Unfaithful (61 page)

“It can’t be . . .” I murmured to myself as Simon and Ginevra stood frozen a few steps away, their incredulous faces filled with horror. “This can’t be true.” I looked up at them. The pain was making it hard to breathe.
This can’t really have happened!
I begged them with my eyes.

Something moved at the other end of the room.

Drake.

Simon’s eyes, brimming with hatred and disgust, locked onto his. “How could you do this, Drake?” he screamed in outrage, fighting back tears. “He was your brother!”

Ginevra’s icy voice cut him off. “That isn’t Drake. It never has been.”

I looked up, stunned, just in time to see Drake’s evil smile vanish, along with the rest of his guise. In its place appeared a Subterranean I’d never seen before, his eyes filled with terror. An instant later, a flash of light shot across the room like a bullet.

Ginevra.

I held my breath. The Angel was gone. Where his feet had been was Ginevra’s serpent. It slithered back to her and coiled around her ankle. They had disintegrated him with a single fatal blow. He hadn’t even seen it coming. Her power was awe-inducing.

I could barely see through the veil of tears covering my eyes. My heart frozen, shattered into infinite shards that tore me apart with each breath, I stared at my hands, shocked and bewildered. “Why am I still alive?” I murmured, trembling.

It wasn’t a question—it was a desperate protest.

I clutched Evan’s chain in my fist as an infinite, agonizing pain settled into my chest.

My heart was bleeding. It would bleed forever.

With all my heart, I thank the two people I love most in this world: my son Gabriel Santo, who’s so kind and sweet to let me devote time to this great dream of mine; and my husband Giuseppe Amore, who supports me every day, encouraging me and bringing out the best in me—not just because he’s always in the front row cheering me on, but because he’s my biggest inspiration. My love, if I know in my heart that men like Evan exist, it’s because I met you. You are my Evan. Thank you for everything you do. Thank you for everything you are.

Special thanks go to my entire family for having brought me up surrounded by love. To my parents, whom I love immensely: my mother, who passionately follows every new development in the saga; and my father, who can’t watch an interview without being moved. To my sister Ketty, who spends more time at my house now than ever, helping me with the thousand tasks that a book launch entails; and my sister Rosanna who, though she now lives far away, is always in our thoughts. Thanks also to my nephews Filippo, for the aviation insights, and Luigi, for all the enthusiasm he’s shown.

I can never thank the entire team at Nord publishers enough for having welcomed me so warmly, especially Cristina Prasso, the sweet editorial director, and my irreplaceable editor Giorgia di Tolle. My thanks to Barbara Trianni and Laura Passerella in the press office who supported me in all the interviews and did an incredible job. My gratitude to all those who worked on the original book: editor Paolo Caruso, journalist Luca Crovi, Giacomo Lanaro from the marketing office, Uti for the careful corrections, the graphic artists for the beautiful cover they created, and the rest of the team. There are some of you I’ve never met, but I know you worked behind the scenes for me and my book, and for this I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

A huge THANKS to my translator Leah Janeczko, who not only translates my words but truly understands the souls of my characters, enabling her to bring them to life in another language without losing any of their passion or tenderness. Of course, I have to thank the person who has helped me most in this adventure: my wonderful, sweet editor Annie Crawford. I love you, dear! She is a very talented author in her own right, so check out her books
The Curse of the Jade Amulet
and
The Ring of Leilani.

I thank Orietta Strazzanti for her priceless advice on the texts and Gino Strazzanti for technical support. Thanks to Tabitha Suzuma, the author of
Forbidden
, for kindly allowing me to mention her novel. As always, thanks to Alex McFaddin and Rhiannon Patterson for their invaluable information about Lake Placid. My gratitude as well goes to all the owners of the commercial establishments in Lake Placid that welcome Evan, Gemma, and the other crazy members of the group: Generations Restaurant, Bookstore Plus—where Gemma buys all her novels—Bazzi’s Pizza, Ben and Jerry’s, and Roomer’s Nightclub. A huge thank you goes to Professor Saverio Sani who teaches Sanskrit at the University of Pisa, for his valuable help with the translation and transcription of Devanagari. Thank you to my lifelong friend, architect Salvatore Nicolosi, for his indispensable contribution.

