Kelly Gay - The Darkest Edge of Dawn

The Darkest Edge of Dawn is the electrifying sequel to

T HE BETTER PART OF DARKNESS

the acclaimed debut from
star on the rise (Night Owl Romance)
Kelly Gay!

This gritty urban fantasy is extraordinary.

Booklist

Intricate world-building and richly complex characters mix with a fast-paced plot to create a standout start to a new series.

Publishers Weekly

What sets this book apart, besides the great writing and the unique world-building, is the fact that our heroine is a single mom. The love and protectiveness of a mother for her child as well as her family just gave so much depth to the situation as well as a real sense of urgency.

Night Owl Romance

Charlie Madigan is an awesome character. I could not put this book down.

Fallen Angel Reviews

Her dark urban setting is so gritty, vivid, and original that it flaunts one of the greatest qualities of good fantasy: utter believability. Kelly Gay whisked me into a dangerous world and made me want to stick around. I cant wait to spend more time with Charlie Madigan.

Vicki Pettersson

The Darkest Edge of Dawn is also available as an eBook

A LSO BY K ELLY G AY

The Better Part of Darkness

The sale of this book without its cover is unauthorized. If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that it was reported to the publisher as unsold and destroyed. Neither the author nor the publisher has received payment for the sale of this stripped book.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Copyright 2010 by Kelly Gay

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information, address Pocket Books Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.

First Pocket Books paperback edition September 2010

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Designed by Jill Putorti
Cover design by John Vairo Jr.
Cover illustration by Chris McGrath

Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

ISBN 978-1-4391-1004-1
ISBN 978-1-4391-5547-9 (ebook)

For Allen & Cheryl Hogan
( aka Al & Dinky )
( aka Mom & Dad )

They say that at dawn, on the winter solstice, the
top of Helios Tower burned brighter than the
sun and dragons fell from the sky

~~~~~

December 24th

From the journal of Emma Garrity

Okay. Im ready. Give me a leg up.

With my right leg bent at the knee, foot poised in the air, and my fingers grasping the brick ledge below the broken window, I turned just enough to fire a withering glare at my partner. Hank! A little help here?

He didnt budge.

My eyes narrowed to slits as he stood there frowning at me like usual. I shook my foot at him and reached higher, my arm and shoulder muscles burning. Oh, just forget it, I muttered, dropping my hands from the ledge and hopping back, giving my partner a push toward the window. Youre taller, you try.

A dark blond eyebrow rose, and he shifted his weight onto one foot. Two seconds passed before he let out a dubious sigh and graced the world with his rich baritone. Im going to take a wild guess, Charlie, and say the chief doesnt know about our afternoon detour.

I glanced at the derelict parking lot, forcing down a shiver. Your powers of observation are mind-blowing.

I have been called mind-blowing once or twice, he said, completely ignoring my sarcasm as he removed a few chunks of broken glass from the bottom window frame.

Once or twice, thats all? I teased. Wouldnt go around admitting that if I were you. Might give all sirens a bad name.

He shot a glower over his shoulder. I was trying to be modest. Now, if you want to get technical, the number is quite The light atop the corroded steel pole behind us blinked out with a loud electrical buzz.

Five seconds passed in darkness.

The unusually mild December wind sent brittle leaves dancing like skeletons over the concrete parking lot. The echoes of their skip and scratch made the warehouse district seem even more desolate and remote despite the distant sounds of Atlantas midday traffic. Lets just get in and get out. This place gives me the creeps.

The light sizzled back to life, illuminating the heavy gray clouds undulating above us like white-water rapids in slow motion. Occasionally a bottle-green flash would light up the skysilent and strangeeach burst never quite the same. I frowned, wondering if Id ever get used to the darkness that hung above the city for the last two months.

Why the hell did Ebel-whatever-his-name-is lock the place back up? Pieces of glass hit the concrete and shattered into small bits as Hank finished clearing the window.

Its Ebel wyn, I said. And I doubt he was thinking straight. You know saw dead body, ran, locked the door behind him. Thats what real estate agents do; they lock the door behind them. Creatures of habit, I guess.

Couldve told him to meet us here with the key.

I did. He was so spooked, he wouldnt come back.

The tip I received earlier had come from a darkling fae, a Charbydon whod stopped by the warehouse to check out the property and put up a For Sale sign. Not surprising he hadnt called the ITFrelations between Charbydons and law enforcement were on pretty shaky ground right now, as were relations between Charbydons and Elysians. The darkness made everyone edgy. Anyone with a scrap of common sense wouldve known calling the ITF to report an Elysian body inside of a Charbydon-owned property meant trouble.

Hank moved aside and brushed his palms lightly over his cargo pants. The window is too small for me to fit through. Youll have to go.

He bent low, linking his fingers together to hoist me up. I placed both hands on the cool leather jacket that covered his shoulders and put my foot in the cradle of his hands, getting a whiff of the same herby scent that perfumed The Bath House in Underground. I glanced down.

Dark sapphire orbs stared up at me, set in features that remained mostly grim ever since the night his voice-mod had been fused together, stuck on his neck and subduing his greatest powerhis sirens call.

Of course the voice-mod did nothing to stifle the sensual quality of his voice or the natural siren magnetism that constantly emanated from him. Nor did it stop him from using his other natural abilitieshealing, sensing energies, and being a superb wiseass.

I reached for the ledge. The sharp brick edges scraped my wrists, pulling my attention back to the job at hand. Once up, I balanced on my stomach and swung one leg over, then followed with the other until I was looking down at my partners upturned face. Ill see if I can open the side door from the inside. Meet me over there.