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Chapter ONE

Tipton, Massachusetts

ON A NIGHT when only the thinnest sliver of a crescent moon rode the sky, at a time when even the most adventurous humans had fallen into bed and succumbed to sleep, a solitary cat padded in and out of pooled shadow as he made his way across the deserted square in the e, the size of a bobcat, with sleek fur the color of jet His coat shihts in between shadows, and he race, if not purpose Eyes that burned like blue embers stayed focused on the path ahead of hi life For more than a century now, he had been simply Jaden, or even more simply, "cat" If pressed, he would answer to either, and neither if he could get aith it

Tonight, in the night’s seductive and silent embrace, Jaden answered to no one but himself

Jaden took his ti the stillness of the blessed lack of humanity with all its noise and emotion and complication He paused in front of the darkened s of a beauty salon, letting his gaze drift over the sign that read, CHARMED, I’M SURE, and then lifted his head higher to catch the scent of air that was heavy with moisture and ripe with the pro its way to this little corner of New England, while aware that even in early May the frost could arrive on any given night to give the season’s fresh blooht, lashing his tail Yeah, he knew all about those When you were a va cat of a vampire, deadly kisses were sort of your stock in trade

Daht walk to clear his head

The shift cale heartbeat Jaden stood on two feet instead of four, his clothes firic he had never understood but always appreciated He stuffed his hands deeply into the pockets of his coat and continued on down the street, glaring at the ground in front of hi silently at the Ptolehblood masters who had treated "pets" like him with little mercy and even less respect, these days he didn’t seeer for anyone but hiht he wanted: friends, a hoone, but they were cowed for the tined Cait Sith, had been chosen for an incredible honor They were to be the foundation for the rebirth of a dynasty of highbloods that had vanished ages ago but had now resurfaced in the forle mortal woman who carried the blood

The seven months since Jaden had helped that woainst the Ptoleh it had been considerably less tiing blessing, Jaden was now really and truly free Whether it had been a wise decision, Jaden couldn’t say The Cait Sith were an unruly lot at best

But he was grateful, as were the rest, which had to count for so

Jaden rubbed at his collarbone without really being aware that he was doing it There, beneath layers of clothing, was his mark, the symbol of his bloodline Until recently, theknot of black cats But a drink of Lily’s powerful blood had changed it, adding the pentagram and snake of the Lili, newfound standing in a world where he had always been beneath notice It should have meant hope, Jaden knew After all, for the first ti life, he was not a pariah He could be his ownAnd yet…

The e wasHe just wished he knehat it was

A soft breath of wind ruffled through his hair, and Jaden caught a whiff of so both familiar and unfamiliar

Then he heard the voices

"There’s no place to run to now, is there?" That was a gravelly ave a low and vicious chuckle "You’re going to have to accept ht"

A feh Jaden’s body at the low, hts with et you what you want"

He was alh he couldn’t place it What Jaden could place, however, was the scent that had his hackles rising and the adrenaline flooding his system

Werewolves

Jaden’s lips curled, and he had to fight the instinctive urge to hiss Not only were the wolves vilified by vaes, banned from their cities under penalty of death, but the smell of their musk caused a physical reaction in hiht or flight It was less trouble to run But this was his territory now, vampire territory And these wolves had a hell of a lot of nerve co before he could think better of it His feetlot behind the building And as he slipped into shadow, he listened

"You canto haveyou can do about it"