Charm Collector

A sentient sword. An artifact collector. A whole world of trouble. My name is Harlow Fletcher, and I'm a charm collector.As the daughter of bounty hunters, I know more about the criminal underbelly than the average citizen of Luma, California. But when my dad's work got him killed, and my mom skipped town, I swore off the profession for myself. I should have chosen a safer, completely unrelated career-like accounting. Instead, I fell into the lucrative gig of freelance charm collecting. I have a knack for finding rare artifacts, namely illegal magic-laced weapons, and I use that skill to sneak into criminals' homes after the police have carted them off for their latest infractions. Once I've helped myself to the contraband, I sell it to the highest bidder.While looting my latest victim, a gorgeous sword catches my eye. My gut tells me it has dragon magic coursing through its blade-and I have the perfect buyer in mind for it. I regret my decision to steal the sword within minutes: the weapon is alive. It's lightning-quick and has an anger management problem, but it's taken a shine to me.When the sword takes off one day, I'm relieved to have it out of my life. I'm less relieved when the police show up at my door, accusing me of murder. While I'm in the middle of explaining that I didn't commit the crime, the diabolical sword floats into my apartment, covered in blood.Now we're on the run, with bounty hunters and government-trained feline shifters hot on our trail. Somehow, I have to prove my innocence while the sentient murder weapon sticks by my side.I really should have been an accountant.

Sometimes your best ally is your worst enemy. Harlow, Camila, and Caspian finally head to the Collective's Tower. Though Sorceress Rhiannon bought them some time, stalling time is over. The sorcerers need each of them for different reasons, but all three fear that once they walk in, they're not getting back out. For years, Felix Turner has been searching for the truth about Naomi West's murder and how it's tied to the death of Nelson Fletcher. When someone from Naomi's past returns to Luma with a new lead, Felix is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery once and for all. Kayda's guilt over failing Kessler has given her a bit of a savior complex. When another remote hub is attacked by ferals, she refuses to let more innocents suffer on her watch. Diving headlong into this new mission, however, sends her far from home-and reveals that the Shades' influence has reached far beyond Luma. Renata Bernard had no skin in this game only days ago. Hells, she hadn't even known the game was being played. Now, not only has she been pulled into a scheme Lachlan Shade hatched while in exile, she's also been pegged as the key to his success. She never would have thought being a scientist was this dangerous. Pulled away from friends and family, they all must forge connections with monstrous new allies-from sorcerers to aves to vampires-because everything leads back to Lachlan Shade. The Shades' leader has finally returned to the earthen realm, eager to begin The Restoration. The Collective thwarted his efforts decades ago, but now, with his own monstrous allies and their feral minions on his side, he'll reshape the world … or take it down with him.

This is a short prequel story that takes place before Diabolical Sword, book 1 in The Charm Collector urban fantasy series. Camila Fletcher has made a career out of finding missing people. Despite being a full-blooded human, she's often contacted by members of the fae population hiding amongst mundanes. When a young fae girl asks for help finding her sister, Camila is thrust into an investigation that involves much more than one missing girl …