When the sun sets, my skin turns a pale, pale shade of amethyst and my hair a deep cobalt blue. When it’s dark I look more like my father with my pointed ears, small fangs, and Drow-pigmented skin and hair.
I am not human then, and have no choice but to avoid humans who know nothing about the paranormal world. Which is just about everyone.
My mind filled with the fragmented emotions both the nightmare and the storm had left me with. A storm in my house. How had I lost control like that?
I pushed aside the sheer curtain and the glass felt cool against my nose as I stared out at the street from my apartment.
It had snowed last night. From the corner of my apartment at 104th and Central Park West, I had clear views from the terrace of Central Park. No one from Otherworld is used to snow because there is no change of seasons there.
I love Manhattan. I love all the seasons. Each season is beautiful and unique in its own way.
The Earth Otherworld holiday season had been pleasant so far and Christmas was just days away. The city was locked in winter’s grasp and everything was white and beautiful.
Sometimes I tugged on a jacket and boots, and waded through the new powder while throwing snowballs at statues, taunting the Gargoyles hidden inside them.
Today the weight in my belly grew heavier as imprints of the nightmare pressed against my soul. Dread, terror, anger, pain … the kind of pain that makes a person’s heart hurt as if someone close to them has died.
I tried to swallow but my throat was too dry.
For the first time the image of a face with blurred features shimmered at the edge of my consciousness. Somehow I knew it was the face of someone I cared for.
I brought my hands to my chest. The contours of the image seemed so familiar.
And then the ghostly face was gone, like it hadn’t been there at all.…
St. Martin’s Paperbacks Titles By
CHEYENNE McCRAY
NIGHT TRACKER NOVELS
Demons Not Included
No Werewolves Allowed
Vampires Not Invited
LEXI STEELE NOVELS
The First Sin
The Second Betrayal
THE MAGIC NOVELS
Dark Magic
Shadow Magic
Wicked Magic
Seduced by Magic
Forbidden Magic
ROMANTIC SUSPENSE
Moving Target
Chosen Prey
ANTHOLOGIES
No Rest for the Witches
Praise for these other novels from New York Times
bestselling author
CHEYENNE MCCRAY
NO WEREWOLVES ALLOWED
“The suspense is well written, the villains are chilling, and Nyx is a kick-ass heroine to admire. A captivating book in a fascinating series, No Werewolves Allowed is a tale I highly recommend.”
—Romance Reviews Today
“Interesting characters, fast-paced plot and fascinating world-building make this a must-read.”
—Fresh Fiction
DEMONS NOT INCLUDED
“The hot new Night Tracker series promises plenty of thrills and chills. McCray does an excellent job establishing this world and its host of intriguing characters. The action is fast and furious, and the danger escalating. Add in some sexy sizzle and you have another patented McCray gem.”
—Romantic Times BOOKreviews (Top Pick, 4 ½ stars)
“McCray weaves a supernatural tale of mystery, murder, and blossoming romance. Demons Not Included has a well-rounded cast, a captivating storyline, and plenty of suspense to keep readers guessing.”
—Darque Reviews
DARK MAGIC
Winner, Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award for
Best Paranormal Action Adventure of the Year
“McCray does a stellar job layering the danger, passion and betrayal. Awesome!”
—Romantic Times BOOKreviews (Top Pick, 4 ½ stars)
“Action, romance, suspense, love, betrayal, sacrifice, magic, and sex appeal to the nth degree! [McCray’s] heroines kick butt and run the gamut from feminine to tomboy, and her heroes … well, they’re all 200% grade-A male. YUM! Her love scenes left me breathless … and I’m surprised I have any nails left after the suspense in this last book.”
—Queue My Review
“Vivid battles, deceit that digs deep into the coven, and a love that can’t be denied.”
—Night Owl Romance
“Besides a fabulous finish to a great urban fantasy that sub-genre fans will relish as one of the best series over the past few years, the romance is the one readers have been waiting [for] to see how it plays out since almost the beginning. Master magician Cheyenne McCray brings it all together in a superb ending to her stupendous saga.”
—Harriet Klausner
SHADOW MAGIC
“Erotic paranormal romance liberally laced with adventure and thrills.”
—Romantic Times BOOKreviews
(Top Pick, 4 ½ stars)
“A sensual tale full of danger and magic, Shadow Magic should not be missed.”
—Romance Reviews Today
“Cheyenne McCray has created a fabulous new world. You won’t be able to get enough!”
—Lori Handeland, USA Today bestselling author
WICKED MAGIC
“Blistering sex and riveting battles are plentiful as this series continues building toward its climax.”
