Spotlight & Giveaway: Demon’s Bluff by Kim Harrison

Today, HJ is pleased to share with you Kim Harrison’s new release: Demon’s Bluff

Rachel Morgan must go on a deadly journey—into the past—in the next thrilling Hollows novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling series.

What’s a witch to do when the coven of moral and ethical standards demands she untwist a curse—but an essential spell component no longer exists? There’s only one choice: go back in time.

Caught between self-exile and an Alcatraz cell, Rachel must find an Atlantean mirror to reverse the curse and prove to Cincinnati’s brand-new witch coven that, no, she does not practice illicit magic. Unfortunately, the only mirror of its kind in existence belonged to the insane demon Newt, forcing Rachel to go to the past to bargain with her for it.

But the time-travel spell goes awry, dragging Elyse, the young leader of the coven, into the past with Rachel. They expect to land five years in the past but instead arrive two days before Rachel’s long-lost love, Kisten, dies. Heartbroken and torn, Rachel knows she can’t change the past.

Even with no allies, Rachel still has one thing going for her: Cincinnati is her city, now and forever. If she can find a way to work with Newt and prevent Elyse from becoming the demon’s next familiar, they might all get home.

Enjoy an exclusive excerpt from Demon’s Bluff 

Eyes closed and reins held loose, i enjoyed the sedate, soft thuds of Red’s hooves beating the soft, grass‑covered ground. The rocking motion was soothing and I was tired. Trying to mesh my natural body rhythm to Trent’s crepuscular one made for early mornings. I’d been up since an ungodly eight thanks to Lucy and Ray, but it was hard to complain when morning meant real maple syrup, waffles toasted over a fire, and a ride through the ever‑after to an unwatched ley line with two little girls. I had Ray before me, and the dark‑haired, studious three‑year‑old was as comfortable on a horse as in her car seat.
The tall autumn grass of the ever‑after tickled the horses’ bellies, and the sun was shining. White‑capped mountains rose to one side, a flat, tree‑spotted plain ran on the other, and not a sign of civilization in between. Al was right. The ever‑after needed a wild herd.
Tulpa’s bluster behind me was a soft complaint, and I pulled the younger mare up, smiling as Trent and Lucy came even on the old gray. Trent looked fabulous on a horse at the worst of times. Today, though? His blond hair was almost white in the sun, his green eyes dark under the shade of his cap. He’d once had his ears docked—as all elves of his generation had—but a spell had returned them to their natural, pointy‑arched elfness to match both Lucy’s and Ray’s. Slim and confident, he brought Tulpa even with us. Two trendy princess‑and‑rainbow‑decorated backpacks sat behind him, holding what the girls would need for their weekend at Ellasbeth’s.
Seeing him there, not just dealing with his life going off the rails, but thriving, my stomach gave a little hop. I loved him, and he loved me. Sometimes, it was that simple.
Trent guided Tulpa closer until our legs touched. “We should be seeing the ley line soon. Quen said it was clear of any FIB presence in reality.” He frowned, squinting at the slight rise. “Eden Park would have been more convenient. This was a good twenty‑minute ride.”
“Perhaps, but you can’t leave your car unattended there.” I tightened my grip on Ray when the little girl pointed at the distant rise.
“See?” she said, her high voice clear, and I nodded, having brought up my own second sight. Not too far away, a ribbon of hazy red swayed and undulated at chest height. The ley line went deep into the ground as well as into the air, leaving only this narrow band that could be seen, shimmering like a heat mirage over the tall, unspoiled grass.
The sun seemed to dim as I used my second sight, and the hint of a cityscape wavered into existence within the tall grass; traffic and people moved silently amid the hard corners and dull colors. Grimacing, I dropped my second sight and reality vanished. Never in my wildest imagination would I have thought that the demon’s ever‑after would be an improvement from reality—but it was now.
“I need to walk.” Trent gracefully slipped from his horse and helped Lucy to the ground. “Go pick some flowers for your mother,” he said softly, and the little girl ran off, her straight blond hair streaming behind her. Still smiling, he reached for Ray, the quiet, dark‑haired girl already leaning down to him. “You too,” he added as he set her gently on the earth, and she beamed up at him before following her sister. The two girls shared not a drop of blood, but between Trent, Quen, and Ellasbeth, they were being raised as siblings, raised in love.
For a moment, I sat atop Red, feeling tall as I scanned the open grass‑ land. Despite the ever‑after belonging to the demons, there was nothing here to harm them, and I swung my leg over to hit the ground hard. I hadn’t been riding for a while, and I felt it. Trent’s hand found mine, and horses in tow, we followed the girls as they raced from flower to flower.
Again, the beauty of the ever‑after hit me, and I leaned into Trent until our shoulders bumped. It was probably the only place that the girls could run free like this, seeing as the ever‑after was out of reach now unless you were an elf or a demon. And whereas the demons might enjoy making my life hell, they’d been giving me some slack lately. A thank‑you, perhaps, or some respect after I had convinced them to bounce the witches’ exile curse back onto its makers. It was the witches who had suffered, not the demons. All because, in their fear, the witches had broken the most important rule: first, do no harm.
“Rachel?” Trent lifted my hand and gave it a kiss. “I’ve said it before, but the ever‑after . . . is amazing.”
I swished my free hand among the grassy seed heads. My pearl pinky ring glinted, shining from its mate on Trent’s hand being so close. “Thanks. I think most of it was from Bis. I never would have put in mountains like that.”
