Devon Monk - Cold Copper

Cedar grinned and surged up onto his feet. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her long and full while Wil and the others clapped and cheered.

This, he thought, this woman, was his family. No matter where their path took them, no matter what stood in their way, no matter how long they had, they would face it together.

Mate, the beast whispered again.

Yes, Cedar thought. She was his mate—and his love.

The airship Tin Swift took to the sky, but it was not the only wings upon the air. A tiny clockwork dragonfly made of gold with crystal wings fluttered down along the icy river and landed, gently, on Mayor Vosbrough’s chest.

The mayor was dead. Unbreathing.

It was a perfect state for the Strange who waited just inside the forest’s edge. He had been looking for the dragonfly, the rarest device of all, worth an emperor’s ransom.

And now the dragonfly was here, resting on that dead man, wings pumping like the softest heartbeat.

An invitation?

Yes.

The Strange slipped through the trees, nothing but a shadow of a man. But if he wore a shape of his choosing, he would be tall, with a top hat to hide his eyes, scarves to cover his jagged teeth, and needles at the tips of each finger.

This dead man was not the shape of his choosing. But it would do. It would do nicely.

The Strange hovered above the dead man. Then, in the manner only his kind could accomplish, he slipped into that flesh and bone like a man donning a winter coat. He sat the body up, and swiveled his head while he dug through the knowledge left inside it.

This body was an important man. A powerful man. Yes, yes. That was pleasing.

He picked at the cuff of the man’s coat, freeing a thread from the seam. Then he used that thread to lash the dragonfly down into the hole in the man’s chest, trapping it tight so that the heart would beat and the lungs would fill. He would do a finer job of caging the rare clockwork device when he found a proper needle, a proper thread, and perhaps a drop of glim.

For now, he needed to know the name of the powerful man he had become, for names carried their own power.

Ah…Vosbrough. Killian Vosbrough. A familiar name. Not as fine as his own—Mr. Shunt—but it was fine enough.

He rose to his feet, far too graceful for a dead man. But then, he hadn’t been dead.

The Holder had been here, or a piece of it at least. It had been stolen by the hunter. He had watched that happen, seen it all from the shadows. He had watched the hunter win. Again.

Rage filled him. Rage and revenge.

But then Mr. Shunt smiled. The hunter’s small victory was no matter. Mr. Shunt was a new man now. And he had all the time he desired and all the power he needed to kill Cedar Hunt, and destroy the world.

“Action and romance combine with a deft precision that will keep readers turning pages—and anxiously awaiting the next volume.”

— Publishers Weekly

“Monk flawlessly blends fantasy, steampunk, and Western in this fantastic series.”

—SciFiChick.com

“An exhilarating adventure thriller that grips the audience.…Fans will want to soar with the crew of the Swift as they struggle to survive the pact made by two evil essences.”

—Genre Go Round Reviews

“Featuring a cursed hero, fabulous secondary characters, a world torn between machines and magic, and a plot that hooks your interest from the very first chapter, Dead Iron is a must read.”

— New York Times bestselling author Keri Arthur

“A relentless Western and a gritty steampunk, bound together by wicked magic. The action is superb, the stakes are sky-high, and the passion runs wild. Who knew cowboys and gears could be this much fun? Devon Monk rocks—her unique setting and powerful characters aren’t to be missed!”

— New York Times bestselling author Ilona Andrews

“A novel and interesting take on the steampunk tropes, with generous nods to other genres, and plenty of odd but human characters and Mad Science.”

— New York Times bestselling author S. M. Stirling

“Werewolves, witches, and creatures of both flesh and metal clash in a scarred land stitched together with iron rails—a steampunk world so real I could almost smell the grease and hear the gears grind. Beautifully written and brilliantly imagined, Devon Monk is at her best with Dead Iron .”

— New York Times bestselling author Rachel Vincent

“A magical steampunk history of the Pacific Northwest…this is a magnificent tale of Edenic mountains, steam-powered assassins, deathless love, and transformation. Fast-paced, tricksy, turning from one extreme to another, the reader will be drawn ever deeper into the ticking, dripping iron heart of this story.”

—Jay Lake, award-winning author of Green

“Powerful and action-packed, Monk’s pacing is hypnotic, sending the reader into a Wild West that is as wired as it is weird. Keenly crafted characters and a deftly depicted landscape make this an absolute must read for fans of either Monk or steampunk.”

— Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“The mix of magic and steampunk worked very well.…Curses, magic, werewolves, zombies, and the Strange…they were all fascinating.”

—Fiction Vixen

“The steam age America that Monk has created for this series is ingenious.…The Old West world is harsh and beautiful and the steam devices plentiful and fascinating.”

—All Things Urban Fantasy

“Monk’s entrance into steampunk is a tour de force.”

— Romantic Times (top pick)

“Monk has crafted a brilliant and gritty world rife with elements drawn from steampunk, blended with dark fantasy and a glint of glamour. She…enmeshes the reader in a fantasy adventure that keeps them on the edge of their seat, up all night, unable to sleep until the fates of the main characters are determined.”

—Fresh Fiction