I couldn’t write these acknowledgements without including James Blunt and Lana del Rey, who inspired every little scene in
Unfaithful: The Deception of Night
. Thanks are written on my heart in permanent ink for Martina Lo Riso, a reader who not only got a tattoo of words from the book, but also wrote me that those words give her courage and faith in herself every day. To me it was a beautiful gift; if you’d like to see it you’ll find it on the saga’s website along with the one of Elisa Florio, another reader who got a tattoo of Evan and Gemma—again, my thanks. A big hug goes to my sweet friend Beatrice Luzi. Meeting you was so amazing! Many kisses to Consuelo Cedioli and Bliss Silverleaf for going wild about Evan and Gemma and their crazy conjectures about the future of the saga. To Valentina Canella for her original ideas, to Georgeta Susan Mitzgan, who’s become a loyal
Streghetta
, to Maria Calafiore for how affectionately she followed Evan and Gemma’s story, to Susy Follero, founder of the fan club (and who also had some of Evan’s words prominently tattooed on her body), to Federica Cia, to Alessia Garbo, Sonia Cannarozzo, Franci Cat, Stella Ferro . . . I would love to mention absolutely everyone, but there are too many of you! But please know that you’re in my heart.

A giant, infinite THANK YOU to all the readers and supporters of the saga, to all those who sent me their drawings or made videos, figurines, or other things inspired by Evan and Gemma, and most of all to the Witches and Subterraneans in the fan club who have developed a passion for Evan and Gemma’s love story. Your constant affection fills me with joy. I really didn’t expect such a warm response, and I’m grateful to everyone from the bottom of my heart!

Just one more moment: I’m not done yet. My biggest thanks go to YOU as you read these words. Heartfelt thanks from me, Evan, and Gemma for devoting a little of your time to us. Before saying goodbye, there’s one more thing I’d like to share with you. I’m often asked, “Why do you write?” I searched inside myself to find the answer, and it came to me: it’s because writing makes me dream. That’s the truth. I write because I dream. I dream because I write. And I hope that my words have made you dream too, just a little—because dreams are the language of our souls.

Until next time!

Nightmares. Premonitions. Obscure Secrets

Death Has Never Been So Ominous.

Through dark and forbidden worlds

Are you ready to defy Fate?

“
The most passionate saga of recent times.”
–Coffee and Books

Coming 2016

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Brokenhearted
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Dear Reader,

 If you enjoyed
Touched
and
Unfaithful
, help me spread the word, please! It would mean a lot to me if you would take a minute and leave an honest review on Amazon. I’d love to know your thoughts about Evan and Gemma’s love story!

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Love, Elisa

“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.”
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The Caress of Fate
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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.”
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“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.”
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“A modern version of the Italian masterpiece
Death Takes a Holiday
.”
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“As fascinating as
Meet Joe Black
, but for young adults. And not only.”
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“Following the Italian success of Alberto Casella, another fascinating story about death and love.”
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Hailed by readers as a perfect mix of
City of Angels
and
Meet Joe Black
, with a pinch of the Orpheus legend.

Elisa S. Amore is the author of the paranormal romance saga
Touched
. She wrote the first book while working at her parents’ diner, dreaming up the story between one order and the next. She lives in Italy with her husband, her son, and a pug that sleeps all day. She’s wild about pizza and traveling, which is a source of constant inspiration for her. She dreamed up some of the novels’ love scenes while strolling along the canals in Venice and visiting the home of Romeo’s Juliet in romantic Verona. Her all-time favorite writer is Shakespeare, but she also loves Nicholas Sparks. She prefers to do her writing at night, when the rest of the world is asleep and she knows the stars above are keeping her company. She’s now a full-time writer of romance and young adult fiction. In her free time she likes to read, swim, walk in the woods, and daydream. She collects books and animated movies, all jealously guarded under lock and key. Her family has nicknamed her “the bookworm.” After its release, the first book of her saga quickly made its way up the charts, winning over thousands of readers.
Touched: The Caress of Fate
is her debut novel and the first in the four-book series originally published in Italy by one of the country’s leading publishing houses. The book trailer was shown in Italian movie theaters during the premiere of the film
Twilight: Breaking Dawn—Part 2
.

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