Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs

Synopsis:

Mercy Thompson's life has undergone a seismic change. Becoming the mate of Adam Hauptman--the charismatic Alpha of the local werewolf pack--has made her a stepmother to his daughter Jesse, a relationship that brings moments of blissful normalcy to Mercy's life. But on the edges of humanity, what passes for a minor mishap on an ordinary day can turn into so much more. 

After an accident in bumper-to-bumper traffic, Mercy and Jesse can't reach Adam--or anyone else in the pack for that matter. They've all been abducted. 

Through their mating bond, all Mercy knows is that Adam is angry and in pain. With the werewolves fighting a political battle to gain acceptance from the public, Mercy fears Adam's disappearance may be related--and that he and the pack are in serious danger. Outclasses and on her own, Mercy may be forced to seek assistance from any ally she can get, no matter how unlikely. 

Review:

I am a huge fan of Patricia Briggs, I love her writing style and I love the way the characters have evolved over the years. To say I am a big fan of Mercy would be an understatement. I have to admit I was a little worried about how this next book was going to go, the last one wasn't my favorite, and less face it the longer a series goes on the harder it is to keep the characters interesting and exciting while still keeping the things we love about the characters in tact. I have to say that I did enjoy Frost Burned a lot more than I was expecting. 

The action in this book starts from page one and then just when you think it's all over and you have everything figured out, it turns out there was so much more going on behind the scenes and the action continues on. Briggs has always done a great job with fight scenes and building up suspense that keep the reader wanting to turn the page. She brought those skills to his book definitely. 

As for the characters, she brought back a lot of my favorites. You have Stefan finally acting a little like himself. Wulfe makes an appearance, and let's face it, he's just as creepy as he has ever been. Jesse and Mercy definitely are starting to have a stepmother/daughter relationship, which is fun to watch. I loved that Ben was back on the scene, he's such a great departure from the standard werewolf. And even better Briggs brought The Moor over from Bran's pack, and I really love him in this. Oh and Tad and Zee make an appearance, which always makes me smile, what's a Mercy Thompson book without a little fae in your life? 

On the down side, the book has a couple of things I wish were a little different. But primarily I thought that there was not enough time between Mercy and Adam, or Mercy and the pack. It was action all the time, and for most of it Mercy was separated from the pack, so you don't really get to see the relationships between the characters evolve. Also if you don't have a great memory of the books you have read in the past, you may have a hard time recollecting all the character dynamics because Briggs doesn't waste a lot of time rehashing the past, nor does she introduce new characters. 

One thing I have to mention, because I really enjoyed it, was Adam got a couple of chapters to himself. Briggs through in a couple of Adam's POV, and it's in those chapters that you really get to see how much Mercy and Adam really love each other. I really appreciated those pages. 

Long story short, I always recommend picking up a book by Briggs, she is awesome. And this is a pretty good book, not my favorite of the seven, but definitely worthy of Mercy Thompson. I look forward to what comes next for Mercy. 

Identity Theft by John Abramowitz

Synopsis: 

A man walks into the Texas Capitol. Shots ring out. A young aide lies dead. The killer's excuse? He was under a spell. 

Sounds like a job for Hunter Gamble, right?

Wrong. After his disastrous "victory" in the trial of Samuel Pollard, Hunter has turned his back on defending oppressed vampires, mages, and zombies. Having accepted a position at his father's giant litigation firm, he's trying the glamorous cases, working in a corner office, and making a six-figure salary--and hating every minute of it. 

As Hunter plots his exit strategy, he finds himself inexorably drawn to the case of the Capitol shooter, who is an old friend from law school. As he works to clear his friend, Hunter discovers that there is much more at stake in this case than whether one man was under a spell. Before long, he finds himself pulled into a magical conspiracy dating back to before the Unveiling--and with a singularly cold-blooded wizard at its heart. 

The clock is ticking. The search for answers is on.

Review:

First off I want to say I read and reviewed John Abramowitz's first book, which was a really fun and exciting read for me. There is something about Abramowitz's style that makes reading a book an adventure, he really pulls you into the world he creates, so I was really looking forward to reading his second book. 

