{"product_id":"shattered-bonds-isbn-9780399587986","title":"Shattered Bonds","description":"\u003cb\u003eJane Yellowrock must dig deep and find strength within herself if she is to survive in the latest novel in this \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling series.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJane Yellowrock is vampire-killer-for-hire, but her last battle with an ancient arcane enemy has brought her low. She seeks retreat in the Appalachian Mountains to grieve the loss of her friends, and to heal—or to die—from the disease brought on by her magic. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e But malevolent elements in the paranormal community still seek to destroy Jane, and a terrifying foe stalks her, even into the safety of the hills. With nowhere to run and her body failing, the rogue-vampire hunter and her inner Beast must discover a way to defeat this new threat, and find a form that gives her a chance to fight another day.\u003cb\u003ePraise for the Jane Yellowrock Novels\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \"A lot of series seek to emulate Hunter's work, but few come close to capturing the essence of urban fantasy: the perfect blend of intriguing heroine, suspense, [and] fantasy with just enough romance.\"--SF Site \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \"Jane is a fully realized, complicated woman; her power, humanity, and vulnerability make her a compelling heroine. The fight scenes are exciting and the New Orleans setting is absorbing, but it's the ever-evolving bond between Jane and her Beast personality that keeps this fun series fresh.\"--\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \"Jane Yellowrock is smart, sexy, and ruthless.\"—Kim Harrison, #1 \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eDead Witch Walking\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \"Readers eager for the next book in Patricia Briggs's Mercy Thompson series may want to give Faith Hunter a try.\"--\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \"Hunter's very professionally executed, tasty blend of dark fantasy, mystery, and romance should please fans of all three genres.\"--\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \"Hunter is an expert at creating worlds filled with intriguing supernatural elements and exciting scenarios; the latest Yellowrock novel packs a powerful punch.\"--\u003ci\u003eRT Book Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \"Seriously. Best urban fantasy I've read in years, possibly ever.\"--C. E. Murphy, author of \u003ci\u003eMagic and Manners\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003eFaith Hunter\u003c\/b\u003e is the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of the Jane Yellowrock series, the Soulwood series, and the Rogue Mage series.\u003cp\u003eChapter 1\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHe Ate Her Body While\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eShe Was Still Alive, Piece by Piece\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBeast pawpawpawed, slow, across ridge of rock over creek. Silent. Good predator. Moving back paw into front paw track, paw prints overlapping in fresh layer of snow. Beast lifted snout and sniffed, breath in two white clouds in icy air. Wind blew own scent back, along path. Wind filled nose with musk of three male deer, upwind. Bucks did not see or smell Beast. Beast is best hunter.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBiggest buck raised head. Sniffing. Pawing dirt. Eyes on tree bark where Beast had left mark before last pregnant moon. Where Beast had sharpened claws to mark territory. Old spoor. Beast had hunted along creek then. Was best hunter's old spoor still strong with threat? Had Beast made stupid kit mistake?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNo. Beast is good hunter. Want big deer. Has much meat. Will have good blood and good organs and good belly fat. Beast hungers. Big buck is strong and healthy.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePawed closer. Crouched. Eyes on other creek bank and deer below. Watching.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSnow covered ground, deep as Beast paw. Wet rocks were black, sharp as knife blade in hands of human hunter. Sunlight was low, angled. Reflection in pool of water below did not show Beast. Did not show deer. Was good hunting spot. Water splashed from small falls, crisp, like breaking sticks. Would cover Beast sounds.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSmaller male in male deer herd finished drinking. Leaped up bank to flat ground beneath Beast's perch. Beast waited. Finally, big deer dropped head. And drank.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBeast tightened crouch, pulling all body onto paws,\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eshoulders high. Leaped. Shoved off with back legs. Stretched out front legs. Claws extending. Falling. Thick tail rotated for balance. Scent of buck rushed up. Heavy. Pungent.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDeer flinched. Hooves left ground. Buck leaped high. Away from other deer. Beast snarled. Not expecting jump. Whipped tail, swiveling body. Reaching.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBuck splashed into deep water. Beast missed.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBuck leaped again. Splashed hard. Hooves driving up far bank. White tail held high.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBeast fell.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLanded half in water.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFront paws missed rock just under surface.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePaws, legs, shoulders, head, slapped into water. And under it. Nose flaps closed, but not before water went up nose.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFront feet hit bottom, back feet hit bank.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWrenched body back. Rear paws and claws dug deep into half-frozen muddy bank. Body twisted. Out of water. Blew water out of nose in loud snort. Spat and shook. Loose coat slid around muscular body. Flinging water droplets into snow. Blowing.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBeast whirled, searching for two smaller deer. They had vanished. Beast snarled at world. Screamed. Big deer must have heard or smelled Beast.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI hunger! Screamed again, sound echoing in hills. Chuffed in anger. Pounced up and down, paws sinking into half-frozen mud.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDeer did not come back. Prey was smart.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eShook again. Water had not penetrated into deep coat. Had not washed into paw pads. Beast would not freeze.