Fallen: Angels in the Dark

Lauren Kate
is the internationally bestselling author of
Teardrop
and the FALLEN novels:
Fallen
,
Torment
,
Passion
,
Rapture
, and
Fallen in Love
, as well as
The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove
. Her books have been translated into more than thirty languages. She lives in Los Angeles. Visit her online at
laurenkatebooks.net
.

Luce eased the motorcycle to a stop in front of the lake house.

She was in love. With the bike: It was a gold 1986 Honda Shadow, and it was beautiful.

Her classmate mad Rachel Allison, with her dyed-red hair and immaculate French, had grown up and still lived just a few miles north of their school, Dover Prep. So whenever Rachel’s parents left town, most of their class—the in crowd, at least—turned out for the inevitable party.

This was Luce’s first time.

When she’d clocked out after her shift at Pisani’s Bike and Body Shop, Luce had had three texts from Callie: One with directions to the party. Another to let Luce know that Callie had borrowed her black flip-flops. And a third with a picture of Callie sipping a mai tai aboard one of Rachel’s speedboats.

But it was the voice mail—no, the voice in the
background
of the voice mail Callie left—that convinced Luce to make an appearance.

Trevor Beckman saying:
Tell Luce to hurry up and get here
.

He was easily the coolest guy in their class. The cutest, too. Trevor was the basketball team captain, the homecoming king, and Luce’s biology lab partner. He was also Rachel Allison’s sometime boyfriend.

And yet: He wanted Luce to hurry up and get there.

Of course, Luce had a crush on Trevor. Who wouldn’t have a crush on Trevor? Tall and strong and always laughing, with dark brown hair that matched his eyes—everything about the guy was crushable.

But it was the kind of crush Luce never planned on actually
doing
anything about. She didn’t go after guys. She never had. It drove Callie crazy, but Luce was perfectly comfortable admiring Trevor and his muscles from afar. Much more comfortable than she was going to be walking into this party.

She cut the bike’s engine and hopped off before anyone could see her and wonder how on earth she could afford a ride like that.

Luce
couldn’t
afford it. She had it on loan for one night from the bike shop, where she’d been working part-time for the past six semesters just to be able to afford “incidentals” at Dover.
Her room and board were covered, embarrassingly, by the school’s one and only scholarship.

To preserve that scholarship, Luce had made it through three years of honors classes, keeping a straight-A average. Not to mention three years of keeping her weekly therapy sessions at Shady Pines a secret from everyone at school.

She probably would have made it through three years without ever going to one of Rachel’s famous parties if it hadn’t been for Mr. Pisani’s son. Joe was a few years older than Luce. Sexy in a dark sort of way. He’d always looked out for her, ever since she’d started working at the shop. He also knew she coveted the bike he’d resurrected from a heap of scrap metal. Just before Luce left for the night, he’d slipped the key into her palm.

“What’s this?”

“I heard there’s some party tonight.” He smiled. “Don’t you need a ride out to the lake?”

At first, Luce shook her head. She couldn’t possibly. But then—

In three days, she’d fly home to spend the summer with her parents in Thunderbolt, Georgia, where things would be quiet and easy and comfortable. And boring.

Three whole months of very, very boring.

“Have fun.” Joe winked at Luce.

And then she took off. The feeling of riding a motorcycle, of the wind coursing over her face, of the speed, the thrill of it all, was familiar and yet like nothing else in the world.

It made her feel like she was flying.

When she crossed the tiki-torch-adorned threshold of the party, Luce spotted Callie standing near the water, surrounded by a circle of guys. She was wearing a red bikini top, Luce’s flip-flops, and a long white sarong.

“Finally!” she squealed when she saw Luce. Callie’s wet corkscrew curls bounced when she laughed. She must have just gone swimming, which Luce couldn’t imagine doing in the cold, black lake beyond them. Callie was the kind of fearless that meant she always found her way into a good time. She pulled Luce close and whispered, “Guess who just had the most gigantic fight?”

Trevor was walking toward them, holding a drink and wearing his basketball jersey and swim trunks. Behind him, a few feet away, Rachel’s face was ablaze.

“Perfect timing,” he said, smiling at Luce. His words came out a little slurred.

“Trevor!” Rachel bellowed. She looked very much like she wanted to trail after him, but she stood still, hands on her hips. “That’s it. I’m telling the bartender you’re cut off!”

Trevor stopped in front of Luce. “How ’bout a trip to the bar with me?”

Callie gave Luce’s back a shove just before she disappeared, and Luce was alone with Trevor Beckman.

Maybe she should have changed out of her greasy white T-shirt and cutoffs before showing up. Luce tugged at the elastic band to release the long braid she wore to work. She could feel Trevor’s eyes on her dark, wavy hair, which flowed halfway down her back. “A drink sounds good.”

Trevor smiled, leading the way toward the bar.

In the middle of the lawn, Rachel had gathered her minions around her. When Luce walked by with Trevor, Rachel tilted her head up and sniffed the air. “What smells like a
gas
station?”

“Eau de working class,” answered Rachel’s number two. Shawna Clip was just as mean as Rachel but not as smart.

“Sorry,” Trevor said, pulling Luce away. “They’re such bitches.”

Luce’s cheeks grew warm. She wasn’t affected by Rachel’s insults, but it was embarrassing that Trevor thought she might be. He stared at her for a moment, then steered her right past the bar. “On second thought, Rachel’s dad keeps the cabins stocked with booze, too.” He grinned at her and nodded toward the woods, toward the moonlit path that led to Lake Winnipesaukee. The tiki torches only went so far, and beyond that were just the big black woods.