When Radiance Ashworth inherits the family fortune and a nasty supernatural curse, life as she knows it is over forever. Instead of luxurious pampering, she’s stuck chasing wayward spirits and sending them back to the Hereafter. Her new normal consists of ectoplasmic goo, bruises, and ruined clothes.

Fortunately, she doesn’t have to navigate the supernatural world alone. Luca, sexy, confident, and so damn tempting, is happy to guide her – if she’d only accept his help. She quickly learns how much she needs his assistance just to stay alive, when a Jiang Shi – a vengeful Chinese spirit – starts systematically murdering the city’s elite business leaders. While the Jiang Shi proves to be a formidable opponent, Radiance finds the growing attraction between her and Luca to be even scarier.

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He who bravely dares must sometimes risk a fall – fortune cookie

If anyone ever shows up on your doorstop and promises you the world on a platter – walk away. No, better yet – run. Run as if your life depends on it. Slam the door, lock it, and then hide in a deep, dark closet.

Whatever they promise: youth, power, money – it’s too good to be true. And there’s always nasty strings attached. Deals with the Devil never end well. Trust me. I’m an expert. I wish my ancestors had been a whole lot smarter or lot less greedy.

“Dumb ass,” I muttered to myself. Maybe if I were smarter, I wouldn’t be surrounded by the greedy unbearable vultures also known as my family. I should’ve taken my own damn advice and stayed home.

Who was I kidding?

It’s not like I had a real choice. Even in death, old Sebastian would have his way. I’d been summoned like the rest of the Ashworth lot. Family members I hadn’t seen since I was a child surfaced from the woodwork like industrious termites, each hoping for a piece of the fortune.

Everyone, except my naïve cousin Reginald. He believed that Gramps would be leaving him the lion’s share of the Ashworth fortune.

“Grandfather loved me best,” he leaned over and spoke into my ear for the fifth time. “I worked in his offices. I did all of his errands.”

I stifled a yawn and pulled away, trying to distance myself as best I could from his hot breath. Not that Reg noticed. He continued to prattle on. “He told me I would be rewarded. That he hadn’t forgotten me.” The last bit came out tinged with a smidgen of uncertainty. As if he needed to convince himself that his delusions were true.

When I failed to respond, he narrowed his eyes and took me in, as if realizing who he was speaking to for the first time. “Say, Radiance, why are you even here? Didn’t you break away from the old man? Some bit of scandal with you and a young French diplomat. Very embarrassing for your parents, if I recall.”

In my mind, the entire affair had been blown way out of proportion. Artois and I had a brief fling that consisted mainly of epic bouts of sex. Because of my parents’ celebrity status it became a huge deal in the press. Hunter and Artemis Ashworth, didn’t give a rat’s ass what I did. By then, I was twenty and therefore not their responsibility anymore. It was my grandfather who took exception to the incident. Said, I needed to be more discrete in my affairs. In my defense, I didn’t know Artois had been covertly recording our trysts. The only saving grace, the footage was grainy and my face was hidden.

The family PR machine spun the story away with the assertion it hadn’t been me. Easy peasy. Behold the power of unbridled wealth. After a rare heart to heart with my father, where he intimated that Sebastian could make people disappear, I’d had an epiphany. More like a major wake-up call of epic proportion. Knowing that I could get away with anything scared the hell out of me. I did a one-eighty, enrolled in art school, and presto-chango, long story short, I became a moderately successful children’s book illustrator.

No more parties. No more bad girl behavior. I was a normal citizen, happy to be out of the limelight.

Reg wasn’t about to let it drop. “Still like to get Brazilian waxes?”

My mouth hung open. He had watched the video? What a twisted freak!

I opened my mouth. The words, fuck off, poised on my lips.