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePulled in air over tongue and over scent sacs in roof of mouth. What Jane called flehmen response, but Beast called scenting. Stopped. Held muzzle into air and smelled again. Caught stink of cat on air. Sucked in air again, hard and long, showing fangs, smelling with nose and part of brain that Beast had stolen from ugly dog, good nose, what Jane called bloodhound.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSmelled cat. Was male. Did not smell like lynx or bobcat. Was not small feral cat humans used as mousers. Was different. Was . . . bigger. Scent was old and no tracks showed in snow. But cat had been on Beast's territory. Back feet landing in prints of front feet, Beast stalked scent. Followed old cat smell many short steps, body in crouch, to tree on edge of hunting territory. Male cat had left spoor near tree. Old scat. Male cat was healthy. Strong. Bigger than lynx. Beast sucked in scent through nose and mouth. Cat was not lion from Africa. Cat was not leopard. Not puma. Was not werecat. Beast knew those smells. Did not know this cat. Beast pawed scat and saw bones of rabbit in scat. But. Cat was gone.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBeast clawed tree, shredding bark. Clawed and clawed, marking territory. This is Beast territory. This is Beast hunting ground. Snarled again. Shook more water out of pelt. Left spoor at ground under tree, on top of male cat scat. This said, Beast place. All who hunted here would know it was Beast place. Went back to pool of water and drank. Beast water. And when Beast sees deer again, Beast deer. Beast food.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBeast screamed, mountain lion cry bouncing up hills like human ball on walls. Beast shook, flinging more water, and shoved off with all four feet. Straight-up jump, what Jane would say was too high, but Puma concolor knew was good jump. Landed on top of rock ridge. Raced into trees and down top of hill toward house that was human home.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSnow began to fall. Ran through snowflakes, slinky and lithe and lissome. Good words for Beast. Each leap covered more than Beast body and tail, body and tail, and part of body again. Was long run steps.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSun dipped behind western ridge. Dusk fell. Beast eyes saw world as green and silver and gray and many shades of black. Cold air and snow kept Beast cool. Felt good on strong body. But Beast still hungered. Was skinny.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThought of humans and vampires and witches. Want to hunt bison in Edmund car. Edmund is gone. Want to sit on Leo and rub jaw on Leo to scent mark. But Leo is gone. Want to curl around Angie Baby and Little Evan and new kit and keep kits safe. But kits are gone. Beast is hungry. Beast is sad.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThought about big cat spoor. Beast is lonely.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFelt\/saw\/smelled change. Beast stopped. Crouched. Thought was another deer, but . . . vibration beneath Beast's paws was too big for running deer. Was like stone on stone, not deer hooves. Beast quivered in reaction, sniffing, dropping belly to snow. Thinking. Vibration got stronger. Claws extruded and sank into leaves on ground beneath snow. Vibration got stronger again. Earth moves, Beast thought. Earth is alive.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSnow fell from quivering branches overhead. Large globs landed on snow with soft plops. Dollop of snow splatted onto Beast's back. Beast hissed. Leaped high and to side, into trees, hissing, spitting, hissing, growling. Raced up tall tree into branches. Hunched tight. Smelling for enemy. But tree was shaking too.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEarth settled. Night fell darker beneath heavy clouds. Faint light came from place where sun set. Beast turned to stare at it. Sun was gone. Was too light there now. Had been darker there when sun set last time Beast hunted. More white man's lights? Hate white man's lights.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen Beast was satisfied that Earth was staying still, Beast dropped from limb, loped toward house. Smelled wood smoke on air. Smelled Brute spoor stink. Smelled Bruiser and Eli and stink of gunfire from new shooting range. Family. Saw snow fall, felt snow landing on coat. Trotted out of tree line, along row of grapevines, branches showing hints of green from warmer weather, now gone again. Bruiser said Mother Nature was fickle. Beast did not understand fickle. Trotted past unfinished cottages. Past finished cottages. Up to house that Jane called inn.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBeast did not need lights, but security lights were on. Alex and Eli trusted Beast to know if Beast was safe, but did not trust Jane to live, so littermates had come. They had put up cameras. Beast was on camera and motion sensors. Beast thought about spraying spoor on cameras and chuffed with laughter. But Bruiser was here. Eli and Alex. Family. Beast did not spray cameras.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBeast was nearing front steps when something in mind tore with harsh sound. Beast stopped. Stumbled. Fell to snow. In head, deep in mind, Edmund screamed, \"My mistress! Dange-\" The sound of his cry was cut off. Was sound of agony. Beast froze, lying in snow.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEdmund cry waked Jane.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBeast? Was that Ed?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBeast whirled body and spun to feet. Raced for door, sprinting, leaping, covering twenty feet in a bound.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEd? Jane whispered in my\/our mind.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEdmund screamed. Sound as if heart was being torn out with claws.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOh no. Oh nonononono, Jane thought. He's being . . . He's being tortured.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePain and vertigo and the scent of blood flooded through me. BeastÕs paws overlapped and we stumbled, falling hard to our side. Rolled back to our feet. Ed? I screamed for him.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThere was nothing. A blank dark hole where the connection to Ed used to reside. I hadn't even noticed the bond was there, a real, tangible thing. Nor had I noticed the shield between us until it tore, that horrible ripping sound in Beast's mind. But the absence of the bond, the absence of Ed, was glaring, screaming, like night terrors and drowning and being sucked into a deep, dark hole in an underground river.