Parallel Magic

In the Court of the Dead, kill or be killed takes on a whole other meaning. I'm Bria Kent, and ever since I escaped the deadly magical prison of the House of Fire, I've lived by three rules: always be ready to run, adapt to your surroundings, and do whatever is necessary to survive. When my cover is blown and my best friend is kidnapped, I have little choice but to seek refuge in the one place my enemies will never find me: the Court of the Dead. The slight problem? Only one fire mage can earn the right to stay on as the Death King's official Fire Element, and the contest has been rigged from the start. My only allies are also my competition -- and the rogue spirit mage partially responsible for getting me into this mess to begin with. Yet he might be my only hope to rescue my best friend and expose a conspiracy within the Court of the Dead before the Death King figures out my real reasons for being here.It's kill or be killed… and I have no intention of losing.

Bearded, bad-boy barber Knox prefers to live his life the way he takes his coffee: Alone. Unless you count his basset hound, Waylon. Knox doesn't tolerate drama, even when it comes in the form of a stranded runaway bride. Naomi wasn't just running away from her wedding. She was riding to the rescue of her estranged twin to Knockemout, Virginia, a rough-around-the-edges town where disputes are settled the old-fashioned way…with fists and beer. Usually in that order. Too bad for Naomi her evil twin hasn't changed at all. After helping herself to Naomi's car and cash, Tina leaves her with something unexpected. The niece Naomi didn't know she had. Now she's stuck in town with no car, no job, no plan, and no home with an 11-year-old going on thirty to take care of. There's a reason Knox doesn't do complications or high-maintenance women, especially not the romantic ones. But since Naomi's life imploded right in front of him, the least he can do is help her out of her jam. And just as soon as she stops getting into new trouble he can leave her alone and get back to his peaceful, solitary life. At least, that's the plan until the trouble turns to real danger.

I'm Bria Kent, and let's just say my last mission for the Death King didn't quite go according to plan. in fact, I barely made it out alive. And now I have bigger problems. The Family who raised me are plotting world domination, a band of rogue spirit mages are on their way to seizing power, and the Houses of the Elements refuse to accept my offer of an alliance to fight off the oncoming threats. To complicate matters, the Death King has tasked me with finding the elves, who vanished a long time ago. An impossible mission, or so I think. But the elves might be our last hope for vanquishing the Family before they bring the world -- and the Parallel -- to its knees. Here's hoping I can pull off one last miracle…