Magic was just around the corner.â¦
Kiri Palger knew the difference between realityânew house, hard work and not too many friendsâand fantasyâthe fun she had playing online games. So when the chance to work for the best gaming company in the world came up, giving her a chance to merge business with pleasure, how could she not apply?
Suddenly she has more friends, interesting neighbors and an intriguing love interest. But when the game begins to awaken something inside her, Kiri is shocked by the talents she never knew she hadâ¦and an evil sheâd never imagined.
Her nice, safe life is imploding around herâand if she takes up the mantle of her powers, it will never be the same againâ¦.
Praise for the novels of
âRITA® Award-winner Owens offers a world strongly imbued with a sense of magic in this contemporary fantasy series launch.⦠Romance and fantasy fans
will enjoy Jenniâs preparation to enter a new world of compromise between the Folk, humans and technology.â âPublishers Weekly, starred review, on Enchanted No More
âA multi-faceted, fast-paced gem of a book.â
âThe Best Reviews on Guardian of Honor
âThis book will enchant readers who enjoy strong heroines.â
âRT Book Reviews on Sorceress of Faith
âFans of Anne McCaffrey and Mercedes Lackey will appreciate the novelâs honorable protagonists and their lively animal companions.â
âPublishers Weekly on Protector of the Flight
âStrong characterization combined with deadly danger make this story vibrate with emotional resonance. Stay tuned as events accelerate toward the final battle.â
âRT Book Reviews on Keepers of the Flame
âA glorious end to the series.â
âWild on Books on Echoes in the Dark
Chapter 1
Mid-September, Denver, Colorado
LIFE WAS NOT a game. If life were a game, Kiri Palger would ace it...or reach level sixty-five with massive amounts of gold, arms and armor, not to mention a fabulous wardrobe.
But real life had no do-overs. She couldnât go back two years and not take the energy and soul draining computer support job with a national company in downtown Denver. Big mistake. Especially when she trudged home at seven-thirty on a Friday evening too exhausted to enjoy the thought of the weekend.
Though buying this house in Mystic Circle had definitely been the right thing to do.
Her hands were full of keys and key card and she was punching in the security code when her phone rang. She swore and went in, laid the keys and workbag on the rickety console table next to the door.
The phone was not in its proper pocket, but had migrated to mix with stuff at the bottom of her tote. She found her cell after the call had gone to message. Her best friend Shannon had calledâall right, her only good friend, someone she talked to a couple of times a week. Kiri could always count on Shannon, and her friend could always give her a lift.
âHey, Kiri, itâs Shannon. Sucky that you had to work late at the sucky job and canât play Fairies and Dragons with me tonight. I know how much you want that new job so remember you promised me youâd go to your block party tomorrow and meet Jenni Weavers. Donât duck out of it! And, no, I canât make it, Averill has a family thing. Tell us all the deets Sunday brunch. Smooches!â
Kiriâs smile faded. She always liked backup when entering a new social situation. She squared her shoulders. Much as she might want to, she wouldnât skip the party. It was important on two levelsâreally interacting with her neighbors and meeting Jenni Weavers, Kiriâs heroine.
Her gaze went to her computer set up in the bump of the side bay window. Sheâd stay out of the game, Fairies and Dragons, tonightâsometimes the game beckoned more than reality. And once you began spending more time in the game than anywhere else, you were in trouble. Not in control.
She sighed. Her living room was bareâshe had a lot of house and not much of anything else, like furniture.
But quiet and peaceful. Her shoulders relaxed more than just from the release of the bagâs weight.
A soft golden sunset slanted through the window. The smack of an early autumn had already swatted summer evenings gone for the year, but there was still enough light to walk around the cul-de-sac, Mystic Circle, to wind down from work. Get the kinks out. She was at the age, twenty-six, where she considered how wide her ass would spread if she stayed in a chair all day long every day.
And sheâd check on the fabulous koi in the center parkâs pond.
Sheâd recently moved from concrete and asphalt near Capitol Hill and the beautiful fish captivated her. With a smile, she slipped back out into the cool evening.