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI\/we staggered, raced up the stairs and inside, through the huge rubber-flapped cat door Eli had installed to the side of the human one. The silver-bell chimes announced our arrival. We raced across the thick Oriental rug of the foyer. Dry heat, artificial light, and the sound of a game on the huge TV screen over the fireplace were like being smacked in the senses, and we skidded on snow-damp paws across the marble flooring as we raced into the noisy office\/TV\/living area.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBeast had hunter eyes on Alex, sitting at the antique two-sided desk that took up the entire far end of the room. We leaped to cross the space, cat eyes seeing what he was working on while in midair. On three of his screens were files and research about the Dark Queen, and on two others were e-mails from witches about methods to treat magically induced cancer. We landed, slipping again on the slick floor, banging into the splayed feet of Alex's desk chair. Sending him rolling.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Kid grunted, pulled himself back into place, and tried to wave us away. Beast reached up and took his hand in her teeth.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe game went silent.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe room went still. Sweat smell of surprise came from Alex. He slowly turned his head and looked at us, long curls sliding across his dark-skinned forehead and cheek. \"Jane?\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEli was standing behind us, weapon drawn.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThey think I died and you went feral, I thought at Beast.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eShe snorted at that thought and let go of Alex's hand. It tasted of sweat and soot and coffee and an odd chemical under-tang. Beast rose to her back feet, placing her right paw on the desk near the keyboard.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAlex said, \"Oh.\" He opened the file drawer to the side and pulled out the specially made, heavy-duty, oversized keyboard, placing it in front of us. Behind us, Eli relaxed and we heard the sound of a weapon click back into the Kydex holster.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBeast extruded her claws and turned over the use of the paw to me. Carefully, slowly, I typed. Letter by letter, the words appeared on the small designated screen to Alex's far left. 'ed n trouble. where ed?'\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEli grunted in worry, propped a hip on the large oak desk, and pulled out his phone, probably to text Bruiser to get back to the house. My honeybunch was out in the vineyard, checking the youngest vines and the new trellis and the stability of the terraces down the hill from the house. Beast had smelled him on the wind as we raced inside and located him reliably. Bruiser wasn't alone. He was with Brute, the white werewolf, and Pea, the grindylow. Not things I had consciously noted until I needed to.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAlex slanted sharp eyes at us and went to work, minimizing two of his screens, searching through private vampire sites he was able to access because of my position in Mithran hierarchy, and other sites that were open to the public. Beast dropped to the floor as he worked and pulled the ceramic water bowl to her with a paw. There were water bowls placed strategically throughout the house, all ceramic, since she refused to drink out of metal bowls, preferring toilet water to the taste of steel. Which had been gack until I was able to explain to the humans what was wrong. She lapped water.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe house had been an inn and vineyard that I bought before I left New Orleans. I'd needed a place to lie low while either my human body died from magically induced cancer or I decided to stay in Beast's form forever. I hadn't known what I was buying, not exactly. I was just hunting for acreage and I bought a property that had gone into foreclosure after the original owners' costly divorce. Now it was territory for Beast and a house big enough for my family and clan to live with me. If I survived.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEli asked. \"Did you hear Ed psychically through the binding?\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBeast stopped drinking and looked up at him. I\/we nodded once. Deep inside, my thoughts plundered the empty place where Ed had been, a place that was now raw and bleeding and broken. He had been here, inside of us, all this time, bound to me as his mistress. Now he was gone. I needed to help him. I needed to help him now. And I couldn't.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBeast will hunt for Ed, she thought.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEd is far away, I thought back.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"You're all wet,\" Eli said. \"What'd you do, fall in the creek?\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBeast snarled.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEli's face seemed permanently creased with mixed emotions, complex weavings of fury, despair, anger, grief. He seldom laughed these days, and I was the problem. If he could heal me by shooting something, I'd be healthy and happy, because he was going through ammo as if it grew on trees, in the outdoor shooting range he had set up. But he was helpless in the face of a magical disease that no one knew how to treat. A rare moment of amusement lit his face. \"You did,\" Eli said. \"You fell in.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBeast snarled at him and thought at me, Do not like water. Hate water. Hate cold water. Water helped deer get away. Water stole deer.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI let my thoughts riffle through Beast's memory and saw her landing in the icy water, plunging beneath. Inside, I laughed but said nothing.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBeast is best hunter. Water stole deer, she insisted.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOkay, I thought.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI hunger. Want to hunt bison in Edmund car.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThere were at least three bison ranches within driving distance of Asheville, and we had this conversation multiple times a week. I figured that this time it was to cheer me up, to put my fear for Edmund to the side, but it was more distraction than comfort. I mentally counted to ten.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ace","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46304371540197,"sku":"NP9780399587986","price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780399587986.jpg?v=1767736480","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/shattered-bonds-isbn-9780399587986","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}