Dead Letter Day

PRAISE FOR THE SERIES THAT’LL HAVE YOU
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DEAD ON DELIVERY

“A delight…Explore[s] a unique path in urban fantasy while relying on strong bones of plot and stinging, hilarious humor to keep [the] reader enthralled.”

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Midwest Book Review

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DON’T KILL THE MESSENGER

“[Rendahl’s] first stab at the paranormal world is off to an excellent start. She comes out with the big guns, ready to take gold!”

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“A strong and sassy heroine shines in this exciting, sexy and hilarious debut. Melina’s charisma and wit, interesting side characters and dashes of hot romance will keep readers wanting more.”

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Midwest Book Review

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Titles by Eileen Rendahl

DON’T KILL THE MESSENGER

DEAD ON DELIVERY

DEAD LETTER DAY

Dead
Letter
Day

Eileen Rendahl

ACE BOOKS, NEW YORK

THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP

Published by the Penguin Group

Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA

Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.) • Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England • Penguin Ireland, 25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.) • Penguin Group (Australia), 707 Collins Street, Melbourne, Victoria 3008, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.) • Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi—110 017, India • Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, Auckland 0632, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.) • Penguin Books (South Africa), Rosebank Office Park, 181 Jan Smuts Avenue, Parktown North 2193, South Africa • Penguin China, B7 Jiaming Center, 27 East Third Ring Road North, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100020, China

Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

DEAD LETTER DAY

An Ace Book / published by arrangement with the author

PUBLISHING HISTORY

Ace mass-market edition / March 2013

Copyright © 2013 by Eileen Rendahl.

Cover art by Tony Mauro.

Cover design by Diana Kolsky.

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group,

a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,

375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

ISBN: 978-1-101-61955-1

ACE

Ace Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group,

a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,

375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

ACE and the “A” design are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

To Jeff and Teresa
and the Tuesday-night spin class

Acknowledgments

Much of this book was written during a time of emotional turmoil for me. The fact that I was able to get through it at all is a testament to the support of my family. A huge thank-you to Debbie, Diane and Marian Ullman and to Andy Wallace for the love and encouragement and ridiculously naïve belief that I could do it. I hope never to disappoint any of you.

Many thanks to Jeff and Teresa Olson for the knife-throwing demonstration and for telling me about Ulfhednar in the first place. Who knew that spin class would be as good for my writing as it is for my legs?

The Jewel Tones are always there to support me uphill and down, but I must single out Kelly Judd Safford for her help with the end of the book. Thank goodness I didn’t get a flat that day! Thank you also to Anna Stewart for a lightning bolt of a good idea that she tossed off without ever breaking stride.

Very special thanks to Catriona MacPherson and Spring Warren for a fantastic and productive weekend in Petaluma as well as help with the demonic cows.

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

1

“I WANT TO TALK TO PAUL.” I KEPT MY EYES AVERTED, BUT my tone firm and commanding. It’s important with werewolves to know where you stand and make sure they know where you stand. I needed to show deference to Chuck. He was the Alpha of this pack, after all. It was also important to make sure he knew that I meant business. Because I did. It was a fine line to walk, but I was doing it.

Chuck clenched his fists for a second and then released them. His stance relaxed, too. Then he lowered himself into the desk chair opposite me, ready to talk.

Seriously. I’m like the Werewolf Whisperer.

“Get in line.” Chuck had kept me waiting in his office for fifteen minutes. Just enough time for me to get a little antsy. Not enough time for me to get pissed off. Or any more pissed off than I already was. He was walking a line, too. Ah, the games we play.

It would be nice, for once, to get a straight and clear answer.
Niceties observed, I decided to cut to the chase. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

Chuck smiled at me. I took a good long hard look at his teeth. They looked totally human. They also looked like he flossed regularly. My mother would approve. “It means that I’d like to talk to him, too. As would a few other members of the Pack.”

“So you don’t know where he is?” That news surprised me enough that I slipped and looked directly into Chuck’s eyes. Mistake. His eyes narrowed a bit and I heard a little growl in his throat. I looked away. Fast.

“Let’s go for a walk, shall we?” Chuck said.

I stood and followed him out of his office. It hadn’t really been a question. It had been a command. Chuck was being polite by pretending to ask if I wanted to walk. I figured I could at least try to follow suit.