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    Magic Bites
    Magic Bites
    Magic Bites
    Ebook427 pages6 hours

    Magic Bites

    By Ilona Andrews

    4/5

    ()

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    About this ebook

    Ilona Andrews invites you to experience the first novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling series featuring the intriguing fantasy world of mercenary Kate Daniels…

    Kate Daniels is a down-on-her-luck mercenary who makes her living cleaning up magical problems. But when Kate’s guardian is murdered, her quest for justice draws her into a power struggle between two strong factions within Atlanta’s magic circles. Pressured by both sides to find the killer, Kate realizes she’s way our of her league—but she wouldn’t want it any other way…
     
    This edition includes in-depth information about the world of Kate Daniels with descriptions of its characters and factions. Explore Kate’s Atlanta like never before with a quiz to find your place there and with answers to frequently asked questions. And don’t miss the prequel story “A Questionable Client” as well as scenes of events in Magic Bites from Curran’s point of view.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Publishing Group
    Release dateMar 27, 2007
    ISBN9781101041970
    Magic Bites
    Author

    Ilona Andrews

    “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.) They have co-authored four New York Times and USA Today bestselling series: the urban fantasy of Kate Daniels, rustic fantasy of the Edge, paranormal romance of Hidden Legacy, and Innkeeper Chronicles. They live in Texas with their two children and many dogs and cats.

    Read more from Ilona Andrews

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    Reviews for Magic Bites

    4/5

    1,690 ratings125 reviews

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    • 3/5

      Dec 30, 2024

      Mixed feelings about this book.
      A couple of new twists to the collective myth of the vampire and the shifters. Some of those I liked, some didn't. I don't really like the vampires, they are more like zombies controlled by the master of the dead (the brain behind the vampires).
      Really liked the shifters characters but I think it was the sexual tension between Kate and The Beast Lord (I really liked the Beast Lord).

      I favourite part: Magic depends on belief. If enough people believes something to be true, t becomes true.
    • 3/5

      Mar 16, 2024

      Really probably 3.5 stars. Not my favorite of the series. Hate that Curran and Jim blame Kate for the mess with Crest when it was their idea in the first place. And for them thinking she’s a glory hound when that’s farthest from what she wants
    • 5/5

      Feb 29, 2024

      Just as good 4 years later. It's interesting looking back to see the slow & steady world and character building. Such a great writing duo
    • 3/5

      Feb 13, 2024

      Ok. Kinda fun, some good world building, some character actions seemed pretty plot driven. Not sure if I'm interested in the rest of the series
    • 5/5

      Sep 14, 2023

      Definitely a dark read. Very graphic details and not for the faint of heart, but an interesting perspective for the fantasy genre. The view on vamps was definitely interesting and im both glad and disturbed that they are a lot more demony/gargolye creepy something than the suave brooding bastard like most others. The times were magic was in power and tech was not was a little difficult to follow, but from what ive been told by a friend it only gets better from here. So im definitely looking forward to book two.
    • 4/5

      Aug 17, 2023

      Magic Bites by Ilona Andrew’s
      Kate Daniels series #1. Urban fantasy, monster hunting.
      Kate Daniels is a down-on-her-luck mercenary who makes her living cleaning up magical problems. In a quest for justice, she’s caught in a power struggle between two strong factions within Atlanta’s Magic circles.

      Descriptive and deadly monsters crawling in on the ceiling is not something I expected from this well known series. Kate carries a knife and we find out why in the first book intro to the world of mixed up magic. At least one “creature” can make itself look like anyone or anything. Kate’s tough and dangerous and not to be underestimated.
      This whole series of books has been in my bookcase for years and I’m excited to finally jump in. And I admit I’m not going to be reading them at night before bed!
    • 3/5

      Jun 25, 2023

      The first time I read this I didn't get why there were so many rave reviews. I mean it seemed pretty average. The world building was cool and Kate seemed alright but a bit standoffish. The romance between Kate and Crest was mediocre - it seemed like she didn't like him at all and it felt forced and awkward. The romance between Curran wasn't any better. It didn't make sense why he followed her home while he was on his date. I liked Derek and Ghastek was creepy. There was lots of snappy, witty dialogue and I had a few laughs - but I was just confused. It was good but it wasn't great.

      Yeah - read the rest of the series. It gets SO MUCH BETTER. Kate stops being standoffish and starts letting people in. Derek becomes a total badass. Ghastek - well he's still pretty creepy. But also funny and kind and sweet when he wants to be. And Curran - I love him now. He is an absolute ass in this first book. But I forgot. He becomes everything you want in a love interest.

      So do yourself a favour. Keep reading.

      3.5 stars, rounded to 4.
    • 4/5

      Jul 25, 2023

      I enjoyed this book and look forward to the next in the series, I hope we get more info into Kate's background and what she's running from and hiding

      9/18- new read through! I enjoy how tough and smart ass Kate is.
    • 4/5

      Mar 21, 2023

      Once upon a time, technology managed to prevail over magic and our world developed the way it did. Some time in the future, magic is coming back causing all kinds of issues - depending on what takes precedence, either technology (all technology) or magic does not work. So if one wants to be prepared, they need to have the ability to use both.

      Kate Daniels is born in that world - with the magic and technology constantly shifting and with the world getting crazier by the day with the constant shifts. She is a mercenary - she is hired to solve problems when paranormal entities or actions are involved and she is very good at her job. She is also a bit of an outsider - she does not want to get close to the authorities because she has her own secrets. Until her guardian is killed -- and she needs to find what had happened. Which requires getting involved into what she had spent a lot of time not being involved in.

      The story is set in Atlanta, an Atlanta that looks very similar to ours. The way the universe is built allows both our myths and our history to exist into Kate's world - the shift into technology made the myths impossible but once upon a time they were the reality and then our history was the era of technology. Using that as a base means that the series does not need to invent any history or locations - it is a close future to where we are so the locations and the world sounds familiar... mostly.

      This first novel was a great introduction both to the universe and the heroine. While investigating, we get to see the factions of the supernatural powers in the city (the vampires controlled by necromancers on one side and the shapeshifters on the other) and because of who her guardian was and what he did for a living, we get a deep look into the conflict between them and the authorities trying to control them. The fact that that this murder seems to be connected to an seemingly escalating chain of other murders gives enough energy to the story to carry the novel despite what could have been too much world building.

      And then there is Kate - independent, resourceful, sassy, not exactly what you expect her to be and someone you really want to know (well, maybe not on a bad day). The novel even managed to throw a red herring or 3 - making sure you think you figured out what is going on before pulling the rug out from under your feet and laughing at you for falling for the misdirection.

      The bonus story covers some of the same ground as the novel - it is a scene from the novel from the perspective of the other participant - the shapeshifter Lord Curran (who from the looks of it will be Kate's main romantic interest... or at least one of them). It was an interesting way to see the same from someone else's eyes but it probably would work even better if you had not read the same scene in the novel 4 hours earlier.

