Black Widow

Praise for the
New York Times
bestselling Elemental Assassin series

“Engrossing!”

—
Publishers Weekly

“Gritty!”

—
RT Book Reviews

“A raw, gritty, and compelling walk on the wild side.”

—Nalini Singh,
New York Times
bestselling author

“Estep's heroines are a wonderful mixture of strength, intelligence, and a deeply buried vulnerability that allows us to relate to them on every level. Her Elemental Assassin series is sharp, witty, and dark.”

—
Heroes and Heartbreakers

“The Elemental Assassin series is unparalleled when it comes to originality.”

—
Single Titles

“Interesting story lines, alluring world, and fascinating characters. That is what I've come to expect from Estep's series.”

—
Yummy Men & Kick Ass Chicks

Praise for
THE SPIDER
—
an origin story of Ashland's most feared assassin

“An amazing ride . . .
The Spider
made me fall in love with Gin all over again.”

—
All Things Urban Fantasy

“Estep did a great job of having a younger, more naïve, and a less patient Gin come across the page.”

—
Vampire Book Club

“By the time I finished the story, I was tremendously satisfied and as anxious as ever for more from Ashland's greatest (semi-retired) assassin.”

—
Smexy Books

“Gripping.”

—
The Book Vixen

“By the time I finished the book, I was riding an incredible book high that was making me want to start the series over again.”

—
Dark Faerie Tales

“Hands down the best of the series yet! I devoured this book.”

—
Under the Covers Book Blog

More acclaim for the bestselling series

HEART OF VENOM

“Amazing . . . Estep is one of those rare authors who excels at both action set pieces and layered character development. This one-two punch makes
Heart of Venom
and all of Estep's Gin Blanco books unmatched entertainment!”

—
RT Book Reviews
(Top Pick!)

“Action-packed with tons of character growth . . . One of the best books in the series, which says a lot because Estep's writing rarely, if ever, disappoints.”

—
Fall Into Books

“Wonderfully intense and graphic fight scenes, a plot that doesn't slow down, and bad guys that bring new meaning to the word
sadistic
.”

—
All Things Urban Fantasy

DEADLY STING

“Classic Estep with breathtaking thrills, coolly executed fights, and a punch of humor, which all add up to unbeatable entertainment!”

—
RT Book Reviews
(Top Pick!)

“This book is brimming with suspense and fast-paced action. The pacing and plotting are absolute perfection! There's never a dull moment!”

—
Under the Covers Book Blog

WIDOW'S WEB

“Estep has found the perfect recipe for combining kick-butt action and high-stakes danger with emotional resonance.”

—
RT Book Reviews
(Top Pick!)

“Filled with such emotional and physical intensity that it leaves you happily exhausted by the end.”

—
All Things Urban Fantasy

BY A THREAD

“Filled with butt-kicking action, insidious danger, and a heroine with her own unique moral code, this thrilling story is top-notch. Brava!”

—
RT Book Reviews
(Top Pick!)

“Gin is stronger than ever, and this series shows no signs of losing steam.”

—
Fiction Vixen

SPIDER'S REVENGE

“Explosive . . . Hang on, this is one smackdown you won't want to miss!”

—
RT Book Reviews
(Top Pick!)

“A whirlwind of tension, intrigue, and mind-blowing action that leaves your heart pounding.”

—
Smexy Books

To my mom, my grandma, and Andre—for your love, patience, and everything else that you've given me over the years.

To my grandma (again)—who is never everyday old stuff.

To my papaw—you will be missed.

Once again, my heartfelt thanks go out to all the folks who help turn my words into a book.

Thanks go to my agent, Annelise Robey, and editors, Adam Wilson and Lauren McKenna, for all their helpful advice, support, and encouragement. Thanks also to Trey Bidinger.

Thanks to Tony Mauro for designing another terrific cover, and thanks to Louise Burke, Lisa Litwack, and everyone else at Pocket Books and Simon & Schuster for their work on the cover, the book, and the series.

And finally, a big thanks to all the readers. Knowing that folks read and enjoy my books is truly humbling, and I'm glad that you are all enjoying Gin and her adventures.

I appreciate you all more than you will ever know.