Identity Theft did not disappoint me in the least. I think part of the reason I found this book so enjoyable was that Hunter is really a complex character. He didn't just take a character exactly like the one from the first book and throw him into a new situation. He really gave Hunter some depth, Hunter had some really hard things to deal with, and ended up taking a different course and going to work with his father. I think this actually ended up adding a lot of dimension into Hunter as a character. 

Hunter finding his way back to the himself, and the defense of Arcane's is really an evolution of a character and enjoyable to read. I always appreciated Abramowitz's ability to bring really realistic legal elements into the story, he does it seamlessly. 

As a second book, I feel like this book definitely is a good follow up, although it was lacking some of the punch that the first book had. But it was a great read, really fun for me to read, and really enjoyed getting to know Hunter all over again. It's really hard for me to review books like this because I want to tell you guys so much about what happens in the book, but I would totally run the excitement of finding it out on your own. What I can say is that you won't regret reading this book, it really is a good read. I would recommend that you read Abramowitz's first book first though, I think you get a lot more information on Hunter that makes the second book all the more enjoyable. 

  

All That Bleeds by Kimberly Frost

Synopsis: 
As the last heiress of the House of North, Alissa knows that striking up a secret friendship with a half-vampire enforcer is dangerous, but Merrick is a temptation she can't resist. But when Alissa is kidnapped, Merrick proves that he will do anything to protect the woman who tempts him with her very existence.

Review: 
I have never read a Kimberly Frost book, although I must admit I am pretty sure I have heard her name float around in genre circles, so when I got a copy of her book, I was pretty excited to read it. I had no idea what the book was about, and the cover really didn't tell me much, but when I read the back, I was excited to see Muses were a part of the story.

I think the part about this book that I enjoyed the most was that it felt really fresh. I, like many other urban fantasy readers, have read a lot of books that have to do with vampires, and sometimes it can feel like vampires are getting a little tired. But this book never made me feel like that. The whole book felt fresh and unique, and made me want to keep reading the book. I seriously read most of the book in one sitting, that's right I pull another read until 3a.m. night.

The dynamic between Alissa and Merrick is really great. They have this great pull towards each other but at the same time they both live these vastly different lives. Alissa is being pulled into doing her duty and knows she could never realistically have a relationship with Merrick. While Merrick has to deal with the threat of death everyday, but a relationship with Alissa could certainly up the percentages of bodily harm coming to him. Even with all of that though, they still maintain their secret correspondence to each other, which is really cute to read about, it makes you pull for them.

Alissa is the one I feel the most for, she does not have it easy by any means. As a child she lost one of her parents in a horrible way, and the result of that was her one remaining parent lost his mind. Now Alissa is the parent, as well as being the main bread winner for her community. On top of all that it doesn't seem like she has anyone to really be her friend, and some people out right hate her and want to bring her downfall. With recent events she really can't even trust the people she thought she could. As a reader I was pulling for her the whole time to get the happy ended she deserved, she really is a good person and great character.

Merrick I love just as much as Alissa but for totally different reasons. He lives by his own code, and he does some seriously bad things, but you can't help but love him. It's weird. One minute he's torturing someone for information and then minute you realize, hey I still like this guy. He is a killer in every sense of the word, but yet, I felt like I understood him and thought he was great. Also another thing I loved about him was he was not stiffling of Alissa. I hate when you have a girl who is "protected" by a boy and he goes all "me man, you woman," caveman on them, and this was so not the case with Merrick. Merrick protects Alissa, a lot of the time from a distance without her even knowing it, and when she knows he's protecting her, he totally lets her do whatever she wants, he works around her wants and needs. It's really sweet actually.

Long story short, I love this book. I will be picking up more books by Frost, because if her other books are half as good as this one is then I want to read them. Great romance, great action, and fantastic read. I recommend it to all.

