Curse the Dawn

Table of Contents

 

“Cassie is a well-rounded character, and the intensity and complexity of the plot puts her through her paces physically, emotionally, and psychically.”

—
Publishers Weekly

 

“If you thought
Touch the Dark
and
Claimed by Shadow
were action-packed, well, buckle your seat belt. . . . Lara Croft would have a hard time keeping up. . . . Once again, Chance has written an action-packed story with very few places to put the book down for a night’s sleep.”

—SF Revu

 

“Quick pacing and imaginative use of some old mythologies blend into a captivating read that will leave readers clamoring for more.”

—Monsters and Critics

 

“Ms. Chance continues to expand her well-built world with time travel, fantastical beings, steamy romance, and the nonstop action her wonderful series provides. This is a fast-moving read that’s hard to set down, and it will no doubt leave readers eager for future installments in the Cassandra Palmer series.”

—Darque Reviews

 

“Cassie is a great character. . . . As far as supernatural and paranormal series go, this is one of the best.”

—
The Romance Reader
(five-star review)

 

“Entertaining. . . . Subgenre fans who have not read Cassie’s saga should take a chance as these are well-written horror-fantasy tales.”

—Alternative Worlds

 

“A wonderfully refreshing step away from the cookie-cutter regime of the usual vampire novels . . . this novel has it all. Believable characters, descriptive settings, and thrills and chills kept this reader on the edge of her seat.”

—Roundtable Reviews

 

“Fast-paced and filled with faeries, kids, vampires, mages, ghosts, incubi, gargoyles, magic spells, evil plots, backstabbing, and surprises—this one follows the lead of the first two and adds in a bit more of each to ‘kick it up a notch,’ so to speak.”

—Fantasy Book Spot

 

“If you love vampires and you’re looking for something a little different, then you definitely need to check out this series. Karen Chance is easily becoming one of my top authors.”

—Literary Escapism

 

“Thrilling . . . each revelation adds intriguing twists to the already knotty plot. Highly entertaining.”

—
Romantic Times

“A nonstop thrill ride from beginning to end, a wildly entertaining romp with a strong, likable heroine. The story is fast-paced and barely lets up from the word ‘go,’ lightened with plenty of wry humor and more than a dash of romance.”

—Rambles

 

“Ms. Chance is a master . . . a series well worth getting hooked on.”

—Fresh Fiction

 

“A great writer of supernatural fantasy that is on a par with the works of Kim Harrison, Charlaine Harris, and Kelley Armstong.”

—
Midwest Book Review

 

“Magic aplenty populates this fast-moving, rather dark tale of power, corruption, double-dealings, and painful attractions as Cassie comes to grip with her new role in this follow-up to
Touch the Dark
. It is nice to see a strong, capable heroine taking charge with a kick butt attitude while attempting to balance right and wrong in the face of impossible odds.”

—Monsters and Critics

“Exciting and inventive.”

—
Booklist

 

“Fast and heavy on the action,
Touch the Dark
packs a huge story. . . . A blend of fantasy and romance, it will satisfy readers of both genres.”

—Fresh Fiction

 

“A very promising start to a new series, and an exceptionally entertaining first novel.”

—
Locus

 

“A grab-you-by-the-throat-and-suck-you-in sort of book with ... sexy-scary vampires. I loved it—and I’m waiting anxiously for a sequel.”

—Patricia Briggs,
New York Times
bestselling author of
Bone Crossed

 

“A wonderfully entertaining romp with an engaging heroine. Here’s hoping there’s a sequel in the works!”

—
New York Times
bestselling author Kelley Armstrong

 

“Karen Chance takes her place along with Laurell K. Hamilton, Charlaine Harris, MaryJanice Davidson, and J. D. Robb to give us a strong woman who doesn’t wait to be rescued. . . . The action never stops . . . engrossing.”

—SFRevu

 

“[A] plucky heroine with special powers dealing with the supernatural . . . exciting and fun.”

—
Philadelphia Weekly Press

 

“A fast-paced, entertaining adventure in the best tradition of contemporary supernatural fiction. . . . I look forward to seeing what Karen Chance does next.”

—Emerald City

 

“A fast-paced action novel that never lets up. . . . Karen Chance is one of the most original voices in paranormal fiction. . . . A ‘do not miss’ novel for fans of vampires or fans of great story-telling . . . compelling, heart-racing, [and] erotic.”

—Pink Heart Reviews

 

“Sexy vampires and interesting magical powers set up a thrilling and suspenseful environment in
Touch the Dark
. . . combines humor, action, and the paranormal into a scintillating story that will leave readers begging for more.”

—Romance Reviews Today

ALSO BY KAREN CHANCE

CASSIE PALMER NOVELS

 

ONYX
Published by New American Library, a division of
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80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

 

 

First published by Onyx, an imprint of New American Library,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

 

 

First Printing, April 2009

Copyright © Karen Chance, 2009

All rights reserved

eISBN : 978-1-101-03254-1

 

 

 

 

Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

 

 

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

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 Web sites or their content.

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Thanks to Laurence P. Lehman for a fun conversation on voivodes.

Stalking a time traveler is hard work, even if you are one. Especially when said traveler totally has you made. “Can we talk?” I screamed as I dodged behind a column to avoid a spray of bullets.

The woman hunting me through the cellar slung her flashlight beam in my direction. “Sure,” she said amiably. “Hold still for a second.”

Yeah, right.

My name is Cassie Palmer and a lot of people think I’m not the sharpest pencil in the box. My strawberry blond hair, which usually resembles Shirley Temple’s in a windstorm, is part of the reason. My blue eyes, slightly pudgy cheeks and tip-tilted nose might be another, except that most men’s gazes never make it up that far. But dumb blonde or not, even I wasn’t buying that one.

My own weapon—a new 9 mm Beretta—was crowding the waistband of my jeans and poking me insistently in the hipbone. I ignored it. Years from now, the woman with the gun would leave a little message that would save my life. I kind of wanted her to be around to write it. Not to mention that shooting people is a good way to ensure that they don’t want to talk to you, and we really needed to have a chat.