LILITH SAINTCROW - THE WATCHERS

 

Theodora Morgan knows she's a little strange. Her talent for healing has set her apart, marked her as different all her life—a life spent moving from town to town when too much notice is taken of her abilites. Unfortunately, her talent for healing has brought her to the attention of the Crusade—and the Dark. The Crusade wants her dead because she's psychic, the Dark wants to feed on her talent—and then there's Dante. Tall and grim and armed with black-bladed knives, guns and a sword, he says he's here to protect her. But what if Theo needs protection from him?

Dante is a Watcher, sworn by Circle Lightfall to protect the Lightbringers. His next assignment? Watch over Theo. She doesn't know she's a Lightbringer, she doesn't know she's surrounded by enemies—and she doesn't know she's been marked for death by a bunch of fanatics. Perfect. He can't protect her if she doesn't trust him, but how can she possibly trust a man scarred by murder and warfare—a man who smells like the same Darkness Theo has been running from all her life?

The Witch:

All Mariamne Niege wants is to finish her thesis and get a job. Unfortunately, she's a Guardian now, and her visions of the future have grown so intense she's blind to the world while in their grip. Her Watcher, Hanson, is sleeping on her couch and scaring her roommates when he's not shepherding her through the visions and calming her worsening nightmares. Then the earthquakes start, warning of an even bigger disaster—a cataclysm that could level her beloved city and claim countless innocent lives. A disaster her visions say are triggered by Hanson, even though he's sworn to protect her...

The Watcher:

Hanson joined the Watchers to atone for a life of lies, but the only way he can stay close enough to Mari to protect her is to use some of his less-than-honest talents. She is the only witch who can ease the agony of being a Watcher, and the only woman in the world he wants. Then Mari's house is broken into and her roommates slaughtered, and in order to...

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...

The Lightbringer:

Anya Harris's unwanted talents have made her a refugee, flying from city to city ahead of a tide of burning terror nobody else can see. She's hoping Santiago City will be different, but deep in her heart of hearts, she knows nowhere is safe enough for someone with her secrets. When the gray-eyed man with guns and a sword shows up, claiming to be sent to protect her, Anya has to believe him. After all, she has nowhere else to go.

The Watcher:

Jack Gray is one of the oldest Watchers around, scarred by the battle between Circle Lightfall and the Crusade. He's found his witch, and nothing is going to get in the way of protecting her. But being a Watcher is never as simple as it looks. Anya's talent makes her worth millions, if she's delivered alive to the right corporate bidders. Jack's the only one who can save her. But when she finds out who he really is, he might lose her for good...

The attacks are brutal, leaving the victims unconscious and broken. Circle Lightfall doesn't even know who—or what—to suspect, so Caro Robbins, a Mindhealer who might be able to piece together what's happening to these crushed bodies and shattered minds, is called in. Unfortunately, a Mindhealer is also vulnerable to the Dark—and Caro refuses even the idea of having a Watcher. She won't have another man die in front of her, and that's that.

The witch Merrick rescues from the dogs of the Dark is obnoxiously stubborn, infuriating, and seemingly determined to put herself in every dangerous situation possible. It's enough to drive a man insane, and definitely enough to make a Watcher frustrated. How is he supposed to protect her, especially when she insists she doesn't need a Watcher?

But Caro is going to need all Merrick’s skill and strength sooner than anyone guesses. The attacks haven't stopped, and the closer Caro gets to solving the mystery, the more danger she's in. Because she's the next victim—unless Merrick can save her. And Merrick just might die in the line of fire if Caro can't find a way to keep her Watcher safe.

He’s not the only one watching her…

For years Jorie Camden has been quietly helping her police friends pursue cold cases, and she’s paid the price over and over again, her talent for Finding stretched to the limit. Now something different is stalking the streets, taking children—something old, and foul, and Dark. The cops won’t admit there’s a problem, so what can a Lightbringer do but solve the mystery on her own?

Caleb is a Watcher of Circle Lightfall, and his mission is simple: protect the witch he’s assigned to—the witch who just happens to be able to touch him without causing agonizing pain. It’s his one shot at redemption, and it’ll take every weapon he has, plus his willingness to play dirty. Even if his witch seems to be chasing something no one can see.

Yet something Dark is indeed in their city. And now that it’s aware of pursuit, it has plans for Jorie and her talent—plans not even Caleb might be able to stop…