“No!” The mention of Max’s name pushed me over the edge. No one, least of all this traitor, was going to harm my family again. I raised my arms as white-hot pain flashed inside my mind. Again, I was falling.
When the pain subsided, Micah and I were seated on the ground, his arms fast around me as he held me upright, and there was a metal wall between me and Juliana’s crew. A metal wall?
On closer inspection, it wasn’t just a wall, but a dome. It curved over the Institute, effectively trapping the Peacekeepers in their own house of horrors. Good. I assumed that Micah, or maybe Max and Sadie, had created the wall to protect us, but that wasn’t the case.
“You did it, my Sara,” Micah informed me. “You grasped Ferra’s tents and warriors and reshaped them into what you see before you. Truly, it was most impressive.”
I gazed at the metal wall and saw the remnants of a warrior’s leg here, a shield there. There were even a few flattened drones, but I was too exhausted to be amazed by what I’d done. “Do you think it will hold them for long?”
“I don’t know,” he admitted. “I imagine they have ways to escape, but surely your display will give them pause before any Peacekeeper attempts to harm you and yours.”
I realized that my fingers were clutching Micah’s in a death grip. I looked up and saw Mom, Max, and Sadie watching the two of us with worried faces. And they should have been worried, since we couldn’t go home again. We, the Raven clan, the most powerful Elemental bloodline still in existence, were now outcasts from our own world.
But was that so bad? I thought of my Mundane life, my lame job, my tiny apartment. All of my good memories had happened at the Raven Compound, except for those involving Micah. Every thought or deed that had ever made me smile was a direct result of the four people with me now. I didn’t need to return to the mortal realm, not now or ever.
What’s more, I thought of all I had now. A man who loved me, a family that was almost complete, and a shiny silver mansion to hang out in, not to mention all the silver servants. Really, my life had never been better.
“Good,” I said, as Micah pulled me to my feet. “Let’s go home.”
Acknowledgement
It never ceases to amaze me how many people it takes to produce one little book; editors and publicists and copy editors and cover artists and even more editors. I mean, when you get right down to it, a book is just a heap of paper glued together. Who knew that these heaps of paper entailed so much work.
Now, all of our combined efforts—the editing and the angsty calls and the stressful emails, and yes, a few tears here and there—have been collected and distilled into this bit of paper you’re holding. Or maybe to a few blips on your ereader, whatever.
If I thanked each and every one of the people who helped make Copper Girl a reality individually, it would take another book (not to mention more work), so let me personally thank the one person who was there for me through all of it, and saw me through to the end: Robb. Love you, baby.
Four Goth teens and a washed up musician get stranded in the Pine Barrens and discover that New Jersey really is a gate to Hell--and if they don’t do something, being banned from the mall is the least of their worries.
About the Author
Jennifer Allis Provost writes stories about faeries, orcs, elves, and the occasional zombie. She’s a native New Englander who lives in a sprawling colonial along with her beautiful and precocious twins, a dog, two cats, a maroon-bellied conure, and a wonderful husband who never forgets to buy ice cream. As a child, she read anything and everything she could get her hands on, including a set of encyclopedias, but fantasy was always her favorite. She spends her days drinking vast amounts of coffee, arguing with her computer, and avoiding any and all domestic behavior. Find her on the web at http://jenniferallisprovost.com
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