Circle of Fire
Authors: Keri Arthur
Praise for Keri Arthur
Nominated for the
Romantic Times
2007 Reviewers’ Choice Awards for Career Achievement in Urban Fantasy
Winner of the
Romantic Times
2008 Reviewers’ Choice Awards for Career Achievement in Urban Fantasy
“Keri Arthur’s imagination and energy infuse everything she writes with zest.”
—C
HARLAINE
H
ARRIS
Praise for
Full Moon Rising
“Keri Arthur skillfully mixes her suspenseful plot with heady romance in her thoroughly enjoyable alternate reality Melbourne. Sexy vampires, randy werewolves, and unabashed, unapologetic, joyful sex—you’ve gotta love it. Smart, sexy, and well-conceived.”
—K
IM
H
ARRISON
“
Full Moon Rising
is unabashedly and joyfully sexual in its portrayal of werewolves in heat … Arthur never fails to deliver, keeping the fires stoked, the cliffs high, and the emotions dancing on a razor’s edge in this edgy, hormone-filled mystery … A shocking and sensual read, so keep the ice handy.”
“Keri Arthur is one of the best supernatural romance writers in the world.”
—H
ARRIET
K
LAUSNER
“Strong, smart and capable, Riley will remind many of Anita Blake, Laurell K. Hamilton’s kick-ass vampire hunter … Fans of Anita Blake and Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse vampire series will be rewarded.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Unbridled lust and kick-ass action are the hallmarks of this first novel in a brand-new paranormal series … ‘Sizzling’ is the only word to describe this heated, action-filled, suspenseful romantic drama.”
—Curled Up with a Good Book
“Desert island keeper … Grade: A … I wanted to read this book in one sitting, and was terribly offended that the real world intruded on my reading time! … Inevitable comparisons can be made to Anita Blake, Kim Harrison, and Kelley Armstrong’s books, but I think Ms. Arthur has a clear voice of her own and her characters speak for themselves.… I am hooked!”
—All About Romance
Praise for
Kissing Sin
“The second book in this paranormal guardian series is just as phenomenal as the first … I am addicted!!”
—Fresh Fiction
“Arthur’s world building skills are absolutely superb and I recommend this story to any reader who enjoys tales of the paranormal.”
—Coffee Time Romance & More
“Fast paced and filled with deliciously sexy characters, readers will find
Kissing Sin
a fantastic urban fantasy with a hot serving of romance that continues to sizzle long after the last page is read.”
—Darque Reviews
“Keri Arthur’s unique characters and the imaginative world she’s created will make this series one that readers won’t want to miss.”
—A Romance Review
Praise for
Tempting Evil
“Riley Jenson is kick-ass … genuinely tough and strong, but still vulnerable enough to make her interesting.… Arthur is not derivative of early [Laurell K.] Hamilton—far from it—but the intensity of her writing and the complexity of her heroine and her stories is reminiscent.”
—All About Romance
“This paranormal romance series gets better and better with each new book.… An exciting adventure that delivers all you need for a fabulous read—sexy shapeshifters, hot vampires, wild uncontrollable sex and the slightest hint of a love that’s meant to be forever.”
—Fresh Fiction
“Pure sexy action adventure … I found the world vividly realized and fascinating.… So, if you like your erotic scenes hot, fast, and frequent, your heroine sassy, sexy, and tough, and your stories packed with hard-hitting action in a vividly realized fantasy world, then
Tempting Evil
and its companion novels could be just what you’re looking for.”
—SFRevu
“Keri Arthur’s Riley Jenson series just keeps getting better and better and is sure to call to fans of other authors with kick-ass heroines such as Christine Feehan and Laurell K. Hamilton. I have become a steadfast fan of this marvelous series and I am greatly looking forward to finding out what is next in store for this fascinating and strong character.”
—A Romance Review
Praise for
Dangerous Games
“One of the best books I have ever read.… The storyline is so exciting I did not realize I was literally sitting on the edge of my chair.… Arthur has a real winner on her hands. Five cups.”