    

D.A. Adams Guest Post

The older I get the more I see the importance of confidence, especially for writers.  I started down this road 23 or 24 years ago as an awkward, physically wounded young man full of lofty ideas and grand ambitions.  Please, allow me to give a little background to explain.  On March 7, 1989, I was 16 and a pretty good athlete with the goal of becoming an officer in the Marine Corps. At roughly 3:30 that afternoon, during track practice, I was struck in the head by an 8 lb. shotput.  For those who may not know, a shotput is basically a cannonball.  I suffered a concussion, brain contusion, brain swelling, and physical shock.  By that evening, I was literally fighting for my life, and all of my plans, dreams, and goals were suddenly gone.  Obviously, I survived and recovered, but at 16, I had to reinvent myself completely.

As part of my therapy, I started writing poetry to deal with the emotions of grief, loss, anger, and fear.  While helpful as a therapeutic exercise, the poetry I created was for the most part dreadful. Fortunately for me, however, it led to discovering fiction.  By 20, I knew for certain that I wanted to write stories for a living and dedicated myself to learning the craft.  I began writing fantasy but was soon taught by academia that genre work, all genre work, was for mindless hacks.  If I wanted to be a real writer, a “serious” novelist, I needed to write mainstream, literary fiction.  Being young, naïve, and impressionable, I listened and forced myself to abandon my love of fantasy literature in order to fit into the writing program.

At first, I flourished as story after story poured out, and my confidence soared as my skills developed.  In 1995 at 22 years old and just six years removed from the accident, I earned my first publication credit in Aura, a small literary journal from UAB.  Within the next year, I landed two more pieces in small magazines.  In addition to the publications, I was also contacted by a well-established agent from New York who had seen my first story and thought I had tremendous potential.  Those were his words on the phone, tremendous potential.  My confidence has never been higher than after we hung up.  I was going places.

Unfortunately, he didn’t like my novel, rejecting it outright, and the wind was sucked from my sails briefly.  Though painful, as I look back on it today, he was right.  The novel was immature and boring, so for the next year, I studied and practiced writing harder than any other point of my life.  I wanted to improve.  I needed to elevate my skills to a professional level, so I read and wrote and edited every single day.  My confidence grew once again as I saw myself improving, and I created several stories in that period that I’m still relatively proud of.  Then, I made the decision to return to graduate school.

From the outset, graduate school was a mistake.  For the entire first year, my confidence was dashed by the pettiness, jealousy, and negativity of both peers and professors.  Workshops ran as popularity contests and ego demonstrations.  The writing was secondary.  Personality prevailed, and anyone who stepped out of line with the accepted paradigms of the group was immediately squashed by an avalanche of bullshit.  My confidence was shattered, and I left graduate school in 1999 feeling hopelessly inept and lacking any measure of creative drive.  I gave up on writing as a career and felt hollow without that part of myself.

For at least three years, probably more like four, I didn’t write at all, not in a creative sense.  From 1998 to 2002, my confidence was gone because of the conflicting advice and negativity of writing workshops.  Then, sometime in 2002, as I watched The Two Towers, an epiphany struck me from out of the blue.  I realized that I wanted to write fantasy and always had.  Despite repressing it during my academic years, I still loved the genre, and since I’d abandoned any notions of being a “serious” novelist, I could entertain the concept of creating fantasy works without fear of academia rebuking me.  But my confidence was still broken, so I didn’t start writing straight away.  Instead, I pondered the idea of what I would create if I ever chose to write again.

For nearly a year, I mulled the concept, sketching notes and developing the world without a tangible goal of writing anything.  At the time, I didn’t believe I had the skills to write one book, never mind the five it would take to tell this tale.  Quite simply, I lacked the confidence to begin actually writing.  Then, something magical happened.  In July of 2003, I saw my first son’s heartbeat on ultrasound, the grainy speck fluttering at 150 bpm, and that long dormant part of me came back to life in a rush.  Watching his heartbeat, I knew the only way I could be a good father was first and foremost to be true to myself, and at my core, I’m a writer.  Within a couple of days, I sat down at the computer and started the first draft of book one.