      Overall a good start of the series. Onto the next one.
    • 4/5

      Jan 26, 2023

      Really like this series and just finished rereading the series last year (2022). Curran is an Alpha all the way, but so is Kate, even though she is human (?). Yes, there is sex, but there is also a good story line that kept me involved till the end. Interesting characters, a continuing back story through out the series that involves Kate's history.
    • 4/5

      Feb 25, 2022

      Stayed up way too late to finish this. Excellent urban fantasy!
    • 3/5

      Feb 24, 2022

      Digital audiobook narrated by Renée Raudman
      *

      Paranormal fantasy is just not my thing, but this was really quite fun to read. I loved that the main character is a kick-ass woman who does not suffer fools (or vampires or shapeshifters or demons, etc) lightly. Kate Daniels is a strong woman in both body and mind, and that’s only part of what makes her a successful mercenary.

      There were parts of the story line that reminded me of Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files stories. Both deal with the various factions in the netherworld and both get themselves into trouble with the ruling groups. Harry has his staff, and Kate has her sword.

      The action is nonstop and there’s some interesting sexual / romantic tension. If I need another paranormal fantasy for a challenge prompt I just might turn to Andrews in the future.

      Renée Raudman did a great job on the audio narration. She brought these characters to life and I really liked the way she interpreted Kate Daniels.
    • 3/5

      Dec 8, 2021

      I'd say really a 2 1/2 star book, the first half was confusing as so many characters are introduced and seemingly dropped as soon as they started to become interesting, in the end the only two character's that seem to get any development at all are the heroine Kate Daniels and one of her adversaries through much of the novel.
    • 4/5

      May 31, 2021

      You’ll be anything but bored
      Kate is a little too snarky for me, but she's in-character. Considering that this is the first book in an ongoing series, we’ll give her personality (as well as her side romance) room to develop. However, allowing herself to be kissed by an opponent who had also tested her, which could’ve resulted in her death stretches the bounds of the suspension of disbelief.

      The action rocks, the plot is well-paced and complex as is its story universe, which isn't fully explained and will leave you panting for more.
    • 5/5

      Nov 1, 2020

      I am thoroughly in love with this series. The kick-butt heroine, the unique urban fantasy setting, the supernatural creatures, and the romance with buckets of chemistry all check my fangirl boxes. The story centers around Kate Daniels, a mercenary who is extremely good with a sword. She lives in Atlanta, but not like the Atlanta we know. It's an alternate version of our world where magic has come back with a vengeance. The theory is that magic and technology are opposing forces that constantly push back and forth. In the past, people used and advanced magic to such an extent that it disappeared. Like a pendulum, the forces swung the other way. Technology gained the upper hand, and people developed it in much the way they had done with magic in the past. Now the pendulum has reached the furthest end of that side and is beginning to swing back, which means that magic is crashing back into the world. When magic flares, technology falls. When magic drops, technology sputters back.

      With the return of magic, all sorts and weird and wonderful things have happened, along with destructive and awful events. Creatures like vampires, wizards, and shapeshifters are an everyday type. Objects that are the results of technology - skyscrapers, cars, electricity - disappear when the magic hits, and the city is full of ruined business districts. Humanity has learned to cope, and is reframing its existence in the new terms of their world.
    • 3/5

      Jun 29, 2020

      Magic Bites, first in a popular series, is a hardboiled urban fantasy with a tough heroine and a well-constructed world, and the writing is often very funny. The main character and narrator, mercenary Kate Daniels, loses her godfather and must take on vampires, shapeshifters, colleagues, possible boyfriends, and an ancient monster in the process of finding the murderer.

      Kate has chosen to be on her own, and is a free-lance operative who works for clients needing magic creatures removed from their factories. Fresh from a difficult assignment, Kate is told of her godfather's death by a vampire. In this world, vampires are far from sexy and are more likely to be crawling on the ceiling than lolling on a divan in the dark. It's an interesting world, in which magic and tech waves alternate like weather patterns; sometimes making buildings crumble and cars stop working. At other times magic contrivances fail to operate because there isn't enough power for them to draw on during a tech wave. The city of Atlanta, much altered by the disaster, is the setting, and Kate must step carefully to avoid upsetting the Order of the Knights of Merciful Aid (her godfather's employer), the Paranormal Activity Police Division, and the Military Supernatural Defense Units - and that's only the government entities. For most of the book, she is negotiating with the Master of the Dead and with the very appealing members of the Pack, a loose society of shapeshifters including were-rats, were-lions, and a cat-were whom Kate scratches impulsively under the chin (to his pleasure).

      The book is full of action, generally well-written, and often funny and original. Kate, for instance, is fond not of bourbon, but of Boone's Farm. Her asides are sardonic and self-mocking. Kate herself has some significant secrets and some special magic powers, including the words of power her father and godfather gave her. There is some special significance to her blood.

      There were a couple of spots where the writing lost my interest or confused me. For instance, two were-creatures had very similar names (Corwin and Curran) and I kept having to check back in the book to figure out which one was which. Two doctors were involved, one a very non-magical would-be boyfriend and the other providing his expertise to the weres, and again I had to check to make sure I knew which one was which. Also, an appealing young character, Derek, was briefly introduced, served as a companion, and then dismissed, and he apparently only served the purpose of being an audience to Kate's explanations of the world. However, the world-building was interesting and original and generally avoided urban-fantasy clichés, the antagonist was sufficiently scary, and the action was well-enough written to keep my interest. Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews, first in a popular series, is a hardboiled urban fantasy with a tough heroine and a well-constructed world, and the writing is often very funny. The main character and narrator, mercenary Kate Daniels, loses her godfather and must take on vampires, shapeshifters, colleagues, possible boyfriends, and an ancient monster in the process of finding the murderer.

      Kate has chosen to be on her own, and is a free-lance operative who works for clients needing magic creatures removed from their factories. Fresh from a difficult assignment, Kate is told of her godfather's death by a vampire. In this world, vampires are far from sexy and are more likely to be crawling on the ceiling than lolling on a divan in the dark. It's an interesting world, in which magic and tech waves alternate like weather patterns; sometimes making buildings crumble and cars stop working. At other times magic contrivances fail to operate because there isn't enough power for them to draw on during a tech wave. The city of Atlanta, much altered by the disaster, is the setting, and Kate must step carefully to avoid upsetting the Order of the Knights of Merciful Aid (her godfather's employer), the Paranormal Activity Police Division, and the Military Supernatural Defense Units - and that's only the government entities. For most of the book, she is negotiating with the Master of the Dead and with the very appealing members of the Pack, a loose society of shapeshifters including were-rats, were-lions, and a cat-were whom Kate scratches impulsively under the chin (to his pleasure).

