The presence of the Illuminea also appeared to make Bridget forget the unpleasantness of her encounter with Tim and his demise at my hands. Or maybe it was the lingering side effect of the copious amount of alcohol she’d consumed. I didn’t question it. If she never remembered this night, her life would be better. I also took solace in the fact that by the end of the meal, Bridget’s soul was nearly clean. Mine still needed some good recharging, but I felt like I could handle a few imps again, if necessary.
Joy took me back to my car, then drove Bridget home, who was now too tired to keep her eyes open. Joy wouldn’t let me follow them, either, to bring her back to her vehicle. It was impossible to argue with the Illuminea, and I half suspected that Joy didn’t need a car to get around anyway.
I longed to drive home and curl into bed, but Niko had informed me that Mr. Pitt was waiting for me at the office. At nine o’clock at night. I wondered if Mr. Pitt lived at the office. Maybe he had a bed hidden under his desk. It didn’t seem that farfetched.
I tried not to think about how mad Mr. Pitt was going to be. At least this reaming had a silver lining. I’d taken out the demon. I’d successfully defended my region.
So rather than cruising down Douglas toward the comfort of my apartment, I turned left on Eureka Boulevard and into the office complex of my new home away from home.
The parking lot was empty except for two vehicles parked near the front door. I parked to the left of them, blinked to Primordium, and scanned the lot and glass-fronted lobby for any evil creatures, finding none. I stuffed the knife Niko had given back to me in my purse—I’d think about the ramifications of not feeling safe without it later.
The building’s lobby was empty, darkened and hushed. All the offices were closed along the long hallway until I reached Illumination Studios, where the double doors were open, the lights blazing. Sharon eyeballed me from behind the rim of the reception desk. I wasn’t surprised to find her there. Sharon was as much a fixture of the office as her desk.
“Mr. Pitt is ready for you,” she said.
“Thank you.”
Less than a week ago, I’d been ignorant of everything: that I was supposed to do something with soul-sight, that my ability was much more than mere observation, even that the job I thought I was applying for was only a ruse.
Five days had changed a lot. I had a date with Dr. Love, a man I’d had a crush on for the last three years. I had a job, one that paid well for the first time in my life, even if I still wasn’t sure how I was going to explain it to my folks. I’d saved the life of four animals, all who now had a chance at long and happy lives.
I’d almost killed Mr. Bond, but I knew better now.
I’d killed a man.
He’d been a demon, too, but I’d known him as a man first.
I’d embraced who I was, and it had changed everything. I’d become an illuminant enforcer.
I didn’t allow my footsteps to slow as I crossed the threshold of my boss’s open office doorway. With everything I’d accomplished, Mr. Pitt couldn’t be too mad at me, right?
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Madison Fox’s adventures continue in fall 2015.
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Other Work
Magic of the Gargoyles
An Elemental Fantasy Novella
Someone has kidnapped a nest of helpless baby gargoyles and is using them as pentagram focuses, devouring their magic—and their lives—for a horrific, illegal power boost. Swept into the dangerous underworld of black magic, earth elemental Mika Stillwater must cobble together her limited resources and skills to have a chance at being the hero the baby gargoyles desperately need. If she fails, the city will be at the mercy of the gargoyles’ murderer and his overwhelming destructive magic.
But pitting herself against powerful black-magic villains is proving just as deadly for Mika as for the gargoyles.
Buy now exclusively on Amazon!
Praise for Magic of the Gargoyles
“I really enjoyed reading this fantasy adventure novella, I liked the magical parts and the fact that magic dominates lives . . . I would certainly recommend this to any fantasy fans.” (Carole’s Book Corner)
“This was written by one of the rare authors that can write a short story well. Great blend of world building, character development and action.” (Amazon reviewer)
“Loved it. It was fast moving and I found it hard to put down.” (Australian Amazon reviewer)
REBECCA CHASTAIN has found seven four-leaf clovers to date, won a purebred Arabian horse in a drawing, and once tamed a blackbird for a day. She has been employed as a VHS rental clerk, bookshelf straightener, government pseudo-employee, professional finder of lost sporting goods, and strategy guide wrangler in the video game industry. Dreaming up the absurd and writing stories designed to amuse and entertain has been her passion since she was eleven years old. She lives in northern California with her wonderful husband and two bossy cats.
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Note to Readers
Although Madison Fox and I share many things in common, such as the town she lives in, the cat she lives with, and even her apartment (which is based off a place I used to live), that is where our similarities end. I am a life-long gamer, worked in the video game industry for many happy years, and enjoy playing video games on every platform yet created. In other words, I would be one of the fan nerds that Madison holds in such low regard, and so would my husband and most of my friends.
Of course, Madison is a fictitious character, welcome to her own fictitious views of what qualifies (or doesn’t qualify) as worthy forms of entertainment. The rest of us don’t have to agree with her.
Acknowledgments
This book would be a two-act mess without the feedback of so many wonderful writers and readers. Thank you, Kate Abbott, for introducing me to NaNo WriMo and subsequently changing the way I write. Your feedback was essential to shaping the scenes and sentences of the first draft into an actual book. I’ve enjoyed so many great writing discussions with you (and still don’t understand how you can write without an outline). Jennieke Cohen, thank you for your amazing ability to see the big picture, including the huge plot gap I missed completely; it was a painful fix, but the book is so much stronger for it.
Sara, thank you for being the best big sister I could ever ask for, and for always being interested in my story rambles and writer woes, for celebrating with me when I complete a draft, and for willingly reading multiple iterations of the same book.
Mom and Dad, thank you for reading all my early stories, including that first painful book when I didn’t have a clue what I was doing, and still asking to read my next book. And the next. And two decades later, still asking about my writing, still interested in all the details of my daily process. Thank you for giving my dreams importance.
Cody, a sentence, a page, a book cannot express a lifetime’s worth of gratitude for your love. Thank you for always believing in me, especially in my darkest moments.
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A Fistful of Evil: An Urban Fantasy Novel (Madison Fox, Illuminant Enforcer Book 1) Page 29