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You’ve seen her before. Perhaps somebody you know is dating her, getting himself into debt by taking her out to fancy restaurants and buying her expensive gifts. Yet you see her for what she really is.

Elizabeth Weaver saw it in her brother Ronnie’s new girlfriend, Diana. Something about the woman rubbed Elizabeth the wrong way. She refused to get a job and help Ronnie around the house and seemed to bask in the attention and expensive gifts he showered her with. And as Ronnie began neglecting the rest of his family, they finally took notice, only Elizabeth saw what the others didn’t — that Diana wasn’t quite human.

And neither were her children.

Don Grant has tracked the creature for years, ever since it turned his wife into something barely more than a living zombie. He’s traced its history through the centuries. It feeds off our lust for it, the violence it goads us into creating, and it grows stronger and seductive with each new victim. Now Don has caught up with it and he has to stop it fast, or the nightmare will be unleashed on a whole new family.

Mark Wiseman thought he had his curse under control. He thought he’d kept it secret.

He was wrong.

Bernard Roberts is a wealthy, influential man, and he knows all about the curse that runs through Mark’s veins. He knows how Mark’s parents were killed eight years ago. If Mark wants Bernard to keep this knowledge to himself, he’ll have to do what Bernard wants. He’ll have to use his curse to kill.

But if Mark Wiseman begins to lose control of the curse, he will lose everything he has: his life and freedom, and the woman he loves.

Acknowledgements

My deepest appreciation and thanks go to a wide array of people who supported me during the various stages of writing this noveclass="underline"

My wife, Cathy J. Gonzalez, my daughter Hannah; my parents Jesus and Glenda Gonzalez, my in-laws, Joe and Lucy Becker; my friends Del and Sue Howison, Pete Atkins, Mark Williams, William Relling, Jr., Dave Nordhaus, Richard Laymon, David J. Schow, Gary Zimmerman, Debbie Daughetee, Kurt and Amy Wimberger, Glen & Emily Vasey, John Skipp, Buddy Martinez; to Sylvia Huth and company at Kaiser who kept me employed during the early stages of this project; to Paul at Thunderstorm Books for taking interest in the project and providing great feedback when I was tired of it; editorial peeps: Shane Ryan Staley, Don D’Auria, Jamie LaChance, Bob Strauss, and Tod Clark. To those who provided inspiration and support during the massive rewrite of this noveclass="underline" Val Gunn, Michael Harrell, Bob Ford, Brian Keene, Cassi Keene, Chet Williamson, Geoff Cooper, Mike Hawthorne, Mike Oliveri, Ace and Jodi Martinez, Perry, Alex, and Carrie Martinez, Jesse Calleja, Richard Christian Matheson, John Skipp, Brian Emrich, Michael Lansu, Steve Calcutt, and Craig Spector.

Dedication

For my Aunt Irene

Who still loves a good shiver

Copyright

No part of this book may be used or reproduced, stored into or introduced into a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or any other means now known or yet to be invented) without the prior written permission of the copyright holder, except in the case of brief quotations embedded in critical articles or reviews. For information, contact the author: www.jfgonzalez.com.

Translation: no part of this book may be reprinted without prior written permission from the author; that includes uploading digital editions onto file-sharing or bit-torrent networks and/or scanning pages of the paperback edition, creating a digital file, and uploading them to file-sharing/bit-torrent networks. Yes, this does constitute “reprinting”. It’s not the same as checking a copy out at the library or borrowing a copy from a friend. A copy of the book was made; hence, the “copy” in copyright. Committing any of these acts should result in your sudden death if done for financial gain on your part, or on that of the aforementioned file-sharing networks. If done out of ignorance of copyright law, I can cut some slack, and encourage you to either a) purchase a legal copy or, b) donate what I normally would have made had you bought your own copy ($2.99, pay-pal to jfgonzalez@jfgonzalez.com). Bottom line: if you do not have it in writing from the author, it isn’t authorized.

This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed are either fictitious or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events and individuals is coincidental. This book is sold as is and neither the publisher, nor the author, will be responsible for any direct or consequential damages that may arise from the misuse of the information within.

A Signed Limited First Edition of this book was previously published by Thunderstorm Books for collectors.

They © 2011 by J. F. Gonzalez

Cover Illustration and Design © 2011 Mike Hawthorne

First Midnight Library eBook edition © 2012

All rights reserved

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