A Wild Light

Table of Contents

 

PRAISE FOR THE HUNTER KISS NOVELS BY “RED-HOT LIU”
¹

DARKNESS CALLS

“[Liu’s] ability to deliver kick-butt action and characters whose humanity resonates, even when they’re anything but human, is a testament to her outstanding storytelling skills. Liu’s imagination is an amazing place to visit.”

—Romantic Times
(Top Pick)

“
Darkness Calls
is one riveting book, and Marjorie Liu is one great writer. The desperation Maxine feels as she deals with her past and unknown future is one that will keep you reading and anxious for the next terror Maxine will have to endure.”

“Liu has done an excellent job of developing and expanding the mythos she created in
The Iron Hunt
. . . I look forward to reading the further adventures of Maxine Kiss.”

 

THE IRON HUNT

“I adore the Hunter Kiss series! Marjorie Liu’s writing is both lyrical and action packed, which is a very rare combination. Heroine Maxine Kiss and her demon friends are wonderful characters who are as likable as they are fierce. You’ll want to read this series over and over.”

—Angela Knight,
New York Times
bestselling author

“Liu is one of the best new voices in paranormal fiction.”

“Marjorie M. Liu writes a gripping supernatural thriller.”

“From the imagination of one of today’s most talented authors comes a mesmerizing, darkly disturbing world on the brink of apocalypse. With her new Hunter Kiss series, Liu has created a uniquely tough yet vulnerable heroine in Maxine Kiss . . . Through Maxine’s eyes, readers take a heart-stopping ride where buried secrets could change the fate of the world.”

“Readers who love urban fantasies like those of Charlaine Harris or Kim Harrison will relish Marjorie M. Liu’s excellent adventure. This is the superb start of a dynamic-looking saga.”

“Ms. Liu does a lovely job in . . . preparing us for the highspeed action in her demon- filled adventure. A creative and well-written story line provides a strong backbone for this new urban fantasy series, and the unique characters in
The Iron Hunt
will charm, tempt, and surprise readers into coming back for more.”

“A stunning new series . . . The mythology is fascinating, the characters complicated, the story lines original. I’m a big fan of Liu’s Dirk & Steele series, but this one surpasses even it.”

“An incredibly complex, engrossing story that will stretch your imagination and broaden your ideas of what is and what could be.”

“Marjorie Liu seems to have an endless imagination for creating new and interesting characters and stories. I can’t wait to see how this story develops and the world of Maxine Kiss evolves. This is a character and a story that has potential to keep the reader interested for an extensive series of books.”

MORE PRAISE FOR THE NOVELS OF MARJORIE M. LIU

“Raises the bar for all others competing in its league . . . Liu’s screenplay-worthy dialogue, vivid action, and gift for the punchy, unexpected metaphor rocket her tale high above the pack. Readers of early Laurell K. Hamilton, Charlaine Harris, and the best thrillers out there should try Liu now and catch a rising star.”

—Publishers Weekly
(starred review)

“The boundlessness of Liu’s imagination never ceases to amaze; her ability to translate that imagination into a lyrical work of art never ceases to impress.”

—Booklist
(starred review)

“Red-hot Liu . . . packs her stories with immensely intriguing characters, making the high-stakes plotlines even more mesmerizing.”

—Romantic Times
(Top Pick, 4½ stars)

“Nonstop adventure . . . a rich world with paranormal elements.”

“A wonderful voice.”

“Liu is masterful in merging espionage, romance, and the supernatural into fiction that goes beyond the boundaries of action-adventure romance or romantic suspense.”

“Fabulous romantic suspense fantasy that will hook the audience from the first note to the incredible climatic coda.”

THE IRON HUNT
DARKNESS CALLS
A WILD LIGHT

 

 

HUNTER KISS

 

 

WILD THING

(with Maggie Shayne, Alyssa Day, and Meljean Brook)

NEVER AFTER

(with Laurell K. Hamilton, Yasmine Galenorn, and Sharon Shinn)

INKED

(with Karen Chance, Yasmine Galenorn, and Eileen Wilks)

THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP
Published by the Penguin Group
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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.

 

A WILD LIGHT

 

An Ace Book / published by arrangement with the author

 

PRINTING HISTORY

Ace mass-market edition / August 2010

Copyright © 2010 by Marjorie M. Liu.

 

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.

 

eISBN : 978-1-101-18888-0

 

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.

 

 

 

Many thanks to: my lovely editor, Kate Seaver; my fantastic agent, Lucienne Diver; all the wonderful people at Berkley; and my great copy editors, Bob and Sara Schwager.

And hail their queen, fair regent of the night.

—ERASMUS DARWIN

I will vanish in the morning light;
I was only an invention of darkness.

—ANGELA CARTER

I
T was my birthday, the anniversary of my mother’s murder, and on the way to the party, I made a special point to stop and kill a zombie.

I did it every year. My secret. Only Zee and the boys knew. Our gift to each other.

Sun had been down for only an hour, but this was Seattle, the skies were black as midnight, and the rain pounded the windshield like each drop was trying to break the glass. Cyndi Lauper played on the radio, softly, because I wanted to hear Dek and Mal sing along. “True Colors,” one of my mother’s favorites.

The little demons were coiled around my shoulders, heavy and warm, their breath hot against my ears as they hummed the song in their high, sweet voices. Aaz and Raw sat in the backseat, uncharacteristically quiet, their little legs dangling over the floor as they clutched half-eaten teddy bears against their scaled, muscular chests.

Zee crouched in the passenger seat. Razor- sharp spines of black hair flexed against his chiseled skull, and his eyes glinted red. His claws flexed, in and out, in and out, and every few minutes, he raked his arms in quiet agitation. He was difficult to see, even seated beside me. All of them were. Blending with the shadows, falling into shadows, except for the silver glint of veins and their burning eyes.

“Left,” Zee rasped. I didn’t question his instincts. I turned at the intersection. We were in the south end of Lake Union, near the park. I pulled into the lot near the armory. The boys were gone before I turned off the engine, disappearing into the shadows like ghosts. Only Dek and Mal stayed, heavy and reassuring around my throat. Little bodyguards.

The downpour did not ease. I didn’t worry about it. Less visibility was a good thing.

I only had to wait ten minutes. Zee poked his head out from beneath the dashboard. He didn’t have to say a word. I got out, hunching down, as the rain slammed me. Cold as ice. My gloves were already off. I looked down, once, at the armor hugging my right hand: organic metal, quicksilver as mercury, embedded in the skin of my fingers and wrist, connected by threads that traveled over the back of my pale hand.