      The book is full of action, generally well-written, and often funny and original. Kate, for instance, is fond not of bourbon, but of Boone's Farm. Her asides are sardonic and self-mocking. Kate herself has some significant secrets and some special magic powers, including the words of power her father and godfather gave her. There is some special significance to her blood.

      There were a couple of spots where the writing lost my interest or confused me. For instance, two were-creatures had very similar names (Corwin and Curran) and I kept having to check back in the book to figure out which one was which. Two doctors were involved, one a very non-magical would-be boyfriend and the other providing his expertise to the weres, and again I had to check to make sure I knew which one was which. Also, an appealing young character, Derek, was briefly introduced, served as a companion, and then dismissed, and he apparently only served the purpose of being an audience to Kate's explanations of the world. However, the world-building was interesting and original and generally avoided urban-fantasy clichés, the antagonist was sufficiently scary, and the action was well-enough written to keep my interest.

      The book is apparently written by a husband-and-wife team, according to the jacket, and they also have written another series. It’s nice work and I will be reading the next book in the series.
    • 4/5

      Mar 19, 2020

      Just a little rough around the edges, but overall does a great job putting the reader in a fantasy world without worrying about explaining all the hows or whys. It also walks that difficult to navigate line between "romance" fantasy and action fantasy. Other series have started well in that way, but usually end up being fantasy versions of Harlequin novels. But I have higher hopes for this series.
    • 4/5

      Jan 8, 2020

      Lots of gruesome fun, and plenty of dangling threads to pick up in the next book.
    • 5/5

      Aug 19, 2019

      Kate Daniels is a mercenary with a mouth as sharp as her sword. She lives in a world where magic and technology cannot co-exist. When magic is running rampant, almost all technology shuts down until it draws back. The city of Atlanta is falling apart. Buildings have collapsed from the constant struggle between magic and technology. And something is stalking the streets killing shapechangers and vampires, bringing the city close to an all-out war between the two groups of supernatural creatures. That same something killed Kate's guardian, and now she is on the hunt for whoever, or whatever killed him.

      Kate might be small, but don't mistake her for being weak. She will challenge anyone who gets in her way to finding the truth. Of course, she doesn't always think before she speaks, and it can put her in some precarious situations. Especially with Curran, Lord of the shapeshifters. Being the alpha means no challenge can go without being met, and Kate doesn't hesitate to mouth off to him.

      While Kate tries to navigate pack politics, she'll have to also deal with The People. Necromancers who pilot vampires. In this series, vampires are not walking around talking and charming the pants off unsuspecting mortals. They are nothing more than blood-sucking shells that must be controlled by a necromancer, or else be reduced to a blood-lusting rage. I enjoyed the creep factor brought in by the vampires, almost the polar opposite to any other urban fantasy series.

      I read this series when it first came out, and never got around to finishing it. This time, I'm committed to the end. I can't wait to see how the series develops and what else this world holds.
    • 4/5

      Jul 28, 2019

      4 stars (and a half?)

      I'm not done with the Kate Daniels' series just yet, only halfway there actually, but I love it. I love the world they built and the relationships they developed between the different characters. Characters' growth is also a big part of it, although sometimes I'm a bit taken aback by Kate changing so much. She's still hands down one of my favourites main characters.
      I also absolutely love all of the mythology surrounding and incorporated in each book, changing in every book but the whole still makes sense.
      Last but not least, urban fantasy. The mixture of magic and tech and all that comes from both waves is entertaining and mind-blowing at the same time, although it took me a while to get the hang of it. Hence the lacking star for that first book. The world they've built is huge and full of so many kinds of characters that I got lost more than a handful of times reading it, while the following books always have short descriptions as reminders of specifics of the world we're in.

      All in all, I would still recommend the whole series of Kate Daniels. If you're thinking it's a bit tiring not to get all the references, hold in there. The second book already gives you reminders and helps you understand the still-mysterious bits. I'm sure you'll love it.
    • 3/5

      Jul 16, 2019

      I loved the world building in this book. It was very original and fresh. Having said that, I just couldn't get into the story. There were a few good parts, but for the most part, I found this to be pretty boring. A bit messy here and there too.
    • 3/5

      May 17, 2019

      Interesting premise for a universe. I like that vampires are undead and awful. I like that dealing with the magical creatures is messy and complicated. I like that life for the rest of the world still goes on around the magic, and everyone keeps working to adapt. I had trouble connecting with Kate as a character, though, and I felt that some of the side characters were better fleshed out. I know some of that was due to maintaining a certain level of mystery around Kate, but at the same time, that mystery made her incomplete. Still, I enjoyed the writing in general, so I'll give the series a second chance.
    • 4/5

      Feb 5, 2019

      Let me, right here right now, profess my total adoration of Ms. Kate Daniels. Actually, scratch the Ms. title. She'd probably kick me in the chest for even considering titling her that. Kate is a kick-ass heroine of the highest caliber! She doesn't take crap from anyone, she has a wit to be contended with, but she has a huge heart too. Bleeding, hungry and exhausted, Kate will still kick your behind into next week if you mess with one of her friends. That's the type of person she is, and I completely love her for it!

      Although she's not the greatest sleuth in the world (and she'll admit that to you outright if you ask), it's up to Kate to figure out who killed her guardian. Unfortunately for her, a lot of crazy things happen to make things even hard. Ilona Andrews builds a world that is both familiar and surreal at the same time. Atlanta has succumbed to waves of intense magic. Buildings crumble, otherworldly creatures appear often, and Kate is lucky enough to be right in the center of it all. Following her through her rather bumbling investigation was hilarious, intriguing, and amazing! I enjoyed every minute of it, even after I had already figured out what was going on.

      Best part about our violent heroine? She's independent. Sure, men come and go in her life. They think they can woo her, because after all she is a woman. Right? Wrong. Kate Daniels knows what she deserves and she hasn't found it just yet. I'm not going to spoil anything, but let's just say that there are some delicious options for her! A lesser woman would have had quite a time staving off the affections of two gorgeous men. Hell, I did and I'm not even in the story!

      At the end of the day I totally loved Magic Bites! I was a little confused initially because of all the info that is packed into this first installment, but I can easily tell you that I'll be back for more. Everything that Ilona Andrews gave me I ate up and I want so much more! Book two, here I come. More Kate, more sarcasm, more awesome. Bring it on.
    • 4/5

      Dec 27, 2018

      I picked this book up on a recommendation. At first I was really into the book and couldn't walk away from it, then things started to get a little slow for me. To me there was a lot of repeating and useless info.

