Phantom Heart

VIKING

An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, New York

First published in the United States of America by Viking, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2021

Copyright © 2021 by Kelly Creagh

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

Ebook ISBN 9780593116074

Cover flowers courtesy of shutterstock.com

Cover design by Jessica Jenkins

Design by Kate Renner, adapted for ebook by Michelle Quintero

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

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For Katie McGarry, who hates dead things but loved this book.

And for Gina Possanza, who appeared at my window just when I needed an angel.

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Part I

One: Stephanie

Two: Zedok

Three: Stephanie

Four: Zedok

Five: Stephanie

Six: Zedok

Seven: Stephanie

Eight: Zedok

Nine: Stephanie

Ten: Zedok

Eleven: Stephanie

Twelve: Zedok

Thirteen: Stephanie

Fourteen: Zedok

Fifteen: Stephanie

Sixteen: Zedok

Seventeen: Stephanie

Eighteen: Zedok

Nineteen: Stephanie

Twenty: Zedok

Twenty-One: Stephanie

Twenty-Two: Zedok

Twenty-Three: Stephanie

Twenty-Four: Zedok

Twenty-Five: Stephanie

Twenty-Six: Zedok

Twenty-Seven: Stephanie

Twenty-Eight: Zedok

Twenty-Nine: Stephanie

Thirty: Zedok

Thirty-One: Stephanie

Thirty-Two: Zedok

Thirty-Three: Stephanie

Thirty-Four: Zedok

Thirty-Five: Stephanie

Thirty-Six: Zedok

Thirty-Seven: Stephanie

Thirty-Eight: Zedok

Thirty-Nine: Stephanie

Forty: Zedok

Forty-One: Stephanie

Forty-Two: Ze do k

Forty-Three: Stephanie

Forty-Four: Zedok

Forty-Five: Stephanie

Forty-Six: Zedok

Forty-Seven: Stephanie

Forty-Eight: Zedok

Forty-Nine: Stephanie

Fifty: Zedok

Fifty-One: Stephanie

Part II

Fifty-Two: Lucas

Fifty-Three: Zedok

Fifty-Four: Stephanie

Fifty-Five: Zedok

Fifty-Six: Lucas

Fifty-Seven: Stephanie

Fifty-Eight: Lucas

Fifty-Nine: Zedok

Sixty: Lucas

Sixty-One: Stephanie

Sixty-Two: Lucas

Sixty-Three: Stephanie

Sixty-Four: Lucas

Sixty-Five: Stephanie

Sixty-Six: Zedok

Sixty-Seven: Stephanie

Sixty-Eight: Lucas

Sixty-Nine: Stephanie

Seventy: Zedok

Seventy-One: Stephanie

Seventy-Two: Zedok

Seventy-Three: Stephanie

Seventy-Four: Lucas

Seventy-Five: Stephanie

Seventy-Six: Zedok

Seventy-Seven: Lucas

Seventy-Eight: Stephanie

Seventy-Nine: Zedok

Eighty: Stephanie

Eigthy-One: Lucas

Eighty-Two: Stephanie

Eighty-Three: Lucas

Eighty-Four: Erik

Eighty-Five: Lucas

Epilogue: Stephanie

Acknowledgments

About the Author

PART

I

ONE

Stephanie

“He has lights for eyes.”

Brushing a few errant curls from my face, I glanced up from my homework and leveled my little sister, Charlie, with the full blast of skepticism she deserved. Ignoring her wasn’t working.