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  The restaurant fell silent, except for the hoarse hissing from the convulsing vampire as my saber liquefied its innards, absorbing the nutrients into the blade and the male necromancer sobbing on the floor.

  In the far corner a man swiped his toddler from his high chair, grabbed his wife's hand, and ran out. As one the patrons jumped. Chairs fell, feet pounded, someone gasped. They rushed out of both doors. In a blink the place was empty, save for us and the two necromancers.

  I gripped Slayer and pulled. It slid from the body with ease. The edges of the wound sagged and dark brown blood spilled from the cut. I swung and beheaded the vamp with a single sharp stroke.

  Curran's arms shrank, streamlining, grey fur melting into his skin. He walked over to the male necromancer, pulled him upright, and shook him once, an expression of deep contempt on his face. I could almost hear the guy's teeth rattle in his skull.

  "Look at me. Look at me."

  The necromancer stared at him, shocked eyes wide, his mouth slack.

  I knelt by the female navigator and touched her wrist, keeping away from the neck and the gold band on it. No pulse. The necklace clamped her neck like a golden noose, its color a dark vivid yellow, almost orange. The skin around it was bright red and quickly turning purple.

  I picked up her purse, pulled out a wallet and snapped it open. People ID. Amada Sunny, journeyman, Second Tier. Twenty years old and now dead.

  Curran peered into the journeyman's face. "What happened? What did you do?"

  The man sucked in a deep breath and dissolved into tears.

  Curran dropped him in disgust. His eyes were pure gold. He was pissed off out of his mind.

  I went to the hostess desk and found the phone. Please work... Dial tone. Yes!

  I punched in the office number. Chances were, Andrea was still there.

  "Cutting Edge," Andrea's voice said.

  "I'm in Arirang. Two navigators were having dinner. The man gave the woman a gold necklace and it strangled her to death. I'm looking at two dead vampires and one human corpse."

  "Sit tight. I'll be there in thirty minutes."

  I hung up and dialed the Casino.

  "Kate Daniels, for Ghastek. Urgent."

  "Please wait," female voice said. The phone went silent. I hummed to myself and looked at the ID. I didn't know which of the Masters of the Dead Amanda answered to, but I knew Ghastek was the best of the seven. He was also power-hungry and he was making his bid for taking over the Atlanta's office of the People. He was very much in the limelight at the moment and I could count on a rapid response.

  A moment passed. Another.

  "What is it, Kate?" Ghastek's voice said into the phone. He must've been doing something, because he failed to keep exasperation from his voice. "Please keep this quick, I'm in the middle of something."

  "I have one dead journeywoman, one hysterical journeyman, two dead vampires, one pissed off Beast Lord with bloody hands, and a half a dozen terrified restaurant staff." Quick enough for you?

  Ghastek's voice snapped into brisk tone. "Where are you?"

  "Arirang on Greenpine. Bring a decontamination unit and body bags."

  I hung up. Our waiter edged out of the doors and approached our table, looking green. The rest of the staff were probably huddled together in the back room, terrified, not knowing if it was over.

  "Is it over?"

  Curran turned to him. "Yes, it's over. The People are on their way to clean up the mess. You can bring your people out, if it will make them feel better. We guarantee your safety."

  The waiter took off. Someone shouted. A moment later the doors opened and people ran out: an older Korean man, the older woman who had greeted us, a woman who looked like she could be their daughter and several men and women in waiter garb. The younger woman carried a boy. He couldn't be more than five.

  The owners piled up into the booths around us. The boy stared at the two vampires with dark eyes, big like two cherries.

  I dropped into the chair next to Curran. He reached over and pulled me close. "I'm sorry about the dinner."

  "That's okay." I stared at the dead woman. Twenty years old. She barely had a chance to live. I'd seen a lot of death, but for some reason the site of Amanda laying there on the floor, her boyfriend weeping uncontrollably by her body, chilled me to the bone. I leaned against Curran, feeling the heat of his body seep through my T-shirt. I was so cold and I really needed his warmth.

  *** *** ***

  A caravan of black SUV's descended onto the parking lot, their enchanted water engines belching thunder. We watched them through the broken window, as the SUVs parked at the far end, killed the noise, and vomited people, vampires, and body bags. Ghastek emerged from the lead vehicle, ridiculously out of place in a black turtleneck and tailored dark pants. He came through the door, surveyed the scene for a second, and headed to us.

