Lourdes has been slain and the new queen of the underworld has been chosen.
It was the day the Blood sisters had been striving for. The day where they would be free of Lourdes and could go back to living normal lives, but with the underworld’s throne empty, the Earth plunges into chaos.
Rivers turn black, demons run amok, with more chaos is about to be unleashed. All the while demon hunter, Duncan Jasper, is prisoner of the enemy. Jessica will stop at nothing to free him from Vain, a bounty hunter who trades in the lives of humans.
Getting into her stronghold won’t be easy, and Vain will be expecting a fight, but what she won’t be expecting is Jessica’s secret weapon. The newly crowned queen of the underworld, her very own sister.
Jessica hopes Amanda can resist the dark magic now surging through her veins long enough for a special artifact—The Ruby Heart—to be found, the one thing that can purify Amanda’s heart and break the awful curse.
But Amanda has other plans. If she sacrifices herself to the underworld, she hopes to do one better. Kill the demons from the inside and free the trapped souls being tormented for an eternity.
One way or another, it will surely come to sister vs sister in a full-scale war.
All in the name of Blood.
Read an Excerpt-
The
Wild Aces Casino was Jessica’s new prison. Unable to sit still, she paced in the small room they had secured her
in. Chewing on her thumbnail, Jessica peered into the corner of the room.
Video
cameras.
They
were probably watching her. Maybe she should give them a little show. At least
she could make it interesting.
She
drew her attention to the horizontal mirror at the back of the room. They were
probably watching her every move, studying her. If Jessica was lucky they were
going to handle her themselves. If unlucky, they were going to call the police.
She
couldn’t count on luck. It had never been on her side before.
Jessica
ran her hands along the metal table. If only Amanda was there. They separated
them, which was the smart thing to do, for the casino, but Jessica hated
everything about it. She wanted nothing more than to check on Amanda. She had
been in a bad way out on the casino floor.
Bad
way? Worst way. So how was she now? How was Amanda coping?
Save
Amanda. Keep going. What choice did Jessica have?
The
door opened and Jessica stood straight as a security guard entered. Looked like
a nice enough guy with kempt brown hair.
He wore a serious scowl on his face though, as he gestured to the chair. “Sit
down.”
“I
need to know how my…friend is.” Jessica crossed her arms and her hips pivoted
to the side.
“She’s
fine. Now, sit.” His eyes narrowed.
“Fine?
What does that mean? Listen, she’s sick, so if you don’t mind…” Jessica pushed
past him, but he grabbed her by the arms and forced her into a chair.
A
tough guy, huh? Jessica could work with that.
“Get
out of that chair and we’re really going to have a problem.” He slid out the
chair on the other side of the table and sat down. “Want to tell me what
business you have in Vegas, Ms. Blood?”
Her
reputation preceded her it seemed. Jessica’s ass wiggled in the chair. “Oh you
know, the same as everyone else. Little buffet, little gambling. Lots of ass
kicking. Should I start with yours? How’s my sister?” No need to keep up the
pretense if he knew who they were.
The
security guard laughed. “The two of you are trouble. That much is easy to see,
but you’re the one who grabbed my fellow officer’s gun. So why don’t you tell
me why you did that. Do we need to call the cops? You’re wanted in connection
with a murder over five states away. Some massacre at a hospital. I’m sure
they’d love to get their hands on you.”
She
sighed. He referred to Ron Wax breaking out of the psych ward and everything
went to shit for Amanda and Duncan. All of which, Jessica wasn’t even around
for. She always got blamed for things that weren’t her fault. “Technically,”
Jessica bit her fingernail, “it’s my car that’s wanted in connection with a
murder. I was in Hell at the time.”
The
security guard did a double take and Jessica couldn’t suppress her smile. “Or
the underworld,” Jessica said, “It’s hard to keep it all straight, isn’t it?”
“You
screw with a casino like this? We’ll make your life hell. You think you’ve been
there, well you haven’t. So now answer the damn question or we’ll ride you
straight out of town, sweetheart. If I have to call my boss and have him come
down here, you’re going to regret it.”
“My
sister’s sick,” Jessica said lightly, quietly. Just the words put a lump in her
throat. “I just wanted to get her out of your casino as fast as I could.”
“So,
what, drawing a gun is easier for you than calling an ambulance? Asking for
help?”
Jessica
threw her arm on the back of her chair as she leaned back. “You’ve seen my rap
sheet. I’m guessing you only know that because you’ve already called the cops.
Is that right? They’re on their way to pick us up?”
Her
stomach sickened at the thought.
“Bingo.
And you’re not leaving this room until they get here.” He grabbed her wrist and
swung his handcuffs around on a finger.
Jessica
tugged her wrist, her heart pounded. “Get your mitts off me, you baboon!”
No
matter how she resisted, he handcuffed Jessica’s wrist to the table leg. “Might
want to think of an insanity plea. You’re not playing with a full deck, sister.”
About Jill Cooper –
I could write this in the third person. I could tell you what I like, where I was born, and what my favorite things are.
But instead, I’ll say I don’t want to write like everyone else. I don’t want to craft stories you’ve read a thousand times before. I want my novels to be a cinematic experience, blending themes, genres, and situations unlike any you’ve ever read.
I want to break the rules. I want you to break out in a cold sweat as you read my books out of fear, love, and excitement. I want my books to be an experience. When you finish, I want you to feel something. Good or bad.
If you do, then I’ll have succeeded. If not, I’ll keep trying.