Showing results by author "Auburn Tempest" in All Categories

I have family I didn't know about, a magical heritage laying its claim, and a mystery I apparently need to solve. But when a back-alley brawl leaves me marked with a bizarre Celtic crest on my back, I become a beacon for all things whacked and weird.

In the past two years, I leveled up as a kick-ass urban druid and became the leader of the Fianna Warriors my ancestor Fionn mac Cumhaill needed me to be. The thing is—four months ago everything changed. The veil between realms came down. With dormant genes waking, the dominant races jockeying for their place in the hierarchy, and the world around us pulsing out of control with power, my position as the Fae Liaison of Toronto has gotten off to a chaotic start.

When a back-alley brawl leaves me marked with a bizarre Celtic crest on my back, I become a beacon for all things whacked and weird. My dad is obviously freaked when he sees the tat, but he won't discuss it. So, I do what any stubborn redheaded lass would - I ignore all advice and fly to the Emerald Isle to get answers. And yeah...you know that saying about hindsight being 20/20? True story.

Life's pleasures used to be so simple: a fast ride on my motorcycle, a backyard barbeque with my siblings, and taking down criminals to safeguard Montreal's citizens. Sadly, those days ended the moment my fiery side emerged. I'm a fire elemental. Mind blown. The deadly Poreskoro family wants to feed on my fae essence. Rude. And if they succeed, they'll gain the strength to rebuild their army of evil. Terrifying. Demons, drug lords, and deception I can handle, but when a dark storm of danger falls over my family, things have gone too far.

The focus of my life as an urban druid is to stand as a guardian of nature. The focus of my life as Fiona Cumhaill to stand as a guardian of my family. Seriously. Don't screw with my family. It's a no-brainer, drop everything, and take up the fight topic for me—If you need me, I will come. So, when darkness conspires to overtake the light and people I love are sucked into the wake of evil, the Toronto crew grabs the go-bags and answers the call.

Growing up with five older brothers taught me how to take a hit. Lucky for me because the hits I take as a druid make me yearn for the good old days of sucker punches, rope burn, and steamroller.

Meet Fionna mac Cumhaill, an urban druid coming into her powers and trying to master them. She has a family she didn't know about, a magical heritage laying its claim, and a mystery she apparently needs to solve.

I knew three things about my life before adoption: I was a baby rescued from a blazing house fire, I was found in the arms of a dead man, and no one ever came to claim me. No one. Not ever. Now, as a Montreal detective, I'm dedicated to hunting truths for a living. Unheard voices. Cold cases. Unsolved mysteries. Unearthing secrets hidden in the shadows is my jam. Until the fae veil falls . . . When the world learns magic is real, everything changes. Montreal begins seething with prana energy, dormant genes activate, and seemingly normal humans experience magical awakenings.

My outlook on life isn't complicated - any day that passes when nobody tries to kill me or someone I love gets put into the "good day" column. Simple, right? Lately, good days have been hard to come by. Since I totally ignored Da's warning three months ago and flew to Ireland to embrace our super-secret heritage, I've seen the world in a different light - a mythical and magical light. I am a Druid.

Since freeing our elemental powers, my siblings and I have been attacked, threatened, heckled, and told our entire life has been a massive magical cover-up. We are orphans of the decimated elemental kingdoms of the Fae Realm. The learning curve of our new lives has been butt-kickingly steep and all the things I thought I knew for sure . . . I didn't. Seelie warriors, amorous trolls, hellhounds, and a hunky fire guy with too many secrets. How's a girl to find her footing?

When Garnet brings Team Trouble in to investigate a string of discarded bodies, none of us likes where the evidence points. My Spidey-sense says something isn't right. In the human realm, the evidence doesn't lie. In the empowered realm . . . nothing is as it seems.

Set to protect the surviving elementals, my siblings and I spread the word through the network of empowered guilds that we're leaving our lives in the Human Realm behind. With Sasobek on the loose and the hostile opposition to Briar fulfilling his destiny as the true king of Litaui, our new beginnings will be hard-won. But hey, what else is new?

