternal repercussions, and yet indecision can come at an even greater cost. Do you agree with her? Why or why not?
What do you consider Myriad’s strengths? Weaknesses? What do you consider Troika’s strengths? Weaknesses? Use examples from the book to support your answers.
If you loved FIRSTLIFE, you won’t want to miss the next thrilling chapter in the EVERLIFE series—LIFEBLOOD—by #1 New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter!
“My Firstlife is over, but my Everlife is only now beginning.”
With her last living breath, Tenley “Ten” Lockwood made her choice and picked her realm in the Everlife. Now, as the war between Troika and Myriad rages, she must face the consequences.
Fighting to save her Secondlife, she must learn about her realm from the ground up while launching her first mission: convincing a select group of humans to join her side before they die. No pressure, right?
But Ten’s competition is Killian, the boy she can’t forget. He has only one shot at redemption: beating Ten at a game she’s never even played. As their throw-downs heat up, so do their undeniable feelings, and soon, Ten will have to make another choice. Love…or victory.
Read it here!
LIFEBLOOD (Book 2)
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Did you enjoy FIRSTLIFE? Looking for more great reads from #1 New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter? Heart-pounding suspense awaits in THE WHITE RABBIT CHRONICLES.
Step through the zombie glass, if you dare! It all starts with ALICE IN ZOMBIELAND…
She won’t rest until she’s sent every walking corpse back to its grave.
Forever.
Had anyone told Alice Bell that her entire life would change course between one heartbeat and the next, she would have laughed. But that’s all it took. One heartbeat. A blink, a breath, a second, and everything she knew and loved was gone.
Her father was right. The monsters are real.
To avenge her family, Ali must learn to fight the undead. To survive, she must learn to trust the baddest of the bad boys, Cole Holland. But Cole has secrets of his own, and if Ali isn’t careful, those secrets might just prove to be more dangerous than the zombies.
Read the complete series now!
ALICE IN ZOMBIELAND (Book 1)
THROUGH THE ZOMBIE GLASS (Book 2)
THE QUEEN OF ZOMBIE HEARTS (Book 3)
A MAD ZOMBIE PARTY (Book 4)
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Looking for more epic fantasy, devious intrigue and pulse-pounding adventure? Looking for new worlds to get lost in? If you enjoyed FIRSTLIFE, you’ll love the Blood Of Gods And Royals series by New York Times bestselling author Eleanor Herman!
Royalty. Magic. Love. Betrayal.
It’s in Their Blood. It’s Their Legacy.
It All Begins with LEGACY OF KINGS.
Alexander, Macedon’s sixteen-year-old heir, is on the brink of discovering his fated role in conquering the known world.
Katerina must navigate the dark secrets of court life while keeping hidden her own mission: kill the queen.
Jacob will go to unthinkable lengths to win Katerina, even if it means having to compete with Hephaestion, a murderer sheltered by the prince.
And far across the sea, Zofia, a Persian princess, seeks the deadly Spirit Eaters to alter her destiny.
Read them all now!
VOICE OF GODS (Novella)
LEGACY OF KINGS (Book 1)
EMPIRE OF DUST (Book 2)
QUEEN OF ASHES (Novella)
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If you loved FIRSTLIFE, you won’t want to miss this adrenaline-charged epic series—discover THE TALON SAGA, from New York Times bestselling author Julie Kagawa!
THE DRAGONS OF TALON: Once hunted nearly to extinction, they are now poised to take over the world.
THE ORDER OF ST. GEORGE: The legendary dragonslayers will stop at nothing to wipe dragons from the face of the earth.
These mortal enemies are locked in secret and deadly combat, with humanity none the wiser. But one young dragon has discovered not all is as it appears to be…
Read them all!
TALON (Book 1)
ROGUE (Book 2)
SOLDIER (Book 3)
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ISBN-13: 9781488015250
FIRSTLIFE
Copyright © 2017 by Gena Showalter
All rights reserved. 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, down-loaded, 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 publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, M3B 3K9 Canada.
This is 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. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
® and ™ are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Intellectual Property Office and in other countries.
www.Harlequin.com
“My Firstlife is over, but my Everlife is only now beginning.”
With her last living breath, Tenley “Ten” Lockwood made her choice and picked h
er realm in the Everlife. Now, as the war between Troika and Myriad rages, she must face the consequences.
Because Ten possesses a rare supernatural ability to absorb and share light, the Powers That Be have the highest expectations for her future—and the enemy wants her neutralized. Fighting to save her Secondlife, she must learn about her realm from the ground up while launching her first mission: convincing a select group of humans to join her side before they die. No pressure, right?
But Ten’s competition is Killian, the boy she can’t forget—the one who gave up everything for her happiness. He has only one shot at redemption: beating Ten at a game she’s never even played. As their throw-downs heat up, so do their undeniable feelings, and soon, Ten will have to make another choice. Love…or victory.
Lifeblood
Gena Showalter
CONTENTS
Troika
Troika
Troika
Troika
Myriad
Myriad
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Myriad
Myriad
Myriad
Myriad
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Myriad
Myriad
Myriad
Chapter Six
Troika
Troika
Troika
Troika
Myriad
Myriad
Troika
Troika
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Myriad
Myriad
Myriad
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Troika
Troika
Troika
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Myriad
Myriad
Myriad
Myriad
Myriad
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Myriad
Myriad
Myriad
Myriad
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Myriad
Myriad
Myriad
Troika
Troika
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Myriad
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Myriad
Myriad
TROIKA
* * *
From: L_N_3/19.1.1
To: M_C_4/2.17.12
Subject: Tenley Lockwood
You begged to take over Miss Lockwood’s case, Madame Cordell, and vowed to always—always!—keep me updated on her progress. Since her Firstlife ended by poisoned spear, I have yet to receive a single report. Update me. Now!
