Burning Water
The Diana Tregarde series, Book 1
Mercedes Lackey
In Mercedes Lackey's Burning Water, a sexy witch who writes romances and a police detective who sees more than mortal man team up to battle an ancient Aztec god!
Dallas Police Detective Mark Valdez isn't just any cop, he's a psychic who knows that the cattle mutilations and torture murders he's been investigating are somehow tied together. He also knows that his meager psychic abilities aren't enough to identify the killers, much less stop them.
Luckily, Mark has an ace up his sleeve: an attractive young romance novelist who happens to be a practicing witch. And not just any witch, either--Diana Tregarde is a Guardian, charged with protecting the Earth and all its creatures.
Using modern science and ancient magics, Diana and Mark discover that they are tailing no ordinary serial killer but the awakened avatar of an Aztec god. Tezcatlipoca and his four beautiful handmaidens are preparing for a great sacrifice that will transform North America into a new Aztec realm.
Diana isn't sure her powers are strong enough to take on those of a risen Aztec god, but she has no choice. As a Guardian, she is sworn to protect mankind, even at the cost of her own life. Luckily, she does not stand alone. Mark Valdez is more than just a cop. And Tezcatlipoca is not the only Aztec god walking in the world.
First published February 15, 1989
Praise for the Diana Tregarde series:
“Mercedes Lackey’s work is as sharp – and as scary – as the suddenly revealed fang of a vampire. She’ll keep you up long past your bedtime.” — Stephen King
“Diana Tregarde is an intelligent and resourceful entrant in the [dark fantasy] field–with a most charming and unusual associate.” — C. J. Cherryh on Children of the Night
“A very enjoyable thriller with a sense of humor.” — Locus on Children of the Night
“[The heroine has] a wry, practical sense of humor. Further pluses include an almost complete lack of sexual stereotyping or politics. Anyone who likes their supernatural yarns laced with intelligence will find this novel more than satisfying.” — Dragon magazine on Burning Water
“The characters, love triangles, and action will hook the reader immediately. The plot weaves a magic spell of its own. This is a hard one to put down, and readers will clamor for the rest of the series.” — Booklist on Jinx High