Magic Bleeds

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Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

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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

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CHAPTER 27

GREAT READS—GUARANTEED

THE ULTIMATE IN FANTASY!

“Having an already exceptional series exceed your expectations is a rare and wonderful thing, but Andrews unquestionably pulls it off with this astonishing read. For fans invested in this series, the emotional payoff is huge, opening up exciting plotline possibilities. Balancing petrifying danger with biting humor is an Andrews specialty, leaving readers both grinning and gasping Put [
Magic Bleeds
] on your autobuy list immediately!”

—Romantic Times

PRAISE FOR THE KATE DANIELS NOVELS

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

“An engrossing, superbly written urban fantasy series.”

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—Lurv a la Mode

“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

“The sexual tension Kate emits has me gritting my teeth.”

—SFRevu

“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

“Andrews . . . demonstrates her mastery at balancing dark humor, clever mystery, and supernatural jeopardy. Andrews is the total package!”

—Romantic Times

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.”

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—Patricia Briggs, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Silver Borne

“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

“An intriguing world.”

—Locus

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

—Fresh Fiction

“An excellent start to a brand-new series.”

—The Dragon Page

“Fans of
CSI
. . .
The X-Files
, and any other of a host of such subgenre offerings should be pleased.”

— [http://FantasyBookSpot.com] FantasyBookSpot.com

“A perfectly paced supernatural mystery with bits of dark humor and—if you’ll forgive the pun—a fair amount of bite.”

— [http://Rambles.net] Rambles.net

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

—Monsters and Critics

“
Magic Bites
is an enchanting paranormal whodunit that takes the supernatural into new, natural directions.”

—The Best Reviews

“[Andrews’s] world-building and characterizations are exceptional . . .
Magic Bites
is not to be overlooked.”

—BookFetish

“A unique world laced with a thick plot full of strife, betrayal, and mystery.”

—Romance Junkies

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“The plot moves along at a pleasant clip, and the world-building is interesting and well done.”

—Romantic Times

Ace Books by Ilona Andrews

The Kate Daniels Novels

MAGIC BITES

MAGIC BURNS

MAGIC STRIKES

MAGIC BLEEDS

The Edge Novels

ON THE EDGE

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 Group Ireland, 25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.) Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.)

Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi—110 017, India
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Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, North Shore 0632, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.)

Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa 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 authors’

imaginations 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.

MAGIC BLEEDS

An Ace Book / published by arrangement with the authors

PRINTING HISTORY

Ace mass-market edition / June 2010

Copyright © 2010 by Andrew Gordon and Ilona Gordon.

Excerpt from
Bayou Moon
copyright © by Andrew Gordon and Ilona Gordon. 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 authors’

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.

eISBN : 978-1-101-18776-0

ACE

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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.

[http://us.penguingroup.com] http://us.penguingroup.com

To our children, Anastasia and Helen

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Magic Bleeds
turned out to be a very difficult book to write. It needed multiple drafts and a lot of patience from everyone involved.

I would like to thank my agent, Nancy Yost, for holding my hand through it, and my editor, Anne Sowards, who worked on the manuscript as hard as I did.

Thank you very much to Michelle Kasper, the production editor, and Andromeda Macri, the assistant production editor, both of whom I’ve probably made prematurely gray by this point. Thank you to Judith Lagerman, the art director, Annette Fiore DeFex, the cover designer, and Chad Michael Ward, the artist, for creating a stunning book. Thank you very much to Kat Sherbo, Anne’s editorial assistant, for dealing with my unreasonable requests, and thank you to Rosanne Romanello, the publicist, for tirelessly promoting the book.

When I was writing the book, the dog had no name, so I ran a contest on my website, asking the readers for suggestions, and the following people offered entries that made it into the book: B. Carleton, Annika Bergstrand, Vina Patel, Zach Hughes, Nneka Waddell, Vanessa Yardley, and Andrea Jackson, who came up with the name we finally used.

As always, thank you to the beta readers who suffered through many reincarnations of the book: Beatrix Kaser, Ying Chumnongsaksarp, Reece Notley, Hasna Saadani, Elizabeth Hull, Brooke Nelissen, Ericka Brooks, Melissa Sawmiller, Susan Zhang, Becky Kyle, and Megan Tebbutt, and special thanks to Chrissy Peterson.

Finally, thank you very much to Jeaniene Frost and Jill Myles. This book does have sex in it. Please

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