The sub-Fae were the dregs of Fae society, usually nasty tempered and often hiring themselves out as mercenaries to anybody at the right price. Like goblins, they weren’t welcome in the city, but all you had to do was hang out at one of the SubCult dives around town and you would run into at least one of them.

  “Thanks, Ember. I appreciate it. You wouldn’t be interested in taking on the case and helping me out by hiring Lena…and so on?” He was standing too close for comfort.

  I backed away a step. “Sorry,” I lied. “My schedule is booked up.” I yawned, pushing past him to return to the front of the shop. “I’d better get going. I have errands to run before I go home and crash.” I glanced over at the counter. “Wrap me up a loaf of French bread and a dozen white chocolate raspberry cookies, if you would.”

  Ray crossed to behind the counter and fixed my order. As he handed it to me, our fingers touched. A familiar spark raced through me, but I ignored it. I didn’t dare go down that road again, not if I wanted him to be safe. Besides, I didn’t do clingy well, and Ray had shown definite signs of wanting more from me than I could give.

  “How much do I owe you?”

  “On the house. And it always will be.”

  And with that, I headed back to my car as the morning rush began to trickle in. Overall, Ray was a good guy, and he was alive. I wanted him to stay alive.

  My condo was over in Seattle, in Spring Beach. At one time, the neighborhood had been suburban—the home of the rich. But now, it was row upon row of high rises and commercial buildings. Shiny chrome-and-glass blended in with older brick, making a hodgepodge of urban dwellings. Parks dotted the neighborhood, replacing the vast swaths of foliage that had surrounded once-massive estates. My building—the Miriam G Building—overlooked Puget Sound, and the rich colors of cloud and sky and ocean greeted me every morning when I got up.

  I lived on the fifteenth floor, in unit 1515. Every now and then I worried about what might happen should we see another large earthquake like we had some years back, but the buildings in the area had been retrofitted—the ones that hadn’t crashed to the ground—and the newer ones were built to a strict code.

  As I parked in the parking garage, it occurred to me that I might want to think about selling the place and buying a house on the outskirts of the city at some point. The condo was small, around eight hundred square feet, and while I had two bedrooms, my guest room also housed my arsenal of weapons.

  I glanced around the dark garage. Even during the day it was spooky. The building had been built about thirty years ago, and the developer had gone bankrupt. The bank had repossessed the apartments and sold the Miriam G to another buyer, who had decided to sell them as condos. Eventually, when I was looking for a place, a unit came up for sale and I bought it. I’d been living here since I was twenty-five. It wasn’t fancy, but the view was worth the money, although the area I lived in wasn’t exactly a safe haven.

  I slipped out of the car and quickly made my way to the elevator. Luckily, there was nobody else waiting—I didn’t trust all of my neighbors—and within a few moments I was at my apartment door.

  Mr. Rumblebutt was waiting for me. He was a Norwegian forest cat, sixteen pounds with fur that made him look like a giant tribble on legs. He was sitting on the back of the sofa, staring at the front door. When I entered, he let out a disgruntled purp, jumped down, and headed toward the kitchen.

  “All right, I know breakfast is overdue.” As I opened the can and put his chunky chicken on the floor, I started to yawn, so tired I could barely think. I crossed over to the floor to ceiling windows that overlooked the Puget Sound and pulled open the curtains. A wash of daylight broke through the gloom and I leaned against the armchair that looked directly out onto the balcony. The thought of falling asleep staring at the water sounded good to me, but I knew my back wouldn’t thank me when I woke up. So I trudged into the bathroom, stripped and, leaving my clothes on the floor, stepped into a hot shower.

  I was too tired to wash my hair, so after I finished up, I dragged a brush through it and padded to my bed. I debated on opening the curtain so I could look out on the water as I slept but decided the light would probably keep me awake. So I slid under the covers, closed my eyes, and within minutes was dead to the world.

  My phone woke me up. I cracked one eye, rolling over to stare at the clock. It was 2:30 p.m. and I had managed about six hours of sleep. Yawning, I scooted back against the headboard as I grabbed my phone off the nightstand. The Caller ID read Angel, and I quickly punched the talk button.

