Darkness Unbound
Keri Arthur
Praise for Keri Arthur
Nominated for the Romantic Times
2007 Reviewers’ Choice Award for
Career Achievement in Urban Fantasy
Winner of the Romantic Times
2008 Reviewers’ Choice Award for
Career Achievement in Urban Fantasy
“Keri Arthur’s imagination and energy infuse everything she writes with zest.”
—CHARLAINE HARRIS
Praise for Full Moon Rising
“Keri Arthur skillfully mixes her suspenseful plot with heady romance in her thoroughly enjoyable alternate reality Melbourne. Sexy vampires, randy werewolves, and unabashed, unapologetic, joyful sex—you’ve gotta love it. Smart, sexy, and well-conceived, Full Moon Rising left me wishing I was a dhampire.”
—KIM HARRISON
“Full Moon Rising is unabashedly and joyfully sexual in its portrayal of werewolves in heat. Arthur spares no details, portraying werewolves, vampires, and supernatural beings with a sexuality and power that goes beyond the call of the full moon. Arthur never fails to deliver, keeping the fires stoked, the cliffs high, and the emotions dancing on a razor’s edge in this edgy, hormone-filled mystery.… Full Moon Rising is a shocking and sensual read, so keep the ice handy.”
—The Celebrity Café
“Keri Arthur is one of the best supernatural romance writers in the world.”
—HARRIET KLAUSNER
“Strong, smart and capable, Riley will remind many of Anita Blake, Laurell K. Hamilton’s kick-ass vampire hunter.… Fans of Anita Blake and Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse vampire series will be rewarded.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Vampires and werewolves and hybrids … oh my! With a butt-kicking heroine and some oh-so-yummy men, Keri Arthur … has put her own unique spin on things, and the results are a sensual and energized fantasy brimming with plenty of romance.”
—Romance Reviews Today
“Unbridled lust and kick-ass action are the hallmarks of this first novel in a brand-new paranormal series.… ‘Sizzling’ is the only word to describe this heated, action-filled, suspenseful romantic drama.… Full Moon Rising sets a high bar for what is now a much-anticipated new series.”
—Curled Up
“Grade A, desert island keeper … I wanted to read this book in one sitting, and was terribly offended that the real world intruded on my reading time! … Inevitable comparisons can be made to Anita Blake, Kim Harrison, and Kelley Armstrong’s books, but I think Ms. Arthur has a clear voice of her own and her characters speak for themselves.… I am hooked!”
—All About Romance
Praise for Kissing Sin
Finalist for the 2008 Fantasm Award for
Best Werewolf Romance
“Strong world-building, vivid personalities and the distinctive cultures of each of the various paranormal strains combine for a rich narrative, and Arthur’s descriptive prose adds texture and menace.”
—Publishers Weekly
“The second book in this paranormal guardian series is just as phenomenal as the first.… I am addicted!”
—Fresh Fiction
“Riley Jenson returns with a vengeance in Keri Arthur’s Kissing Sin.… The sex is hot and intense, but it doesn’t detract at all from this fast-paced story.”
—Romance Reviews Today
“Arthur’s world building skills are absolutely superb and I recommend this story to any reader who enjoys tales of the paranormal.”
—Coffee Time Romance
“Arthur is a marvelously creative author, and has built a solid world for her characters to reside in. Fast paced and filled with deliciously sexy characters, readers will find Kissing Sin a fantastic urban fantasy with a hot serving of romance that continues to sizzle long after the last page is read.”
—Darque Reviews
“Kissing Sin will captivate readers from page one with its kick-ass heroine’s struggle to do what’s right without losing herself. Riley’s sensuous nature and her lack of inhibitions will tantalize readers and make them sympathize.… Keri Arthur’s unique characters and the imaginative world she’s created will make this series one that readers won’t want to miss.”
—A Romance Review
Praise for Tempting Evil
“Riley Jenson is kick-ass … genuinely tough and strong, but still vulnerable enough to make her interesting.… The secondary characters and creatures are rich and diverse. The plots are involved, the action dramatic. Arthur is not derivative of early [Laurell K.] Hamilton—far from it—but the intensity of her writing and the complexity of her heroine and her stories are reminiscent.”
—All About Romance
“This paranormal romance series gets better and better with each new book.… An exciting adventure that delivers all you need for a fabulous read—sexy shapeshifters, hot vampires, wild uncontrollable sex and the slightest hint of a love that’s meant to be forever.”
—Fresh Fiction
“Tempting Evil is an amazingly awesome book that completely blew me away. Ms. Arthur’s world building skills are absolutely second to none.… I did not want this stupendously superb story to end and I cannot wait to see what happens to Riley Jenson next. I simply must have more please, as soon as humanly possible. Five cups.”
—Coffee Time Romance
“A lot of folks are comparing Keri Arthur’s Riley Jenson guardian novels to Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake vampire hunter novels, with good reason. Both have a butt-kicking heroine with tons of attitude and superpowers that combine the powers of a vampire, a werewolf, and an affinity for the dead.… These books are definitely pure sexy action adventure.… So, if you like your erotic scenes hot, fast, and frequent, your heroine sassy, sexy, and tough, and your stories packed with hard-hitting action in a vividly realized fantasy world, then Tempting Evil and its companion novels could be just what you’re looking for.”
—SF Revu
“Tempting Evil is riveting in its ability to convey its heroine’s heartache as well as her determination to stop the evil that is threatening not only her, but humanity.… Keri Arthur’s Riley Jenson series just keeps getting better and better and is sure to call to fans of other authors with kick-ass heroines such as Christine Feehan and Laurell K. Hamilton. I have become a steadfast fan of this marvelous series and I am greatly looking forward to finding out what is next in store for this fascinating and strong character.”