  Curran's eyes darkened. "I bet you a dollar he's running over to assure me that we're in no danger."

  "That's a sucker's bet."

  The People were efficient, I gave them that. One crew went for the headless vampire, other headed for the woman's body, the third for the despondent journeyman. Two women and a man in business suits made a beeline for the booth where the owners sat.

  Ghastek came close enough to be heard. "I want it to be clear: this was not an attempt to kill either of you. The journeymen weren't supposed to be here and the guilty party will be harshly reprimanded."

  Curran shrugged. "Don't worry, Ghastek. If this was an attempt, I know you'd bring more than two vampires."

  "What happened?" Ghastek asked.

  "They were having dinner," I told him. "They seemed happy together. The boy handed her a necklace and it choked her to death."

  "Just so I understand, Lawrence himself wasn't personally injured."

  "No," Curran said. "He was in shock from watching his girlfriend die in front of him."

  Ghastek looked over the scene again, looking like he wanted to be anywhere but here. "Once again, we're dreadfully sorry for the inconvenience."

  "We'll live," Curran said.

  One of the People stepped away from Amanda's body. "The necklace adhered to her skin. There doesn't appear to be any locking mechanism. It's a solid band of gold."

  "Leave it," Ghastek said. "We'll remove it later."

  If I were them, I'd cut it off during tech and stick it into a hazmat container.

  A middle-aged man shouldered his way inside the restaurant, followed by a young woman and a boy, who looked about seven. I glanced at the woman and had to click my mouth shut. She was in her late teens, right on the cusp between a girl and a woman. Her body, full in the bust and hips, slimmed to a narrow waist. Her long slender legs carried her with a natural grace. Her hair streamed from her head in a shimmering cascade so precisely matching the color of gold, I would've sworn it was gold if I didn't know better. Her face, a pale oval, was angelic. She glanced at me in passing. Her irises were an intense deep blue and her eyes were decades older than her face.

  She was beautiful.

  She was also not human. Or she had bargained with something not human for that body.

  Curran was watching her. His nostrils flared a little as he inhaled, sampling the scents.

  Ghastek focused on the woman as well, with a kind of clinical interest usually afforded to an odd insect. "Here come the grieving parents. I've met them before."

  "Is that her sister?" I murmured.

  "No, that's Mrs. Sunny, her mother. The boy is Amanda's brother."

  Not human.

  The middle-aged man saw the female navigator, whose body the People had just loaded on the gurney. "Amanda! Jesus Christ, Amanda! Baby!"

  "No!" The woman cried out.

  He dashed to Amanda. "Oh God. Oh God."

  The golden-haired woman chased after him, the boy in tow. "Don't go near her!"

  The man grasped Amanda's hand. The golden band of the necklace popped open. An eerie soft glow ignited within the necklace, se
tting the gold aglow.

  "Oh Go-" Amanda's father fell silent in the middle of the word, transfixed by the necklace.

  His hand inched toward it.

  "Stop!" Curran barked.

  I was already moving.

  The golden woman pushed past him, yanked the necklace from Amanda's neck, spun, and thrust it at the boy's throat. The gold band locked on the child's neck, adhering to his skin. I missed it by half a second.

  The boy gasped. His father shook his head, as if awakened from a dream.

  The golden-haired woman stared at me with her old eyes and smiled.

  "Are you out of your mind?" I snarled. "That necklace just killed your daughter."

  "This isn't your affair," the golden-haired woman said.

  "Take it off. Now."

  She sneered. "I can't."

  She knew exactly what that necklace did. She made a conscious choice between her husband and her son.

  The boy dug his fingers into his neck, trying pry the necklace loose. It remained stuck. The skin around the band of gold was turning red. We had to get him out of here.

  The man stared at her. "Aurellia? What's going on? What's the meaning of this?"

  "Don't worry about it," the woman told him. "I'll explain it later."

  "No, you'll explain it now." Curran moved next to me.

  "I have to concur," Ghastek said.

  The woman raised her chin. "You have no authority over me."

  "Aurellia, what is going on?" her husband asked.

  "On the contrary. We have all the authority we need." Ghastek snapped his fingers. A woman in a business suit and glasses popped up by his side as if by magic.

  "The necklace caused the death of a journeywoman in our employ," the woman said. "We've expended considerable amount of money training her, not to mention the cost of the two vampires that were terminated as a result of her death. That necklace is evidence in our investigation of the incident. If you obstruct our investigation by withholding this evidence from us, we will obtain a court order requiring you to surrender the necklace to us. Should we choose to pursue this matter further, you will find yourself in a very actionable position."