When Bakkali insisted I take a month off to rest and regroup before joining The Guild of the Laurentians, I had my doubts. Being away from police work has been tough, so when an end of summer celebration takes a disastrous turn, I'm eager to unravel the mystery. One thing is for certain—something is in the water. With multiple fatalities, injuries, and missing persons, my siblings and I set out to uncover what happened at Clock Tower Beach.

Revived after months of being cursed and comatose, I'm thrown straight into Christmas and a chaotic case of carnivals, cannibals, and country cops. Seriously, I can't make this stuff up. Team Trouble continues to bust our butts to smooth out the rough edges between the empowered and ordinary communities. The problem is . . . the wacked and weird isn't slowing down. It's been a year, and something has got to give-Sloan's worried it will be me.

The Culling draws ever nearer—looms really—like a big, fat cloud of doom. With evil brewing, our enemies grow bolder, the warriors of light and dark scramble to be ready for the Winter Solstice, and the Cumhaill fam jam digs in to face the battle of our world's alignment. No biggie . . . Team Trouble is on it. For now, the human populations remain oblivious to the imminent battle to come. If we continue to do our jobs right, it'll stay that way. What you don't know won't hurt you, amirite?

When the magical energy of New Orleans redlines, Team Trouble responds. Caught between three hostile factions of empowered citizens—witches, wolves, and vampires—we scramble to figure out who's leaving bodies littered around the French Quarter. Navigating the crypts, catacombs, and a cagey council doesn't go our way. Big Easy my ass. Secrets, vendettas, and undead armies make solving this one dangerous not only for us, but for the empowered sects that don't want our help. Whatevs. When the world gets mean, we tighten our ranks.

We all make mistakes, but for most of us we die and they're forgotten—not so if you're immortal. For gods and immortals, grudges live forever. One moment of poor judgment, a lack of understanding, or simply being oblivious to what's going on around you can elevate you to the top of someone's to-do list. Be careful who you piss off. Amid murder, ex-lovers, jewel heists, and much, much wine, the Cumhaill fam jam stays the course of fighting the good fight and standing behind our friends. Ni neart go cur le cheile . . . There is strength in unity.

Life is a balance—at least that's what I'm told by people smarter than me. Try as I might to spend quality time with Sloan, family, friends, and companion animals, my magnet of mayhem often has other ideas. Adulting is hard. So when I move an adolescent dragon into my backyard, why don't I anticipate the craziness that will ensue? Maybe Sloan's right and I am ridiculous. I like to think I'm an optimist. Either way, it takes a group effort to figure out the mess we find ourselves in and what to do about it.

Meine Einstellung zum Leben ist nicht kompliziert – jeder Tag, der vergeht, an dem niemand versucht, mich oder jemanden, den ich liebe, zu töten, wird in die Spalte "guter Tag" eingetragen. Einfach, oder? In letzter Zeit sind gute Tage schwer zu finden. Seit ich vor drei Monaten die Warnung meines Vaters völlig ignoriert habe und nach Irland geflogen bin, um unser supergeheimes Erbe anzunehmen, sehe ich die Welt in einem anderen Licht – einem mythischen und magischen Licht. Ich bin eine Druidin.

Seit ich als Thronfolgerin gehandelt werde, wurde ich niedergestochen, entführt, auf die schwarze Liste gesetzt, gefoltert, ins Visier genommen und beschuldigt, die Ursache für so ziemlich jedes magische Unglück zu sein, das in den Straßen Torontos passiert ist. Für manche bin ich ein Ärgernis, für andere eine Kuriosität und wieder andere ein Problem, das beseitigt werden muss. Was soll's, wer hasst, muss hassen. Aber wenn eine dunkle und gefährliche Pilzwolke über meiner Familie und meinen Freunden aufzieht, bleibt mir nichts anderes übrig, als dem Ruf zu folgen und zu kämpfen.