—Romantic Times BOOKreviews (4 stars)
“Has an even blend of action and romance.… An exciting paranormal tale, don’t miss it!”
—Romance Reviews Today
“Cheyenne McCray shows the best work between good and evil in Wicked Magic. The characters are molded perfectly … sure to delight and captivate with each turn of the page.”
—Night Owl Romance
SEDUCED BY MAGIC
“Blistering passion and erotic sensuality are major McCray hallmarks, in addition to a deft and exciting storyline. This magical series continues to develop its increasing cast of characters and complex plotline; the result is erotic paranormal romance liberally laced with adventure and thrills.”
—Romantic Times BOOKreviews (Top Pick, 4 ½ stars)
“The slices of humor, the glimpses of the characters’ world through fantastic descriptions, not to mention fascinating characters, landed this book on … [the] keeper shelf.”
—Romance Divas
“Witches, drool-worthy warriors, and hot passion that will have readers reaching for a cool drink. Cheyenne McCray has created a fantastic and magical world where both the hero and heroine are strong and are willing to fight the darkness that threatens their worlds.”
—A Romance Review
FORBIDDEN MAGIC
“Wildly erotic and dangerously sensual, this explosive paranormal thriller sizzles. McCray erupts on the scene with one of the sexiest stories of the year. Her darkly dramatic world is one readers won’t mind visiting again … McCray knows how to make a reader sweat—either from spine-tingling suspense or soul-singeing sex … McCray cleverly combines present-day reality with mythological fantasy to create a world where beings of lore exist—and visit the earthly realm.”
— Romantic Times BOOKreviews (Top Pick, 4 1/2 stars)
“McCray will thrill and entrance you!”
—Sabrina Jeffries, New York Times bestselling author
“A yummy hot fudge sundae of a book!”
—MaryJanice Davidson, New York Times bestselling author
“Charmed meets Kim Harrison’s witch series, but with a heavy dose of erotica on top!”
—Lynsay Sands, New York Times bestselling author
“McCray’s paranormal masterpiece is not for the fainthearted. The battle between good and evil is brought to the reader in vivid and riveting detail to the point where the reader is drawn into the pages of this bewitching and seductive fantasy that delivers plenty of action-packed sequences and arousing love scenes.”
&nb
sp; —Rendezvous
“Forbidden Magic is a spellbinding, sexy, superbly written dark fantasy. I couldn’t put it down, and you won’t want to either … [a] fabulous plot … [Cheyenne McCray has an] incredible skill at keeping readers engaged in every moment of the action. Longtime fans and newbies alike will be enchanted and swept away by this enduring tale of courage, love, passion, and magic.”
—A Romance Review
“If one were going to make a comparison to Cheyenne McCray with another writer of the supernatural/sensuality genre, it would have to be Laurell K. Hamilton … Forbidden Magic definitely puts McCray in the same league as Hamilton. The book is a very sexy work … Forbidden Magic is dark and filled with danger at almost every turn. Magic and mystery abound in San Francisco, with a major battle between the forces of good and evil, and the outcome is always in doubt when it comes to demons.”
—Shelf Life
“Cheyenne McCray has written a sexy adventure spiced with adventurous sex.”
—Charlaine Harris,
New York Times bestselling author
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
VAMPIRES NOT INVITED
Copyright © 2010 by Cheyenne McCray.
Excerpt from Zombies Sold Separately copyright © 2010 by Cheyenne McCray.
All rights reserved.
For information address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
EAN: 978-0-312-53268-0
St. Martin’s Paperbacks edition / December 2010
St. Martin’s Paperbacks are published by St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
eISBN 978-1-4299-2674-4
First St. Martin’s Press eBook Edition: November 2010
Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page
Dedication
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Epigraph
WELCOME TO NEW YORK CITY’S UNDERWORLD
ONE
TWO
THREE
FOUR
FIVE
SIX
SEVEN
EIGHT
NINE
TEN
ELEVEN
TWELVE
THIRTEEN
FOURTEEN
FIFTEEN
SIXTEEN
SEVENTEEN
EIGHTEEN
NINETEEN
TWENTY
TWENTY-ONE
TWENTY-TWO
TWENTY-THREE
TWENTY-FOUR
TWENTY-FIVE
TWENTY-SIX
TWENTY-SEVEN
FOR CHEYENNE’S READERS
Excerpt
St. Martin’s Paperbacks Titles By Cheyenne McCray
Praise for other novels
Copyright
Vampires Not Invited: A Night Tracker Novel Page 28