      Kate is a great main character and while I wasn't too clear on the whole issue with her blood, I did connect with her. I loved that she knew to be afraid of things, but that she never let on just how afraid she was. The magic in the book confused me and I couldn't really grasp onto it.
      I wasn't sure about the vampires, and really after reading so many vampire books this one threw me a little. Mindless creatures controlled by the People were a big stretch for me, though I can see the appeal and know that at least the vampires won't be love interests in this book!!
      The shapechangers ( love that name by the way) were a great surprise, and who wouldn't want to kiss and kill the Lord of the Free Beasts? Curran was a great addition to the book and I would have loved to see a little more tension between him and Kate, but that kiss was a good one!!
      All in all, I did enjoy the book and would recommend it for a quick read!
    • 5/5

      Nov 28, 2018

      I loved this book. It was the perfect blend of paranormal future and detective work. My love for it may be partial to being from GA and it taking place there. It's based in a world where magic and technology exist but there are fluxes in the magic where technology doesn't work. Includes a super sexy shapeshifter male and a stubborn strong female lead. It's a wonderful book I stayed up all night to finish it and bought the next in the series immediately.
    • 4/5

      Aug 15, 2018

      I already love this series. Diving straight into the next.
    • 5/5

      May 29, 2018

      I'd read and enjoyed a couple of Ilona Andrews stories in anthologies, so when I saw an audio copy of Magic Breaks at my library, I checked it out. I loved it! I had to get book one, Magic Bites, through interlibrary loan, but it was worth my impatient wait!

      I like this alternate earth where there are times when magic works and technology doesn't, and vice-versa. (I wouldn't want to live there, but it's fun to read about.) Plain vanilla humans (to borrow a phrase I got from Jim Butcher's Dresden Files) have to share the world with shape-shifters, vampires, necromancers, witches, magical beasts, etc. In a twist, the vampires here aren't even remotely sexy. In fact, they would make Count Orlok from the 1922 film 'Nosferatu' look pretty good. They're also mindless. Necromancers (navigators) use their minds to pilot vampire bodies. Fortunately, the shape-shifters more than make up for the lack of hot vampires.


      The police have a Paranormal Activity Division. The military have . If you can't get help from them, you have two other choices: the Order of the Knights of Merciful Aid or the Mercenary Guild. The order is free, but their beliefs might make them do something the caller didn't want (similar to getting a mentally ill loved one shot dead when calling 911 during a crisis). The Mercenary Guild will cost you, but at least they won't necessarily kill that magical creature who is going to turn back into your beloved relative as soon as the magic wave ends.

      Our heroine, Kate Daniels, is a mercenary instead of a knight. That's much to the sorrow of her former guardian, Greg Feldman, the knight-diviner of the Atlanta chapter of the Order. Greg's murder kick-starts this story.
    • 5/5

      May 28, 2018

      Gripping sci-fi paranormal read. Although I purchased it in 2014, I didn't get around to reading it until 2017 0r 2018 after I had read the author's The Edge books, which I really liked. I liked this one a lot. Interesting characters but kind of violent. Not too violent. Not a lot of sex which is fine with me. The action and the mystery kept it moving and the world-building was excellent.
    • 5/5

      May 11, 2018

      These fantasies are set in an alternative world where magic occasionally and unpredictably flares and shapeshifters are normal. In these changed times, technology simply doesn't work. Humans have had to adapt to a new type of existence. Kate Daniels, the hero of this series, is both a detective and warrior. I always get new volumes by Ilona Andrews (actually a couple writing under one name) as they are always well-plotted with characters I can cheer for, laugh with and laugh at. Great escape reading. On my Kindle, these books are under Scifi/fantasy but they're also categorized as Tough broad. Other books & short stories set in this world, in chronological order, are:
      (1) “A Questionable Client” (Jim/Dali) in Dark and Stormy Knights
      (2) Magic Bites
      (3) Magic Burns
      (4) Magic Strikes
      (5) “Magic Mourns” (Andrea/Rafael) in Must Love Hellhounds
      (6) Magic Bleeds
      (7) “Magic Dreams” in Hexed Anthology
      (8) Magic Slays
      (9) Gunmetal Magic (Andrea/Rafael)
      (8) Magic Gifts

    • 4/5

      Oct 9, 2017

      MAGIC BITES by Ilona Andrews, the first novel in the Kate Daniels series is the book that started it all. It was my first Andrews read, the book that introduced me to one of my favorite writers of all time. While I’ve re-read the series a couple times, I’ve yet to give reviewing it a shot… so here goes.

      5 REASONS TO FALL IN LOVE WITH MAGIC BITES

      1.Kate Daniels

      "All my life I was taught to stay out of the way of the powerful. Don’t draw attention to yourself. Don’t show off. Guard your blood, because it will betray you."

      If you’re looking for a badass heroine with knife skills, hidden powers, a protective streak a mile long, and justifiable daddy issues, Kate Daniels is your gal. She’s a broke mercenary content to stay mediocre and unknown until she learns of her guardian’s murder. He wasn’t her favorite person, but he did keep her safe, so loyalty demanded she seek justice for her Knight.

      “If I were on my own, packing some power, and for some reason not wanting to be found, I might lay low for awhile. But I’d know that sooner or later I’d have to come out and play, because whoever’s looking for me would eventually find me. I’d start building some connections. The thing about a lone wolf? Once you corner it, it has no one to turn to.”

      2. Curran

      Curran is the Beast Lord, King of one of the biggest packs in North America, and the first alpha to unite all shapeshifters under one king. He’s powerful, feline, and is very interested in our badass heroine.

      There’s not really a romance arc in the first couple Kate Daniels novels, but it’s clear from book one that sparks are flying between the pair.

      3. The Secondary Characters

      From Derek, the young wolf Kate is forced to take under her wing, to Dr.. Doolittle, the book loving doctor of the Pack, Ilona Andrews creates wonderful secondary characters that just seem to burrow their way into my heart. As the series continues, the secondary characters I heart list grows, but Derek and Dr. Doolittle were favorites of mine from the very beginning.

      4. The World Building

      In this alternative reality, the world has suffered a magic apocalypse. Technological advancement wiped the magic from the world, but now its back and as unstable as ever. When magic is down, electricity works and spells fail. When magic is up, magic is successful and car engines stall.

      Ilona Andrews never fails to weave a beautifully complex yet brilliantly twisted world that is unique and all her own. The world of the popular Kate Daniels series is one of my favorite UF settings to visit. Plus, it’s located in my state and the events of MAGIC BITES take place in two of my favorite cities in Georgia—.Savannah and Atlanta.

      5. The Mystery

      The murder of Kate’s guardian is not the only mystery she’s embroiled in. Someone is killing off shifters and the vampires, and doing an excellent job of pissing off Atlanta’s most powerful. The two supernatural groups are natural enemies and the murders are shifting them ever closer to the brink of war.

      MAGIC BITES offers snarky humor, a badass yet lovable cast, a well-fleshed world, and an intriguing paranormal mystery to sink your teeth into.

