Strange Brew

Look for “Vegas Odds” in the Strange Brew anthology, out on July 7, 2009!

Lia de Croissets, half-human, half-Were, isn’t considered an ideal employee. But her bosses at the War Mage Corps, the supernatural community’s version of a police force, have found the solution– make her the mentor to a group of raw recruits. It’s a thankless job designed to keep her busy, useful and out of trouble. And it seems to be working–until Lia receives an early morning visit from her suddenly homicidal students.

The mages may be young, but they know enough to be deadly. Lia soon finds her house in pieces and herself and her Were boyfriend, Cyrus, in little better shape. In the end, though, it’s one of the students who lies dead on the ground–from Lia’s own spell. An investigation uncovers the unsettling fact that the students were acting under a powerful illusion cast by someone with a long-standing grudge against Lia’s family. Even worse, the spell hasn’t been affected by the cadets’ defeat, and if it isn’t lifted soon they may all die.

Only the mage who cast the spell can lift it, forcing Lia to track down an assassin with the ability to weave terrifying and very real illusions. Her Were heritage offers her some protection against these, but Lia is half-human, too. Can she find the killer before her own mind betrays her?