Light Brings Sight!
General Levi Nanne
TROIKA
* * *
From: M_C_4/2.17.12
To: L_N_3/19.1.1
Subject: Your patience and trust humble me
My apologies for making you wait a whole 6.8 seconds for another report, sir. If you haven’t noticed, my team is a little busy slaughtering Myriadian soldiers—and getting slaughtered in the process. By the way, Archer Prince has experienced Second-death. Not that you asked. I’ve lost track of Tenley and suspect Myriad is hiding her within their shadows. I’m doing my best to locate her, sir.
Light Brings Sight! Maybe consider using yours?
Madame Meredith Cordell
TROIKA
* * *
From: L_N_3/19.1.1
To: M_C_4/2.17.12
Subject: Brrring! Brrring! This is your wake-up call
Find her!
And you had better not be crying for Archer. He lived a good life and died a warrior’s death. His name has been added to the Book of New Life, and he’s a candidate for the Resurrection. You just might see him again—and soon!
Light Brings Sight!
General Levi Nanne
TROIKA
* * *
From: M_C_4/2.17.12
To: L_N_3/19.1.1
Subject: Please leave a message at the beep
When has “might” ever been good enough?
Light Brings Sight!
Madame Meredith Cordell
MYRIAD
* * *
From: Z_C_4/23.43.2
To: R_O_3/2.17.12
Subject: The Conduit
It’s certain. Miss Lockwood has made covenant with Troika. Foolish Madame Bennett! Her actions hurt us all. We appeared immoral and foul, so I can’t blame Miss Lockwood for her choice. My question is: Does Killian Flynn protect Miss Lockwood for our benefit—or theirs?
How would you like me to proceed?
Might Equals Right!
Sir Zhi Chen
MYRIAD
* * *
From: R_O_3/2.17.12
To: Z_C_4/23.43.2
Subject: Instructions
You’re right. Madame Pearl Bennett got us into this mess, but I’m happy to report Killian Flynn will get us out. I assure you, his every action is intentional and for our greater good. His mission is critical.
You will tell no one of his motivation. The fewer people who know, the less likely the information will spread, compromising everything he has done and has yet to do. Let today’s battle play out without interference.
And fear not. All is not lost where Tenley Lockwood is concerned. Killian is working his magic to ensure she single-handedly wins the war—for us. Let him do what he needs to do. He knows what’s at stake, and he won’t let us down. He never has before.
Might Equals Right!
General Rosalind Oriana
CHAPTER ONE
* * *
“Tribulation reveals your greatest strength…or greatest weakness.”
—Troika
Present day
Sand in the hourglass falls, one grain at a time…time…one second bleeds into two…three… I try to piece together my fragmented thoughts. A difficult task. My mind is hazy, my thoughts blurred. Four…
A fact clicks into place. Numbers are my greatest obsession; they always tell a story, and they never lie.
Five…five…five. The numeral gets trapped in my head, set on constant repeat. Click. Five minutes and fourteen seconds ago, I died.
Whoa. I’m dead?
I must be. My heart no longer beats, and my lungs are deflated. I can’t breathe. I need to breathe. Sweat beads on my nape and trickles down my spine, and yet my limbs remain ice-cold.
Calm. Steady. Though my body is wrecked, my spirit lives on. This is a new beginning. A new life.
Calm? Seriously? From now on, I’ll have zero second chances. Zero do-overs. Everything I do will matter: every word I say, every action I take, every person I befriend and every enemy I slay will positively or negatively affect me. No ifs, ands or buts.
Welcome to the Everlife.
The words whisper on the wind, and a quiet ring erupts in my ears. In seconds, the volume cranks to high. I cringe. My bones vibrate, and a light tap registers against my ribs. Tap, tap. Tap, tap. Bang, BANG!
I gasp, taking my first breat
h, the real me awakening at last. My chest cools, and my lungs fill. I can breathe again. I’m dead, but still I live.
Arise! Arise and shine!
Another whisper drifts on the wind…or a voice is speaking inside my head.
I’m dead and crazy?
Inside, I wither and return to my default setting: counting. Six…seven…
Click. Seventeen! I’m seventeen years old. I was born on the tenth day of the tenth month at 10:10 a.m., and I died on the eleventh day of the eleventh month at 10:14 a.m.
1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 0 + 1 + 4 = 10
The work of Fate, some would say. Wrong! Fate is a myth, an excuse, a way to cast blame. While we might have a divine purpose, not everything that happens is through divine intervention. Our actions change the course of our lives for good or for ill.
We are the final authority.
My present is the sum total of decisions made in my past—my own decisions, and even those made by the people around me. We are accountable…count…eight, nine… Ten!
Click, click. My name is Tenley Lockwood. “Ten” to my friends.
5 + 5 = 10. A representative of two equal parts.
The last piece of the puzzle snaps into place. Two realms in the Everlife—Troika and Myriad—are currently locked in a fierce, brutal battle.
Troika fought to save my Firstlife while Myriad strove to end it. Myriad proved successful. My body lies on a blood-drenched street in the heart of LA.
Congrats, Myriad. You won a battle. You won’t win the war.
With my last breath, I pledged my allegiance to Troika, evermore, and I have no regrets. I value Firstlife. I like rules and enjoy structure. I understand every punishment is meant to teach rather than harm.
I’m a Troikan now, born anew in blood and violence. A soldier in a war as old as time. I’ve become enemies with people I’ve never met as well as people I know and love.
Everlife Trilogy Complete Collection: Firstlife ; Lifeblood ; Everlife Page 37
