“Twenty-five.”
“Wow. Old.”
“Thanks, Tori.”
“I turn twenty-two in a few weeks,” I told him smugly.
Giving me another eye roll, he swirled his drink. “Let’s toast to the four of us, not just me.”
I grinned at their matching fleur-de-lis tabards. Throughout the night, we’d all misplaced—or in my case, deliberately discarded—our plumed hats, but the overall effect of our costumes was still strong.
Holding out my glass, I began dramatically, “All for one?”
They stared at me, then identical grins split their faces. They raised their drinks and our glasses clinked loudly. “And one for all!”
We took long gulps of our martinis, kept our composures for two more seconds, then burst into laughter. I gasped in mirth, patting my chest before I choked. Maybe it wasn’t that funny, but I couldn’t help seeing the parallels between our costumes and real life. If all four of us hadn’t been together that night, none of us would’ve made it out of the factory alive.
Before the thought could sober my mood, Darius and Clara rose from their table and headed our way. Girard and Alistair were still deep in discussion, their heads bent together.
“Tori!” Clara gushed as she joined us. “What a success! You have a real talent for event planning.”
“Do I?” I didn’t feel talented. I’d felt in over my head and wildly unprepared.
“An excellent job,” Darius complimented, smiling through his Gandalf beard. It looked convincingly real, and I wondered if he’d gotten some alchemic help to grow it twelve inches long in a matter of days. “You’re welcome to head out. Clara and I will finish up here.”
“Are you sure? I don’t mind—”
“You’ve done enough, Tori!” Clara interrupted sternly.
“And we need to stay longer either way.” Darius glanced at the door. “Unless they changed their minds? I expected them hours ago.”
Clara glanced at the clock on the wall. “It’s after midnight. They must not be coming after all.”
“Who—” I began curiously.
My unfinished question was answered by a cautious rap on the guild’s front door. Alistair and Girard fell silent, as did the other mythics scattered around.
“Ah,” Darius said. “That must be them.”
He pulled his wizard hat off and left it on the bar before striding across the pub. Clara followed, and as they passed, Alistair and Girard rose to join them. Darius reached the door and pulled it open.
With four people in the way, I couldn’t see who was outside, but they must’ve come in because the door swung shut again. Darius spoke in a quiet murmur, and a moment later, Clara offered a warm welcome to the guild’s visitors.
I looked at Aaron, Kai, and Ezra. They stared back blankly, equally nonplussed. Other members wandered closer to see who had come in, so I planted my hands on the bar top and sprang over it—hell yeah, I was getting good at that—and together with the guys, we headed over.
“… glad you made it safely,” Darius was saying. “Though it’s a shame you couldn’t arrive sooner. I would’ve liked to introduce you while everyone was present.”
A quiet, feminine voice mumbled an answer I couldn’t make out.
Glancing up, Darius took note of his audience. He turned with a broad smile and gestured grandly at the unfamiliar girl beside him. She was around my age with long, dirty blond hair in a style that fell somewhere between “sexy tousle” and “just got out of bed.” Smoky makeup darkened her cautious eyes.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Darius proclaimed. “I’d planned this announcement for the whole guild, but as a reward for your impressive late-night endurance, you’ll hear it first. May I present the Crow and Hammer’s newest members!”
A mix of emotions jumped through me. A new member? Since my first day in the guild, I’d been the new girl. I wasn’t sure how I felt about passing that title off to someone else.
The blond girl grimaced awkwardly.
Darius placed a hand on her shoulder. “Please welcome Amalia Harper, a sorceress in her third apprenticeship year. And …”
And? Wait, he’d said new members, plural. But I could only see the young blond sorceress. Who else was joining?
Darius reached around Amalia and scooped a second person from behind him and Clara. She was so petite she’d been completely hidden from view. Apparently, no one else had noticed her either, because a murmur of surprise ran through the gathered mythics.
The girl was also in her very early twenties, with shoulder-length brunette hair and dark-rimmed glasses slipping down her small nose.
“And this,” Darius continued, his voice carrying through the hush, “is Robin Page—”
My lungs spasmed, adrenaline spiking in my veins.
“—our very first demon contractor.”
Robin’s large blue eyes, framed by thick lashes behind her glasses, turned to me. As I gawked, her gaze drifted to Aaron, Kai, and Ezra. Silence pressed on the room, every member equally shocked by Darius’s casual revelation. For the first time, the Crow and Hammer included a demon contractor.
But not just any demon contractor.
Robin Page, the waif of a girl who commanded the lithe and lethal demon that had slaughtered the unbound winged demon without breaking a sweat. The girl who’d saved me, Aaron, Kai, Ezra, and the Keys team from near-certain death at the winged beast’s hands.
Our first demon contractor. But unbeknownst to the rest of the guild, not our first Demonica mythic.
And I could only guess what Robin Page’s appearance in the guild would mean for our dangerous, secret, and highly illegal demon mage.
* * *
Tori’s adventures continue in
THE ALCHEMIST AND AN AMARETTO
The Guild Codex: Spellbound / Five
Coming October 11, 2019
- Pre-order now on Amazon -
* * *
And introducing…
TAMING DEMONS FOR BEGINNERS
The Guild Codex: Demonized / One
An all-new Guild Codex series featuring the Crow and Hammer’s most recent recruit, Robin Page.
Coming September 13, 2019
* * *
[ READ ME! ]
Hey guys! Annette Marie here. (Who else?) I want to take a minute to talk about that stuff right up there—meaning the two Guild Codex series.
What’s up with that, you wonder? And why am I starting a second GC series before finishing the first? For awesome reasons, that’s why! ;)
These two series are separate entities with their own characters—but they’re also closely interwoven. Taming Demons for Beginners will overlap events of Demon Magic and a Martini, and the two series will continue to thread together as Tori and Robin venture into deeper and more dangerous magic.
It’s going to be a wild ride, and I hope you’re as excited as I am!
* * *
Interested in more? I share bonus content, exclusive giveaways, and even witty commentary in my monthly-ish newsletter. Plus I’ll keep you up to date on all things Guild Codex. Sign up here!
Please review! Reader reviews play an important role in a book’s success by helping other readers discover stories they might enjoy. Please consider taking a moment to leave a review for Demon Magic and a Martini on Amazon!
Want to chat? I love hearing from readers, so if you’d like to say hi, ask a question, or chat with me and other readers, come visit my Facebook group at facebook.com/groups/annettemarie
Feedback: Problem with this ebook? Let us know at [email protected]
THE ALCHEMIST AND AN AMARETTO
The Guild Codex: Spellbound / Five
As a guild bartender, I can handle pretty much anything—mages, sorcerers, witches, the occasional demon. But show me anything family-related and I’d rather run for the hills. It doesn't even have to be my family.
So I have no idea why I thought spending the holidays with Aaron’s mom and pop was a
good idea.
Meeting his famous parents is already terrifying enough, but I’ve got a bigger problem. Students of his family’s renowned mage academy are being attacked on the grounds—and somehow no one has seen a single assailant? Unexplained tracks litter the nearby woods, rumors of forbidden alchemy are circulating the campus … and Ezra has been acting strangely since we arrived.
Something deadly is brewing in the shadow of Sinclair Academy, and the longer we take to uncover it, the more dangerous it becomes. But no matter the risk, we’ll protect the students.
And Aaron’s parents too, I suppose. If we have to.
Coming October 11, 2019
- Pre-order now on Amazon -
TAMING DEMONS FOR BEGINNERS
The Guild Codex: Demonized / One
* * *
Robin Page. Demon contractor and the newest member of the Crow and Hammer guild.
Discover her story in an all-new series
The Guild Codex: Demonized
* * *
Rule one: Don’t look at the demon.
When I arrived at my uncle’s house, I expected my relatives to be like me—outcast sorcerers who don’t practice magic. I was right about the sorcery but wrong about everything else.
Rule two: Don’t listen to the demon.
My uncle chose a far deadlier power. He calls creatures of darkness into our world, binds them into service contracts, and sells them to the highest bidder. And I’m supposed to act like I don’t know how illegal and dangerous it is.
Rule three: Don’t talk to the demon.
All I had to do was keep my nose out of it. Pretend I didn’t find the summoning circle in the basement. Pretend I didn’t notice the shadowy being trapped inside it. Pretend I didn’t break the rules.
But I did, and now it’s too late.
Coming September 13, 2019
- Sign up for release alerts -
THE STEEL & STONE SERIES
YA urban fantasy by Annette Marie
When everyone wants you dead, good help is really hard to find …
Piper knows the first rule for an apprentice Consul is don’t trust daemons. But when she’s framed for the theft of the deadly Sahar Stone, she ends up with two troublesome daemons as her only allies: Lyre, a hotter-than-hell incubus who isn’t as harmless as he seems, and Ash, a draconian mercenary with a seriously bad reputation. Trusting them might be her biggest mistake yet.
- See the Steel & Stone Series on Amazon -
The Spell Weaver Trilogy
YA urban fantasy by Annette Marie
The only thing more dangerous than the denizens of the Underworld ... is stealing from them.
Living in exile among humans, Clio has picked up all sorts of interesting skills. But pilfering magic from the Underworld’s deadliest spell weavers? Not so much.
Unfortunately, that’s exactly what she has to do to earn a ticket back home.
Conning her way into the Underworld may have gone pretty well, but now she’s got a new problem. His name is Lyre, and he’s a sinfully alluring incubus and gifted spell weaver—and her biggest obstacle to getting her hands on some forbidden magic.
- See the Spell Weaver Trilogy on Amazon -
THE RED WINTER TRILOGY
YA romantic fantasy by Annette Marie
A destiny written by the gods.
A fate forged by lies.
If Emi is sure of anything, it’s that kami—the gods—are good, and yokai—the earth spirits—are evil. But when she saves the life of a fox shapeshifter, the truths of her world start to crumble. And the treachery of the gods runs deep.
This stunning trilogy features 30 full-page illustrations.
- See the Red Winter Trilogy on Amazon -
Acknowledgments
Special thanks to Erich Merkel for sharing your exceptional expertise in Latin. Any errors are mine.
My heartfelt thanks as well to Umayal for your time, enthusiasm, and endless patience. Izzah wouldn’t be the amazing character she is without your help.
About the Author
Annette Marie is the author of Amazon best-selling YA urban fantasy series Steel & Stone, its prequel trilogy Spell Weaver, romantic fantasy trilogy Red Winter, and sassy UF series The Guild Codex. Her first love is fantasy, but fast-paced action, bold heroines, and tantalizing forbidden romances are her guilty pleasures. She proudly admits she has a thing for dragons, and her editor has politely inquired as to whether she intends to include them in every book.
Annette lives in the frozen wasteland of Alberta, Canada (okay, it’s not quite that bad) and shares her life with her husband and their furry minion of darkness—sorry, cat—Caesar. When not writing, she can be found elbow-deep in one art project or another while blissfully ignoring all adult responsibilities.
* * *
Find out more about Annette and her books here:
Website: www.annettemarie.ca
Amazon author page: amzn.to/2b8ZHlh
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AuthorAnnetteMarie
Facebook Reader Group: www.facebook.com/groups/annettemarie/
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/8546572.Annette_Marie
Twitter: twitter.com/annettemmarie
Demon Magic and a Martini: The Guild Codex: Spellbound / Four Page 23