{"product_id":"burn-bright-isbn-9780425281321","title":"Burn Bright","description":"\u003cb\u003eIn the #1 \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling Alpha and Omega series, mated werewolves Charles Cornick and Anna Latham face a threat like no other--one that lurks too close to home...\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThey are the wild and the broken. The werewolves too damaged to live safely among their own kind. For their own good, they have been exiled to the outskirts of Aspen Creek, Montana. Close enough to the Marrok's pack to have its support; far enough away to not cause any harm.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWith their Alpha out of the country, Charles and Anna are on call when an SOS comes in from the fae mate of one such wildling. Heading into the mountainous wilderness, they interrupt the abduction of the wolf--but can't stop blood from being shed. Now Charles and Anna must use their skills--his as enforcer, hers as peacemaker--to track down the attackers, reopening a painful chapter in the past that springs from the darkest magic of the witchborn...\u003cb\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003eDead Heat\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Anna is such a great heroine...There’s enough action to keep me on the edge of my seat and enough humor to give readers a break.”—USATODAY.com\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “An amazing character-driven addition to an already excellent UF series.”—Fresh Fiction\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “Grade: A. A definite recommend.”—Dear Author\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “Gripping and intense, \u003ci\u003eDead Heat\u003c\/i\u003e is everything an urban fantasy novel should be — it doesn’t get better than this!”—\u003ci\u003eRT Book Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “Briggs offers the complete package, a book with interesting world building, lovely characters, and stakes that could not be higher. \u003ci\u003eDead Heat\u003c\/i\u003e is a great addition to the series.”—All Things Urban Fantasy\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003ePraise for the Alpha and Omega Novels\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “A terrific saga.”—Midwest Book Review\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “Briggs has created such a detailed and well thought out world that I am helpless to resist.”—Fiction Vixen\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “[Briggs] spins tales of werewolves, coyote shifters and magic and, my, does she do it well…If you like action, violence, romance and, of course, werewolves, then I urge you to pick up this series.”—USATODAY.com\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “Interesting, fast-paced urban fantasy…[An] imaginative writer who always leaves fans anxiously waiting for the next tale.”—Monsters and Critics\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “Patricia Briggs is amazing…Her Alpha and Omega novels are fantastic.”—Fresh Fiction\u003cb\u003ePatricia Briggs\u003c\/b\u003e is the #1 \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of the Mercy Thompson urban fantasy series and the Alpha and Omega novels.Chapter\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 1\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e This was bad. This was so very bad.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e He ran full tilt, ghosting through the trees. The branches and      brambles reached out and extracted their price in blood and flesh      for running at such speed through their territory. He could feel      the ground absorb his blood and his sweat-feel it stir at the      taste. Dangerous. Feeding the earth with his blood when he was so      upset was not wise.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e He almost slowed his feet.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e No one was chasing him.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e No one had even known he was there. They'd seen the trees who'd      obeyed his will, but they had not seen him. The trees . . . he      might have to answer to her for the trees.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e She'd told him to run, and he had paused to call the trees. That      was not how their bargain was supposed to work. But he couldn't      just let them take her, not when it was within his power to stop      it.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Think. Think. Think. The words were his, but he heard them in her      voice. She'd worked so hard to give him rules. The first rule was      think.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e It was funny that everyone believed that she was the danger, that      she was the crazy one. Very funny-and his lips stretched in a grin      only the forest could see. It wasn't amusement that caused his      feral smile. He wasn't sure exactly what the emotion was, though      it was fueled by an anger, a rage so deep that the earth, aroused      by his blood, rose eagerly to do his bidding. The earth, out of      all the elements, was the hardest to wake but the most eager for      violence.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e He could just go back. Go back and teach them what they got for      touching someone he loved . . .\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e No.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Her voice again, ringing in his ears with power. She was his      dominant, though he was so much older, so much stronger. As such,      she wielded power over him-a power that he'd given her out of      love, out of despair, out of desolation. And their bargain, their      mating bond (her word, then his) had worked for a very long time.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Anyone who cared to look around would know how well her hold on      him had worked-there were still trees on this mountain, and he      could hear the birds' startled flight as he ran past them. If that      bargain had failed, there would be no birds, no trees. Nothing.      His was an old power and hungry.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e But their mating had given him balance, given him safety. His      beautiful werewolf mate had brought love to his sterile existence.      When that hadn't been enough, she had brought order to his chaos      as well.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Order . . . that word . . . No, orders was the word that sifted      through his roiling thoughts. She had given him orders for this      situation.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e He vaulted over a deadfall with the grace of a stag.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Call the Marrok, she had told him. And also, Right the hell now.      That was the correct task. Call the Marrok for help. But the      reason for his speed-his right the hell now-was because if he      allowed himself to slow, he would turn around and . . .