Demon Bound

Praise for Caitlin Kittredge’s Nocturne City series

    PURE BLOOD

    “
Pure Blood
pounds along hard on the heels of
Night Life
, and is every bit as much fun as the first in the series. With a gutsy, likable protagonist and a well-made fantasy world,
Pure Blood
is real enough to make you think twice about locking your doors at night. A swiftly paced plot, a growing cast of solid supporting characters, and a lead character you can actually care about—Kittredge is a winner.”
    —Jim Butcher

    “ With enough supernatural death and romance to keep readers glued to the pages…Jump in with both feet and hang on tight because
Pure Blood
is an emotion-filled ride.”
    —Darque Reviews

    “The pacing is rapid and the peril imminent…This is a series and an author that are definitely going places!”
    —Romantic Times BOOKreviews

    “The unexpected plot twists and high-octane action of
Pure Blood
kept me turning the pages until the wee hours of the morning.”
    —Romance Junkies

    NIGHT LIFE

    “Dark and cutting-edge.”
    —Romantic Times BOOKreviews

    “I loved the mystery and the smart, gutsy heroine.”
    —Karen Chance,
New York Times
bestselling author of
Claimed by Shadow

    “Don’t go to bed with this book—it will keep you up all night. It’s that good.”
    —Lilith Saintcrow, national bestselling author of
Working for the Devil

    “Luna is tough, smart, and fierce, hiding a conflicted and insecure nature behind her drive for justice and independence, without falling into cliché. It's also just a lot of fun to read.”
    —Kat Richardson, national bestselling author of
Greywalker

    “Fast-paced, sexy, and witty with many more interesting characters than I have time to mention. I'm looking forward to reading more stories in the exciting Nocturne City series.”
    —Fresh Fiction

    “Wow, I am still thinking about this book. The last time I reacted to a book this way, it was the first Mercy Thompson book by Patricia Briggs. If you are looking for a book that seamlessly blends a police procedural with a paranormal, go out and get this book.”
    —Night Owl Reviews

    “A tense, gritty urban fantasy that grips the audience from the onset.”
    —Mystery Gazette

    “
Night Life
dived right into the action, and carried me along for the ride…If the following books are written with the same care and interest as
Night Life
, they will be a welcome addition to this fantasy genre.”
    —Armchair Interviews

St. Martin’s Paperbacks Titles by
    Caitlin Kittredge
    BLACK LONDON SERIES
    Street Magic
    Demon Bound
    NOCTURNE CITY SERIES
    Night Life
    Pure Blood
    Second Skin
    Witch Craft

Demon Bound
    CAITLIN KITTREDGE
    St. Martin’s Paperbacks

NOTE: If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”

    This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

    DEMON BOUND

    Copyright © 2009 by Caitlin Kittredge.

    All rights reserved.

    For information address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.

    ISBN 978-0-312-94363-9

    Printed in the United States of America

    St. Martin’s Paperbacks edition / December 2009

    St. Martin’s Paperbacks are published by St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.

    10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

PART I
Clockwork
    Listen to the army march across my coffin lid
Fire in the east and sunrise in the west
I’m just a dead man, walking with the rest
    —The Poor Dead Bastards,
“Dead Man Marching”

Chapter One
    A crow sat on the dead branch of the dead tree that watched over two gravestones in the corner of Brompton Cemetery. It watched Jack Winter with its black eyes like beads, and he watched the crow in turn, with eyes that most people called ice, but that he called simply blue.
    Jack drew a Parliament out of the air and touched his finger to the tip. He sucked a lungful of smoke and blew it at the crow, which flapped its wings and snapped its beak in irritation. “Fuck off, then,” Jack told it. “Not like I want you hanging about.”
    “Leave that bird alone,” said his companion. “If the map I got from tourist information is right, the graves are close by here.” Her circular ramble through the headstones