Claimed by Shadow by Karen Chance

Claimed by Shadow by Karen Chance

The second book in the Cassandra Palmer Series by Karen Chance is full of crazy drama and great paranormal characters.

Cassie is on a major tear to find and punish Tony, the vampire that ruined her family years ago. With her new powers as Pythia, although not fully realized, Cassie is even more a target for the shady elements of paranormal society than usual and trouble is never far from poor Cassie. Within the first few pages Cassie (and her new friends the Three Fates) practically destroy a casino and almost get captured/killed by the Silver Circle.

Her one ally in this book is Pritkin, the slightly trigger-happy war mage of the Silver Circle. Pritkin helps Cassie as she travels through time in an attempt to save Mircea, the vampire who protected her throughout her youth, from Myra, the sybil who had been heir to the Pythia before falling in with Rasputin. Without Mircea protecting Cassie from Tony, Cassie's not sure she'd have made it to adulthood -- not to mention a flood of other possible changes in their timeline. To protect the timeline as well as herself Cassie has to save Mircea at least twice in the past.

This wouldn't be a major problem except for the geas that was placed on Cassie by Mircea that draws them together - and keeps other men away. Since Cassie has the geas in the present but Mircea doesn't have it in the past seeing Cassie there unintentionally casts the geas back onto Mircea. By the time Cassie sees Mircea again in the present the geas has practically crippled Mircea with the need to be near her - it's physically painful to both of them to stay away.

To add to the drama, the power of the Pythia wants to fully exert it's office over Cassie and to do that it has been making every man seem like a delicious dish. She first realizes this when she is absolutely attracted to Pritkin (lol). Cassie does assume the full office of Pythia with Tomas, which I wanted to happen in the first book early on but not so much by the second book.

I liked this second book much better than the first because the characters were already established and the plot could just move forward. Cassie's life is hectic and dangerous and Cassie does not want the power of the Pythia which means she's perfect for the job. I can't wait for the next book.