When I look at the first couple of chapters of that book, I see my lack of confidence.  The narrative is unsure and halting as I felt my way back into writing, and by far, the greatest criticism I’ve faced with the series is the opening chapter being too slow, too full of exposition, and to a degree, I admit I probably should refine it.  However, I also see the subtleties and foreshadowing that lay the groundwork for the entire series, and I’m afraid of losing that foundation if I ever do rewrite it.  More than that, though, I’m proud of what those early chapters represent for me – my rebirth as a writer, my rebirth as a man.  Though not perfectly wrought, they are pure in their approach and mean more to me personally than just about anything else I’ve written in my life.

Today, my confidence stays at a fairly healthy level.  For the most part, I strike a good balance between believing in myself and remaining humble.  Occasionally, at conventions or online, I see other writers who remind me of graduate school, people more concerned with telling others how great they are than anything.  They know the one right way to do things and everyone else falls short.  Regardless of their levels of success, some considerably better than mine, these people annoy me because they are a reminder of those who crushed my confidence, and I have to stifle the urge to take them to task.  Never argue with a fool, as the saying goes.  People might not know the difference.

My point of this whole piece is for others who have been knocked down and worry that your voice is insignificant.  Don’t let anyone rob you of your creative drive.  If you fail, so be it.  At least you had the courage and dedication to create something.  If your work falls short, go back, learn more, and try again.  If some ego-driven jerk insults your efforts, don’t let that drown you in doubt.  Brush aside the criticism and listen to your creative voice.  Put forth your best effort and believe that your audience is out there waiting for you because they are.  There is no one right way to create.  There is no secret formula.  Success is arbitrary and fleeting.  In the end, all that matters is what you create, whether or not you can live with your efforts, and the authenticity of your voice.  Above all, believe that you and your voice matter.

D.A. Adams Bio

D. A. Adams is a novelist, a farmer, a professor of English, and in my estimation, a true gentleman. His breakout fantasy series, The Brotherhood of Dwarves, transcends genre and illuminates the human soul in all its flashes of glory and innumerable failings.

He is active on the Con circuit and has contributed writing to literary as well as fine art publications, and maintains his active blog, "The Ramblings of D. A. Adams". He lives and works in East Tennessee, and is the proud father of two boys, Collin and Finn.

His ability as a storyteller breathes life into every character, and his craftsmanship as a writer makes these stories about relationships; human or otherwise.

Between Dark and Light Synopsis

The stakes are higher than ever in the fourth installment of the popular dwarven saga!

The Great Empire has surrounded the Kiredurks and are preparing to conquer the kingdom, but unknown to them, Kwarck, the mysterious hermit of the plains, has his own plan in action. To the east, he has summoned an elven army and charged Crushaw with leading them into battle. To the south, Roskin will gather an army from the fractured Ghaldeon lands. But to the west, an ancient and powerful evil stirs.

The Great War is about to errupt, if Roskin can overcome the Dark One...

  

D.A. Adams Links:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/authordaadams

Twitter: https://twitter.com/biggunsalex

Website/Blog: http://www.daadams.com/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1418876.D_A_Adams

Dusty Crabtree Guest Post

The Theme of Hope in Shadow Eyes

Shadow Eyes Blog Tour and Kindle Fire Giveaway

Thank you for hosting me, Kate, and for such a great review back in September!  (See review here.)  I’m super excited to be on your blog again and to share one of my favorite things about my YA urban fantasy, Shadow Eyes – the theme of hope!

First of all, everyone, don’t forget to enter the rafflecopter below for a chance to win a print copy of Shadow Eyes, your full name in the sequel, and a KINDLE FIRE!

Let’s check out the synopsis for Shadow Eyes before I delve into one of its themes.  It will probably make more sense that way.

Synopsis:

Iris Kohl lives in a world populated by murky shadows that surround, harass, and entice unsuspecting individuals toward evil.  But she is the only one who can see them.  She’s had this ability to see the shadows, as well as brilliantly glowing light figures, ever since an obscure, tragic incident on her fourteenth birthday three years earlier. 

