This is the second in the Damask Circle Series and is the one I read first.

Kirby Brown is late getting home due to an auto accident on a nearby bridge, when she arrives it is to find her best friend torn apart by something she suspects can't be human. While in protective custody, she "hears" a warning to get out and go quickly. As she escapes out the bathroom window, she hears the screaming begin in the other room and manages to get out the window before the creature comes after her.

This is where we meet Camille a seer of the Damask Circle, Doyle, a shapeshifter, and Russell a Vampire. They are investigating a "vision" of Camille's and trying to discern what the connection is between this murder and another they had just came from. When Camille "sees" the monster after Kirby she sends Doyle out to protect her.

Running from the monster Kirby instinctively tries to lead it away from more populated areas, not wanting it to kill any more innocent bystanders. Her path takes her down a dark road and there waiting for her is Doyle. He manages to kill the beast know as a Manarei, and convince Kirby he can be trusted, as least a little.

In their attempt to figure out who is controlling the Manerei, and what they are after, Kirby is forced to deal with and remember things long buried in her past.

In a failed attempt at Kirby, Doyle is taken prisoner by the witch who had sent the Manerei, but the damask Circle has yet to discover who she is or what she wants. With her newly combined powers and the developing link with Doyle, she is able to locate and rescue him, but still the reasons behind the attacks are unknown.

The third murder forces Kirby to use her powers and its then she discovers a bit more about the death of her friend and achieves a connection with her friends "powers" that she has to be able to incorporate into her own. Finally a connection between the murder victims is established and the painful process of bring back long suppressed memories begins.

Leaving Kirby behind in a safe location as they are sure it's a trap for Kirby, Doyle and Camille attempt the rescue of Russell, who had been kidnapped by the witch during an earlier skirmish. The rescue attempt culminates in the explosion of a bomb leaving Doyle injured. In a vision Kirby "sees" where the witch has started the ritual to combine the power she has stolen from the other murder victims. Kirby is afraid that it's a trap and Doyle will be killed if she tells him where she is going, she know she has to stop the witch before she gets any more powerful or more than Doyle's life will be at stake.

The final showdown come in a deserted parking structure, and with Camille's ability to "see" Doyle may just make it in time to help Kirby in the fight of her life. Will Doyle be able to make it to Kirby with his injuries? Will her shapeshifter die trying to save her as she fears? Or will the powers she has hidden from all these years manifest themselves in time to save Doyle. Will Kirby's love for Doyle give her the power to defeat the crazed witch?

This book is quite a bit more suspenseful than the first and it may be just that the story is more fully developed, but I found this book a much more captivating read than the first in the series. Again though, the series is a good read.

Synopsis
In one, vicious night, Kirby Brown's world is torn apart. Her best friend is dead, killed by a madman who is now after her. Doyle Fitzgerald has been sent to Melbourne, Australia to hunt down a killer. What he doesn't expect to find is a circle of witches capable of controlling the elements and a sorceress determined to take that power for herself. While Kirby finds herself inexplicably drawn to Doyle, she fears to trust him because of the magic that lies in his soul. It quickly becomes evident that the reason behind the killings lies in Kirby's past—a past she has no wish to remember. Because Doyle isn't the only one with magic in his soul. Only her magic is capable of destroying the world.