    Book preview

    Magic Bites - Ilona Andrews

    Praise for the Kate Daniels novels

    MAGIC SLAYS

    Delivers nonstop action and a few surprises while adding considerable background and depth to Kate’s character as she begins stretching her magic usage . . . Top-notch urban fantasy.

    —Monsters and Critics

    Simply amazing. The Kate Daniels series honestly gets better with each new release. I had high hopes for this book, and the authors simply blew me away with the quality and depth of this story.

    —Night Owl Reviews

    It takes both talent and hard work to keep a series consistently high quality . . . Andrews’s intricate, detailed world-building provides such a rich backdrop for the story that it nearly becomes a character itself. Add in clearly defined and layered characters, not to mention amazing, kick-butt action, and you’ve got one unbeatable series. No one does it better!

    —RT Book Reviews (4½ stars, top pick)

    "The conclusion is heart-stopping as Kate fights to secure Atlanta’s survival in a dramatic finale that left me satisfied but ready for book six. Ilona Andrews once again hits a game-winning home run with Magic Slays."

    —Smexy Books

    MAGIC BLEEDS

    "Ilona Andrews is one of the few authors whose books just keep getting better . . . It’s books like Magic Bleeds that make television and movies seem like an inferior form of entertainment."

    —Romance Reviews Today

    I have read and reread this book and it’s perfect. The action, the romance, the plot and suspense . . . I cannot wait for the fifth in the series.

    —Smexy Books

    Balancing petrifying danger with biting humor is an Andrews specialty, leaving readers both grinning and gasping. Put this on your auto-buy list immediately!

    —RT Book Reviews (4½ stars, top pick)

    Delivers on the promise of ‘One hell of a good read.’ You will not be disappointed!

    —ParaNormal Romance.org

    MAGIC STRIKES

    "Andrews blends action-packed fantasy with myth and legend, keeping readers enthralled. Magic Strikes introduces fascinating characters, provides a plethora of paranormal skirmishes, and teases fans with romantic chemistry."

    —Darque Reviews

    Ilona Andrews’s best novel to date, cranking up the action, danger, and magic . . . Gritty sword-clashing action and flawless characterizations will bewitch fans, old and new alike.

    —Sacramento Book Review

    Doses of humor serve to lighten the suspense and taut action of this vividly drawn, kick-butt series.

    —Monsters and Critics

    "From the first page to the last, Magic Strikes was a riveting, heart-pounding ride. Story lines advance, truths are admitted, intriguing characters are introduced, and the romance between Kate and Curran develops a sweetness that is simply delightful."

    —Dear Author

    Write faster . . . I absolutely love the relationship between Curran and Kate—I laugh out loud with the witty sarcasm and one-liners, and the sexual tension building between the couples drives me to my knees, knowing I’ll have to wait for another book.

    —SFRevu

    MAGIC BURNS

    Fans of Carrie Vaughn and Patricia Briggs will appreciate this fast-paced, action-packed urban fantasy full of magic, vampires, werebeasties, and things that go bump in the night.

    —Monsters and Critics

    With all her problems, secrets, and prowess both martial and magical, Kate is a great kick-ass heroine, a tough girl with a heart, and her adventures . . . are definitely worth checking out.

    —Locus

    "[Magic Burns] hooked me completely. With a fascinating, compelling plot, a witty, intelligent heroine, a demonic villain, and clever, wry humor throughout, this story has it all."

    —Fresh Fiction

    A new take on the urban fantasy genre, the world Kate inhabits is a blend of gritty magic and dangerous mystery.

    —The Parkersburg News and Sentinel

    If you enjoy Laurell K. Hamilton’s early Anita Blake or the works of Patricia Briggs and Kim Harrison, you need to add Ilona Andrews to your reading list.

    —LoveVampires

    MAGIC BITES

    Treat yourself to a splendid new urban fantasy . . . I am looking forward to the next book in the series or anything else Ilona Andrews writes.

    —Patricia Briggs, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Fair Game

    Andrews shows a great deal of promise. Readers fond of Laurell K. Hamilton and Patricia Briggs may find her work a new source of reading pleasure.

    —SFRevu

    Andrews’s edgy series stands apart from similar fantasies . . . owing to its complex world-building and skilled characterizations.

    —Library Journal

    Fans of urban fantasy will delight in Ilona Andrews’s alternate-universe Atlanta.

    —Fresh Fiction

    The strong story line coupled with a complex alternative history . . . will have readers hoping for more.

    —Monsters and Critics

    ACE BOOKS BY ILONA ANDREWS

    The Kate Daniels Novels

    magic bites

    magic burns

    magic strikes

    magic bleeds

    magic slays

    magic rises

    magic breaks

    magic shifts

    magic binds

    magic triumphs

    The World of Kate Daniels

    gunmetal magic

    The Edge Novels

    on the edge

    bayou moon

    fate’s edge

    steel’s edge

    NOVELLAS

    magic mourns

    magic dreams

    magic gifts

    magic steals

    alphas: origins

    ACE

    Published by Berkley

    An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC

    penguinrandomhouse.com

    753.jpg

    Magic Bites copyright © 2007 by Andrew Gordon and Ilona Gordon

    Kate Daniels Series Frequently Asked Questions, Characters, Factions, Faction Quiz, and Curran Point of View: Unicorn Lane copyright © 2009 by Andrew Gordon and Ilona Gordon

    Curran Point of View: Fernando’s copyright © 2012 by Andrew Gordon and Ilona Gordon

    A Questionable Client copyright © 2010 by Andrew Gordon and Ilona Gordon

    Excerpt from Magic Burns by Ilona Andrews copyright © 2008 by Andrew Gordon and Ilona Gordon

    Penguin Random House supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin Random House to continue to publish books for every reader.

    ACE is a registered trademark and the A colophon is a trademark of Penguin Random House LLC.

    Ebook ISBN: 9781101041970

    PUBLISHING HISTORY

    Ace mass-market edition / April 2007

    Ace trade paperback edition / January 2013

    Ace mass-market edition (bonus material) / December 2018

    Cover art by Juliana Kolesova

    Cover design by Jason Gill

    A Questionable Client was previously published in the anthology Dark and Stormy Knights.

