The Hunter's Gambit

By: Ciel Pierlot

From the award nominated author of Bluebird comes a riveting, spicy fantasy, featuring malevolent vampires and a locked-room escape adventure, perfect for fans of Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff.

The city of Mavazem is plagued by creatures of the night. Geist possession is on the rise and aristocratic vampires haunt their remote manors. Humans build city walls and sharpen their pitchforks, waiting for the inevitable. Kazan Korvic refuses to cower. As an expert blacksmith with a sharp grifter's eye, her specialty lies in crafting - and using -weapons designed to kill the creatures that plague her city.

But sword skills aren't enough to protect her when a group of sinister, blood-sport loving vampires attack her caravan. After a bloody battle in a remote wood, Kazan is captured and forced to attend this year's Vampire Court celebration at the inescapable Vampire Citadel. For three days she'll serve as the puppet Vampire Queen, forced to entertain and to suffer at the hands of her vicious captors. And at the end of her reign, the party will culminate with an extravagant feast... with Kazan as the main course.

Kazan has a plan: find her sword, which was taken in the raid, and then find a way out. She has no allies. She has no friends. And while a handsome vampire lord and a flirtatious vampire noblewoman take an interest in Kazan, they won't lift a finger to help her. With the clock ticking down the last three days she has to live, and every attempt to escape failing, Kazan can feel the walls closing in.

But she's not just trapped in the Citadel with these bloodthirsty bastards. They're trapped with her, too. And they're not prepared for just how far she's willing to go to survive and exact her revenge.