  “Hey, what’s up?” I yawned again.

  Angel was my best friend, and I was surprised to see the call was from her. She seldom called during the day. Texted? Definitely. But phone calls from her job? So not approved by her boss. After work, she would go home to take care of her little half-brother. She had taken in DJ when their mother died, and she was doing her best to make sure he didn’t end up on the streets.

  “I’m worried about DJ. I’m afraid something’s happened to him.” She sounded frantic. Angel hardly ever let her nerves get the better of her. If she was worried, something was wrong.

  “What’s going on?” I asked, pushing back the covers. Angel and I had each other’s backs, we’d been best friends for years, and if one of us was in trouble, the other one was always willing to come to the rescue.

  “Last night he stayed over with a friend. He was supposed to come home this morning, but when I called home from work half an hour ago, he didn’t answer. I called Sarah—the mother of the boy he was staying with. She said he left at seven-thirty this morning. He should have been home by nine, shortly after I left for work. So I came home and I don’t see any sign that he’s been here. This isn’t like DJ. You know him. He’s a good kid, and he always lets me know where he is. I checked my texts, I checked voice messages. Not a word from him.”

  “He didn’t have school today?”

  “No, today’s a teacher’s day. That’s why I let him stay over last night with Jason.”

  I could hear the tears in her throat. DJ was ten years old, and as she said, he was a good kid. He had been a change-of-life child, and Mama Jackson had conceived him when she was forty-eight. Mama J. had died a year ago, the victim of a car crash. Her death had left a hole not only in Angel and DJ’s life, but in mine. Mama J. had filled the void when my parents were killed.

  When Mama J. died, Angel took DJ in and the arrangement had worked out fairly well, although it hadn’t been easy for her. For one thing, DJ was Wulfine—a wolf shifter. Angel was human, and she had no clue how to help him transition through the changes as he grew up.

  “I’m on my way over. Meanwhile, call all his friends if you haven’t done so already. Maybe he stopped off somewhere and got busy playing and just forgot.”

  Even as I suggested it, I knew it wasn’t true. DJ wasn’t the type to space out on his responsibilities. Even when Mama J. was alive, DJ had been a somber child, focused on helping his family. Angel often told me that he seemed to feel old before his time, although neither of us could figure out what had brought that on. It just seemed to be his nature.

  “Thank you.” Angel paused, her voice hushed. “Ember, I have a horrible feeling that he’s in real trouble. You know that most of my premonitions are spot-on. I’m afraid.”

  “I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.” There was nothing else I could say. As she hung up, I was already sliding into a pair of leather pants. I fastened my bra and then pulled on a black ribbed tank top. I jammed my arms in the sleeves of my leather jacket, and then slipped on my ankle boots, zipping them up the side. I dragged a brush through my hair and then pulled it back into a ponytail. After kissing Mr. Rumblebutt on the head and filling his dry food dish, I grabbed a chocolate chip breakfast bar and headed back to my car.

  PLAYLIST

  I often write to music, and the Shadow Blade Series is no exception. Here’s the playlist I used for this book.

  Air: Napalm Love

  Alanis Morissette: Eight Easy Steps; You Oughta Know

  Amethystium: Shadow to Light; Autumn Interlude

  Android Lust: Here and Now; Saint Over

  Band of Skulls: I Know What I Am

  Beats Antique: Runaway; Tabla Toy

  Billy Idol: White Wedding

  Black Angels: Don’t Play With Guns

  Black Mountain: Queens Will Play

  The Bravery: Believe

  Brent Lewis: Corky’s Ivoery

  Cobra Verde: Play With Fire

  Camouflage Nights: (It Could Be) Love

  Cul de Sac: Into the Cone of Cold; The Invisible Worm

  Deskant: As the Rivers Collapse; March of the Undead

  Dizzi: Dizzi Jig; Dance of the Unicorns

  DJ Shaw: melomaniac

  Eastern Sun: Beautiful Being

  FC Kahuna: Hayling

  Faun: Rad; Sieben

  Gabrielle Roth: The Calling; Raven; Zone Unknown; Avenue A

  Gil Nagel: Daydreaming

  Gorillaz: Every Planet We Touch Is Dead; Kids With Guns; Dare; Clint Eastwood; Demon Days