—Coffee Time Romance and More
“The depths of emotion, the tense plot, and the conflict of powerful driving forces inside the heroine made for [an] absorbing read.”
—SFRevu
“This series is phenomenal!
Dangerous Games
is an incredibly original and devastatingly sexy story. It keeps you spellbound and mesmerized on every page. Absolutely perfect!!”
—Fresh Fiction
Praise for
Embraced by Darkness
“Arthur is positively one of the best urban fantasy authors in print today. The characters have been well-drawn from the start and the mysteries just keep getting better. A creative, sexy and adventure-filled world that readers will just love escaping to.”
—Darque Reviews
“Arthur’s storytelling is getting better and better with each book.
Embraced by Darkness
has suspense, interesting concepts, terrific main and secondary characters, well developed story arcs, and the world-building is highly entertaining.… I think this series is worth the time and emotional investment to read.”
“Once again, Keri Arthur has created a perfect, exciting and thrilling read with intensity that kept me vigilantly turning each page, hoping it would never end.”
—Fresh Fiction
“Reminiscent of Laurell K. Hamilton back when her books had mysteries to solve, Arthur’s characters inhabit a dark sexy world of the paranormal.”
—The Parkersburg News and Sentinel
“I love this series.”
—All About Romance
Praise for
The Darkest Kiss
“The paranormal Australia that Arthur concocts works perfectly, and the plot speeds along at a breakneck pace. Riley fans won’t be disappointed.”
—Publishers Weekly
Praise for
Bound to Shadows
“The Riley Jenson Guardian series ROCKS! Riley is one bad-ass heroine with a heart of gold. Keri Arthur never disappoints and always leaves me eagerly anticipating the next book. A classic, fabulous read!”
—Fresh Fiction
Praise for
Moon Sworn
“Huge kudos to Arthur for giving readers an impressive series they won’t soon forget! 4½ stars, Top pick!”
—RT Book Reviews
“The superb final Guardian urban fantasy saga ends with quite a bang that will please the fans of the series. Riley is terrific as she goes through a myriad of emotions with no time to mourn her losses.… Readers will enjoy Riley’s rousing last stand.”
—Midwest Book Review
Praise for
Darkness Unbound
“A thrilling ride.”
—Publishers Weekly
Praise for
Darkness Rising
“Arthur ratchets up the intrigue … in this powerful sequel.”
—Publishers Weekly
Circle of Fire
is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
2014 Dell eBook Edition
Copyright © 2001 by Keri Arthur
Excerpt from
Circle of Death
by Keri Arthur copyright © 2002, 2014 by Keri Arthur
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Dell, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House LLC, a Penguin Random House Company, New York.
Originally published in different form in paperback in the United States by ImaJinn Books, Hickory Corners, MI, in 2001.
D
ELL
and the H
OUSE
colophon are registered trademarks of Random House LLC.
This book contains an excerpt from the forthcoming novel
Circle of Death
by Keri Arthur. This excerpt has been set for this edition only and may not reflect the final content of the forthcoming edition.
ISBN 978-0-440-24655-8
eBook ISBN 978-0-345-53970-0
Cover design: Lynn Andreozzi
Cover illustration: Juliana Kolesova
v3.1
M
ADELINE
S
MITH DIDN
’
T BELIEVE IN GHOSTS
—
NOT UNTIL
the night Jon Barnett walked into her life, anyway. Maddie drew her legs up to her chest and held them close. Maybe
walked
was the wrong word to use; his method of movement seemed more like floating.
Outside her bedroom, the branches of an old elm scraped back and forth across the tin roofing. The wind howled around the old house—an eerie cry that matched her mood of anticipation and fear. Snow scurried past the windows, a stark contrast against the blackness of the night.
It felt oddly fitting to be sitting on her bed, waiting for the arrival of a ghost while an early winter storm raged outside.
Only
he
insisted he wasn’t a ghost at all.
She tugged the blankets over her knees and wondered if she should stoke the fire with a little more wood. Maybe the heat would keep him away. Or maybe he’d gotten tired of his game and simply forgotten about her. She believed that the desperation in his eyes was real enough; she just didn’t believe that
he
was real.