Chicory and Gunpowder

Dean Winchester never meant to linger in New Orleans. One bad hunt, a little too much blood loss, and he stumbles into The Arcane Reliquary, a quiet bookstore that smells of old paper, candle wax, and the kind of magic hunters usually steer clear of. Its owner, Raven Laveau Rosewood, keeps her secrets as close as the wards etched into her walls-but she also has the kind of knowledge Dean can't walk away from.

What starts as a reluctant alliance turns into something neither of them expected. Between ghouls tied to an ancient order called the Watchers, contacts who walk the razor edge between friend and enemy, and Sam's life hanging in the balance, Dean finds himself fighting battles on more than one front-some with claws and teeth, and some in his own heart.

Raven has her own rules, her own dangers, and her own scars. But when it comes down to it, she'll risk everything for the Winchesters. Because anyone important to him is important to her... and Dean is starting to realize he'd do the same for her, no matter the cost.