“Write faster…I absolutely love the relationship between Curran and Kate—I laugh out loud with the witty sarcasm and one-liners, and the sexual tension building between the couples drives me to my knees, knowing I’ll have to wait for another book.”

—SFRevu

MAGIC BURNS

“Fans of Carrie Vaughn and Patricia Briggs will appreciate this fast-paced, action-packed urban fantasy full of magic, vampires, werebeasties, and things that go bump in the night.”

— Monsters and Critics

“With all her problems, secrets, and prowess both martial and magical, Kate is a great kick-ass heroine, a tough girl with a heart, and her adventures…are definitely worth checking out.”

—Locus

“With a fascinating, compelling plot, a witty, intelligent heroine, a demonic villain, and clever, wry humor throughout, this story has it all.”

—Fresh Fiction

“A new take on the urban fantasy genre, the world Kate inhabits is a blend of gritty magic and dangerous mystery.”

— The Parkersburg News and Sentinel

“If you enjoy Laurell K. Hamilton’s early Anita Blake or the works of Patricia Briggs and Kim Harrison, you need to add Ilona Andrews to your reading list.”

—LoveVampires

“Andrews…demonstrates her mastery at balancing dark humor, clever mystery, and supernatural jeopardy. Andrews is the total package!”

—RT Book Reviews (4½ stars, Top Pick)

MAGIC BITES

“Treat yourself to a splendid new urban fantasy…I am looking forward to the next book in the series or anything else Ilona Andrews writes.”

—Patricia Briggs, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Fair Game

“Andrews shows a great deal of promise. Readers fond of Laurell K. Hamilton and Patricia Briggs may find her work a new source of reading pleasure.”

—SFRevu

“Andrews’s edgy series stands apart from similar fantasies…owing to its complex world-building and skilled characterizations.”

—Library Journal

Ace Books by Ilona Andrews

The Kate Daniels Novels

MAGIC BITES

MAGIC BURNS

MAGIC STRIKES

MAGIC BLEEDS

MAGIC SLAYS

The World of Kate Daniels

GUNMETAL MAGIC

The Edge Novels

ON THE EDGE

BAYOU MOON

FATE’S EDGE

eSpecials

MAGIC MOURNS

MAGIC DREAMS

Title Page

GUNMETAL
MAGIC

ILONA ANDREWS

ACE BOOKS, NEW YORK

Dedication

To the fine people of Texas,
who have taken us in and treated us as their own

Acknowledgments

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

At the core, Gunmetal Magic is a book about a deeply damaged person finding her place in life, and in the beginning stages, it was also a very damaged book in need of help. We would like to thank Anne Sowards, our editor, for once again making it better, and our agent, Nancy Yost, for invaluable advice and friendship.