Origin

Suddenly Archer was beside me and Luc was near Beth. We were backing up, but I didn’t feel my feet moving or my muscles working. My eyes were trained on Daemon until the others of his kind swallowed his light.

Fear coated the inside of my mouth and turned the blood into slush in my veins. In that instant I couldn’t help but think of what Dasher had said about what would happen when the Luxen came—and whether Daemon would stand with his own kind or with mine.

I wasn’t sure Daemon even had a choice.

I wasn’t sure I did, either.

Acknowledgments

I have to give my family and friends major props for putting up with my nonstop writing and for being so understandable.

There are many people I’d like to thank who were an integral part in the creation of the Lux series and Origin. Major kudos to the team at Entangled: Karen Grove, Liz Pelletier, and Heather Riccio. Daryl Dixon from The Walking Dead also was a big help. Not sure why, but I think he and his cut-off shirt look good in my acknowledgments. Thank you to Kevan Lyon, the agent of awesome, for knowing when to go to bat for me and when to pat me on the head. Much appreciation to Stacey Morgan for listening to me ramble on about what Daemon and Kat are doing and insisting that there be more kissing. And cowbell. And country music. The last two things did not make it into the books. Cannot forget Marie Romero for helping shape Origin into something readable! I’m pretty sure I’d be nowhere without Honey Boo Boo and Supernanny. Another thing I’m not sure why, but why not? Thank you to Lesa Kidwiler for doing things I probably shouldn’t ask her to do. Wink. Wink. Nudge. Nudge. Thank you to Wendy Higgins for allowing me to borrow from her wonderful books.

I also want to thank some people who have always been huge supporters of my writing and the Lux series: Stacey O’Neale, Valerie from Stuck in Books, the YA Sisterhood, Good Choice Reading, Mundie Moms, Vee Nguyen, the Luxen Army chicks, Amanda from Canada (because that’s how I know you), Kayleigh from England (because that’s how I know you), Laura Kaye and Sophia Jordan (two awesome ladies I can talk to forever), Gaby, Books Complete Me ladies, Book Addict, Momo, and I am forgetting a ton of other people, so please don’t stone me, but it’s sort of late as I’m writing this, and my brain stops functioning around this time, and all I can think about is when is The Walking Dead coming back on?

The biggest and most important thank-you is to you—the person reading this right now. If it weren’t for you, Daemon Black wouldn’t be much of anything. You are the reason why I write these books, and I can never say thank you enough.

Read on for a sneak peek at Renee Collins’s magical and romantic

RELIC

Available in stores and online now!

After a raging fire consumes her town and kills her parents, Maggie Davis is on her own to protect her younger sister and survive best she can in the Colorado town of Burning Mesa. In Maggie’s world, the bones of long-extinct magical creatures such as dragons and sirens are mined and traded for their residual magical elements, and harnessing these relics’ powers allows the user to wield fire, turn invisible, or heal even the worst of injuries.

Working in a local saloon, Maggie befriends the spirited showgirl Adelaide and falls for the roguish cowboy Landon. But when she proves to have a particular skill at harnessing the relics’ powers, Maggie is whisked away to the glamorous hacienda of Alvar Castilla, the wealthy young relic baron who runs Burning Mesa. Though his intentions aren’t always clear, Alvar trains Maggie in the world of relic magic. But when the mysterious fires reappear in their neighboring towns, Maggie must discover who is channeling relic magic for evil before it’s too late.

Relic is a thrilling adventure set in a wholly unique world, and a spell-binding story of love, trust, and the power of good.

Chapter One

We were home alone the night that Haydenville burned. Mama and Papa had gone to a political meeting and left me in charge. I was sixteen, old enough to keep an eye on my younger brother and sister. Or so my folks figured. They had no way of knowing how I would be tested.

The evening started off so calm. Crickets were singing in the sagebrush, and the oppressive heat of daytime had been swept away by a velvety breeze, which drifted in through the open windows. Ella was playing with Sassy’s new litter of kittens up in the loft, and Jeb sat by the fire, polishing the brand-new gun he’d gotten for his fourteenth birthday the week before. I was scraping a broom over the floor of our little one-room house, trying my best to banish the red-orange sand that seemed our constant companion. But my mind soon drifted from my chores.

I stood in the doorway, in the warm twilight, gazing at the vast desert beyond. It stretched endlessly in either direction, with nothing but sage and rocks and the occasional rabbitbrush to break the monotony. The dark smudge of Haydenville sat on the horizon, a small spit of a town, not much more interesting than the cactus. It always made me feel lonesome to stare out at the stillness around us.

As I leaned my head against the doorframe and watched the first star pierce through the indigo sky, a reckless wish burned in my heart. I gazed up and let myself envision a sleek dragon diving out of the scrape of clouds, a creature long extinct, returned to breathe life back into this barren place. I pictured the ancient animal curling around the moon and soaring over the red-rock cliffs beyond our house. But as it swept downward, a strange glow on the horizon caught my attention.

I straightened, squinting in the direction of the wavering light. It was a wide line of orange spreading across the dark landscape in the distance, painting the night sky a deep amber. The breeze that drifted past my cheek carried the distinct scent of smoke. This was no figment of my imagination. This was fire.

And it was coming from Haydenville.

The broom slid out of my fingers and clattered to the floor.

“Maggie?”

I met my brother’s gaze, and his brow furrowed. “What is it?” he asked, tightening his grip on the rifle as he stood. “A rock devil?”

“Fire.” I pointed, my heart beating fast. “In the town.”

Jeb raced to my side and gripped the doorframe. “God Almighty,” he breathed. “The whole street’s burning.” Then he gave me a sharp look. “Mama and Papa.”

“I’m sure they’re okay,” I said, more confidently than I felt. “They would have seen the fire before it spread. They’re probably on their way back right now.”

Jeb squinted at the horizon, now rippling in the heat. “Someone is coming. A whole bunch of people…”

A row of separate flames undulated in the twilight. Torches. They moved across the desert toward us with a speed that could only mean they were carried on horseback.

“Maybe most people in the town got out,” I said, but my voice faded away.

Jeb stared hard at the fast-moving torches. “I don’t think so, Maggie.”

We looked at each other, and the same thought came to us.

“Ella,” I whispered.

I scrambled up the loft ladder, struggling to stay calm. I had to keep it together until Mama and Papa got