Although she’s learned to cope, the view of her world begins to shift upon the arrival of three mysterious characters.  First, a handsome new teacher whose presence scares away shadows; second, a new friend with an awe-inspiring aura; and third, a mysterious and alluring new student whom Iris has a hard time resisting despite already having a boyfriend.

As the shadows invade and terrorize her own life and family, she must ultimately revisit the most horrific event of her life in order to learn her true identity and become the hero she was meant to be.

Hope is so important for everyone, but especially teens who are trying to grow up in our jaded world.  It’s easy for them to look at the society around them and become negative and cynical.  They need to be able to hope for a positive future, even if it seems unlikely.  I’m not saying they shouldn’t be realistic and instead think life is a great big fairy tale.  I’m simply saying they need to see that there are positive outcomes, even through tough times, that they can hope for and strive to achieve.

So how do books help with this?  Well, think about.  We, as readers, live vicariously through the main characters of the books we read, experiencing what they experience to an extent and feeling what they feel through all their ups and downs.  If the characters have hope, the readers get to latch on to that hope as well.

For example, if the main character has hope that her relationship will last, the readers get a sense of hope that they too could have long-lasting, amazing relationships in the future.  If the main character has hope that their family situation will improve and maybe even does by the end of the book, the readers may gain some hope that their family issues can be resolved too.  Even if it doesn’t work out for them the same way it does in the book, living with that hope will have a positive effect on the person.

No matter what the character’s issue, if readers can relate to it, they can get healing and comfort from seeing the character get healing and comfort.

In Shadow Eyes, Iris struggles with self-worth and confidence, while having to endure so much with her family and friends and turmoil in her own relationships (sorry, can’t be specific – spoilers!).  On top of that, she has to deal with the tragic event that happened three years ago and that’s been eating away at her since.  Through all of this, by the end of the book, she goes through a healing process like no other where she acquires a new sense of hope, confidence, and inner-strength.  The reader, especially if they’ve experienced any of the same events or emotions as Iris, gets the immense satisfaction of undergoing that same healing process. 

***

I was freer. More alive. More like the person I was meant to be than who I had chosen to be in the past. Baggage I hadn’t even known I was carrying and lies I hadn’t known I was believing had been kicked to the curb. I felt like an innocent child again. I had been given a second chance, and I was ready to run with it wherever it wanted to take me.

***

I’ve heard from readers who have cried, felt uplifted and encouraged, been filled with happiness and satisfaction, or just simply loved the way it ended.  Granted, it isn’t a complete resolution because there are a few things left unanswered for the sequel (which is in the works), but there is definitely a great sense of closure.  And it is my hope that this sense of closure in the book will help even just a few readers gain closure with their own issues, giving them the confidence to replace their worry with hope.

Check out Dusty’s blog at http://dustycrabtree.wordpress.com/

Find her on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/dusty.crabtree.1

Follow her on twitter at https://twitter.com/dustycrabtree

Buy Shadow Eyes at http://musapublishing.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=176

(also available at all major online bookstores)

View the book trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7UP9A0Fm78

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A Cursed Embrace Cover Reveal

I have reviewed Cecy Robson's work here on the site before, and I have enjoyed reading her writing a lot. So when she contacted me about a cover reveal I jumped on board. I love her work, and I think a lot of my readers will too, so here are some links to my other reviews of her work and some information about her new book! 

The Weird Girls Review (prequel novella) 
Sealed with a Curse Review (book 1)

SYNOPSIS

Celia Wird and her three sisters are just like other twenty-something girls—with one tiny exception: They are the products of a curse that backfired and gave each of them unique powers that made them, well, a little weird.…

After Celia Wird and her sisters help master vampire Misha save his family, their powers are exposed to the supernatural community of the Lake Tahoe region. But fame comes at a price, and being “weird” isn’t always welcome.

To make matters worse, Celia desires the love of Alpha werewolf Aric, but his pack is bent on destroying their relationship to preserve his pureblood status. And once weres start turning up dead—with evidence pointing to the vampires—she must face the prospect of losing Aric forever. But the chaos only masks a new threat. An evil known as the Tribe has risen—and their sights are set on Celia and her sisters.

