Up In Smoke

Table of Contents

 

 

“[A] comedic, hot paranormal caper.”—
Booklist

“A wonderfully amusing relationship drama . . . a laugh-out-loud tale.”—
Midwest Book Review

“Hysterical. . . . MacAlister hits the humor button dead-on. . . . This cast of wacky—if somewhat dangerous—characters makes for giggles galore, while also producing some hair-raising adventures. MacAlister has written a cure for the common blues!”

—
Romantic Times

“Crazy paranormal high jinks, delightful characters, and simmering romance.”—
Booklist

“Once again Katie MacAlister knocks one out of the box with the third book in the Aisling Grey series.
Light My Fire
. . . takes you on a nonstop thrill ride full of sarcastic wit, verve, and action right to the end. Clear your day, because you will not put this book down until it is finished.”

—A Romance Review

“There is lots of enjoyment to be had. . . . This is a staying-up-late-to-see-what-happens-next story.”

—
The Romance Reader

“Once again Aisling Grey will fire up readers. . . . Katie MacAlister provides a humorous fantasy.”

—
Midwest Book Review

 

“[A] wickedly witty, wildly inventive, and fiendishly fun adventure in the paranormal world.”—
Booklist

 

“Who knows where she will take us next! . . . [A] fascinating and fun writer.”—The Best Reviews

 

“Fresh, funny, and fabulous . . .
Fire Me Up
will crack you up. With so many intriguing, intelligently drawn, distinctive characters, it is no wonder [Katie MacAlister] is soaring to the top.”—A Romance Review

 

“MacAlister's ability to combine adventure, thrills, passion, and outlandish humor is fast making her a superstar. Unstoppable fun!”

—
Romantic Times BOOKclub

 

 

“Smart, sexy, and laugh-out-loud funny!”

—Christine Feehan

 

“Amusing romantic fantasy. . . . Fans will appreciate this warm, humorous tale that slays readers with laughter.”—The Best Reviews

 

“Katie MacAlister creates an entertaining world of demons, dragons and the people who control them. . . . Intriguing and funny.”

—A Romance Review

“Graced with MacAlister's signature sharp wit and fabulously fun characters, this paranormal romance is wickedly sensual and irresistibly amusing.”

—
Booklist

 

“In the first of what I hope are many Aisling Grey novels, MacAlister shoots straight for the paranormal funny bone. Her outlandish sense of humor is the perfect complement to her sexy stories.”

—
Romantic Times
(Top Pick, 4
¹
⁄2 stars)

 

“Humor, suspense, and intriguing characters . . . a real winner.”—Romance Reviews Today

 

 

“MacAlister's fast-paced romp is a delight with all its quirky twists and turns, which even include a murder mystery.”—
Booklist

 

“A wild, zany romantic fantasy. . . . Paranormal romance readers will enjoy this madcap tale of the logical physicist who finds love.”—The Best Reviews

 

“A fascinating paranormal read that will captivate you.”—Romance Reviews Today

 

“A pleasurable afternoon of reading.”

—
The Romance Reader

 

“The sexy humor, wild secondary characters, and outlandish events make her novels pure escapist pleasure!”—
Romantic Times

Paranormal Romances
PLAYING WITH FIRE, A Novel of the Silver Dragons
HOLY SMOKES, An Aisling Grey, Guardian, Novel
LIGHT MY FIRE, An Aisling Grey, Guardian, Novel
FIRE ME UP, An Aisling Grey, Guardian, Novel
YOU SLAY ME, An Aisling Grey, Guardian, Novel
THE LAST OF THE RED-HOT VAMPIRES
EVEN VAMPIRES GET THE BLUES

 

Contemporary Romances
BLOW ME DOWN
HARD DAY'S KNIGHT
THE CORSET DIARIES
MEN IN KILTS

SIGNET
Published by New American Library, a division of
Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street,
New York, New York 10014, USA
Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto,
Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)
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Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices:
80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
First published by Signet, an imprint of New American Library,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
First Printing, October 2008

Copyright © Katie MacAlister, 2008

eISBN : 978-0-451-22528-3

REGISTERED TRADEMARK—MARCA REGISTRADA

Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

PUBLISHER'S NOTE

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.

The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author's rights is appreciated.

To Dave Morace and Aimee Schmelter,
with many thanks for making me giggle at
inappropriate moments, and for letting me
refer to them as Lintyblobs and Iddykins.

Chapter One

“
B
eautiful in is beautiful out; that's what they taught us at Carrie Fay, and I absolutely believe it's true. I mean, think about it—the sort of person you are doesn't just stay inside you, now, does it?”

Before I could sort through that odd bit of logic, a cold, wet blob smelling of earth and minerals was slathered across my mouth. “Mmm-hmm,” I contented myself with answering.

“I'll wipe off your lips, but no talking, sugar. We can't have you moving your mouth as the mask dries. Anyway, it's absolutely true. Just look at you, for instance!”

The petite, blond, perky woman in front of me who had been applying an olive green clay mask to my face stepped back to consider me; she held a small bowl in one hand, and her other hand was sheathed in a latex glove covered in the same gloop. She waved at me with the bowl. “You don't look evil in the least, and yet here you are, about to wed a demon lord!”

“Sally, I'm not marrying Magoth—” I started to say, but she cut me off with a frown.

“No talking, sugar! I just told you that! Where were we? Oh, yes, how appearances can be deceiving.” Her frown deepened somewhat as she eye-balled me. I squirmed in the chair, never comfortable being the center of anyone's attention . . . with one notable exception.

My heart gave a little quiver as a familiar ache started within me at the vision that rose in my mind's eye—a man laughing with utter delight, dimples set in his beautiful latte-colored skin, his eyes flashing like quicksilver. Just the thought of him had my heart speeding up even as I mourned the fact that I hadn't seen Gabriel in more than a month.

“You look like a normal woman—although I have to say that the 1920s flapper hairstyle you seem to enjoy is a bit less than mainstream. But other than that, you look perfectly normal, kind almost, not at all like you were to become Mrs. Demon Lord.”

“I'm not marrying Magoth,” I said, trying not to move my lips.

“Oh, well, consort, marrying . . . it's all the same thing, isn't it? Just a smidgen more on your forehead, sugar. You need a lot of exfoliating there. Whatever have you been using on your face? No, don't answer; let the mask dry. Here, do you want to see yourself?” Sally put down her things and peeled off the glove, admiring her handiwork for a moment before offering me a mirror.

I kept my jaw clamped shut as I said slowly, moving my mouth as little as possible, “No, thanks. I'm a doppelganger. We don't have reflections.”

“You don't? I never noticed that.”

“It's not something that most people know.”