An odd look of longing settled on Trent. “When Al has an afternoon, I’d like him to come to the stables. If he wants a semi‑wild herd, he would probably appreciate choosing the lead stallion.”
My smile was unstoppable. I hadn’t known the demon’s love of horses until recently. Perhaps it would bring the elves and the demons closer. God knew they needed something to fix the cracks as big as a canyon. “I think he’d like that,” I said, my gaze rising to find the girls. Lucy was pulling a flower apart, singing at the top of her lungs, oblivious that she was recreating a scene that had played out over the millennium, if not the exact words.
“Spelling on a Monday! Time is washed and hung. Little girls are running. All work done. Black pot in the sun. Sparkle magic lady. Run, run, run!” “Little girls are coming,” Ray corrected her, but Lucy had thrown away the denuded flower head and was chasing a dragonfly.
It was a little piece of heaven, and I sighed as my head flopped onto Trent’s shoulder. I loved him, I loved my life—even if it was a little wonky at the moment.
And then my smile faltered as I remembered the corpse I had cremated to stall a murder investigation. Not to mention the illicit magic book Elyse wanted to see—the one that could land me in Alcatraz.
“Little girls are coming,” Ray said, red‑faced as she stood before her more vocal sister.
“Running,” Lucy demanded. “Coming!” Ray shouted. “Running!”
I gasped, reaching out when Lucy shoved Ray down, the little girl landing with a thump on her butt amid the tall grass, her green eyes wrathful as they found her sister.
“Wait.” Trent pulled me to a halt, focus intent. The girl had spells at her fingertips, thanks to Al. They were growing up elven, and the world would never be the same.
“Sparkle lady said coming!” Ray shrilled from the ground. “Say ‘I’m sorry’!”
Lucy made a face, then relented. “I’m sorry,” she said as she helped Ray up and gave her a hug that almost sent them down again. “Sparkle lady said running.”
“Nu‑uh.” Ray gave Lucy a flower, then the two of them ran off together.
Grinning, I gave Trent a little punch on his arm. “I’m impressed. You let them handle it.”
Trent exhaled, his gaze fixed on them as they ran to the ley line. “It’s harder than it looks,” he admitted.
“No, you’re wearing how hard it is all over your face. Who is sparkle lady?”
“I have no idea.” His shoulders lifted and fell. “The host of a kids’ show?
They’ve been singing it since coming back from Ellasbeth’s last week.” “Mmmm.” I relaxed against him, feeling good about myself and where I was. The line was right there, but it was hard to leave. He had a long ride back with Tulpa and Red, and then he would be alone again. It was a blessing, I suppose, that he had an entire reality to escape to if he needed. “It’s Saturday,” I reminded him, and he turned to get the girls’ bags. “Any plans?” “I’m thinking . . . getting dressed up this evening, an overpriced dinner, mingling, then checking out the renovations at the new apartment.”
His shoulders slumped.
“Sure.” I tugged him close in a sideways hug. “What will you really be doing?”
His gaze went to Lucy and Ray, both standing in the ley line and giggling as their hair rose in the magic’s static. “Probably puttering about in my mom’s old office behind the fireplace. I’m going through her books, winnowing out which ones need to go into the vault and which I can donate to the university.”
“Sounds like fun.”
“Sure, for the first fourteen hours,” he grumped, then smiled when Lucy ran to us.
“Aunt Rachel? I picked you a flower,” she said as she jammed the broken black‑eyed Susan into my grip. Mystics from the line sparked between us, and I felt my own hair lift.
“Thank you!” I enthused, but she was already gone.
“You, ah, want to come over this weekend?” Trent asked hesitantly, his attention on my staticky hair. “I’ve enough in the fridge for two. Quen always stays with the girls when they’re at Ellasbeth’s. You and I will have the entire estate to ourselves now that the staff is gone. I could use some help with the books. You have a feel for them.”
I twirled the broken flower, watching it flop from side to side as the mystics lost interest and returned to the line. They were the eyes and ears of the elven Goddess, and that they didn’t recognize me anymore was a, ah, godsend. “Sure. If I’m not in Alcatraz.”
Trent laughed—until he realized I was serious. “Because of Brice? I would have thought that Constance . . .”
“Yeah, no,” I said, flower dangling. “Brice is fine. No one cares. Which is irritating all on its own. It’s Elyse. I think she wants to show me that spell to bring back the undead.” I hesitated. “Today, at three thirty.”
“Mmmm.” Trent’s hand found mine again. “I thought only a coven member could see that particular spell.”
“Which is why she wants me to bring the book with Brad’s curse in it.” “Rachel,” he started, and I cut him off.
“Relax, I’m not going to abdicate my subrosa position to become a coven member. I’d have no voice and end up doing their dirty work. But I am going to show her the curse I used on Brad. I owe it to Vivian.” Vivian, who died because I wasn’t honest with her, when a word from me might have given her the warning she needed. It was one of my largest regrets.
“Are you sure that’s—” he started.
“If they try to put me in Alcatraz, I will take them apart.”

Excerpted from Demon’s Bluff by Kim Harrison Copyright © 2024 by Kim Harrison. Excerpted by permission of Ace. All rights reserved.

Excerpt. ©Kim Harrison. Posted by arrangement with the publisher. All rights reserved.
 
 

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Meet the Author:

Kim Harrison is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Hollows series, including Demons of Good and Evil, Trouble with the Cursed, and Million Dollar Demon. She has also published traditional fantasy under the name Dawn Cook. Kim was born and raised in Michigan and between other projects is currently working on a new Hollows book.
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