AUTHOR BIO

Cecy (pronounced Sessy) Robson is an author with Penguin's SIGNET ECLIPSE. She attributes her passion for story-telling back to the rough New Jersey neighborhood she was raised in. As a child, she was rarely allowed to leave the safety of her house and passed her time fantasizing about flying, fairies, and things that go bump in the night. Her dad unwittingly encouraged Cecy's creativity by kissing her goodnight wearing vampire fangs. Gifted and cursed with an overactive imagination, she began writing her Urban Fantasy Romance Series, Weird Girls, in May 2009. THE WEIRD GIRLS: A Novella and SEALED WITH A CURSE are now available. The second novel in The Weird Girls Series, A CURSED EMBRACE, releases July 2, 2013.

LINKS:

Website:               www.cecyrobson.com

Twitter:                 https://twitter.com/cecyrobson

Facebook:             http://www.facebook.com/Cecy.Robson.Author

Soul Avenged Review

Synopsis: 
Passion is blind in vengeance an love... Ayden's surburban home was invaded by a pack of Lycans. The brutal attack is the only memory she carries of her former life. Now, one motive burns in her soul: KILL THEM ALL.

The Sons of Wrath--a brood of vengeance-dealing warrior demons--band with Ayden to hunt the Lycans on Detroit's most deadly feeding grounds. Kane Walker should've been her easiest kill. Unfortunately, the newly bitten Lycan has something she wants--clues that many finally lay her past to rest. To reach them, she must be willing to submit to the sensual pleasures awakened by his touch.

Time is running out. In seven days, Kane will become what Ayden despises most. She can halt his transformation but the antidote requires the ultimate sacrifice. As the beast takes hold, Kane becomes more of a threat. Ayden must choose between her lust for revenge, or surrender to her enemy and discover a horrible truth.

Review:
First off I want to say I really enjoyed the world that Keri developed for this book. It was really fun to go along for the ride with her cast of characters. One of things I think I appreciate the most though, was that a book about Lycans was not just a book with only Lycans. I love paranormal/urban fantasy books that don't limit themselves to just one type of supernatural. It's always so much more fun for me as a reader to see more than just one kind of supernatural, and I think it makes the world they all live in all the more complex and exciting.

Another thing I really like about this book is that there are multiple POVs in the book. I think multiple POVs can either be great or go horribly wrong. Keri did a great job with it though, it let me build great connections to the characters in her book, all the while it didn't leave me confused about who was talking or too overloaded with random information. It was really nice and refreshing to see it done so well.

Okay so now for the main characters, Ayden is a pretty strong chick. I love a strong butt kicking chick who doesn't spend her entire life moaning and whining over a guy, and Ayden totally fits that bill. I think another thing that makes her a great character is that she has a mission that is understandable to the reader. You can really understand from the beginning why she is the way she is, and it makes her story so much better, and as a reader it is so easy to form a connection with her. As for Kane, well you can't really help but like him. He has found himself in well not the best of situations, so that alone makes it easy to feel for him. And I think it also helps that Ayden and Kane together make this great combination that really makes the two of them pop off the page when they are together.

Keri also has a great cast of secondary characters, and I could tell you all about each and every one of them, but for me I think the secondary characters add this great dimension to the book and I don't want to ruin them for you. Overall I have to say it was a really enjoyable read, and a pretty solid foundation for the series. You can tell with this first book that this series is going to just get better as it goes along, so check it out!

For more information on the author Keri Lake, check out Keri's website www.kerilake.com

CLICK HERE FOR GIVEAWAY!

To read an excerpt click below!

CHAPTER ONE

Ice water.

The frigid sensation sliced through Ayden’s veins, leaving a numb trail in its wake as she stepped through the remains of the abandoned factory—one of many havens for the crack addicts and prostitutes. The old Packard Plant had become no more than a ghostly haunt for tormented souls.

Shitholes were cropping up everywhere, much more rapidly than ever before. Detroit, once a thriving city, brought to ruins. Gray and lifeless like the suffocating overcast that loomed during daylight.

A vile stench assaulted her nose, a potent blend of piss, sex and rotted meat, as garbage crunched beneath her boots. Foundation had collapsed all around where she stood, crumbled as if the building would fold into the depths of hell.

The graffiti spattering the walls gave the impression that gangs were the real threat—‘We don’t die, we multiply.’

Right. Like gangs own any part of this city, anymore.

A Beretta, loaded with silver bullets and a silver parrying dagger rested at one of Ayden’s hips, a silver bullwhip at another, as she moved past comatose bodies and decaying corpses.

Feeding grounds, like a bait pile.

Deadened eyes slowly tracked her movement in the darkness, squinting, as though craving the light that hers didn’t need to see. Humans so strung out on drugs, they failed to recognize the half-eaten carrion were once their own kind.

Not that knowing would stop them. They’d apparently chosen to face danger rather than kick their addiction, roaming the streets every night in search of their next high.

Lambs.

They were already dead. Death just hadn’t come to collect yet.

The blissful sigh of a hopped-up junkie reached her ears. She snarled her lip. “Enjoy it while it lasts, asshole.”

It’d be one thing if they were homeless. Hell, she might’ve fired a warning shot to evacuate.

The homeless didn’t come here, though.

Neither did the police—making it the perfect spot to get wasted and hustle some money.

Shots fired would’ve been nothing more than a momentary distraction before their minds slipped back into their ignorant state of euphoria.

Screw ‘em.

For any other girl, the place promised very bad things—an opportunity for a sadist to live out wild fantasies without ever getting caught.

For Ayden? Humans posed no threat. Their fragile bodies would shred like paper dolls against the work of her hands. Luckily for them, she sought something else to sate her thirst for bloodshed, something far more threatening than their most psychopathic criminal—and she’d tracked it right to the surrounding cornucopia of human flesh.

A thin, black mesh hoodie beneath her jacket concealed her face while the shiny black leather covering her body acted as a beacon in the moon’s light.

Full moon.

It didn’t matter.

Contrary to the fairytales and movies, they didn’t need a full moon to change.

Werewolves, some called them—like a supernatural Bigfoot on the loose. Nothing more than fodder for the tabloids, not to be taken seriously.

Lycans is how those ‘in the know’ referred to them.

The bastards could transform at will. In the middle of the day, if they wanted. Though, like a true predator, they’d evolved throughout the centuries, eluding humans by hunting them at night, catching their prey in their most vulnerable state.

Ayden reached a door in a darkened corner. The stubborn panel held stiff against the push of her palm, giving way only beneath one heave backed by exceptional strength. Beyond, a spiral of stairs wound above and below. Visuals flashed through her mind as she imagined the stairwell bustling with men in suits who passed each other with carefree visages—every one of them ghosts that roamed the destruction.

A quick scan showed no movement.

She tipped her head back and inhaled the repugnant scent the beasts had left behind.

They’re close.

Her feet took light steps, hardly making a sound against the concrete as she descended further into the pit of hell otherwise known as the lycan’s lair.

With each step, she wished her heart would pound wildly in her chest, or that her pulse rate would surge—both human reactions to fear. Neither of them did.

What fragments of her human soul remained had been stripped bare the night the Alexi made her one of their own. Even that, as tortuous as the unrelenting pain that seared through her body while it underwent its transformation, was a memory she could hardly summon anymore. Only a silent blackness dwelled in the place where snapshots of her life would have roamed free, a void that she couldn’t see beyond, separating her present from past.

She’d become one of them: an Alexi soldier. A cold and remorseless killer designed to eradicate in one sweep.

A noise piqued her sensitive ears.

Two flights below.

It could’ve been the skittering feet of a mouse beating against her skull like a base drum.

The thirst for blood moved like a dark storm cloud through her veins, a mix of raw adrenaline and something else—the something that came with her transformation.

Destroy.

Her feet moved on impulse, carrying her closer to whatever it was, rendering it nothing more than a thread-width away from its death.  

In the corner of a landing, he sat hunched over on himself, body convulsing.

A grin skated across her face as she approached her first kill of the night.