\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The mountainside groaned beneath his feet. A soft shift that only      someone like him-or like his true love-would feel.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e His fleet footsteps . . . which had slowed . . . resumed their      former speed. She was alive, his love, his mate, his keeper. She      was alive, and so he had to call the Marrok and not raise the      mountains or call the waters.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Not today.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Today, he had to call the Marrok and tell him . . . and his mate's      voice rang in his head as if she were running by his side.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e I know who the traitor is . . .\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Charles tipped his fatherÕs computer monitor so that it was at a      better angle and wiggled the keyboard until it felt right.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e He'd told Bran that he could run the pack just fine from his own      home while Bran was gone, just as he had the last dozen times that      the Marrok had to be away. But this time had looked as though it      might last awhile, and his da had been adamant that it was      important to keep the rhythms of the pack the same.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e It wasn't that he didn't understand his da's reasoning-some of the      hoarier wolves under his da's control weren't exactly flexible      when it came to change-but understanding didn't make it any easier      for Charles to function in his da's office, his da's personal      territory.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Charles couldn't work in the office without making it his own-and      wasn't that just going to set the fox among the hens when his da      got back and had to reverse the process. But Bran would      understand, as one dominant male understands another.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Charles had to admit, if only to himself, that he'd moved the      mahogany bookcases to the other side of the room and reorganized      the titles alphabetically by author, instead of by subject matter,      just to mess with Bran. Anna, he thought, was still the only      person on the planet who honestly believed he had a sense of      humor, so he was pretty sure he could make his da believe the      rearrangement was a necessity.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Charles hadn't moved the bookcase until Bran called him this      morning, not quite a month after he'd left the pack in Charles's      keeping, to let him know that his initial business was      concluded-and Bran had decided he would take another week to      travel.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Charles couldn't remember the last time Bran had taken a vacation      from his duties. Charles hadn't realized that his da was capable      of taking a vacation from his duties. But if the rearrangement of      Charles's life was no longer essential, just required, then he      felt free to make some changes to make his life easier. And so      he'd rearranged his da's office to suit himself.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Even in the redecorated room, it took Charles longer than normal      to lose himself in his work, his wolf restless in his father's      place of power. Eventually, the hunting game that was      international finance grew interesting enough that Brother Wolf      let himself be distracted.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e It was a complicated dance, to play with money at this level. The      battle pleased Brother Wolf, the more so because they were good at      it. Brother Wolf had a tendency toward vanity.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Eventually, drawn in by the subtle hunt for clues in the      electronic data on his screen, he sank into what his mate called      \"finance space,\" chasing an elusive bit of rumor, stocks rising      for no apparent reason, a new company seeking financing but there      was something they weren't saying. He couldn't tell if what this      company was hiding was good news or bad. He was running down the      background of an engineer who'd been hired at what looked to be an      abnormally high salary for his title when he was pulled out by the      sound of the door hitting the wall.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e He looked up, Brother Wolf foremost at this interruption to his      hunt. It didn't help his temper that it was his da's mate who'd      barged into (what was now) his territory without permission.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"You have to do something about your wife,\" Leah announced. She      didn't react to his involuntary growl at her tone. When she spoke      of Anna, she would do better to talk softly.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e He didn't like Leah. There were a lot of people in the world he      didn't like-most of them, even. But Leah had made it very easy not      to like her.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e When his da had brought her back with him, Charles had been a wild      thing, lonely and lost. His da had taken his much-older brother,      Samuel, and been gone for months off and on. Half-mad with grief      at the death of Charles's mother, Bran probably hadn't been the      best person to raise a child when he was home.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Charles's uncles and his grandfather had done their best, but      Brother Wolf had not always been as willing to ape being human as      he was now. A werewolf child born instead of made, Charles had      been (as far as he knew) unique; no one, certainly not his      mother's people, had any experience dealing with what he was.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e A good part of the time Bran had been gone, Charles had roamed the      forest on four feet, easily eluding the human adults tasked with      raising him. Wild and undisciplined as he'd been, Charles had no      trouble admitting that his ten-year-old self had not been a      stepson that most women would have welcomed.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Still, he had been very hungry for attention, and Leah's presence      meant his da was around a lot more. If Leah had made even a little      effort, his younger self would have been devoted to her. But Leah,      for all her other personality flaws, was deeply honest. Most      werewolves were honest by habit-what good is a lie if people could      tell that you are lying? But Leah was honest to the core.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e It was probably one of the things that allowed Bran's wolf to mate      with her. Charles could see how it would be an attractive      feature-but when someone was mean and small inside, it might be      better to keep quiet and hide it, honest or not, rather than      display it for the world to see. The result was a mutual animosity      kept within (mostly) the bounds of politeness.