Dead Man's Deal The Asylum Tales - By Jocelynn Drake Page 0,164
different, but I let it go. It had been nice to spend one last night as Jason Grant, son of Lily and Jonathan Grant. For one last night, I hadn’t been Gage Powell, a warlock who had killed for the first time at the age of thirteen. I wasn’t the monster who had killed other witches and warlocks. I wasn’t the one who’d traded another person’s soul to Charon the ferryman. I wasn’t the one who’d killed a dark elf to save his own life. I was just a guy trying to be something his parents could be proud of.
Turning away from the house, I spotted Gideon standing beside my SUV wearing a dark suit with his hands shoved into his trouser pockets. I hadn’t seen him since we’d left the New York Tower together nearly a month ago. Of course, I hadn’t been using any magic since then, so he wouldn’t have shown up. I received one brief message stating that Paola was now living with his wife and daughter, while James was safe on a ranch in Montana living with a witch and warlock who had faked their deaths. He never gave me names and I didn’t want to know. He only asked me for suggestions on where to place Étienne and Tony.
I couldn’t stop the smile that rose when I reached him. “The boys will stay with my parents,” I announced before he could ask.
Gideon gave a soft grunt and a nod, at least acknowledging that he heard me. His face was blank, but his eyes wouldn’t meet mine.
“Paola okay?”
“Yes, fine.” His words were clipped and terse, but I didn’t get the impression that he was angry at me. When Gideon was pissed at me, there was no doubt about it. Of course, when he was pissed at me, I was usually in pain.
“You’re not here about the boys, are you?” I asked as a deep uneasiness settled into my bones.
Gideon looked up at me, meeting my stare with his unblinking silvery-gray eyes. His expression was solemn and a little sad, but his voice never wavered. “You need to change. We have a job to do.”
I nodded, fighting the urge to let my shoulders slump in resignation. I’d made my choice. I chose to go back to the Towers rather than face death. Now it was time to live up to my end of the bargain. I’d survived Simon Thorn’s murder attempts. I’d survived Reave’s attempts to plunge the world into another war. I’d survive this. I escaped the Towers once. I could do it again, and this time I was taking Gideon with me.
How hard could it be?
About the Author
The bestselling author of the Dark Days series and a former financial analyst, JOCELYNN DRAKE lives in Wisconsin.
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Also By Jocelynn Drake
THE DARK DAYS NOVELS
Nightwalker
Dayhunter
Dawnbreaker
Pray for Dawn
Wait for Dusk
Burn the Night
THE ASYLUM TALES
The Asylum Interviews: Bronx
The Asylum Interviews: Trixie
Angel’s Ink
Praise for Angel’s Ink
“Jocelynn Drake’s writing holds a wonderfully wry humor akin to dark chocolate: bitter but irresistible. With a unique and fascinating magic system, Angel’s Ink is a new take on traditional and urban fantasy themes, spinning a tale of personal vendettas, mob bosses, and just a touch of romance. Gage is an engaging, sympathetic character with curiously twisted problems that he brings upon himself despite his best efforts. Keeping secrets from his friends works . . . until the hapless Gage makes the largest, and perhaps best, mistake of his life. Now he just has to survive it. Angel’s Ink is an otherearthly blend of magic and technology in the best tradition of urban fantasy that refused to let me go. The continuing Asylum Tales promise to be intriguing and wildly inventive.”
—Kim Harrison
“A lot of fun, with a whole new take on the dark urban fantasy. Bright and breezy, with fascinating characters, and a background with hidden depths. Drake puts the ‘ink’ in ‘incredible.’ ”
—Simon R. Green
“Gritty, authentic, and fast-paced! This urban fantasy series rocks!”
—J. R. Ward
“Jocelynn is amazing at fleshing out plots, subplots and characters.”
—USA Today
“A distinctive and absorbing tale.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Drake kicks off a new urban fantasy series with a strong first title. . . . Definitely check out this series from the popular Drake.”
—Booklist
“Drake (the Dark Days vampire series) very ably spins a series launch. . . . Stirs up trouble that sends the plot caroming with ferocious intensity to a satisfying but open-ended conclusion.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Expert storyteller Drake invites readers to join her in a spirited and spellbinding new series. . . . The author does a great job of introducing her mesmerizing new world and then filling it with a truly compelling cast of characters. She is on track to deliver another outstanding and inventive series.”
—Romantic Times BOOKclub
“Fans of Kim Harrison and urban fantasy alike will enjoy this.”
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.