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

A car pulled up to the curb with perfect timing, two men stepping out to grab his bags and help Caspian into the back seat.


I pulled my eyes away from the car. “I’m sorry?”


I stared down at the little bottles that littered the counter, taking a minute to register the question. Cooling, diamond, anti-pollution, and a half dozen others. They all worked, it just came down to the wallet.


“Depends on your skin.” I smiled as I studied the man. He was handsome, well-dressed, with an expensive haircut, but he was overdue for a manicure. His cheeks were a little pink from the cold weather and there were the faintest crinkles at the corner of his eyes, like he smiled or laughed a lot. A flash of reflected light from those eyes told me he was probably a cat, like Mr. Aki. “Something extra moisturizing, with the weather.”


Chapter 21