The Last Huntress is a story of redemption and sacrifice, the bonds of true sisterhood, and the impossible, sometimes frightening, things we’ll do for love.
Intrigued? Well read on to discover the synopsis and an excerpt from The Last Huntress by Lenore Borja, which is out now!
Alice Daniels has a problem. Her reflection keeps misbehaving when she looks in the mirror–and the longer she ignores it, the harder it tries to get her attention. On her eighteenth birthday, she learns why: she is a huntress, someone gifted with the power to enter mirrors and the magical world that exists beyond. But with this power comes immense responsibility, for in the Mirror Realm lurks an evil that has infected the human race for centuries: demons. It is up to her and her three huntress sisters–with the help of one handsome and overbearing protector–to hunt and banish this evil one demon at a time, thereby keeping the chaos in check. But when an ancient god pays Alice a visit that turns deadly, it is clear the Mirror Realm is more than it seems, and she soon finds herself in a race against time to save the life–and soul–of the one man the gods are determined to never let her have.
“Sweetheart, can you get that?”
Alice set down the glass she was unwrapping and peeled herself off the kitchen floor.
“Coming!” she called, weaving her way through stacks of boxes.
Something furry and black darted in front of her. She tripped.
“Dammit, Boop!”
He meowed like his tail had just been caught in a mousetrap.
“Oh, like it’s my fault?”
Yellow eyes regarded her with scorn. The doorbell rang again.
“Alice! Can you please get the door?”
“COMING!”
She hopped to the foyer as Boop ran figure eights between her legs. Exasperated, she scooped him up and held him tight to her chest as she pulled the door open with her free hand.
“Yes?” she said, with maybe a bit too much bite.
“Hi, I’m David.”
He was as handsome as they come, and she was suddenly very aware of her ratty appearance. She attempted to smooth her hair back but was interrupted by claws digging into her neck. The stranger on her doorstep stepped forward.
“Aw, hi, kitty,” he said, reaching toward the squirming feline.
Boop flattened his ears and hissed. Then a razor-sharp claw sliced into Alice’s arm.
“Ow!” she cried, releasing her hold. Boop leapt over her shoulder and disappeared back into the house, leaving her disheveled and more than a little embarrassed.
“Nice cat.”
“Sorry,” she said, licking her finger to dab at the fresh wound.
“He’s not usually like that. I think he’s just stressed from the move.”
“Colorado, right?”
She looked up. His green eyes sparkled in the afternoon sun.
“How did you know that?”
He smiled. A devilish sort of smile. The kind tall, dark, and swoon-worthy guys like him perfected. The kind girls like her needed to be leery of.
“License plate,” he said, gesturing casually behind him to the Volvo in the driveway.
“Oh. Right. Sorry, who are you again?”
“David Martin. I live down the block. Saw the moving truck and thought I’d stop by, welcome you to the neighborhood.”
“Oh, okay. Thanks.” He seemed nice enough, but something about him was unsettling.
“So…Do you have a name? Or should I just call you ‘girl with the psycho cat’?”
She laughed and extended her hand. “Sorry. I’m Alice. Alice Daniels.”
He took her hand in his. The unsettling feeling increased tenfold.
“Alice,” he repeated, leaning forward until his face was inches from hers. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Smiling uneasily, she pulled hard until she wrenched free from his grasp.
“Hello. Can we help you?”
His eyes darted over her shoulder, and he didn’t miss a beat.
“You must be Ms. Daniels.”
Alice turned as her mother paused at the doorway. She could tell from her face she was already smitten; it took everything in her power not to roll her eyes.
“Mom, this is David. He lives down the street and stopped by to welcome us to the neighborhood.”
“Well, isn’t that nice,” her mom said as she reached out to shake his hand. “Good to meet you, David. And call me Judy. Do you go to Remington?”
“I do,” he said, glancing at Alice. “You too? Senior?”
Something told her he already knew that. Her eyes wanted to narrow, but it would be too obvious. So she just said yes instead.
