Jessica Andersen - Storm Kissed

Places

Skywatch—The Nightkeepers’ training compound is located in a box canyon in the Chaco Canyon region of New Mexico, and is protected by magical wards.

Xibalba—The nine-layer underworld home of the Banol Kax, boluntiku, and makol. May be entered through a hellmouth located in the cloud forests of Ecuador, which Iago has hidden.

Things (spells, glyphs, prophecies, etc.)

barrier—A force field of psi energy that separates the earth, sky, and underworld, and powers the Nightkeepers’ magic. The strength of the barrier is decreasing as the end-date approaches; the power of the magi becomes stronger as the barrier weakens.

cardinal days—The Nightkeepers’ powers are strongest during the solstices and equinoxes . . . but so are those of their enemies.

compass artifacts—When assembled together by a mage of the proper bloodline, these artifacts become a powerful—and potentially deadly—force.

hellmouth—An underworld access point that opens only during the cardinal days.

jun tan—The “beloved” glyph that signifies a Nightkeeper’s mated status.

library—Created by far-seeing Nightkeeper leaders, this repository contains all the ancient artifacts and information the magi need to arm themselves for the end-time war. Once hidden deep within the barrier, the library now resides on Earth, within Skywatch’s box canyon.

Solstice Massacre—Following a series of prophetic dreams, the Nightkeepers’ king led them to battle against the Banol Kax in 1984. The magi were slaughtered, with only a scant dozen children surviving to be raised in hiding by their winikin.

skyroad—The celestial avenue connecting the earth and sky planes, allowing contact between the Nightkeepers and the gods. Since Iago’s destruction of the skyroad, the gods have been unable to influence anything happening on earth, giving the demons control.

Triad—The last three years prior to December 21, 2012, are known as the Triad years. During this time, the Nightkeepers are prophesied to need the help of the Triad, a trio of über-powerful magi created through powerful spell casting. However, Brandt is the only functional Triad mage, as Anna is comatose and Dez’s ancestors used up the magic saving his soul.

writs—Written by the First Father, these delineate the duties and codes of the Nightkeepers. Not all of them translate well into modern times.

The Nightkeepers and their winikin

Coyote bloodline—Coyote-Seven, known as Sven, can move objects with his mind and wears the warrior’s mark, but is missing a part of himself. His winikin was the senior-statesman, Carlos, who turned over the responsibility to his daughter, Cara Liu. Cara didn’t want to be anyone’s servant, though, and soon left Skywatch.

Eagle bloodline—A bird bloodline, and therefore connected with the air and flight. The members of this bloodline include Brandt, his wife Patience (who has the talent of invisibility), and their twin sons, Harry and Braden, who are five years old. Patience’s winikin, Hannah, and the former winikin leader, Jox, have taken the twins into hiding.

Harvester bloodline—Typically the holders of passive, healing magic. Jade is a spell caster and warrior, though she spends much of her time with her human mate, Lucius. Together with Natalie and JT, two of the rebel winikin, they form the core of the Nightkeepers’ surveillance and intel capabilities.

Hawk bloodline—Also connected with air and flight, this bloodline can be aloof and unpredictable. Nate Blackhawk, the surviving member of this bloodline, was orphaned young and trusts few. He is a shape-shifter whose destructive power is kept in check by his love for his mate, Alexis.

Jaguar bloodline—The royal house of the Nightkeepers. The members of this bloodline tend to be loyal and fair-minded, but can be stubborn and often struggle between duty and their own personal desires. The current members of the jaguar bloodline include the Nightkeepers’ king, Strike, and his sisters, Anna and Sasha. Strike is a teleporter; Anna is a seer who denies her talents and was struck into a coma by the Triad magic; and Sasha is the Nightkeepers’ healer. Strike’s mate and queen, Leah Daniels, is full human, a former Miami-Dade detective who now leads Strike’s royal council.

Peccary bloodline—The boar bloodline is old and powerful; its members ruled the Nightkeepers before the jaguars came to power. Red-Boar was the only adult mage to survive the Solstice Massacre; he lost his wife and twin sons, and never forgave himself for living. He was killed soon after the Nightkeepers were reunited, giving his life for his king and queen. Red-Boar’s teenage son, Rabbit, lives with the stigma of being a half blood, and commands wildly powerful magic. He is—more or less—kept in check by his love for his human girlfriend, Myrinne.

Serpent bloodline—The masters of trickery. Snake (Dez) Mendez is a bad actor who joined the Nightkeepers late and is only just beginning to win their trust. His winikin, Louis Keban, is dangerously unbalanced and knows far more than he should. Dez is a loner; his only real vulnerability is in his feelings for ex–bounty hunter, Reese Montana.

Smoke bloodline—They are often seers and prophets, but the surviving member of this bloodline, Alexis Gray, wielded the power of the goddess Ixchel, patron of weaving, fertility, and rainbows. With the destruction of the skyroad, she has lost her Godkeeper connection but remains a fierce warrior, strong in the power of her mated bond with Nate Blackhawk.

Stone bloodline—The keepers of secrets. Michael is a master of the protective shield spell as well as the killing silver magic called muk. His winikin, Tomas, and his mate, Sasha, combine to keep him balanced when the deadly magic threatens to tip him toward darkness.

Earthly allies

Leah Ann Daniels—The former detective is Strike’s mate and the Nightkeepers’ queen.

Lucius Hunt—Once a makol, now Lucius is the Nightkeepers’ Prophet and head geek. Mated to Jade and a warrior in his own right, he is currently sidelined while healing from a near-fatal injury.

Reese Montana—Tough and self-reliant, with an outer shell hardened by past betrayal, this ex–bounty hunter has toned things down and gone private. But when she’s offered a chance to get back in the action and help save the whole damn world, she jumps at the offer . . . even if it means working with the man who broke her heart a decade earlier.

Myrinne—Raised by a witch who told fortunes in the French Quarter and was sacrificed by Iago at the hellmouth, this young, ambitious beauty is Rabbit’s lover.

Earthly enemies

Iago—The leader of the Order of Xibalba is a mage of extraordinary power, capable of “borrowing” the talents of other magi. Iago has gained additional power by allying himself with the bloodthirsty Aztec god-king, Moctezuma, and now seeks to take out the Nightkeepers by trickery.

The Jeep skidded in the turn, hit a bump that would’ve done a ski mogul proud, caught some air, and landed shuddering. There wasn’t much dust—New Mex was in its rainy season just like the rain forests Sven, Mac, and JT had come from—but rocks clunked against the undercarriage and something mechanical thumped ominously. In the back, a bulky hammock swung wildly from side to side, its canine occupant emitting a low, annoyed growl.

Sven hung on to the holy-shit handle and jammed a knee against the door. “Jesus, JT, what’s the fucking rush?”

Not that the irascible winikin didn’t usually drive like a death bat out of hell, but this was something else. Or maybe it wasn’t, and Sven just wanted it to be, because he was in zero hurry to get where they were going.