If Emi is sure of anything, it's that kami-the gods-are good, and yokai-the earth spirits-are evil. But when she saves the life of a fox shapeshifter, the truths of her world start to crumble. And the treachery of the gods runs deep.
Red Winter: The Complete Trilogy includes three breathtaking novels that follow Emi as she grows from an uncertain shrine maiden to a divine warrior who must choose whether to bow to duty or fight for her life.
As a con man-turned-MPD-Agent, I'm fairly new to the whole 'upholder of justice' thing, but even for me, there are some lines you just don't cross. Agent Söze of the MPD's Internal Affairs department, on other hand, seems determined to slime his way across every ethical line in existence like an over-sized eel on a power trip.
Can you tell I don't like this guy?
While he's dismantling the precinct and hunting down rule-breakers among the staff-a category which my partner and I definitely fall into-a veritable storm of crazy is spreading through the city. Local troublemaking guild, the Crow and Hammer, has been accused of harboring a demon mage, and while I'm not sure what to believe, I've got bigger problems to tackle.
That is, until a certain notorious rogue druid calls me up about that big IOU I accidentally promised him. Now I have no choice but to dive into the chaos-though if I can knock Söze down a peg or two in the process, it'll be worth it.
What's a hardworking MagiPol agent need to do to get a little R&R?
Between Agent Söze, the treacherous Internal Affairs tyrant whose taken over my precinct, and the super illegal sorcery my partner Lienna was hiding in said precinct-which is now missing-my usual routine of busting magical criminals has fallen apart in favor of hectic damage control.
But that went out the window too when a respected Guild Master was found dead. Agent Söze is trying to cover it up, which is all the reason I need to make solving the murder my top priority.
Except now Agent Söze is trying to arrest and/or kill me. Not entirely unexpected, but both dangerous and highly irritating.
With the clock ticking on the next mysterious Guild Master murder, Lienna and I have to find a way to prove Agent Söze is behind it all. We need rock-solid evidence to bring him down, which is kind of tricky when crooked agents, shady allies, and cutthroat assassins keep complicating matters.
And if we don't get to the bottom of it fast, my next day off will be in the morgue as another corpse to be swept under the corruption rug.
My greatest enemy has always been myself. Over the past few weeks, I've painstakingly put my broken pieces back together, from the dark mysteries of my past to the heartrending conflict of my present.
But just when I finally start to feel whole again, everything around me falls apart.
Lallakai, the newly ascended Queen of Shadow and Death, betrays us and takes Zak prisoner. Echo, the powerful fae I thought would help save Zak, threatens to kill me. And Rikr's nemesis, the ruthless Summer Queen, is hunting him again.
With the four ancient fae poised to battle for supremacy, I'm the only one who can prevent a catastrophic clash of their power. But stopping them will require more than druidic magic. It'll take an act of destruction as devastating as they are.
I'm about to test the strength of my scarred heart, and if I fail, I'll end up destroying everything-and everyone-I'm most desperate to protect.
I'm learning to embrace who and what I am, but there's one thing I can't face: the night Zak betrayed me. But even with the mysteries of our shared past hanging between us, I can't turn Zak away when he asks for my help.
Powerful fae are going missing, and when he tried to investigate, Lallakai vanished too. Now he wants me to venture with him into the territory of the Shadow Court, but its bloodthirsty courtiers don't welcome meddling druids.
Danger is gathering around us, seen and unseen. As we uncover incomprehensible clues about the missing fae, we realize this nightmare runs deeper than we imagined, and unveiling it means delving into the past-our past.
If I abandon Zak now, he'll never make it out alive. But if I stay at his side, if I face the truth of that night, it will destroy us both.
I thought I was a useless witch whose only weapons were a switchblade and a mean disposition.
I thought Zak was a rogue druid with waning power and an alluring aura that's impossible for me to resist.
And I thought my fae familiar was a harmless shapeshifter who chose me because I'm 'mildly interesting.'
But nothing is what I thought. Nothing is what it seems. Including me.
I need answers, and I need them fast-before I sink any deeper in the quagmire of secrets I've fallen into.
The Crystal Druid's. The Winter King's.
And my own.
As a former con-artist, I love a convoluted, mind-bending scheme as much as the next guy. But as a recently promoted MagiPol agent, I love it significantly less than that guy.
Especially when the life of a kidnapped teen hangs in the balance.
Between confusing orders and conflicting evidence, this whole investigation has me and my partner, Lienna, spinning in circles. Why is our boss keeping this case off the books? Why is our top suspect, the most notorious rogue in Vancouver, mired in contradictions? And why am I the only one who cares more about the victim than their own ulterior motives?
Everyone wants me to shut up and follow orders, but that's not my style. I'll do whatever it takes to save this kid-even if that means returning to my roguish roots.
I'm not your average girl.
My best friend is my switchblade. My favorite hobby is using it on the cruel, the abusive, and anyone who gets on my bad side. I'm a convicted murderer with a chip on my shoulder and a dangerous lack of restraint.
And then there's Zak.
His rap sheet makes mine look tame. The bounty on his head is worth more money than I'll ever make, and the deadly fae that shadow his every step wield more power than I'll ever know.
He's the Crystal Druid, and his first mistake was setting foot on my turf. His second was saving my life.
And his final mistake will be failing to realize that however dark, however ruthless, however broken he is . . .
I'm worse.
Agent Kit Morris. Has a nice ring, doesn't it? It's a big step up from 'wanted criminal' or 'that weird con-artist guy with weirder psychic powers,' both of which recently applied to me. But my promotion to MagiPol agent comes with a few drawbacks.
First, supremely talented and effortlessly gorgeous Agent Lienna Shen won't agree to a dinner date with me. Second, my new assignment has pitted me against a guild with very bad taste in pets. Third, those pets are demons, and those demons want to kill me.
My psychic magic is great for conning people. It doesn't do jack shit against hellish orcs. If I screw this up, my dinner date will be with a demon-and I'll be the dinner. Even better, I kind of suspect this supposedly straightforward assignment is actually the tip of an unholy iceberg of power-hungry malefactors bent on destroying all law and order in the city.
I should probably mention that last part to my boss.
The heart-stopping conclusion to urban fantasy series The Guild Codex: Demonized.
Make sure to check out the companion series, The Guild Codex: Spellbound, available now, and The Guild Codex: Warped, coauthored by Rob Jacobsen, available summer 2020.
Once upon a time, I was your average spunky redhead with the lamest employment history ever, a shaky relationship with my only family member, and no idea what I was doing with my life.
Now, I'm a pseudo mythic with the best bartending job in the world, the most amazing (and hot) best friends I never knew I needed, and a guild of misfit magic-users who've become my extended family.
And I'm about to lose it all.
In my desperation to save Ezra, I stumbled into a web of ruthless deception-and seriously pissed off a sleeping hydra. Now its every murderous head is turned toward me and my guild, and I don't know how to stop it. I'm not sure I can.
I'm not sure anyone can.
But if we don't, we're all doomed-Ezra, Aaron, Kai, and my beloved guild.
Only one thing matters to Kai: getting the job done, and doing it better than anyone else.
But when a beautiful thief crashes his security gig, claiming she's trying to protect the valuable artifact he's guarding, all his careful plans go up in flames. He doesn't believe a word she says-until the item is stolen right out from under them.
Recovering the artifact before the real thief can unleash its ancient magic requires insider knowledge-information the mysterious trespasser possesses. Teaming up with a stranger isn't Kai's idea of smart, but he'll need all the help he can get to take on a notorious rogue and arcane power from the time of the gods.
