Blood Bound

Blood Bound
Rachel Vincent

They say blood is thicker than water. They have no idea. As a blood tracker, Liv is extremely powerful. And in a world where power is a commodity that can get you killed, Liv has learnt to survive by her own rules. Rule number one? Trust no one. But when a friend s daughter goes missing, Liv is bound by a potent magical oath. She can't rest until the child is safe. And that means trusting her dangerous ex, Cam.A sinister prophecy tells that she and Cam will be the death of each other, yet Liv s tired of being a slave to destiny. She s ready to play the forces controlling her world at their own game. No matter what the cost.

Praise for the novels of

New York Times bestselling author

RACHEL VINCENT

“I liked the character and loved the action. I look

forward to reading the next book in the series.”

Charlaine Harris

“Vincent is a welcome addition to this genre!”

Kelley Armstrong

“Compelling and edgy, dark and evocative, Stray is a must read! I loved it from beginning to end.” Gena Showalter

“I had trouble putting this book down. Every time

I said I was going to read just one more chapter,

I’d find myself three chapters later.”

—Bitten by Books on Stray

“Vincent continues to impress with the freshness of her

approach and voice. Action and intrigue abound.”

—RT Book Reviews

Blood Bound

Rachel Vincent

www.mirabooks.co.uk (http://www.mirabooks.co.uk)

Find out more about Rachel Vincent by visiting

mirabooks.co.uk/rachelvincent

and read Rachel’s blog at urbanfantasy.blogspot.com

Also available fromRachel Vincent

The Shifters series

STRAY

ROGUE

PRIDE

PREY

SHIFT

ALPHA

Soul Screamers series

MY SOUL TO TAKE

MY SOUL TO SAVE

MY SOUL TO KEEP

MY SOUL TO STEAL

And look for the thrilling second instalment in

Rachel’s new Unbound series

SHADOW BOUND

Available in 2012

To #1, who understands that a writer can never really leave her work at work. I live in my own head, constantly distracted from the real world by the ones I make up, and it takes someone special to put up with that. I hope you know how special you are. And I didn’t even have to make you up.

Acknowledgments

Thanks first and foremost to my husband, my #1 fan, for listening to all the crazy brainstorming that went into this book without betraying any hint that the author may be as crazy as the ideas. You’re the most wonderful sounding board ever.

Thanks as always to Rinda Elliott, my longtime critique partner and the first to see every book I write. You’re my second pair of eyes, and I always appreciate the fresh viewpoint.

Thanks to my editor, Mary-Theresa Hussey, for guidance and patience. And for pronouncing this manuscript “twisted,” then liking it anyway.

And thanks to everyone at MIRA Books, who made it all happen. There are so many more of you behind me than I would ever have guessed when I was first starting out, and I sometimes think books should get credit reels, like movies.

One

Only two-thirty in the morning, and I already had blood on my hands. The most messed-up part of that? It was the hour that bothered me.

“You sure it’s him, Liv?” Booker swiped one hand over his sweaty, stubbly face as we stared at the lit window on the third floor. The apartment building was long and plain, like a cracker box on its side, and the moonless night only smeared the sides of the featureless building into the ambient darkness.