    This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the authors’ imaginations or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

    btb_ppg_148347067_c0_r10

    For my daughters,

    Anastasia and Helen

    CONTENTS

    Praise for the Kate Daniels Novels

    Ace Books by Ilona Andrews

    Title Page

    Copyright

    Dedication

    Acknowledgments

    Magic Bites

    Chapter 1

    Chapter 2

    Chapter 3

    Chapter 4

    Chapter 5

    Chapter 6

    Chapter 7

    Chapter 8

    Chapter 9

    Chapter 10

    Epilogue

    Bonus Material

    Kate Daniels Series Frequently Asked Questions

    Characters

    Factions

    Faction Quiz

    Curran Points of View

    A Questionable Client

    Excerpt From Magic Burns

    About the Author

    _148347067_

    ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

    I’m greatly indebted to my editor at Ace Books, Anne Sowards, for her excellent editorial guidance and her great kindness and patience during all those times I needed reassurance, which was far too often. I would also like to thank my agent, Nancy Yost, for her wonderful advice and unfaltering support. I’m grateful to Jason Gill and Laura K. Corless, the designers, and Juliana Kolesova, the artist, for the fantastic cover and design; to Michelle Kasper, the production editor, and her staff for making this book possible; and to Rosanne Romanello, Ace’s publicist, for all of her hard work.

    I’m most grateful to Charles Coleman Finlay, Ellen Key Harris-Braun, and Jenni Smith-Gaynor of Online Writing Workshop for Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror for believing in my work before anybody else did. I thank Deanna Hoak for answering my endless questions. And a big thank-you to everyone who has read and commented on the draft of this work: Hannah Wolf Bowen, Jeff Stanley, Nora Fleischer, Lawrence Payne, Mark Jones, Del Whetter, Steve Orr, A. Wheat, Betty Foreman, Catherine Emery, Elizabeth Hull, Susan Curnow, Richard C. Rogers, Aaron Brown, David Emanuel, Jodi Meadows, Christiana Ellis, Kyri Freeman, Elizabeth Bear, Mary Davis, and especially Charlene L. Amsden.

    Finally I would like to apologize to the city of Atlanta, whose beautiful architecture I’ve treated so badly in the name of artistic license.

    CHAPTER 1

    I SAT AT A TABLE IN MY SHADOWY KITCHEN, STARING down a bottle of Boone’s Farm Hard Lemonade, when a magic fluctuation hit. My wards shivered and died, leaving my home stripped of its defenses. The TV flared into life, unnaturally loud in the empty house.

    I raised my eyebrow at the bottle and bet it that another urgent bulletin was on.

    The bottle lost.

    Urgent bulletin! Margaret Chang announced. The Attorney General advises all citizens that any attempt at summoning or other activities resulting in the appearance of a supernaturally powerful being can be hazardous to yourself and to other citizens.

    No shit, I told the bottle.

    Local police have been authorized to subdue any such activities with all due force.

    Margaret droned on, while I bit into my sandwich. Who were they kidding? No police force could hope to squash every summoning. It took a qualified wizard to detect a summoning in progress. It required only a fool with a twitch of power and a dim idea of how to use it to attempt one. Before you knew it, a three-headed Slavonic god was wreaking havoc in downtown Atlanta, the skies were raining winged snakes, and SWAT was screaming for more ammo. These were unsafe times. But then in safer times, I’d be a woman without a job. The safe tech-world had little use for a magic-touting mercenary like me.

    When people had trouble of a magic kind, the kind that cops couldn’t or wouldn’t handle, they called the Mercenary Guild. If the job happened to fall into my territory, the Guild then called me. I grimaced and rubbed my hip. It still ached after the last job, but the wound had healed better than I expected. That was the first and last time I would agree to go against the Impala Worm without full body armor. The next time they better furnish me with a level-four containment suit.

    An icy wave of fear and revulsion hit me. My stomach lurched, sending acid to coat the root of my tongue with a bitter aftertaste. Shivers ran along my spine, and the tiny hairs on my neck stood on end.

    Something bad was in my house.

    I put down my sandwich and hit the mute button on the remote control. On the screen Margaret Chang was joined by a brick-faced man with a high-and-tight haircut and eyes like slate. A cop. Probably Paranormal Activity Division. I put my hand on the dagger that rested on my lap and sat very still.

    Listening. Waiting.

    No sound troubled the silence. A drop of water formed on the sweaty surface of the Boone’s Farm bottle and slid down its glistening side.

    Something large crawled along the hallway ceiling into the kitchen. I pretended not to see it. It stopped to the left of me and slightly behind, so I didn’t have to pretend very hard.

    The intruder hesitated, turned, and anchored itself in the corner, where the ceiling met the wall. It sat there, fastened to the paneling by enormous yellow talons, still and silent like a gargoyle in full sunlight. I took a swig from the bottle and set it so I could see the creature’s reflection. Nude and hairless, it didn’t carry a single ounce of fat on its lean frame. Its skin stretched so tight over the hard cords of muscle, it threatened to snap. Like a thin layer of wax melted over an anatomy model.

    Your friendly neighborhood Spiderman.

    The vampire raised its left hand. The dagger talons sliced the empty air, back and forth, like curved knitting needles. The vamp turned its head doglike and studied me with eyes luminescent with a particular kind of madness, born of bestial blood thirst and free of any thought or restraint.

    In a single motion I whipped around and hurled the dagger. The black blade sliced cleanly into the creature’s throat.

    The vampire froze. Its yellow claws stopped moving.

    Thick, purplish blood swelled around the blade and slowly slid down the naked flesh of the vampire’s neck, staining its chest and dripping on the floor. The vampire’s features twisted, trying to morph into a different face. It opened its maw, displaying twin fangs, curved like miniature ivory sickles.

    That was extremely inconsiderate, Kate, Ghastek’s voice said from the vampire’s throat. Now I have to feed him.

    It’s a reflex. Hear a bell, get food. See an undead, throw a knife. Same thing, really.

    The vampire’s face jerked as if the Master of the Dead controlling it tried to squint.

    What are you drinking? Ghastek asked.

    Boone’s Farm.

    You can afford better.

    I don’t want better. I like Boone’s Farm. And I prefer to do business by phone, and with you, not at all.

    I don’t wish to hire you, Kate. This is merely a social call.

    I stared at the vampire, wishing I could put my knife into Ghastek’s throat. It would feel very good cutting into his flesh. Unfortunately he sat in an armored room many miles away.

    You enjoy screwing with me, don’t you, Ghastek?

    Immensely.

    The million-dollar question was why. What is it you want? Make it quick, my Boone’s Farm’s getting warm.

    I was just wondering, Ghastek said with dry neutrality particular only to him, when was the last time you saw your guardian?

    The nonchalance in his voice sent tiny shivers down my spine. Why?

    No reason. As always, a pleasure.

    In a single powerful leap the vampire detached itself from the wall and flew through the open window, taking my knife with it.

    I reached for the phone, swearing under my breath, and dialed the Order of Knights of Merciful Aid. No vampire could breach my wards when the magic was in full swing. Ghastek had no way of knowing when the magic would ebb, so he must have been watching my house for some time, waiting for my defensive spells to fail. I took a swig from the bottle. That meant a vamp had been hiding someplace close when I came home last night, and I didn’t see or feel it. How reassuring. Might just as well write Alert R Us on my merc ID.