  Some people had attack dogs. Ghastek had attack lawyers. If he got his hands on the boy, he'd find a way to remove the necklace. Even if he had to behead the child to get it.

  I couldn't let the People get the boy.

  "That's nice," I said. "I have a simpler solution. Take the necklace off the child now and I won't kill you."

  "Wait a God damned minute." Amanda's father moved to stand between me and his wife. "Everyone calm down. Just calm down."

  "Give me the boy and nobody gets hurt," I told them. "Nobody here will stop me."

  "That child is wearing our evidence," Ghastek said.

  Curran's eyes lit up with gold. He leveled his alpha stare on the woman. She flinched.

  "Give me the child," Curran said, his voice a deep inhuman growl.

  "Fine." Aurellia shoved the boy toward us. "Take him."

  Curran swept the boy off the floor and picked him up. Ghastek's face fell. We've won this round.

  "Give me back my son!" the man demanded.

  Curran just looked at him.

  "It's in the boy's best interests to stay in our custody," Ghastek said. "We have better facilities."

  "It's not your facilities I doubt," Curran said. "It's your motives."

  "What does that supposed to mean?" Ghastek narrowed his eyes.

  "It means the necklace is more important to you than the boy," I said. "You'll slice the flesh off his neck to get it."

  "That's a gross exaggeration." The Master of the Dead crossed his arms. "I've never murdered a child."

  "Oh it's never murder when you do it," I said. "It's a regrettable accidental casualty."

  "You can't do this!" Amanda's father thrust himself before Curran. "You can't take my son."

  "Yes, I can," Curran said. "We'll keep him safe. If your wife decides to explain what's going, I will consider returning him."

  "Go fuck yourself," the golden-haired woman said. "Crawl back into whatever dark hole you came out of. I have no care for you or your kind." She turned and walked out of the restaurant.

  Her husband froze, caught for a moment between his son and his wife. "This isn't over," he said finally and chased after Aurellia.

  "Give us the boy," Ghastek said, his tone reasonable.

  "I don't think so," Curran said. "If you want to examine him later, you're welcome to visit the Keep."

  Around us the People tensed. In the corner two vampires leaned forward.

  I unsheathed Slayer. I had a lot of practice and I did it fast. The lawyer woman jerked back. The opaque blade smoked, sensing the undead. Come on, Ghastek. Make our night.

  Ghastek sighed. "Fine. I'll make the necessary arrangements later."

  Curran headed out through the door. I waited a second and followed, walking backward for the first two steps to make sure that no undead would come leaping out of darkness at Curran's back.

  The door of Arirang swung shut behind us. Ghastek's voice called out, "Alright, people, back to work. Let's process the scene tonight."

  "What's your name?" Curran asked.

  The boy swallowed. "Roderick."

  "Don't be afraid," Curran told him, his voice still laced with snarls. "I'll keep you safe. If anything threatens us, I'll kill it."

  The boy gulped.

  A giant violent man with glowing eyes and inhuman voice just took you from your parents, but don't be afraid, because he'll kill anything that moves. Kick-ass calming strategy, Your Majesty.

  "He might be less scared if you stopped snarling and turned off the headlights."

  The fire in Curran's eyes died.

  "It will okay," I told Roderick. "We just want to take off that necklace, and then you can go back to your parents. It will be okay. I promise."

  If the necklace snapped his neck, there wasn't a damn thing I or Curran or anybody else could do about it. We had to get him to the Keep's infirmary.

  We headed into the parking lot just as Andrea pulled up in a Pack Jeep.

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  About the Author

  Ilona Andrews is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing team. “Ilona is a native-born Russian and Gordon is a former communications sergeant in the U.S. Army. Contrary to popular belief, Gordon was never an intelligence officer with a license to kill, and Ilona was never the mysterious Russian spy who seduced him. They met in college, in English Composition 101, where Ilona got a better grade. (Gordon is still sore about that.)

  Gordon and Ilona currently reside in Texas with their two children, three dogs and a cat. They have co-authored two series, the bestselling urban fantasy of Kate Daniels and romantic urban fantasy of The Edge.

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  Table of Contents

  ONE FOR THE MONEYJeaniene FrostChapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYSChapter 1

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter One