Alexandra Sokoloff - Book of Shadows

She nodded, and bit her lip. Her voice was cool, with just a hint of a tremor. “I can understand that.”

He stopped on the bridge, and now he did look at her. She was so darkly beautiful he had to look away again. “I couldn’t do my job if there weren’t some—underlying sense to it.”

“Yes,” she said.

“I want to thank you for your help, though,” he said. “I know—” He paused, and struggled with himself. “Sorry—I—I’m still recovering from the drugs. I was dosed pretty hard.”

Something flickered on her face. She nodded slowly, not speaking.

“What I know is, those kids would be dead if not for you.” And finally he turned to her. “And I probably would be, too.”

“No. You wouldn’t have been there at all.” She looked into his eyes, and her voice was gentle. “You took a big risk. You went farther than—anyone else would have. You went out on a limb and you saved four lives.”

He shook his head. “Not four. Land would never have been in danger to begin with if I hadn’t—”

“I meant Jason Moncrief,” she said, without smiling. “Thank you for that.”

She started to turn away. He caught her hand, but flinched back at the contact, as if it burned him. “I just can’t…” He looked at her fully for the first time. “I don’t want to live that way.”

She smiled, with effort. “I know.”

“I live in this world,” he said.

“I know.”

Her hand was still in his… neither of them moved. He could feel the blood pulsing in her wrist… and a sense of power beyond imagining… a sense of dark… and light…

And life.

My fabulous and much-loved agents, Scott Miller and Frank Wuliger, and Sarah Self for their fine representation and help.

My spectacular editor, Marc Resnick, who makes me glad every day that I decided to try this novel thing, and the lovely and talented Sarah Lumnah, for her help and support.

Again, Marc and Sarah, and Sally Richardson, Matthew Shear, Katy Herschberger, Talia Ross, Matt Baldacci, and the entire St. Martin’s Press team.

Michael Gorn of the Boston PD Crime Lab, for his extraordinary willingness to share his knowledge and expertise. The mistakes I have made and liberties I have taken are solely mine.

The awesome Beth Tindall, webmistress; and Michael Miller, Sheila English, and Adam Auerbach for their art.

Sarah Langan, Sarah Pinborough, and Rhodi Hawk, dark soul sisters under the skin.

Kimball Greenough, for his extraordinary contributions to this story and my understanding of the forces.

Rhodi Hawk, Laura Benedict, Sarah Shaber, Brenda Witchger, Elaine Sokoloff, Franz Metcalf, and Jess Winfield for their early reads and phenomenal notes.

The whole gang at Murderati.com, for teaching me the business every day.

Heather Graham, F. Paul Wilson, Harley Jane Kozak, the Pozz’s, and the Slush Pile Players—the best reward for finishing writing.

The Coven, because a girl just needs her witches.

The authors, officers, and staffs of Sisters in Crime, International Thriller Writers, Mystery Writers of America, Horror Writers of America, and Romance Writers of America, for creating these incredible communities.

The Unseen

The Price

The Harrowing

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

BOOK OF SHADOWS. Copyright © 2010 by Alexandra Sokoloff. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.

www.stmartins.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Sokoloff, Alexandra.

Book of shadows / Alexandra Sokoloff. — 1st ed.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-0-312-38471-5

1. Police—Massachusetts—Boston—Fiction. 2. Murder—Investigation—Fiction. 3. Occult crime—Fiction. I. Title.

PS3619.O425B66 2010

813’.6—dc22

2009045731

First Edition: June 2010

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