by E.J. Stevens
I tightened my grip on the iron hammer and scowled. With Jenna gone, and the Guild in no hurry to find a replacement, jobs had come rolling in. I guess I should have been happy for the work, but no amount of money would make this feel like a real case. These jobs were just trumped up pest control. I’d much rather be working a case that required more than whacking some creature over the head. Better yet, I wanted more time to focus on the search for my father.
I’d recently learned that I was half-fae and that my deadbeat dad was Will-o’-the-Wisp, or Willem as my human mom knew him, King of the Wisps. Most of my life I’d spent feeling abandoned by the guy, which pissed me off. My psychic abilities had labeled me as a freak and an outcast, relegating me to the sidelines where I watched other people live their safe, happy, normal lives. Even my mother and step-father had distanced themselves from their freak daughter. To say I had abandonment issues was an understatement.
Imagine my surprise when I discovered, in a search for answers about my awakening wisp abilities, that my dad had been a victim too. He’d been tricked by a demon, possibly Lucifer himself, to carry a cursed lantern that brought disasters wherever he walked the earth. In an attempt to keep me and my mom safe, Will-o’-the-Wisp had left Harborsmouth. Now I not only needed to find my father, I desperately wanted to.
But time was running out. As if my psychic gift and second sight weren’t bad enough, I was growing into a whole new set of wisp abilities that I had no idea how to control. And fae who can’t keep their supernatural side hidden from humans don’t have a long lifespan—even for immortals. If I don’t find my father soon, I’ll be facing a fae firing squad. In fact, I could already feel the chill of fae assassins breathing down my neck.
Yeah, sorting out my family issues and finding a way to control my wisp powers should have been my one and only task, but information doesn’t come cheap. It takes money to grease those kinds of gears, hence my jumping at the chance to fill the void that Jenna had left in her wake. Jobs like these paid in cash and favors, both of which were in short supply since beginning my search for answers.
As it was, I was accruing debt with the wrong people. Take, for example, my debt to the vampire master of Harborsmouth. I’d promised to work one case of that pompous, old dust bag’s choosing. Yeah, that was bound to go well. As if that wasn’t bad enough, I’d made not one, but two faerie bargains with The Green Lady. I just knew the glaistig would be calling in her favors soon. I’d caught her guards watching me more than once. I knew she was keeping tabs on her investment and that scared me worse than the threat of faerie assassins.
Unfortunately, the vamp and the glaistig weren’t the only ones I’d made bargains with over the past few months. Their bargains were just the most likely to result in death or insanity. By comparison, my alliance with Sir Torn and the local cat sidhe was a walk in the park. And that was saying a whole lot about just how potentially deadly my bargains with The Green Lady and the vampire master of the city really were. Torn was a shadowy, feline, pain in my ass who obviously thought my roommate and business partner was catnip—like I didn’t have enough to worry about.
One of the caterpillar creatures burst up through a pile of rubble to my left and, with a blur of writhing golden fur, ducked inside the ruins of a video store. Damn, these things were fast. I ran toward the alley at the back of the store, hoping to corner the jincan before it escaped back into the ground or into the multi-level parking garage. Chasing the jincan around in that warren of concrete and steel was something I’d like to avoid. There were fae who liked to inhabit those shadows and I’d rather not come toe to toe with any of them.
I gulped air as I came around the back of the building, scanning the area around the dumpster and metal exit door for signs of the jincan. No eight foot caterpillar here. Maybe I’d been wrong to think it would come this way. Heck, it could be tunneling through the shop floor this very moment. In fact, I could hear a rhythmic thud coming from inside. Crap, I wouldn’t collect my fee if I let this critter slip away.
I spun on my heel, ready to sprint back down the alley when a furry steam-train came barreling through the cinderblock wall. The owner of the strip-mall wasn’t going to be happy. There was hardly anything left of the place. Too bad I had more to worry about than pissing off my clients.
I needed to stay alive.
A chunk of concrete whizzed past my head and I ducked into a crouch. I blinked away the dust and debris that filled the air and honed in on the creature’s location. There, it was halfway through the wall, its head already dipping into the parking garage.
“Oh no, you don’t,” I said. “Hey, Goldy, over here!”
The jincan raised its head and gnashed its large, brown teeth. Oh yeah, that’s attractive. These critters could use some serious dental care.
With a bellowing cry it lunged toward me. I jinked to the right, avoiding those nasty teeth with a few feet to spare. As the creature’s momentum carried it forward, I lifted the hammer, bringing it down at the base of its skull. Do caterpillars even have skulls? Whatever, the blow stopped the deafening chomp of its teeth—too bad it also squished the thing’s head like a water balloon.
Smelly jincan goo hit me square in the face, on bare skin. I froze, hammer locked in unmoving gloved fingers, as a vision held me rigid in its icy grip. I tried to calm my breathing and ride it out. It wouldn’t do me any good to fight it, and I needed to get this over with. If another jincan came along while I was imprisoned by the goo-induced vision, I’d be getting an up close and personal look at those rotting, pointy teeth.
