Dangerous Games Essay

Dangerous Games is the start of a whole new ball game for Riley. She's bought down the man behind the DNA splicing and destroyed his criminal empire, and now she's settling into life as a guardian.

But there's one loose end left, and it's a biggie.

Gautier, the best guardian the Directorate ever trained, has gone rogue. And while he wants Riley dead, he has no intention of taking her out fast. He wants to play, and savior the moment.

And Gautier's games can get pretty bloody.

Of course, even though Gautier might be out there hunting her, Riley has no choice but to get on with her job.

But just what did that 'job' entail in this book?

Figuring that out became something of a problem for me, the writer. Riley has faced some pretty terrifying monsters--whether human, non-human, or human made--over the last three books, so this time I wanted something completely different. But the muse wasn't being particularly helpful in coming up with ideas this time around.

So I went on the internet and started looking up old myths and legends--and didn't that turn out to be a time waster! There were so many marvelous old stories out there that I could have spent years searching and reading. Unfortunately, I didn't have that much time to get this story done, so I had to redefine my original search--and that meant actually deciding what sort of case I wanted her on. I think my muse had begun feeling a little bloody-minded by then, because I started looking up the myths for human sacrifices. Of course, there were more than a couple of those to wade through, too, and while I found some interesting information on blood magic, there was nothing that immediately sparked any ideas.

So back I went to researching myths. And somewhere along the line, I stumbled on an old Persian legend about Azhi Dahaki--a three headed dragon who was created by, and who served, Angra Mainyu, the god of darkness and father of lies. Almost instantly, the ideas began to flow. After throwing in some blood magic, and adding a twist in the form of some ancient spirits from Quinn's past, I finally had not only my bad guys, but my story.

Of course, Riley's story is never just about the hunt, and her private life is about to get a whole lot more complicated in this one. In fact, staying out of Gautier's clutches and finding the god of death before he becomes a real and terrifying force might just be the least of her problems.

Because the men in her life no longer wish to share, and the time has come for her to make a decision.