The Fire Witch: Elise Nicholson isn't your ordinary witch. For one thing, she can light candles with a look, and she plays a mean guitar. Unfortunately, being able to call fire out of the air isn't the most useful skill around. To top it off, she's a Guardian of the City, and the other Guardians--her two best friends--have no time for her. They're too busy with their Watchers, the grim, black-coated warriors sworn to protect Elise and her friends from the Dark. Lonely, skating the edge of controlling her intensified "gifts," Elise is quickly running out of options and patience. Then the Trifero--a Talisman capable of blowing the city sky-high--lands in her lap, and everything just gets worse. The Watcher: Remy is the Hunter, snatching Talismans away from the Dark and struggling with the constant agony of being a Watcher. Then he's assigned to stand guard over a smart-mouthed fire witch who not only hates Watchers, but has just found the Trifero. If the Dark catches Elise, she'll be broken, turned into a magical weapon, and sold to the highest bidder. Not only does Remy have to get to her first and keep the Dark away, but he also must convince Elise that he means her no harm--and that's the easy part of the job. If he pulls this one off, he just might redeem himself the way every Watcher aches to do. But if he fails, both he and Elise might be better off dead . . . Bounced around the world as a military brat, Lilith Saintcrow fell in love with writing in second grade and never looked back. She currently resides in Vancouver, Washington, with two children, a menagerie, and books. Find her on the web at lilithsaintcrow.com.