He approached me cautiously, giving the Retrievers an unsure look. They lifted their heads and growled.
“It’s okay,” I soothed. “He’s a friend. It’s okay.”
Nathaniel continued toward me. I noticed he had a piece of paper in his grip. He handed it to me while Lock, Stock and Barrel gave him the beady eye.
I unfolded the slip of paper. All it said was, “We know who you are, and we know where you are. We are watching.”
I turned it over, hoping for something more. “Where was this?”
“On the porch,” Nathaniel said. “Beezle seems to think it’s from someone named Jack.”
Jack Dabrowski, the blogger who wanted me to be mayor, who wanted to broadcast my business on the Internet. Apparently I hadn’t done a good enough job of scaring him off.
The Retrievers let Nathaniel put his hand on my shoulder. I covered his hand with my own and leaned my head back against his body.
“Nathaniel,” I said. “You need to be careful. Puck killed Bendith to serve his own purpose. I don’t think he feels particularly warm toward his children.”
“I know,” Nathaniel said. “But I am not in any more danger than you. Now that you have killed Titania, you will have many more enemies. You have established yourself as something to be feared, something to dread.”
“I am something to be feared,” I said. “Puck made me this way. And Puck had better watch his ass.”
Beezle stopped stuffing his face long enough to say, “I hope you’re not thinking of revenge. Because I think Puck has already proven that he’s much better at thinking long-term than you are.”
Maybe Puck was better at strategic planning. I was more emotional, more spontaneous. But he had twisted me into this shape and used me like a weapon.
There was no reason why that weapon should not, could not, turn on him.
I smiled, thinking of Puck suffering at my hands.
“Maddy?” Beezle said. “What are you thinking?”
Inside me, the darkness smiled, too.
PRAISE FOR
“Another amazing read by Christina Henry.”
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“Great snarky dialogue, continuous action, excellent world-building and innovative twists on urban fantasy conventions are par for the course in Henry’s series.”
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“Prepare yourself for plenty of snark, plenty of action and plenty of fun from this endearing and exciting series.”
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“Maddy is a strong female heroine . . . The ending of
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“This series reminds me of the Harry Dresden series by Jim Butcher or Rachel in the Hollows series by Kim Harrison . . . It has enough action, suspense and sarcasm to keep my attention. I look forward to seeing where Christina Henry takes us next.”
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“Action-packed. You are sucked in from page one and set on a roller-coaster ride of action till the end.”
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“A riveting adventure of a novel . . .
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“Madeline Black is back and super badass in her second installment . . . If you’re looking for a brilliant urban fantasy with page-turning action, witty dialogue and fun characters—this is your book.”
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“The style of this book is just like the first book in the series—playful and light, yet also adventurous and dark . . . The bottom line is that if you enjoy adventure stories, you will enjoy this book, especially if you’re a nonstop-action junkie.”
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“A fun, fast ride through the gritty streets of magical Chicago,
—Nancy Holzner, author of
“An entertaining urban fantasy starring an intriguing heroine . . . The soul-eater-serial-killer mystery adds to an engaging Chicago joyride as courageous Madeline fears this unknown adversary but goes after the lethal beast.”
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“Fast action, plenty of demons and a hint of mystery surrounding the afterlife make for an entertaining urban fantasy populated by an assortment of interesting characters.”
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