Chapter One
Breck
My hand twitched as I reread the invitation for tonight’s event. The words were so familiar now I could nearly recite them.
Just as the moon has brought me to you,
So shall the moon bring you to the ball.
All Hallows Eve
The Witching Hour
I’d researched and reconned for years now to find a way into this elite party, and out of nowhere, this year I’d gotten an invite. Literally, nowhere. The damn thing had floated right out of the sky and into my hand. Maybe my asking around had gotten back to whomever the mysterious host or hostess was in charge of this thing.
And now, tonight was the night.
My stomach tightened, uneasy at what I was about to do. This wasn’t like any of my other missions. For one thing, if all went well, I wouldn’t be returning. Not tonight. Not ever.
With one last glance around the tiny Alaskan cabin I’d called home the last few years, I stood up. Across from me stood a shelf full of little souvenirs I’d picked up on a few of my missions. In the corner was a quilt I’d bought from a Persian woman whose son I’d saved from a rabid werewolf last summer. Beside it, the wood stove was still stocked, thanks to another hunter friend who’d spent some time here, working out some problems of his own. He’d taken his frustration out through my axe and split a year’s worth of wood for me before he went home. I wasn’t the “friend” type, but it’d been okay having him here. And the chopped wood was a plus.
But even with the memories, I couldn’t summon any regret over the idea of never seeing this place again. It had always felt temporary. I’d yet to find a place in this world where I felt like I actually belonged. Where I felt like putting down some roots instead of always being ready to move on again.
I eyed the whiskey in my hand then knocked it back before setting the empty glass aside. Striding to the front door, I pulled it open and stepped out onto the moonlit porch. Then, I closed the door behind me and waited.
Not a single twinge of longing filled me as I stared up at the moon, waiting for what would happen next. The only thing in this world I’d miss was my half-sister, Sam. But she had a life of her own now. A mate. Friends and family who loved her. She’d be cared for and happy after I was gone. It was all I could want for her.
Happiness wasn’t an option for me. Not in this world. Maybe not in the next—but I had to at least try. It was all in the letter I’d left for her. I could only hope she’d understand.
Besides, this decision had less to do with happiness and more to do with honor.
Destan deserved that, at least.
A minute passed, and the Alaskan cold penetrated easily through the suit I wore. I tugged at the bow tie already beginning to choke my neck. The last time I’d dressed up had been for Sam’s wedding. It’d taken several shots of whiskey to get me into this monkey suit, but once the festivities began, I was glad I’d made the effort. It had been a happy day. The only happy day I’d worn this getup for. The previous occasion had been much more sobering.
Before the memory of it could take hold—a funeral that still pricked sharply at my heart—I reached up and unknotted the bow tie. Yanking it free, I tossed it aside and watched as it fell to the snow-covered porch at my feet. I refused to let tonight be about what I’d lost.
I was going to The Monster Ball to gain something—a new life if I was lucky.
Frustrated and with no one to take it out on, I unbuttoned the top of my collared shirt. This party was formal, but the longer the magic took to transport me, the less I gave a shit about appearances.
My breath came out in puffs against the frigid air. Any longer, and I’d have to go back for a coat. Or the whiskey. The thought of another glass to steady me had me turning, but before I could reach the door, a glow of moonlight caught my eye. A single beam pulsed brightly, reflecting off of the snow around me until it hurt my eyes.
A light flashed.
I turned away, blinking against the intensity of it.
The air around me shifted. Between blinks, I felt the world tilt.
The light vanished, and I straightened, looking around at what was definitely not the Alaskan tundra anymore. For one thing, the temperature was much warmer. Still cold by most standards but nothing like what I’d left behind. Instead of the moon glaring off the snow, there was only concrete as far as the eye could see.
Behind me, a busy street teemed with pedestrians. A horn blared, and someone shouted obscenities at a bicyclist. He screamed back, gave them the finger, and pedaled on. Beyond that, skyscrapers made a picturesque backdrop, but it wasn’t the buildings that gave away my location. The smell, more than anything, was unmistakably New York City.
My stomach churned with the realization I’d just been transported with magic more powerful than any I’d ever seen. My sister, Sam, was half-witch, and even she couldn’t have done this.
The invitation in my hand felt more and more like the answer I’d been looking for all along. Tucking it into my jacket pocket, I strode into the darkened alleyway that stretched before me and hoped like hell I hadn’t just made a huge mistake.
Chapter Two
Aqua
Two grumpy-faced palace guards floated below me while I made my way to the surface alone. Lucky for me, there was no “plus one” that would allow my annoying shadows to accompany me tonight. It was one of the reasons I attended The Monster Ball every year. Despite the chaos and noise—or maybe because of it—I felt anonymous. No one at the Ball cared if you were royalty or the realm’s most tragic story. On a night like tonight, I was just a girl.
“Don’t forget to keep your eyes open, princess,” Monroe, my personal guard, called out. “Our intel says Priscilla’s going to use tonight to set something in motion against you.”
“She can try,” I said.
“Princess, this isn’t a threat to take lightly,” Monroe warned. “With your parents and brother gone, you’re the only thing standing in her way. She’s determined to undermine you.”
“I’ll be careful,” I assured him, trying not to let my impatience creep into my voice.
“And please keep your distance,” he added.
I paused to glare at him. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“You know what it means.” His tone crept toward fatherly as it often did since Father died. “Training or not, it’s unacceptable for a princess to engage her enemies directly.”
“Bad press wouldn’t do,” Doughtry, the other guard, added. “Especially so close to your coronation as queen.”
I gave them both a side-eye that made it clear what I thought of their lectures. It’s not like I went looking for a fight; drama always seemed to find me. Besides, Priscilla was a threat, sure, but she wasn’t stupid enough to try something directly. Especially considering the wards at the Ball made it impossible to do lethal harm to anyone. Besides, even if the magic didn’t prohibit violence, Priscilla should have been the worried one. Not a day went by that I didn’t practice what I’d learned during my time at the academy. My reflexes were just as good as they used to be. Maybe better. Thirst for vengeance tended to do that to a person.