Happy reading!

1

It was torture.

Watching your mortal enemy get everything she'd ever wanted was torture, pure and simple.

Madeline Magda Monroe stood off to one side of a wooden podium, her hands clasped in front of her strong, slender body and a serious, thoughtful expression on her beautiful face. Next to her, a city official sporting a brown plaid jacket and a gray handlebar mustache droned on and on and
on
about all the good things that her mother, Mab Monroe, had done for Ashland.

Please. The only good thing Mab had ever done in her entire life was die. Something that I'd been all too happy to help her with.

Then again, that's what assassins did, and I was the Spider, one of the best.

Madeline's crimson lips quirked, revealing a hint of her dazzling white teeth, as though she found the same irony
in the speaker's words that I did. She knew precisely what a sadistic bitch her mother had been, especially since she was cut from the exact same bloodstained cloth.

Still, even I had to admit that Madeline made an angelic figure, standing there so calmly, so serenely, in her tailored white pantsuit, as though she was truly enjoying listening to all of the prattle about Mab's supposed charitable works. It was high noon, and the bright sun brought out the coppery streaks in Madeline's thick auburn hair, making it seem as if her long, flowing locks were strings of glowing embers about to burst into flames. But Madeline didn't have her mama's famed elemental Fire power. She had something much rarer and far more dangerous: acid magic.

Madeline shifted on her white stilettos, making the sun shimmer on the silverstone necklace circling her throat—a crown with a flame-shaped emerald set in the center of it. A ring on her right hand featured the same design. Madeline's personal rune, the symbol for raw, destructive power, eerily similar to the ruby sunburst necklace that Mab had worn before I'd destroyed it—and her.

Just staring at Madeline's rune was enough to make my hands curl into fists, my fingers digging into the scars embedded deep in my palms—each a small circle surrounded by eight thin rays. A spider rune, the symbol for patience.

Mab had given me the scars years ago, when she'd melted my spider rune necklace into my palms, forever marking me. I just wondered how many more scars her daughter would add to my collection before our family feud was settled.

“I'd say that she looks like the cat who ate the canary, but we both know that she'd just use her acid magic to obliterate the poor thing.” The suave, drawling voice somehow made the words that much snarkier.

I looked to my right at the man who was leaning against the maple tree that shaded us both, his shoulders relaxed, his hands stuffed in his pants pockets, his long legs crossed at the ankles. His hair was a dark walnut, blending into the trunk of the tree behind him, but amusement glinted in his green eyes, making them stand out despite the dappled shadows that danced over his handsome face. His ash-gray Fiona Fine suit draped perfectly over his muscular figure, giving him a casual elegance that was the complete opposite of my tense, rigid, watchful stance. Then again, Finnegan Lane, my foster brother, always looked as cool as an ice-cream sundae, whether he was out for a seemingly simple stroll in the park, wheeling and dealing as an investment banker, or peering through a sniper's scope, ready to put a bullet through someone's skull.

Finn arched an eyebrow at me. “Well, Gin? What do you say?”

I snorted. “Oh, Madeline wouldn't use her acid magic herself. She'd manipulate someone else into killing the bird
and
the cat for her—and have the poor fool convinced that it had been his idea all the while.”

He let out a low chuckle. “Well, you have to admire that about her.”

I snorted again. “That she's a master manipulator who likes to make people dance to the strings that she so gleefully wraps around them before they even realize what's happening? Please. The only thing I admire about her is
that she's managed to keep a mostly straight face through this entire farce of a dedication.”

Finn and I were standing at the back of a crowd that had gathered in a park in Northtown, the rich, fancy, highfalutin part of Ashland that was home to the wealthy, powerful, and extremely dangerous. The park was exactly what you'd expect to find in this part of Northtown: lots of perfectly landscaped lawns and towering trees with thick tangles of branches, along with an enormous playground that featured seesaws, swing sets, a sandbox, and a merry-go-round. It was a picturesque scene, especially given the beautiful blue-sky October afternoon and the rich, deep, earthy scent of autumn that swirled through the air on the faint breeze. But the pleasantly warm temperature and cheery rays streaming through the burnt-orange leaves over my head did absolutely nothing to improve my mood.