He slapped his palm on his thigh. “Then you have to come to the real party tonight!”
“As opposed to a fake one?”
“Alice,” Judy tsked. “Don’t be rude.”
He chuckled. “Sorry, that was confusing. The Remington Reel. It’s kind of a newsletter-slash-blog. They’re having a back-to-school party tonight.”
“Well, that sounds like fun. She’d love to come.”
“Mom . . .” Alice said, grabbing hold of her mom’s arm and squeezing tight. “I thought we were unpacking tonight.”
Judy ignored her. “David, just tell us when she should be ready.”
He dug his hands in his pockets and slid his gaze back to Alice.
“Pick you up at eight.”
“You realize he could be a serial killer.”
Judy shook her head as she cut into a box of books. “You’re so dramatic. He seemed perfectly nice.”
“So did Ted Bundy.”
“Alice, would a serial killer stop by just to welcome you to the neighborhood?”
“Are you kidding? Yes. One hundred percent, yes.”
Judy tossed the box cutter on the fl oor and pinched the bridge of her nose. “I’m sorry, honey. You’re right. I was just trying to help.”
“It’s okay, Mom. But you don’t have to worry about me. I’m fine. I promise.”
Judy closed her eyes and nodded. They spent the rest of the afternoon unpacking in silence.
Alice was in the tub reading when the doorbell rang at eight. It had been a long day. The last thing she wanted to do was to go to a not-fake party with a guy who might be planning to chop her into little pieces. She heard the front door open and craned her neck to listen. The sound of muffled voices carried up the stairs. She waited, silently urging her mom to get rid of him faster. Normally she’d feel guilty for bailing, but in this case she just felt relieved when the front door finally closed. Even the house seemed to shudder and settle back into its eighty-year-old foundation, as if breathing a sigh of relief on her behalf.
She tossed her damp Austen paperback aside, leaned back, and sank further into the warm water. The drip-drip of the old faucet echoed in the cavernous bathroom, putting her in a trancelike state. She counted the seconds between each drop, wondering how long before it would need to be fixed. Her grandparents’ house may have once been the nicest on the street, but now, after sitting empty and neglected for longer than most HOAs allow, it was the neighborhood eyesore.
She stared at the peeling wallpaper with the faded yellow daisies. All she could do was imagine them when they were new and vibrant. When two little girls shared this same clawfoot tub, covered in bubbles and giggling.
It had to be strange for her mom. Coming back here after all this time, dusting off old furniture full of memories. She thought about how angry her aunt Molly had been when she found out—the vitriol in her voice as she shouted through the phone. Alice had been ten feet away and had still heard both sides of the conversation, loud and clear.
You know how I feel about that place!
I’m sorry, Molly. But this isn’t about you.
Fine. At least let Alice come live with me. Don’t drag her down with you.
She’s my daughter. Not yours. And it’s her choice.
I’ll never forgive you for this! Do you hear me?
Alice closed her eyes, held her breath, and pulled herself under.
She stayed like that for several seconds, relishing the calm beneath the surface. The quiet. Her life for the past year had been too chaotic.
The affair. The divorce. It sucked leaving the only real home she’d ever known, but it was getting too hard watching Judy struggle to cope—seeing her break apart bit by bit with each passing day. They’d had to leave. And Phoenix had been the only option.
Her lungs began to burn. She opened her eyes, imagining what it must have been like for Molly, lying here under ten inches of water that slowly turned red.
Her mom was pounding on the door. “Alice?”
She broke through the surface, inhaling and squeezing her eyes shut from the sting of the soap. “Yes?”
“That boy David left the address to the party, in case you change your mind. It’s only a few blocks away.”
“Not interested.”
“Honey, he had friends with him. Even a couple of girls. Are you sure?”
Alice put her head in her hands. If she didn’t go, Judy would pester her for days, her guilt somehow threatening to suffocate them both.
“Fine. But I’m not staying long.”
