Caught between rival faerie courts and deadly ambition, Meredith Gentry must navigate a web of seduction, danger, and ancient power to survive long enough to claim the throne—in this thrilling Merry Gentry novel. Meredith Gentry, princess and heir apparent to the faerie throne and a former private investigator in the mortal world, must bear a child to secure her crown, or her ruthless aunt, Queen Andais, will place her sadistic son, Cel, on the throne—and have Meredith killed. Surrounded by her devoted royal guards and lovers—her Darkness and her Killing Frost—Meredith is protected but not safe. Despite her efforts to conceive, she remains childless, while the queen’s deadly schemes intensify. Seeking refuge from court intrigue, Meredith and her guards retreat to Los Angeles, but distance offers little protection from enemies determined to destroy her. A new threat arises when King Taranis, the delusional ruler of the Seelie Court, falsely accuses her guards of a heinous crime and pushes mortal authorities to prosecute them. If convicted, they face extradition to faerie and brutal punishment. Meredith knows the charges are a lie—and suspects that Taranis’s true target is her. Having tried to kill her once already, his ambitions now seem somehow even more dangerous. Praise for Laurell K. Hamilton A Kiss of Shadows “I’ve never read a writer with a more fertile imagination.” –Diana Gabaldon A Caress of Twilight “Sensual, without a doubt . . . This book moves like a whirlwind.” –St. Louis Post-Dispatch Seduced by Moonlight “This [faerie] society is one of the most detailed, imaginative, and lovingly drawn in all fantastic fiction, and the Meredith Gentry series has become something special.” –San Jose Mercury News A Stroke of Midnight “Nonstop action . . . This book will leave you breathless.” –St. Louis Post-Dispatch Mistral’s Kiss “Steamy . . . will have Hamilton’s fans panting for more.” –Publishers Weekly Laurell K. Hamilton is the New York Times bestselling author of the Meredith Gentry novels: A Kiss of Shadows, A Caress of Twilight, Seduced by Moonlight, A Stroke of Midnight, Mistral’s Kiss, as well as fifteen acclaimed Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, novels. She lives in St. Louis, Missouri. Visit the author’s official website at www.laurellkhamilton.org. Chapter 1 I was sitting in an elegant conference room in the top of one of the gleaming towers that make up part of downtown Los Angeles. The room’s far wall was almost entirely of glass, so that the view was nearly agoraphobic. They’re predicting that if the big one—the big earthquake that is—hits, this section of L. A. will be eight to fifteen feet deep in glass. Anything on the streets below will be cut to pieces, crushed, or trapped underneath an avalanche of glass. Not a pretty thought, but it was a day for ugly thoughts. My uncle Taranis, King of Light and Illusion, had pressed charges against three of my royal bodyguards. He had gone to the human authorities with charges that Rhys, Galen, and Abe had raped one of his court’s women. In all the long history of his reign in the Seelie Court he had never gone outside to the humans for justice. Faerie rule; faerie law. Or truthfully, sidhe rule; sidhe law. The sidhe had ruled faerie for longer than anyone could remember. Since some of those memories stretched back thousands of years, maybe the sidhe had always been in charge, but it tasted like a lie. The sidhe do not lie, for to truly lie is to be cast out of faerie, exiled. Since I knew that the three bodyguards in question were innocent, that raised interesting problems with Lady Caitrin’s testimony. But today we were just giving statements, and, depending on how that went, King Taranis was standing by for a group call. Which was why Simon Biggs and Thomas Farmer, both of Biggs, Biggs, Farmer, and Farmer, were sitting beside me. “Thank you for agreeing to this meeting today, Princess Meredith,” one of the suits across the table said. There were seven suits across the wide, gleaming table, with their backs to the lovely view. Ambassador Stevens, official ambassador to the courts of faerie, was sitting on our side of the table, but he was on the far side of Biggs and Farmer. Stevens said, “A word on faerie etiquette: You don’t say thank you to the people of faerie, Mr. Shelby. Princess Meredith, as one of the younger royals, will probably not be offended, but you will be dealing with some nobility who are much older. Not all of them will allow a thank you to pass without grave insult.” Stevens smiled when he said it, his blandly handsome face sincere from his brown eyes to his perfectly cut brown hair. He was supposed to be our voice to the world, but, truthfully, he spent all his time at the Seelie Court sucking up to my uncle. The Unseelie Court where my aunt Andais, Queen of Air and Darkness, ruled, and where I might rule someday, was too scary for Stevens. No, I didn’t like him. Michael Shelby, a U. S. Attorney for L. A. sai