Your death is going to be a pleasure for both of us, Rachel Mariana Morgan. Such a twisted way to die—in pleasure."

The air blurred before me, and I staggered as I realized the thing had changed again, now into a tall, sophisticated young man dressed in a formal frock and coat. Was it a vamp? A really old vampire?

"Perhaps you're afraid of pain?" the vision of an elegant man said, its accent now proper enough for even Professor Henry Higgins. Grinning, it picked me up and threw me across the room.

My back hit the cabinet with enough force to knock the air from me. The clatter of my knife on the floor was loud as my fingers lost their grip. Struggling to breathe, I slid down the broken cabinet and was helpless as the thing lifted me by my dress front.

"What are you?" I rasped.

It smiled. "Whatever scares you."

"A fun-fair ride through a fascinating version of our world."

Charlaine Harris

"It isn't easy to write a protagonist who blends qualities of Anita Blake and Stephanie Plum, but Kim Harrison carries it off with style."

Jim Butcher