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  Acknowledgments:

  Being an author is one of the more solitary professions out there, but the process doesn't stop once the words are on the screen, and this book never would have seen the light of day without the help of numerous people.

  My editors, RJ Locksley and Amy Jirsa-Smith did great work fixing my usual run of mixed metaphors and misplaced words. It took me a long time to find editors that I was completely happy with, and I'm glad they continue to work with me.

  My advanced readers are a great bunch, many of whom do even more than simply reading my new releases looking for the spattering of errors I always end up introducing into the text while going through the editing process. I'd like to express a big thank you to my Mom & Dad, Mark, Shalese, Matthew, Mimi, Kim, Heather Tucker, Jenine Anderson and Janelle Gordinier.

  As always, Katie has been incredibly supportive throughout this process. Not only has she continued to serve as my very first reader, she has recently gone back through nearly all of my covers and re-branded them in a herculean effort to help us achieve our dreams. Thank you, Katie.

  About the Author:

  Dean Murray is a prolific author with more than 25 titles across multiple pen names and more than 350,000 copies of his work currently in circulation.

  Dean started reading seriously in the second grade due to a competition and has spent most of the subsequent three decades lost in other people's worlds.

  Things worsened, or improved depending on your point of view, when he first started experimenting with writing while finishing up his accounting degree. These days Dean has a wonderful wife and two lovely daughters to keep him rather more grounded, but the idea of bringing others along with him as he meets interesting new people in universes nobody else has ever seen tends to drag him back to his computer on a fairly regular basis.

  Keep up to speed on Dean's latest projects at deanwrites.com. If you want to interact with readers who love the series as much as you do, please consider checking out the Reflections Facebook page or Dean's Forum.

  The image used in the creation of the cover for this book is copyrighted by Kylee Ann Photography (www.kyleeann.com) and is used with permission.

  Other Books by Dean Murray

  The Greater Darkness

  (Writing as Eldon Murphy)

  Something powerful is stirring in the darkness. Something so ancient that even creatures who've been alive for hundreds of years have long since discounted this new threat as nothing more than myth.

  Normal humans will be caught in the crossfire, but then that's always the way of things. Geoffrey has no memory of his past life or any idea how to survive in the violent, dangerous world in which he's trapped. Despite his best efforts, he's about to find himself in the middle of a conflict that threatens to sweep away everything, and everyone he's been fighting so hard to protect.

  Torn

  Shape shifter Alec Graves has spent nearly a decade trying to keep his family from being drawn into open warfare with a larger pack. The new girl at school shouldn't matter, but the more he gets to know her, the more mysterious she becomes. Worse, she seems to know things she shouldn't about his shadowy world.

  Is she an unfortunate victim or bait designed to draw him into a fatal misstep? If she's a victim, then he's running out of time to save her. If she's bait, then his attraction to her will pull him into a fight that'll cost him everything.

  Publisher's Note: Torn is a complete novel in its own right, but also represents one-half of a double novel when paired with Broken (currently free). Regardless of which book you start with, the two are designed such that you can continue on to the other in order to get answers to questions not answered in the book you started with. The series continues with Splintered which is available as part of the Bitten Story Bundle.

  Broken

  Adri Paige is too busy dealing with the emotional fallout from losing half of her family to deal with boys. At least she thought so until the two most intriguing guys in her new school take an interest in her.

  Both boys are gorgeous and blessed with obscene amounts of money. They should have the emotional depth of note cards, but instead display undercurrents she doesn't fully understand. Rumors the pair destroys peoples' livelihoods seem ludicrous until she gets caught in the crossfire and her family almost loses their home. She's increasingly unsure either boy is really human, and their rivalry is rapidly turning deadly.

  Broken is a complete novel in its own right, but also represents one-half of a double novel when paired with Torn. Regardless of which book you start with, the two are designed such that you can continue on to the other in order to get answers to questions not answered in the book you started with. The series continues with Splintered which is available as part of the Bitten Story Bundle.

  Frozen Prospects

  The invitation to join the secretive Guadel should have been the fulfillment of dreams Va'del didn't even realize he had. When his sponsors are killed in an ambush a short time later, he instead finds his probationary status revoked, and becomes a pawn between various factions inside the Guadel ruling body.

  Jain's never known any life but that of a Guadel in training. She'd thought herself reconciled to the idea of a loveless marriage for the good of her people, but meeting Va'del changes everything. Their growing attraction flies against hundreds of years of precedent, but as wide-spread attacks threaten their world, the Guadel have no choice but to use even Jain and Va'del in their fight for survival.

  CHET: Whispers From the Past

  By Larry Murray

  Meet Charles Tucker, he has spent nearly 30 years living in denial, trying desperately to hide from his past and the events that shattered his heart beyond any possibility of healing. He can't let anyone close, for doing so would open him up to being hurt again, and there's no way he could survive another wounding.

  Meet the Saunders family, new to the neighborhood and teetering on the verge of bankruptcy. Mark, the father, talks a good story but is that all he is? His plan could hold the key to reversing his family's financial misfortunes, or it could wipe out everyone involved.

  Meet Chet, a battered old '64 Chevy pickup that was there on the night Charles' life imploded. For nearly three decades, he has been locked away in an old barn, safely out of sight if not completely out of mind. For 29 years Charles has blamed the old pickup for the destruction of his life, now he's about to find that the vehicle that destroyed his life might be the key to his healing and a journey of unexpected miracles.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Other Books by Dean Murray