KAPS
by Christina Bauer
Angelbound Offspring #5
Monster House Books
June 30th 2020
YA Fantasy
Sometimes, you just have to punch a shape-shifting vampire Nazi. Like tonight, for instance.
Meet Princess Kaps: renegade, dragon shifter, and general pain in her royal parent’s backsides. Although Kaps pretends to love rock and roll, she’s actually obsessed with fighting the Audax, a group of shape-shifting vampire Nazis. And to slay herself some vampires, Kaps collects magical dragon relics.
Enter the L’Griffe–AKA the shifter mafia–who also hunt down supernatural artifacts. Kaps gets in their way and ends up with a price on her head. And things get tricky.
A bounty hunter named Mack comes to collect. Although he’s human, Mack knows all about shifter ways. And what he lacks in shifting power, Mack more than makes up for with a lethal combination of looks, strength, and smarts. After luring the princess away with an epic kiss, Mack slaps some supernatural handcuffs on Kaps, tosses her in a van, and heads off to L’Griffe headquarters with his quarry.
The fact that Kaps is really dragon royalty doesn’t bother Mack in the slightest. And the Audax don’t frighten him, either.
But that kiss with Kaps? It might be a problem.
“I am super intrigued by Kaps! She is independent, snarky and adventurous, and just a hint jaded. I can’t wait to see what terrible mischief she finds herself in during her own book!” – Smada’s Book Smack
Angelbound Offspring
1. Maxon
2. Portia
3. Zinnia
4. Rhodes
5. Kaps
6. Huntress
SNEAK PEEK
Like tonight, for instance.
I stroll through New York’s Central Park. Ahead of me, there strides a guy in a chicken costume. I’m talking yellow feathers, plumed tail, the whole smash. A sash extends from his shoulder to his hip that reads Eat At Cluck Town. This fellow is anything but normal, and not for the obvious wardrobe reasons.
He’s actually a vampire.
Even worse, he’s an audax, which is a shape-shifting vampire Nazi. All audax started off as German soldiers in World War II. During a raid, they entered the magical city of El Dorado, got changed into vampires, and have been causing trouble ever since.
All of which is why I can’t wait to punch this particular blood sucker.
With a stake.
Right through his heart.
Because I’m more than just a teenager who’s dressed up for a night of dancing. I’m a dragon-shifter princess with a secret obsession.
Slaying audax.
I know. My life is strange. It runs in the family.
Squinting, I focus on the guy’s birdy outfit. Dragon shifters like me are immune to supernatural glamours, so I can easily detect the decaying body that’s magically hidden under all those feathers.
Hello, vampire.
The real costume-wearing human got attacked by an audax. After drinking the victim’s blood, this particular vampire magically took on the man’s appearance, bird outfit and all.
And the original chicken guy? Way dead.
Cold sorrow moves through me. Most likely, I’m the first to know about this lost life. I’m certainly the only one around here who detects the audax.
Ah, to be a clueless human. They’ve no idea how many evils surround them.
For his part, Vampire Chicken Guy (VCG for short) keeps sauntering along the stone path, his plumed tail bobbing with each step. He pulls off his fake chicken head to reveal someone my age—that would be seventeen—with round cheeks, short red hair and tons of freckles. A stolen face.
My grief melts into lava-hot rage. How dare this audax kill a human? I twist the clunky golden bracelet around my right wrist. If I take this off and flip the segments about, it transforms into a small spike. That’s the only way to fully kill an audax…
A golden stake through the heart.
Meanwhile VCG smiles innocently at passersby. New Yorkers actually grin and wave in return, which is rare. Must be a chicken thing. I hoist up my bandeau top and keep following. The dance club can wait.
VCG is going down.
And here she is...
Christina Bauer thinks that fantasy books are like bacon: they just make life better. All of which is why she writes romance novels that feature demons, dragons, wizards, witches, elves, elementals, and a bunch of random stuff that she brainstorms while riding the Boston T. Oh, and she includes lots of humor and kick-ass chicks, too.
Christina graduated from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School with BA’s in English along with Television, Radio, and Film Production. She lives in Newton, MA with her husband, son, and semi-insane golden retriever, Ruby.
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