Ilona Andrews: White Hot

They’d had three blissful days of nothing but snow, good food, hot fire, and even hotter sex. He could stay in this lodge forever. He knew they couldn’t, and thinking about going back brought dread. It would be like coming back to a war.

Relax, he told himself. She’s right here, safe and happy. Her family will want to see her on Christmas, and he would have to take her back, but for now they could play in the snow.

He had already bought her present.

The snowball hurled through the air and hit him in the chest.

“Really?”

“Bring it,” she called, her eyes shining.

He raised his hand, shaping the magic around him. A barrage of snowballs broke free from the snowy bank behind him, streaked across the air, and pelted her. He kept the hits gentle, breaking the snowballs a fraction of the moment before they hit her. She stumbled and landed on her back in the snow, laughing.

“Not fair!”

“I’m Mad Rogan. I don’t do fair.”

His phone chirped. He took it out and flicked his finger across it. A message from Bug.

Cold gripped him.

He didn’t see Nevada until she was on top of him. She knocked him off his feet and landed on his chest. Her lips closed on his, and he kissed her, while his mind feverishly cycled through a dozen different strategies.

“What is it?” she asked.

“What?”

“You were here with me and now you’re not. What is it, Connor?”

He opened his mouth to tell her it was nothing, greedy for a few more hours of bliss, and then remembered who she was.

“Bug identified the shell company that tried to buy your mortgage.”

Nevada pushed her hat back. “And?”

“We thought it was Augustine. It’s not. The shell corporation belongs to House Tremaine. Your grandmother knows, Nevada. We have to go back. Your family is in danger.”

We’d like to thank our editor, Erika Tsang, for her guidance, understanding, and continued belief in the story.

We are very grateful to our long-suffering agent, Nancy Yost, who puts up with us despite our shenanigans and the wonderful team of NYLA, especially Sarah Younger and Amy Rosenbaum.

Special thanks to Andrew Suh and Chris Burdick for their advice regarding firearms. All errors of fact are our own and were made despite their help.

We would also like to thank the following readers who generously donated their time to read the early draft and offer feedback: Nicole Clement, Robin Snyder, Jessica Haluskah, Shannon Daigle, Kristi de Courcy, Sandra Bullock, Joe Healy, Omar Jimenez, Kathryn Holland, Laura Hobbs, Jan and Susan, and others.

Finally, we would like to thank our readers. Sorry you had to wait for so long.

“ILONA ANDREWS” is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing team. Ilona is a native-born Russian and Gordon is a former communications sergeant in the U.S. Army. Contrary to popular belief, Gordon was never an intelligence officer with a license to kill, and Ilona was never the mysterious Russian spy who seduced him. They met in college, in English Composition 101, where Ilona got a better grade. (Gordon is still sore about that.) They have co-authored two New York Times and USA Today bestselling series—the urban fantasy of Kate Daniels and the romantic urban fantasy of The Edge—and are working on the next volumes for both. They live in Texas with their two children and many dogs and cats.

www.ilona-andrews.com

www.avonromance.com

www.facebook.com/avonromance

Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at hc.com.

Magic Binds

Magic Gifts (novella)

Magic Breaks

Magic Rises

Magic Slays

Magic Bleeds

Magic Strikes

Magic Burns

Magic Bites

On the Edge

Bayou Moon

Fate’s Edge

Steel’s Edge

Burn for Me

White Hot

Wildfire