Book excerpt: In this sexy paranormal thriller, a powerful shaman queen takes the ultimate risk to stop a war that threatens to destroy her Otherworldly kingdom. Back in the mortal realm, shaman-for-hire Eugenie Markham was skilled at banishing beings that didn't belong. But as the Thorn Land's new queen, she's desperately searching for a way to end the war devastating her kingdom. Her only hope is the Iron Crown, a legendary object even the most powerful gentry fear . . . Knowing who to trust is the hardest part. Fairy king Dorian has his own agenda for aiding her search. And Kiyo, her shape-shifter ex-boyfriend, has every reason to betray her along the way. To control the Crown's ever-consuming powers, Eugenie will have to confront an unimaginable temptation—one that will put her soul and the fate of two worlds in mortal peril . . .