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Charles honored her as his da's wife and his Alpha's mate. Her      usual politeness to him was brittle and rooted in her fear of      Brother Wolf. But, since she was a dominant wolf, the fear she      felt sometimes made her snappish and stupid.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Brother Wolf recovered his temper faster than Charles. He told      Charles that Leah was agitated and a little intimidated, and that      had made her rude. Brother Wolf didn't like Leah, either, but he      respected her more than Charles did.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Other than the growl, he did not respond immediately to her      request (he refused to think of them as orders, or he might have      to take an action about them that did not involve anything she      would appreciate). Instead, he raised a hand to ask her for      silence.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e When she gave it to him, he spent a moment leaving himself clear      notes about the suspicious engineer that he could follow up on      later, as well as highlighting a few other trails he'd been      investigating. He concluded the other changes he wanted to make,      then backed out of his dealings as quickly and thoroughly as      possible. Leah waited in growing, but silent, indignation.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Finished packing up his business, he looked up from the screen,      crossed his arms over his chest, and asked, in what he felt was a      reasonable tone, \"What is it that you wish me to do with my wife?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Apparently, his response wasn't what Leah had been looking for      because her mouth got even tighter, and she growled, \"She seems to      think that she's in charge around here. Just because you have been      placed in charge temporarily doesn't allow her the right to give      orders to me.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Which seemed out of character for his wife.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Oh, the disregard for pack hierarchy, traditional or otherwise,      was typical of his mate. Anna would not, Charles thought with      affection, know tradition if it bit her on the ear. His Anna had      carved out her own, fluid place in the pack hierarchy-mostly by      ignoring all the traditions completely. It did not, however, make      her rude.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Nothing good had ever come from sticking his nose in business that      had nothing to do with him.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Anna is Omega. She doesn't have to obey the Marrok,\" he told her.      \"I don't know why you think she would obey me.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Leah opened her mouth. Closed it. She gave him an exasperated      growl, then stalked off.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e For a conversation with his stepmother, he thought on the whole it      had gone rather well. That it had been short was the best part of      it.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e One of the reasons he had resisted moving into Bran's home while      the Marrok was gone was because he knew Leah would be in,      harassing him all the time. He paused to consider that because,      until this very moment, she hadn't done that. This was the first      time she'd interrupted him at work. He wondered, as he began      playing with the numbers on the screen in front of him, what it      was that his da had said to Leah that had kept her out of his hair      this effectively.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Before he was seriously buried in business again, Bran's phone      rang.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"This is Charles,\" he said absently-as long as it wasn't Leah, he      could work while he talked.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e There was a long pause, though he could hear someone breathing      raggedly. It was unusual enough that Charles stopped reading the      article on the up-and-coming tech company and devoted all his      attention to the phone.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"This is Charles,\" he said again. \"Can I help you?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Okay,\" a man's voice said finally. \"Okay. Bran's son. I remember.      Is Bran there? I need to talk to the Marrok.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Bran is gone,\" Charles told him. \"I'm in charge while he is out      of town. How can I help you?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Bran is gone,\" repeated the man's voice. It was unfamiliar, but      the accent was Celtic. \"Charles.\" He paused. \"I need . . . we need      you to come up here. There's been an incident.\" And then he hung      up without leaving his name or where exactly \"up here\" was. When      Charles tried calling him back, no one picked up the phone.      Charles wrote down the number and strode out, looking for his      stepmother.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e He hadn't recognized the voice, and if one of the pack members had      been in trouble, he'd have felt it. There was another group of      wolves who lived in Aspen Creek, Montana, though they were not      part of the Marrok's pack: the wolves Bran deemed too damaged or      too dangerous to function as part of a pack-even the Aspen Creek      Pack, which was full of damaged and dangerous wolves.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Those wolves, mostly, belonged to the Marrok alone. Not a separate      pack, really, but bound to the Marrok's will and magic by blood      and flesh. \"Wildlings,\" Bran called them. Some of the pack called      them things less flattering, and possibly more accurate, though no      one called them the Walking Dead in front of Charles's father.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The wildlings lived in the mountains, separate from everyone,      their homes and territory protected by the pack because it was in      everyone's best interest for no one to intrude in what peace they      could find.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Bran had given him the usual list of names and a map with      locations marked. Most of them Charles had met, though there were      two wolves he knew only by reputation. The wildlings were, as a      whole, both dangerous and fragile. Bran did not lightly allow      anyone else to interact with them.","brand":"Ace","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46300117696741,"sku":"NP9780425281321","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780425281321.jpg?v=1767723198","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/burn-bright-isbn-9780425281321","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}