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Update: With a commanding 75 percent of the vote, Kate Daniels has won this round. She will advance on in the Alpha Showdown 2017!
Last week the Alpha Showdown made you pick between Adam and Mercy. Today’s bout isn’t any easier. We’ve got another couple in battle today.
The badass-with-a-sword (and beau coup other skills) Kate Daniels is to take on the powerful lion Curran. They both flexed skills in the earlier rounds. Kate took out Raphael, and Curran beat out Bones.
Now only one of them can move forward in the Alpha Showdown.
The battles don’t get easier (peek at the bracket), but the winner is all up to VBC readers. Each round is open for 48 hours. The winner advances.
You know her from: the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews
First appeared in: Magic Bites (VBC review | Amazon)
Supernatural Status: It’s complicated.
Championed by: Margaret from VBC
It’s about time a woman won Alpha Showdown. I know I said that last year, but I’m going to keep saying it every year until it happens. And there is no one more qualified to take the title than Kate Daniels. I mean she’s a half-witch demigod, even though she doesn’t see herself that way. She’s just beginning to admit how powerful she truly is.
Yes, that’s Kate’s picture next to the Wikipedia entry for “badass.” (No I don’t know which of the 27 different cover models they used.) Just look at all the adversaries she’s defeated. Vampires, rakshasa, ancient gods, a bone dragon, a djinn. Sure, she gets beat up a lot. But that’s okay because even Kate’s blood is a weapon. She can turn it into blades to attack an opponent or form it into armor for defense.
Kate’s earned the respect of everyone in the supernatural community first by defeating 22 shifters to secure her place at Curran’s side and then by cleaning up all of their magical messes. She’s claimed the city of Atlanta as her territory and has powerful allies to help her defend it. The Pack, the Guild, the Witches and Volvs, the People, and even a few gods fight by her side.
Kate’s a perennial Showdown favorite. She even made the championship round last year. Her hubby’s already won the title—he took the crown in 2012—but why should Curran get all the glory? Kate’s the one who brings all of those groups together. She’s the one they all look to lead them into battle. She’s the ultimate alpha and she deserves to be recognized for it.
CURRANYou know him from: Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews
First appeared in: Magic Bites (VBC Review | Amazon)
Supernatural status: A werelion shapeshifter—an Atrox lion, to be precise. A Prime, and extremely hard to kill. Plus once he ate a god because it seemed like the right thing to do, so perhaps even impossible.
Championed by: Joanna at Red Hot Books | @jolievinesx
Here, kitty, kitty, kitty. Curran owns this competition, you know it, he knows it, and he’s so chill about it he’s reclining on his massive bed while his measly competitors sweat it round back. In fact the Beast Lord of Atlanta is so untroubled he’s using the downtime ‘tween rounds to raise an army, at the same time dealing with the politics that come from being just So Damn Alpha.
His lordship, the Leader of the Southern Shapechanger Faction, is an egotistical control freak, but with his credentials plus the multitude of powerful shifters he has to dominate, it’s the only way to be. Can you imagine getting in the way of a rampaging Kodiak bear because that’s your job? Curran can.
What? You’ve not met before? Let’s make introductions. You’re in for a treat.
“The rage of the Beast Lord was a terrible thing to behold. Some people stormed, some punched things, but Curran slipped into this icy, bone-chilling calm. His face hardened into a flat mask, and his eyes turned into a molten inferno of pure gold. If you looked at it for longer than two seconds, your muscles locked, your knees shook, and you had to fight to keep from cringing.”
This lion is not only royalty, responsible for uniting the Pack at the tender age of fifteen, but he is one sexy, muscle-bound, generous and funny guy. Loyal to a fault, and with explosive power, you want the Lord of the Free People in your corner.
With gray eyes that turn gold when he’s cruising for a fight, his blond furriness is a head-turner as well as a deadly killer. He lives in the Keep, his fortified stronghold outside of Atlanta, if you were thinking of popping around for a bite. Still looking to beat him? Can you hear the crowd laughing from the battlements?
