Not Your Ex's Hexes (Supernatural Singles, #2)(111)
Mate Bond: The act of taking a mate (see Mate); supernatural marriage involving one or more shifters. Unbreakable marriage. Not an Australian friendship.
Example: Whoever said a diamond is forever never heard of a Mate Bond, the gift that keeps on giving.
Pack: A community of Supernatural beings who have the ability to turn furry, scaly, or hairy at will; group of shifters (see Shifters); a pack is led by an Alpha (see Alpha).
Example: A pack of shifters is not to be mistaken for the eight-pack abs in Damian’s possession. Demon Hunting did his body good …
Prima: The Head Witch in Charge; the badass of witches; currently Edie Maxwell, soon to be Violet Maxwell.
Example: The Prima is the Head Witch in Charge. You really don’t want to fuck around with her.
Prima Apparent: The Head Witch in Charge’s intern; learning the Prima ropes; soon-to-be Prima.
Example: Rose never regretted stepping down as her grandma’s Prima Apparent. She only regrets falling on her backside as she did.
Shifters: Supernatural beings with the ability to turn furry, feathery, or scaly; members of a pack (see Pack).
Example: While some shifters may be all bark with no bite, there are definitely those that will bite first and ask questions later.
Soul Hex: Magical hex involving one’s soul; hard-core Magic; seemingly unbreakable.
Example: Damian’s Soul Hex prevents him from falling in love, because if he does, his inner demon will take over and the humanity he’s fought so hard to maintain will slip away. Not happening on his watch.
Supernatural Council: Board of Supernatural badasses; Supernatural avengers; protectors of Supernatural law and order; led by the Prima (see Prima); also consists of shifter, angel, demon, and vampire representatives.
Example: Rose never thought the Supernatural Council, which she’d nearly led, would be the ones to saddle her with stall-mucking and poop shoveling. And yet …
True Mate: A soul mate; one’s destined match; the perfect complement to both the human and Supernatural souls.
Example: When someone finds their True Mate, it is a literal interpretation of the Jerry McGuire quote, “You complete me.”
Vampires: The Undead; those who drink blood as a main source of sustenance; do not combust in sunlight; do not sparkle; may be born vampires or made vampires; prone to tooth decay.
Example: Vampires do not sparkle or burst into flames while in direct sunlight, and while they do require blood as their main food source, they’re quite fond of Italian cuisine. The more garlic, the better.
Witch/Warlock: A spell caster; Supernatural being able to wield Magic.
Example: Rose may no longer be in line to be the Head Bwitch in Charge, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t avoid getting on her bad side.
Acknowledgments
For me, second books in a series are always more difficult to write than the first. I think it has something to do with spending so much time with your characters in book one that it’s hard to convince yourself that it’s okay to move forward. There’s quite a list of people who convinced me—and maybe dragged me kicking and screaming—through the process of writing Not Your Ex’s Hexes.
First off, a huge thank-you to my hubby and kids for embracing eat-out nights and delivery dine-in as well as you did when I was under deadline. I choose to think it was more a show of support and less due to the fact you didn’t want me setting off the smoke alarm yet again.
In no particular order, a big shout-out and thank-you to everyone at St. Martin’s Press, from marketing to publicity, to the art department (can we say “hey, baby” to the gorgeous cover). Kerry Resnick (designer) and illustrator Carina Lindmeier can do no wrong. For Not Your Ex’s Hexes, I was blessed to work with two incredible editors, Jennie Conway and the super supportive Tiffany Shelton. Not only did they call me out on my exorbitant amount of em-dashes and ellipses, but they made sure I knew I had support every inch of the way and through every keystroke.
Kristin Dwyer, my publicist … lady, you’re a rock star. I don’t know how you do half of what you do and keep things straight. Hell, I don’t know how you can keep ME straight. (If you have a step-by-step process for the latter, my hubby is totally interested in learning your Magic.) My agent, Sarah E. Younger. This makes our ninth book together, and all I can say is that I’m so glad you’re on this journey with me. Here’s to nine more, and then nineteen … you get the picture.
Tif Marcelo, Annie Rains, Rachel Lacey, and Jeanette Escudero, my Girls Write Night. My cyber witch’s coven. I must have done something right in a previous life to have you four incredibly talented women by my side. You’re not only my “Honey, no” voices, but you’re the ultimate cheerleaders. Not to mention great azz-kickers. You always know how to get my butt in gear.
Thank you to all the readers and reviewers. You all are amazing!!!