Witch’s corpse. Witch’s ticket. Witch’s party. As a counter-boy at a high-end men’s boutique, Charlie Jessup’s life consists of little more than work and sleep. That, and enough flirting to help guarantee his commission on sales will pay his rent. So when a twist of fate, and some behavior unbecoming that of a Ganymede employee, leaves him in possession of a dead man’s pass to a mysterious Club 669, Charlie has no desire to waste it. Every seventeen years, the House of Witches throws a party like no other. It’s invitation-only, and for centuries it has helped ensure peace between the covens. It’s the last place Caspian wants to be, but with the death of Queen Avel, and his own imminent rise to the throne, it’s more important than ever that he attends. The stability of the House depends on it. In four days a new king will be crowned, but when Charlie unintentionally crashes a gathering of the most secretive of all the Great Houses, he sets in motion a series of events that could disrupt the transition of power, and threaten the future of the House of Witches forever.

Club 669

“Hey, Charlie?” When the voice came, it was familiar, and I relaxed some. “Cold night. You need a ride?”


I turned to find Officer Pollick smiling, head poking out of his cruiser. I was close to numb, and I would have been sorely tempted, but for the way Pollick looked at me, the way he always looked at me.


His smile faltered a moment but didn’t fade completely. “Good. She’s taken them to visit her family for the weekend.”


“Nice for you.” I started walking again. Even I didn’t need to get laid that badly. “I’m nearly there. Thanks anyway.”


There was a hesitation, but eventually the cruiser rumbled past and it was finally just the blessed sound of crunching snow and eerie quiet again.


Chapter 4