Book excerpt: As far as necromancer Elise Macrow is concerned, her parents are just about the nicest people on the planet. So, she is both shocked and horrified at the news that her father has been kidnapped. With the help of her friend Tallon-a vampire and a detective-and a mysterious elder vampire named Ekatarine, they discover a secret plot to throw the world of mages and vampires into chaos. It's a race against time to find a dangerous ancient artifact before their war can spill over into the mortal world.