SHE CLAIMED HIM FIRST.

THE REST WAS JUST THE DANCE.

From the moment Death took notice of him, she never let go. Not truly.

This is the story of a man who lived twice—once as her victim, once as her blade. A killer who walked the razor's edge between vengeance and devotion, each life he took binding him tighter to the Great Mother of Death's cold embrace. Yet for every soul he took, there were fragile, human moments: a sister's laughter in a bar, a wife's breath against his neck, the weight of a son's hand in his.

But Death is a jealous dance partner. She always cuts in.

A LIFETIME OF BLOOD, LOSS, AND THE UNHOLY LOVE AFFAIR BETWEEN A MAN AND THE END OF ALL THINGS.

Featuring the novelettes THE REVEREND'S POWDER, CONSECRATED HIGHWAYS, and THIS WAY TO THE GLADIATOR SHOW collected all in one place, with a separate through story that connects the different tales.