    One ring. Two. Three. Why would he ask me about Greg?

    The phone clicked and a stern female voice delivered a practiced blurb, Atlanta Chapter of the Order, how may I help you?

    I would like to speak to Greg Feldman.

    Your name?

    A faint note of anxiety pulsed through her voice.

    I don’t have to give you my name, I said into the receiver. I wish to speak to the knight-diviner.

    A pause issued and a male voice said, Please, identify yourself.

    They were stalling, probably trying to trace the call. What the hell was going on?

    No, I said firmly. Page seven of your Charter, third paragraph down: ‘Any citizen has a right to seek counsel of a knight-diviner without fear of retribution or need for identification.’ As a citizen, I insist that you put me in contact with the knight-diviner now or specify the time he can be reached.

    The knight-diviner is dead, the voice said.

    The world halted. I skidded through its stillness, frightened and off balance. My throat ached. I heard my heart beating in my chest.

    How? My voice was calm.

    He was killed in the line of duty.

    Who did it?

    The matter is still under investigation. Look, if I could just get your name . . .

    I pushed the disconnect button and lowered the receiver in its place. I looked at the empty chair across from me. Two weeks ago Greg had sat in this chair, stirring his coffee. His spoon had made small precise circles, never touching the sides of the mug. For a moment I could actually see him right there, while the memory played in my mind.

    Greg was looking at me with dark brown eyes, mournful, like the eyes of an icon. Please, Kate. Suspend your dislike of me for a few moments and listen to what I have to say. It makes sense.

    I don’t dislike you. It’s an oversimplification.

    He nodded, wearing that very patient expression that drove women mad. Of course. I didn’t intend to slight or simplify your feelings. I merely wish us to concentrate on the substance of what I have to say. Could you please listen?

    I leaned back and crossed my arms. I’m listening.

    He reached inside his leather jacket and produced a rolled-up scroll. He placed the scroll on the table and unrolled it slowly, holding it taut with the tips of his fingers.

    This is the invitation from the Order.

    I threw my hands in the air. That’s it, I’m done.

    Allow me to finish, he said. He didn’t look angry. He didn’t tell me that I was acting like a child, although I knew that I was. It made me madder.

    Very well, I said.

    In a few weeks you’ll turn twenty-five. While in itself that means very little, in terms of readmission into the Order it carries a certain weight. It’s much harder to gain entrance once you turn twenty-five. Not impossible. Just harder.

    I know, I said. They’ve sent me brochures.

    He let go of the scroll and leaned back, lacing his long fingers. The scroll remained open even though every law of physics dictated that it should snap back into a roll. Greg forgot about physics sometimes.

    In that case, you’re aware of the age penalties.

    It wasn’t a question, but I answered it anyway. Yes.

    He sighed. It was a small movement, only noticeable to those who knew him well. I could tell by the way he sat, very still, craning his neck slightly, that he had guessed at my decision.

    I wish you would reconsider, he said.

    I don’t think so. For a moment I could see the frustration in his eyes. We both knew what was left unsaid: the Order promised protection, and protection to someone of my lineage was paramount.

    Can I ask why? he said.

    It’s not for me, Greg. I can’t deal with hierarchy.

    For him the Order was a place of refuge and security, a place of power. Its members committed themselves to the values of the Order completely, serving with such dedication that the organization itself no longer seemed a gathering of individuals, but an entity in itself, thinking, rationalizing, and incredibly powerful. Greg embraced it and it nurtured him. I fought it and almost lost.

    Every moment I spent there, I felt as if there was less of me, I said. As if I was shrinking. Dwindling away. I had to get out and I won’t go back.

    Greg looked at me, his dark eyes terribly sad. In this dim light, in my small kitchen, his beauty was startling. In some perverse way I was happy that my stubbornness forced him to visit and now he sat in a chair less than a foot away, like an ageless elven prince, elegant and sorrowful. God, how much I hated myself for this little girl fantasy.

    If you’ll excuse me, I said.

    He blinked, startled by my formality and then rose smoothly. Of course. Thank you for the coffee.

    I saw him to the door. The outside had turned dark, and the bright light of the moon enameled the grass on my lawn with silver. By the porch, white Rose of Sharon flowers glowed against the shrubs like a scattering of stars.

    I watched Greg descend down the three concrete steps into the yard.

    Greg?

    Yes? He turned. His magic flared about him like a mantle.

    Nothing. I closed the door.

    My last memory of him, poised against the moonlight-drenched lawn and clothed in his magic.

    Oh, God.

    I cradled myself with my arms, wanting to cry. The tears would not come. My mouth had gone dry. My last link to my family severed. Nobody was left. I had no mother, no father, and now no Greg. I clenched my teeth and went to pack.

    CHAPTER 2

    THE MAGIC HAD HIT WHILE I WAS PACKING THE ESSENTIALS into my bag, and I had to take Karmelion instead of my regular car. A beat-up rusted truck, bile green in color and missing the left headlight assembly, Karmelion had only one advantage—it ran on water infused with magic and could be driven during a magic wave. Unlike normal cars, the truck did not rumble or murmur or produce any sound one would expect an engine to make. Instead it growled, whined, snarled, and emitted deafening peals of thunder with depressing regularity. Who named it Karmelion, and why, I had no idea. I bought it at a junkyard with the name scrawled on the windshield.

    Lucky for me, on a regular day Karmelion had to travel only thirty miles to Savannah. Today I forced it into the ley line, which in itself wasn’t bad for it, since the ley line dragged it almost all the way to Atlanta, but the trek across the city didn’t do it much good. Now the truck was cooling off in the parking lot behind me, dripping water and sweating magic. It would take me a good fifteen minutes to warm the generator back up, but that was alright. I planned to be here for a while.

    I hated Atlanta. I hated cities, period.

    I stood on the sidewalk and surveyed the small shabby office building that supposedly contained the Atlanta Chapter of the Order of Knights of Merciful Aid. The Order made efforts to conceal its true size and power, but in this case they had gone overboard. The building, a concrete box three stories high, stuck out like a sore thumb among the stately brick houses flanking it on both sides. The walls sported orange rust stains made by rainwater dripping from the metal roof through the holes in the gutters. Thick metal grates secured small windows, blocked by pale venetian blinds behind dusty glass.

    There had to be another facility in the city. A place where the support staff worked while the field agents put on a nice modest front for the public. It would have a large, state-of-the-art armory, and a computer network, and a database of files on anyone of power—magic or mundane. Somewhere in that database my name sat in its own little niche, the name of a reject, undisciplined and worthless. Just the way I liked it.

    I touched the wall. About a quarter of an inch away from the concrete, my finger encountered elastic resistance, as if I was trying to squeeze a tennis ball. A faint shimmer of silver pulsed from my skin and I withdrew my hand. The building was heavily warded against hostile magic. If someone with a lot of juice was to hurl a fireball at it, it would probably bounce off without so much as scorching the gray walls.