  Greg Dulli: Somebody Needs You

  Halsey: Castle

  Hedningarna: Chicago; Ukkonen

  Imagine Dragons: Natural

  Jonna Jinton: The Spirit Song

  The Kills: Sour Cherry

  Lorde: Royals; Yellow Flicker Beat

  Low: Half Light; Plastic Cup

  Marconi Union: Time Lapse; We Travel

  Marcus Bressler: Viking At Work; Viking Raid; Viking Sword

  Marilyn Manson: Tainted Love; Personal Jesus

  Oingo Boingo: Gratitude; Nothing Bad Ever Happens To Me

  Orgy: Blue Monday

  PJ Harvey: Down By The Water

  Pati Yang: All That Is Thirst

  Rob Zombie: Living Dead Girl

  Robin Schulz: Sugar

  Rue du Soleil: We Can Fly; Le Francaise; Wake Up Brother; Blues Du Soleil

  St. Vincent: Down And Out Downtown; Palm Desert; Pay Your Way In Pain; Los Ageless

  Savvun: Nordic Shine; Through the Storm; A Cold Wind; Midnight Sun

  Seth Glier: The Next Right Thing

  Simple Minds: Don’t You (Forget About Me)

  Tamaryn: While You’re Sleeping, I’m Dreaming; Violet’s in a Pool

  Tangerine Dream: Pilots of the Purple Twilight; Dr. Destructo; Gaudi Park; Grind

  Thompson Twins: The Gap

  Tingstand & Rumbel: Caravan Crossing; Chaco

  Toadies: Possum Kingdom

  Traffic: The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys

  Trevor Kowalski: Flowing Water

  Trills: Speak Loud

  Yoko Kanno: Lithium Flower

  Zayde Wolf: Gladiator

  Zero 7: In the Waiting Line

  BIOGRAPHY

  New York Times, Publishers Weekly, and USA Today bestselling author Yasmine Galenorn writes urban fantasy, paranormal women’s fiction, paranormal romance, and paranormal mystery. She is the author of over one hundred books, including the Moon shadow Bay Series, the Wild Hunt Series, the Starlight Hollow Series, and the Otherworld Series, as well as others. Her newest series include the Shadow Blade Series (urban fantasy) and Married At First Bite (paranormal women's fiction).

  In 2011, she was awarded the Career Achievement Award in Urban Fantasy, given by RT Magazine. Yasmine has been in the Craft since 1980, is a shamanic witch and High Priestess. She describes her life as a blend of teacups and tattoos. She lives in Kirkland, WA, with her husband Samwise and their cats. Yasmine can be reached via her website at Galenorn.com. You can join her mailing list, and find her on Patreon.

  Currently Available:

  Urban Fantasy:

  Shadow Blade Series:

  Shadow Seeking

  Shadow Scorching

  Shadow Dreaming

  Shadow Running

  Shadow Stealing

  Shadow Reigning

  Wild Hunt Series:

  The Silver Stag

  Oak & Thorns

  Iron Bones

  A Shadow of Crows

  The Hallowed Hunt

  The Silver Mist

  Witching Hour

  Witching Bones

  A Sacred Magic

  The Eternal Return

  Sun Broken

  Witching Moon

  Autumn’s Bane

  Witching Time

  Hunter’s Moon

  Witching Fire

  Veil of Stars

  Antlered Crown

  Night Queen Series (A Wild Hunt Spinoff):

  Tattered Thorns

  Shattered Spells

  Fractured Flowers

  Hedge Dragon Series (A Wild Hunt Spinoff):

  The Poisoned Forest

  The Tangled Sky

  Otherworld Series:

  (Those in italics are currently still released through Berkley):

  Witchling

  Changeling: An Otherworld Novel

  Darkling: An Otherworld Novel

  Dragon Wytch: An Otherworld Novel

  Night Huntress: An Otherworld Novel

  Demon Mistress: An Otherworld Novel

  Bone Magic: An Otherworld Novel

  Harvest Hunting: An Otherworld Novel

  Blood Wyne: An Otherworld Novel

  Courting Darkness: An Otherworld Novel

  Shaded Vision: An Otherworld Novel

  Shadow Rising: An Otherworld Novel

  Haunted Moon

  Autumn Whispers

  Crimson Veil

  Priestess Dreaming

  Panther Prowling

  Darkness Raging: An Otherworld Novel

  Moon Shimmers: An Otherworld Novel

  Harvest Song: An Otherworld Novel

  Blood Bonds: An Otherworld Novel

  Otherworld Tales Series:

  Otherworld Tales: Volume 1

  Otherworld Tales: Volume 2

  Etched in Silver: An Otherworld Novella

  Where It Began: An Otherworld Novella

  Bonfire Dreams: An Otherworld Novella

  Blood & Bones: An Otherworld Novella

  The Shadow of Mist: An Otherworld Novella

  Flight From Hell: An Otherworld Novella

  Dusk Till Dawn Series:

  Flight From Hell

  Flight From Death

  Lily Bound Series:

  Soul jacker

  Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy Romance:

  Starlight Hollow Series:

  Starlight Hollow

  Starlight Dreams

  Starlight Demons

  Starlight Witch

  Starlight Summons

  Starlight Spells

  Dark Fantasy/Urban Fantasy:

  Indigo Court Series:

  Night Myst

  Night Veil

  Night Seeker

  Night Vision

  Night’s End

  Night Shivers

  LitRPG:

  Quest Wars Adventure:

  The Glass Unicorn Part 1

  The Glass Unicorn Part 2

  The Glass Unicorn Part 3

  The Glass Unicorn Part 4

  The Glass Unicorn Part 5

  The Glass Unicorn Part 6

  The Glass Unicorn Part 7

  The Glass Unicorn Part 8

  Paranormal Women’s Fiction (the Shadow Towns World—all connected):

  Moonshadow Bay Series:

  Starlight Web

  Midnight Web

  Conjure Web

  Harvest Web

  Shadow Web

  Weaver’s Web

  Crystal Web

  Witch’s Web

  Cursed Web

  Solstice Web

  Dreamer’s Web

  Woodland Web

  Feathered Web

  Enchanted Web

  Magic Happens Series:

  Shadow Magic

  Charmed to Death

  Chaos Rising

  Whisper Hollow Series:

  Autumn Thorns

  Shadow Silence

  The Phantom Queen

  Married At First Bite Series:

  Haunted Eclipse

  Vampire’s Vixen

  Other Genres:

  Winter’s Spell Trilogy (Romantasy):

  Weaving Winter

  Ice Magic

  A Dream of Snow

  Fury Unbound Series (Post-Apocalyptic):

  Fury Rising

  Fury’s Magic

  Fury Awakened

  Fury Calling

  Fury’s Mantle

  Chintz ‘n China Series:

  Ghost of a Chance

  Legend of the Jade Dragon

  Murder Under a Mystic Moon

  A Harvest of Bones

  One Hex of a Wedding

  Holiday Spirits

  Well of Secrets

  Bewitching Bedlam Series (Spicy Witch Romance):

  Bewitching Bedlam

  Maudlin’s Mayhem

  Siren’s Song

  Witches Wild

  Casting Curses

  Demon’s Delight

  Bedlam Calling (a Bewitching Bedlam Anthology)

  Wish Factor (a prequel short story)

  Blood Music (a prequel novella)

  Blood Vengeance (a Bewitching Bedlam novella)

  Tiger Tails (a Bewitching Bedlam novella)

  Bath and Body Series: (originally under the name India Ink) (Cozy Mystery):

  Scent to Her Grave

  A Blush With Death

  Glossed and Found

  Starwood Series (Pagan Romance):

  The Longest Night (A Pagan Romance Novella)

  A Witch’s Guide Series (Nonfiction Magickal How-To):

  Embracing the Moon

  Tarot Journeys

  Totem Magic