Kelley Armstrong - Omens

Do I hate her for that? No. I think in her own way she’s as much a victim of her upbringing as Gabriel. The very fact that she didn’t expect me to move out proved that ultimately nothing had changed between us. My mother loved me as best she could. There was comfort in that.

I was also ready to deal with the problem of Todd Larsen. I would go see him as soon as Gabriel could arrange it. This wasn’t easy for me. I knew from Pamela—and my returning memories—how close we’d been and I feared how much of that was tangled up in my love for my dad.

It would be harder now, too, seeing Todd when I knew he might be innocent. Might be. Perhaps I should have more conviction than that. I wish I did. But there was still a long road to travel before I could reach that conclusion. Some questions had been answered, but so many more had been raised.

A shadow passed overhead. I looked up quickly, tensing, but it was only a hawk. It circled once and flew off, but I kept staring up, thinking about ravens now. Ravens and owls and signs and portents. There was more going on here. So much more, and that was one puzzle I hadn’t even begun to unravel. I wasn’t sure where to start.

I was about to sit down when I stopped. Someone was watching me. I could feel it, the hairs on the back of my neck rising. I glanced slowly over my shoulder and—

There was a dog beyond the park fence. Standing in the shadows. A massive dog, the size of a small pony, with thick curling black fur and eyes—

Red eyes.

I swallowed and blinked, and when I looked again, I could see the eyes weren’t red, but a rich mahogany brown, reddish when the light hit them just right.

The dog was staring at me. Staring right at me, gaze fixed on mine.

I heard Chandler’s voice.

The hounds will come to Cainsville and when they do, you’ll wish you’d made a very different choice today.

At a sound to my left, I glanced over sharply. Nothing. I turned back toward the dog, lifting my phone to get a picture…

But there was nothing there. The hound was gone. I was alone in the park again.

Starting a new series is a terrifying and exciting endeavor. I’ve done it before, but I always had my Otherworld books to fall back on. This time, my safety net is gone. Yet my support group stayed in place, there to guide me through the transition and catch me when I stumbled, and I cannot express how grateful I am for that.

Thanks to my agent, Helen Heller, who didn’t panic when I said I wanted to end a successful series and start something new, but said “Go for it,” and supported me every step of the way. Thanks to Anne Collins of Random House Canada and Antonia Hodgson of Little, Brown UK, for doing the same. Thanks to Dutton U.S. for being equally supportive, and to Jess Horvath, for coming onboard as my new U.S. editor.

Finally, if you’re an Otherworld reader, thanks for giving this one a try. Welcome to Cainsville. I hope you enjoy your stay as much as I did.