    I opened one half of the metal double doors and walked inside. A narrow passage stretched to the right of me, terminating at a door boasting a large red-on-white sign: Authorized Personnel Only. My other option was a flight of stairs leading upward.

    I took the stairs, noting they were surprisingly clean. Nobody tried to stop me. Nobody asked why I was there. Look at us, we are helpful and nonthreatening, we live to serve the community, and we even let anyone walk into our office.

    The need for an unassuming building I could understand, but public records claimed that the entire Chapter consisted of nine knights: a protector, a diviner, a questor, three defenders, and three guardians. Nine people, overseeing a city the size of Atlanta. Yeah.

    The stairs ended on a landing with a single metal door painted dull green. A small dagger gleamed weakly on its surface at about my eye level. Knocking didn’t seem like a good idea, so I swung the door open and let myself in.

    A long hallway stretched before me, offering a variety of color to my tired eyes: gray and gray, and yet more gray. The ultra-short carpet boasted plain gray pile; the walls were painted in two shades of gray: lighter on top and a darker gray runner at the bottom. The small warts of electric lights on the ceiling looked gray, too. No doubt the decorator chose a particularly dull smoky glass out of esthetic considerations.

    The place looked spotless. Several doors branched from the hallway, probably leading into the individual offices. At the very end a large wooden door supported a kite shield enameled black. In the middle of the shield reared a steel lion, polished to a bright gleam. The knight-protector. Just the fellow I needed to see.

    I marched through the hallway, aiming for the shield and glancing into the doorways as I passed them. On my left I saw a small armory. A short, well-muscled man sat on a wooden bench polishing a dha. The wide blade of the short Vietnamese sword shimmered slightly as he drew an oiled cloth against its bluish metal. On the right lay a small but immaculate office. A large Black man dressed in an expensive suit sat behind the desk, talking on the phone. He saw me, smiled with automatic courtesy, and kept talking.

    In his place I wouldn’t have given myself a second glance either. I wore my work clothes: jeans loose enough to let me kick a man taller than me in the throat, a green shirt, and comfortable running shoes. Slayer rested in its sheath on my back, partially hidden by my jacket. The saber’s hilt protruded above my right shoulder, obscured by my hair gathered into a thick plait. The braid was cumbersome—it slapped my back when I ran and made for an excellent hold in a fight. If I were a little less vain, I would’ve cut it off, but I’d already sacrificed feminine clothes, makeup, and pretty underwear in the name of functionality. I would be damned if I gave up my hair, too.

    I reached the protector’s door and raised my hand to knock.

    Just a moment, dear, said the stern female voice I had heard through the phone yesterday.

    I glanced in its direction and saw a small office cluttered with file cabinets. A large desk sat in the middle of the floor and on top of the desk stood a middle-aged woman. The woman was tall, prim, and very thin, with a halo of curly hair dyed platinum gray. She wore a stylish blue pantsuit. A matching pair of shoes rested near the leg of the chair she must have used to get on the table.

    He’s with someone, dear, the woman said. She raised her hands and proceeded to change the twisted bulb in a feylantern affixed to the ceiling next to an electric light. You don’t have an appointment, do you?

    No, ma’am.

    Well, you’re in luck. He’s free for the morning. Why don’t you give me your name and the reason for your visit, and we’ll see what we can do.

    I waited until she finished with the feybulb, told her that I was here in connection with Greg Feldman, and gave her my card. She took it down, showing no reaction at all, and pointed behind me. There’s a waiting area over there, dear.

    I turned and walked into the waiting area, which turned out to be just another office, equipped with a black leather sofa and two chairs. A table stood against the wall by the door with a coffeepot, guarded by two stacks of small clay cups. A large jar of sugar cubes stood next to the cups and next to the jar sat two boxes from Duncan’s Doughnuts. My hand twitched to the doughnuts, but I restrained myself. Anyone who had the pleasure of trying one of the old Scot’s doughnuts quickly learned you couldn’t eat just one, and waltzing into the protector’s office covered in hand-whipped chocolate cream wasn’t a good way to make the right impression.

    I found a safe spot by the window, away from the doughnuts, and glanced past the bars to the outside, at the small stretch of the overcast sky, framed by roofs. The Order of Knights of Merciful Aid offered just what its name suggested: merciful aid to anyone who asked. If you could pay, they would charge you; and if you couldn’t, they would kill shit on your behalf pro bono. Officially their mission statement was to protect humanity against all harm, by magic or by weapon. Trouble was, their definition of harm seemed rather flexible and sometimes merciful aid meant they lopped your head off.

    The Order got away with a lot. Its membership was too powerful to be ignored, and the temptation to rely on it was too great. It’d been endorsed by the government as the third part of the Law and Order triumvirate. The Paranormal Activity Police Division, the Military Supernatural Defense Units, and the Order of Knights of Merciful Aid were all supposed to play nice together and keep the general public safe. In reality, it didn’t exactly happen that way. The knights of the Order were helpful, competent, and lethal. Unlike the mercenaries of the Guild, they were not motivated by money and they stood by their promises. But unlike the mercs, they also made judgments and they believed that they always knew best.

    A tall man stepped into the waiting room. The stench hit me almost before I saw him, a sickeningly sweet, lingering odor of rotting garbage. The man wore a sweeping brown trench coat stained with ink and grease spots, and smeared with so many varieties of foodstuff and plain trash that he looked like he made a quilted coat out of a garbage heap. The coat hung open in the front to allow a glimpse of an abomination of a shirt: blue and red with green tartan stripes. His filthy khaki pants were held up by orange suspenders. He wore old steel-toed paratrooper boots and leather gloves with their fingers cut off at the first knuckle. On his head sat a felt hat, an old-fashioned fedora, soiled and stained beyond belief. Thick mousy hair dripped in limp strands from under the hat.

    He saw me and tipped his hat, holding its rim between his index and middle finger the way some people hold cigarettes, and I got a glimpse of his face: hard lines, three-day stubble, and pale eyes, quick and cold. There was nothing especially threatening in the way he looked at me, but something behind those eyes made me want to raise my hands in the air and back away slowly until it was safe to run for my life.

    Maaaa’am, he drawled.

    He scared the shit out of me. I smiled at him. Good morning. My greeting sounded a lot like niiice doggy. I’d have to squeeze past him to get to the door.

    The receptionist came to my rescue. You can go in now, dear, she called.

    The man stepped aside, bowing slightly, and I walked by him. The side of my jacket brushed against his trench coat, probably picking up enough bacteria to knock out a small army, but I did not pull away.

    Nice to meet you, he murmured as I passed him.

    Nice to meet you, too, I said and escaped into the protector’s office.

    I found myself in a large

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