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

“One of the guys is meeting me.” One of his roommates. “And I suspect you’ve got plans with your...witch?”


“Caspian,” I answered and, despite him not being mine at all, I smiled. I would have to tell Adam all about that too.


“You tell Caspian I owe him.” Adam touched the side of his face, the one that looked as perfect as it had every other morning I’d seen him, and smiled. “He saved my ass today.”


“I will.” I gave in, following Adam to the entrance. “You’re okay? Promise me.”


He unlocked the door, and I slipped out.


I made it home in record time. What normally took me nearly an hour, took a grand total of thirty-two minutes of dodging pedestrians and cracks in the sidewalk. When Officer Pollick offered to take me out for a cup of coffee, I didn’t even stop to ask about his wife.


Chapter 22