The Demon King and I
Table of Contents
CHARMED PRAISE FOR CANDACE HAVENS
Charmed & Deadly
“Adventure, romance, heartache, and magic... a rapid-fire read.”
—Romance Reviews Today
“As fun a read as anything I’ve had in my hot little hands in the last year ... impossible to put down.”
—Romance Divas
“Super-talented Havens keeps doing a bang-up job with this highly entertaining, magical series ... offbeat and filled with unforgettable characters.”
—Romantic Times
Charmed & Ready
“Loaded with sass and wit... snappy, instantly engaging, and downright charming.”
—Romantic Times
“From demon hunting and club hopping to boyfriend minding and shoe shopping, this book has it all.”
—Romance Divas
“I’m thoroughly charmed and ready for book number three.”
—The Oakland Tribune
“A delightful ride from the first page to the last... the action is immediate and lightning fast.”
—Romance Reviews Today
“Wonderfully witty . . . magically delicious.”
—Paranormal Romance Reviews
Charmed & Dangerous
“Simply bewitching!”
—New York Times
bestselling author Jodi Thomas
“A funny, imaginative take on what it would be like being a young, single, powerful witch.”
—Fresh Fiction
“From assassination attempts to steamy sex scenes to the summoning of magical powers, Havens covers a lot of ground. Weaving together political intrigue, romance, and fantasy is definitely tricky, but Havens makes it work in this quick-paced, engaging story with unique and likable characters.”
—Booklist
“Mix the mystique of all three Charlie’s Angels, Buffy’s brass and
scrappy wit, add the globe-trotting smarts of Sydney Bristow, and you
might come up with enough cool to fill Bronwyn’s little witchy finger . . .
How can you not fall in love with a character who flies her own plane,
combusts the bad guys with a flick of the wrists, and has a weakness for
sexy men and deep-fried chicken?”—Britta Coleman,
author of
Potter Springs
“Smart, sexy, and sinfully wicked.”
—USA Today
bestselling author Ronda Thompson
“This is a refreshing, fast-paced entry for Havens, who pulls out all stops to put the world to rights with humor, some good old-fashioned street fighting—witch style—and some well-deserved romance.”
—Romantic Times
“Bronwyn, the tough, sassy heroine in Candace Havens’s
Charmed & Dangerous,
is one very wicked witch—as in wickedly clever, funny, sexy, and irresistible!”—Jennifer Archer, author of
Body & Soul
“
Bewitched
meets Buffy meets Bond ... Ms. Havens does a fantastic job with her debut into the world of romance.”
—Romance Divas
“Laugh-out-loud, sexy fun! Candace Havens is a sparkling new voice that will draw you in and hold you captive.”—Gena Showalter, author of
Awaken Me Darkly
“A bewitching read, full of easy humor and vivid descriptions. Debut novelist Candace Havens’s refreshing style and clever story weaving will leave you eager for more charming and dangerous adventures.”
—
Laurie Moore,
Edgar® Award-nominated author of
Constable’s Apprehension
Titles by Candace Havens
CHARMED & DANGEROUS
CHARMED & READY
CHARMED & DEADLY
LIKE A CHARM
THE DEMON KING AND I
THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
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Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
This book is an original publication of The Berkley Publishing Group.
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 responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
Copyright © 2008 by Candace Havens.
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.
BERKLEY® is a registered trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
The “B” design is a trademark belonging to Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
PRINTING HISTORY
Berkley trade paperback edition / November 2008
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Havens, Candace, 1963-
The demon king and I / Candace Havens.—Berkley trade paperback ed.
p. cm.
eISBN : 978-1-440-60198-9
I. Title.
PS3608.A878D4 2008
813’.6—dc22
2008025609
To my sisters in crime
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Anne Sowards, your incredible insight made this book what it is. I could not have done it without you. Cameron Dufty, thank you for always being so patient and keeping up with the details. Leslie Gelbman and Susan Allison, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your belief in me.
Shannon Canard and Rosemary Clement Moore, I simply could not ask for better friends. You keep me sane. Curtis, your undying support and web mastery skills leave me in awe. Sha-Shana, please know you will always be golden to me.
To my readers: You rock beyond belief. Your letters and e-mails keep me going when times get tough. I hope you love the Caruthers sisters as much as I do.
PROLOGUE
The Guardian Keys have protected Earth since the
beginning of time. It is our job to guard the portals and keep beings from other worlds away. We are peacekeepers and must often travel between dimensions to make sure everyone plays nice.
Each of us is given powers to help with our duties, and we are trained from birth to fight evil in all its forms. And damn if there aren’t a lot of forms involved—between dragons, demons, nasty fairies, and sea nymphs, we have our hands full. The small tattoos we’re born with on our wrists designate which worlds we are to negotiate with and guard against. Mine are stars, which means I’m in charge of the tough-skinned, hardheaded demons. Beings that would sooner kill you than look at you.
I know, you’re really jealous right now.
Hey, it’s my job. Most days it’s not that bad. I jump through time and space, slice off a demon head or two, and boom, baby; I’m back in time for cocktails.
Then there are days when I come home beat up and covered in demon goo. Can’t say those are my favorites.
Of course, just because we have to save the world doesn’t mean we can’t do it in a great pair of boots and the latest Marc Jacobs blouse. I mean, we girls should have some pleasures in life.
—Gillian Caruthers
CHAPTER 1
“I could kill him, but then I’d have to dispose of
the body.” I stared at myself in the mirror of my office bathroom willing the tears away. I was a complete wreck. “Murder
is
messy.”
An hour earlier I’d walked in on Emilio, my lover, and Maria, the manager of one of the art galleries I own, going at it like monkeys in my São Paulo apartment.
I’d have to sell the place. Yuck, and that beautiful bed would have to be burned. I slammed the side of the sink and a piece of granite hit the ground. Oops.
Stupid superhuman strength.
Come on, Gillian. Get it together.
I met Emilio at a party at another gallery in Milan a few months ago and fell in love with his art, a mix of contemporary greats Anselm Kiefer and Julian Schnabel. I convinced him to come to Brazil for a showing in my new gallery.
While he finished the installation of the pieces, I had traveled to Texas for some business meetings. When I’m not dabbling in the arts and artists, I run my family’s company, Caruthers Corporation. It keeps me busy, but with technology I’m always just a phone call or e-mail away.
My mother had the jet out, so I’d taken an early flight to Brazil so that I could surprise Emilio before the big show.
The artist was tall, dark, and brooding—exactly my type. I have a thing for complex men. His hair was shoulder length and so black it almost looked blue. He had an artist’s body, long and lithe with sinewy muscles. And the sex was beyond amazing. Evidently, Maria thought so, too.
Ugh.
Bile rose in my throat. It wasn’t like me to get this torn up over a guy.
I must be tired.
Sighing, I tried to push the memory of them wrapped around one another from my mind. I straightened my shoulders. Pulling a compact from my purse, I repaired the damage.
