Kiss of Death

Table of Contents

 

 

“Ms. Caine offers readers an intriguing world where vampires rule, only the strongest survive, and romance offers hope in the darkest of hours. Each character is brought to life in superb detail, with unique personality quirks and a full spectrum of emotions.
Carpe Corpus
is well described, packed with action, and impossible to set down.”

—Darque Reviews

“Rachel Caine has carved out a unique niche in the urban fantasy subgenre with her super young-adult Morganville Vampires. The latest thriller contains plenty of action, but as always in this saga,
Carpe Corpus
is character driven by the good, the bad, and the evil.”

—
Midwest Book Review

“The pace is brisk and a number of loose ends are tied up as one chapter on the town of Morganville closes and a new one begins.”

—Monsters and Critics

 

“Ms. Caine uses her dazzling storytelling skills to share the darkest chapter yet ... an engrossing read.”

—Darque Reviews

“Filled with delicious twists that the audience will appreciatively sink their teeth into.”

—Genre Go Round Reviews

 

“Fast-paced and filled with action.... Fans of the series will appreciate
Feast of Fools
.”

—Genre Go Round Reviews

“Thrilling ... a fast-moving series where there’s always a surprise just around every dark corner.”

—Darque Reviews

“Very entertaining ... I could not put
Feast of Fools
down....There is a level of tension in the Morganville books that keeps you on the edge of your seat; even in the background scenes you’re waiting for the other shoe to drop. And it always does.”

—Flames Rising

“Fantastic.... The excitement and suspense in
Feast of Fools
is thrilling, and I was fascinated reading about the town of Morganville. I greatly look forward to reading the next book.”

—Fresh Fiction

 

“A fast-paced, page-turning read packed with wonderful characters and surprising plot twists. Rachel Caine is an engaging writer; readers will be completely absorbed in this chilling story, unable to put it down until the last page.”

—Flamingnet

“Weaves a web of dangerous temptation, dark deceit, and loving friendships. The nonstop vampire action and delightfully sweet relationships will captivate readers and leave them craving more.”

—Darque Reviews

“If you love to read about characters with whom you can get deeply involved, Rachel Caine is so far a one hundred percent sure bet to satisfy that need.”

—The Eternal Night

“Throw in a mix of vamps and ghosts and it can’t get any better than
Dead Girls’ Dance
.”

—Dark Angel Reviews

“Rachel Caine brings her brilliant ability to blend witty dialogue, engaging characters, and an intriguing plot.”

—Romance Reviews Today

“A rousing horror thriller that adds a new dimension to the vampire mythos ...
Glass Houses
is an electrifying, enthralling coming-of-age supernatural tale.”

—
Midwest Book Review

“A solid paranormal mystery and action plotline that will entertain adults as well as teenagers. The story line has several twists and turns that will keep readers of any age turning the pages.”

—LoveVampires

“You’ll never watch the Weather Channel the same way again.”

—Jim Butcher

“Rachel Caine takes the Weather Wardens to places the Weather Channel never imagined!”—Mary Jo Putney

“The Weather Warden series is fun reading ... more engaging than most TV.”

—
Booklist

“A fast-paced thrill ride [that] brings new meaning to stormy weather.”

—
Locus

“An appealing heroine with a wry sense of humor that enlivens even the darkest encounters.”

—SF Site

 

 

SIGNET

Published by New American Library, a division of

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

First Printing, May

Copyright © Roxanne Longstreet Conrad, 2010

All rights reserved

REGISTERED TRADEMARK—MARCA REGISTRADA

eISBN : 978-1-101-19773-8

 

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To the wonderful people in Des Moines, Carroll, Fort Dodge, Rockwell City, and Clive for making me welcome in the great state of Iowa! To my wonderful friends at Legacy Books (Dallas), the Mystery Bookstore (LA), Murder by the Book (Houston), and Borders Express (Exton, PA) for all your support and enthusiasm. See you soon, I hope!

Far too many awesome people have made it possible for this book to be in your hands today, but I must send extraspecial thanks to my Sunday Night pals (Pat, Jackie, Bill, Heidi, J.T., and Joanne), who make even the worst weeks bearable. Also, Joe Bonamassa, Lucienne Diver, Anne Sowards, Jim Suhler, Felicia Day, Jim Conrad, and M. Conrad—all of whom make my days a little brighter. Bless.

WELCOME TO MORGANVILLE. YOU’LL NEVER WANT TO LEAVE.

So, you’re new to Morganville. Welcome, new resident! There are only a few important rules you need to know to feel comfortable in our quiet little town:

Yeah, we said vampires. Deal with it.

As a human newcomer, you’ll need to find yourself a vampire Protector—someone willing to sign a contract to keep you and yours safe from harm (especially from the other vampires). In return, you’ll pay taxes ... just like in any other town. Of course, in most other towns those taxes don’t get collected by the Bloodmobile.

Oh, and if you decide
not
to get a Protector, you can do that, too ... but you’d better learn how to run fast, stay out of the shadows, and build a network of friends who can help you. Try contacting the residents of the Glass House—Michael, Eve, Shane, and Claire. They know their way around, even if they always end up in the middle of the trouble somehow.

Welcome to Morganville. You’ll never want to leave.

And even if you do ... well, you can’t.

Sorry about that.

T
he way the Glass House worked, on a practical level, was that there was a schedule for the stuff that had to be done—cooking, cleaning, fixing things, laundry. Technically, they were all on every housemate’s list. In practice, though, what happened was this: the boys (Michael and Shane) bribed the girls (Eve and Claire) to do the laundry, and the girls bribed the boys to fix things.

Claire glared at her new iPod—which was actually really nice—and put it on shuffle as she looked at the mess she’d made of her latest laundry effort. And there was the problem: she loved the hot pink iPod, which had been a
heck
of a good bribe, and she really didn’t deserve it, because the laundry was ... also
pink
—which would have been almost fine if it had been a load full of girls’ underwear or something.