I’d be caterpillar food for sure.
In fact, it looked like I’d be fed to this guy’s queen if he had any say in the matter. Oh, goody.
Psychometry is a funny thing. If a strong psychic imprint is made on an object, then someone with my rare gift can read the information that’s left behind. In this case, the caterpillar goo was giving me a vision whammy that made my stomach churn. This jincan had three images playing on a compulsive loop and the message of what drove the beast was clear. He wanted to kill, eat, and mate—not necessarily in that order.
And, oh boy, the gal he wanted to impress was a golden-skinned, furless grub the size of a semi truck. Protect the Queen, feed the Queen, and mate with the Queen. Oberon’s eyes, I needed brain bleach.
Oh yeah, this vision was no joyride—they never were—but visions of jincan males lining up to hump their gelatinous queen? That was sure to give me nightmares. Damn that shit was nasty.
I gagged and shook off the last of the vision. Psychometry is a bitch of a psychic gift, but the thing is, sometimes it comes in handy. Now I knew how to stop these creatures from destroying another city block, even if it was out here in the suburbs. I just needed to squash their hive leader, and I knew right where to find her.
Aware of the gathering gloom, I sprinted into the parking garage. For the second time today, I wished that Jenna hadn’t pissed off the Guild and got herself shipped off to Europe. This was one job where I could use some backup. The obese hive leader didn’t seem like much of a threat—heck, she looked like a pulsating marshmallow—but I was pretty sure the masses of horny jincan males I’d seen in my vision weren’t about to welcome me with open arms, even if they did have about twenty extra sets of the damn things.
I sighed and ducked into the parking garage as the first stars appeared in the darkening sky above the alley. It was going to be a long night.
The Ivy Granger Series
Shadow Sight
Welcome to Harborsmouth, where monsters walk the streets unseen by humans...except those with second sight, like Ivy Granger.
"I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys sarcastic wit, supernatural beings, a good mystery and one kick butt heroine."
-Paranormal Romance Guild
"Shadow Sight is well worth a 5 out of 5 rating...I enjoyed it even more than my beloved Hollows series by Kim Harrison."
-My Keeper Shelf
Blood and Mistletoe: An
Ivy Granger Novella
Holidays are worse than a full moon for making people crazy. In Harborsmouth, where many of the residents are undead vampires or monstrous fae, the combination may prove deadly.
"As always Ivy was a fantastic main character who is always able to keep me chuckling and always kicking butt everywhere she goes. I love how much of a strong character she is. I also loved how creepy everything felt due to the fact that it was holiday themed...a very nice addition to the Ivy Granger series.
-Book Bite Reviews
Ghost Light
Ivy Granger, psychic detective, thought she'd seen it all...until now.
"Another brilliant installment of the Ivy Granger series."
-My Urban Fantasies
Club Nexus
A demon, an Unseelie faerie, and a vampire walk into a bar...
"I absolutely loved Club Nexus."
-Book Bite Reviews
Burning Bright
Burning down the house...
"Another amazing installment in the Ivy Granger series!"
-Twilight Sleep
The Spirit Guide Series
She Smells the Dead
Yuki has a secret…she smells the dead.
"This series is like Nancy Drew meets the Winchester Brothers from Supernatural."
-I'd So Rather Be Reading
Spirit Storm
Spirits of the Dead are coming...
"Part mystery, part adventure, part romance and all the things a reader wants."
-Read For Your Future
Legend of Witchtrot Road
Surviving agitated ghosts, irritated witches, angry werewolves, and the horrors of high school has never been so hard.
"I didn't think it possible to fall even more in love with this series (and the characters, oh the amazingly swoon-worthy male characters and the super snarky female characters), but after having read this book, the third installment of this series, I found that it is indeed possible."
-Avery's Book Nook
Brush with Death
Samhain was scary, but graduation is downright terrifying.
"Stevens has managed to once again create a wonderful mystery filled with characters that are not only loveable but completely realistic and unforgettable."
-My Guilty Obsession
The Pirate Curse
When Yuki starts smelling salt brine and seaweed, she finds her summer vacation hijacked by pirates...the DEAD kind.
Will the ghost of Black Sam Bellamy, Prince of Pirates, lead Yuki and her friends to treasure or terror?
"What an excellent book! There's action, adventure, werewolves, witches and pirate ghosts."
-Eat Sleep Read
About the Author
E.J. Stevens is the author of the Spirit Guide young adult series and the bestselling Ivy Granger urban fantasy series. When E.J. isn't at her writing desk she enjoys dancing along seaside cliffs, singing in graveyards, and sleeping in faerie circles. E.J. currently resides in a magical forest on the coast of Maine where she finds daily inspiration for her writing.
You can learn more about E.J. by visiting http://about.me/EJStevens.
Connect with E.J. on her Blog, Pinterest, and Twitter.
Discover the world of Ivy Granger at http://ivygrangerpsychicdetective.blogspot.com.
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Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Coming Soon
Also by E.J. Stevens
Burning Bright
About the Author