Flirting with constant danger in being the partner and mate of Kate Daniels, our boy is no slack in the sack or on the battlefield. Our fast healing friend bench-presses a mean 700, can tear a Maserati to pieces with his bare hands, and can switch between being a man, a massive werelion, or a freakish half form, capable of smashing up mountains when Kate pisses him off. Which is often.
Curran is a knight in furry armor. Underestimate him at your cost.
Or don’t. He’s got this. And he knows it.
“The lion opened his mouth, showing his big teeth. Yes, yes, you’re bad. We know, Your Majesty.”
When you vote in this round (which is crazy difficult), we’ll reward you. We have a copy of The Beautiful Ashes by Jeaniene Frost for one lucky VBC reader. Vote in this round to be entered to win, and you’ll have the opportunity for additional (optional) entries there after.
How much `stuck in traffic´ vocabulary is allowed per post? Kate and Curran? I love Kate and Curran, this is the cruelest of choices.
Curran I think, no it´s Kate, wait Curran, no I will choose Kate.
Curran, I choose Curran. Please forgive me Kate.
Kate – but you’re killing me with these choices…..
I had to flip a coin and leave it up to fate. These choices are hard as hell!!!
How? How do you expect me to pick between them
They are a power couple and I love them both, but Kate
Curran!
Kate. Badass sword play and magic!
Curran!
You lot are pure evil. This is just cruel and unusual punishment. Like seriously, so mean….
Curran
How do you choose between Kate and Curran? It’s impossible! Together they are the perfect balance, but if I have to choose, I’ll go with Kate… or maybe Curran… no Kate… maybe….
No brainer for me went with Kate… Just look at the bracket the winner of this round gets to face another Ilona Andrews favorite characters in Mad Rogan. Even though I think Nevada Baylor deserves to be in this also!!!
I’m voting for Kate. I have begun to have a difficult time getting into books where the guy is a rude, egotistical ass who believes that as long as he gets her off later he can act however he wants. If the woman acted like that? There wouldn’t be a book!
Hard choice.
I took Kate
I think Kate could take out curran. So Kate.
Husband vs Wife…again…
Kate
Kate!
Simple logic, they are not asking who you would want to have a hot weekend with, they are asking who is alpha. Kate. Kate because in the end she could take and beat Curran if she did not love him/ and even if she did..she put his butt in a cage early on.
So.. the question is.. Rogan vs Kate or Curran… DAMN! That should be the final showdown! I wish we’d get a scene with them!
What!! Not again – Kate
So much Kate.
I love them both with all my heart, but I have to go with Kate.
Curran, obvs I couldn’t vote any other way, but even if I wasn’t his backer, I’d be in his corner just to see him slash down Mad Rogan. C’mon people, that battle will be epic. Don’t let me miss out.
Kate – I still love you, but this time I’ve got to go with my guy xx
Another tough choice….
Kate!
Kate
Seriously, you guys are killing us! I’m going with Kate!
curran
Kate could neuter Curran if she wanted to, but why would she want to? 😉
Though I love both, I voted for Kate.
Kate.
Curran, only because Kate defers to him as alpha.
Curran!
Sorry Curran but I’m going with Kate
Kate
Come on enough with the husband wife teams— Kate I still think you could kick your hubby’s butt
Kate! I adore Curran but I think Kate is more powerful and I don’t think we have seen just how powerful yet.
Kate
Kate
Kate!
kate
I haven’t read either, I feel so lame. But I am just going Curren because I don’t know any better.
Kate
Kate and we all know why.
I have to go with Kate. She’s gotten very powerful.
*sigh* wasnt a fan of the series so speaking from a purely logical point of view, Kate would win in a fight but I’d say Curran is more “Alpha”
Going with Kate though because this is a showdown
So hard to choose! I went with Curran in the end. But I do love Kate, too.
Wait… what?? How can they vs. each other??
Curran
First Adam vs Mercy, now Kate vs Curran…I’m going to have to go with Curran. He is more ruthless.
Kate for sure. They’d probably both kill themselves to save the other. They both have attempted to do that already.
Kate