—A Romance Review
Praise for Dangerous Games
Finalist for the 2008 Fantasm Award for
Best Urban Fantasy Romance
“Dangerous Games is by far one of the best books I have ever read.… The storyline is so exciting I did not realize I was literally sitting on the edge of my chair seat.… With this series, Ms. Arthur has a real winner on her hands. Five cups.”
—Coffee Time Romance
“The depths of emotion, the tense plot, and the conflict of powerful driving forces inside the heroine made for [an] absorbing read.”
—SF Revu
“This series is phenomenal! Dangerous Games is an incredibly original and devastatingly sexy story. It keeps you spellbound and mesmerized on every page. Absolutely perfect!”
—Fresh Fiction
Praise for Embraced by Darkness
“There’s never a lull in the action and danger that surround Riley’s life.… Ms. Arthur is positively one of the best urban fantasy authors in print today. The characters have been well-drawn from the start and the mysteries just keep getting better. A creative, sexy and adventure-filled world that readers will just love escaping to.”
—Darque Reviews
“A great continuation of the Riley Jenson Guardian series … Each book has been thrilling, suspe
nseful, and outside the box. Embraced by Darkness blew away my expectations. Ms. Arthur continues to get better and better and I can’t wait to see what she has in store for us next.”
—Night Owl Romance
“Arthur’s storytelling is getting better and better with each book. Embraced by Darkness has suspense, interesting concepts, terrific main and secondary characters, well developed story arcs, and the world-building is highly entertaining.… I think this series is worth the time and emotional investment to read.”
—Reuters.com
“Once again, Keri Arthur has created a perfect, exciting and thrilling read with intensity that kept me vigilantly turning each page, hoping it would never end.”
—Fresh Fiction
“Arthur’s fifth guardian novel is just as fabulous as the first.… Fast paced and attention grabbing, Embraced by Darkness is a must read and a necessary possession. Five cups.”
—Coffee Time Romance
“Takes on a much more mature tone, at least when it comes to Riley and her men.… Add to that plenty of action and intrigue, and readers will definitely want to be Embraced by Darkness.”
—Romance Reviews Today
“Reminiscent of Laurell K. Hamilton back when her books had mysteries to solve, Arthur’s characters inhabit a dark sexy world of the paranormal.”
—Parkersburg News and Sentinel
“Packed with fast-paced action, paranormal intrigue and passion at every turn, Embraced by Darkness is a steamy addition to this thrilling series.”
—MediaBoulevard.com
“I love this series.”
—All About Romance
Praise for The Darkest Kiss
“The paranormal Australia that Arthur concocts works perfectly, and the plot speeds along at a breakneck pace. Riley fans won’t be disappointed.”
—Publishers Weekly
Destiny Kills
2008 Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice
Nominee for Best Contempory
Paranormal Romance
Darkness Unbound is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
A Dell Mass Market Original
Copyright © 2011 by Keri Arthur
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Dell, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
DELL is a registered trademark of Random House, Inc., and the colophon is a trademark of Random House, Inc.
eISBN: 978-0-440-42334-8
Cover design: Lynn Andreozzi
Cover illustration: Juliana Kolesova
www.bantamdell.com
v3.1
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Acknowledgments
Excerpt from Darkness Rising
Other Books by This Author
I’VE ALWAYS SEEN THE REAPERS.
Even as a toddler—with little understanding of spirits, death, or the horrors that lie in the shadows—I’d been aware of them. As I’d gotten older and my knowledge of the mystical had strengthened, I’d begun to call them Death, because the people I’d seen them following had always died within a day or so.
In my teenage years, I learned who and what they really were. They called themselves reapers, and they were collectors of souls. They took the essence—the spirit—of the dying and escorted them on to the next part of their journey, be that heaven or hell.
The reapers weren’t flesh-and-blood beings, although they could attain that form if they wished. They were creatures of light and shadows—and an energy so fierce, their mere presence burned across my skin like flame.
Which is how I sensed the one now following me. He was keeping his distance, but the heat of him sang through the night, warming my skin and stirring the embers of fear. I swallowed heavily and tried to stay calm. After all, being the daughter of one of Melbourne’s most powerful psychics had its benefits—and one of those was a knowledge of my own death. It would come many years from now, in a stupid car accident.
Of course, it was totally possible that I’d gotten the timing of my death wrong. My visions weren’t always as accurate as my mother’s, so maybe the death I’d seen in my future was a whole lot closer than I’d presumed.
And it was also a fact that not all deaths actually happened when they were supposed to. That’s why there were ghosts—they were the souls uncollected by reapers, either because their deaths had come before their allotted time, or because they’d refused the reapers’ guidance. Either way, the end result was the same. The souls were left stranded between this world and the next.
I shoved my hands into the pockets of my leather jacket and walked a little faster. There was no outrunning the reapers—I knew that—but I still couldn’t help the instinctive urge to try.
Around me, the day was only just dawning. Lygon Street gleamed wetly after the night’s rain, and the air was fresh and smelled ever so faintly of spring. The heavy bass beat coming from the nearby wolf clubs overran what little traffic noise there was, and laughter rode the breeze—a happy sound that did little to chase the chill from my flesh.
It was a chill caused not by an icy morning, but rather by the ever-growing tide of fear.
Why was the reaper following me?
As I crossed over to Pelham Street, my gaze flicked to the nearby shop windows, searching again for the shadow of death.
Reapers came in all shapes and sizes, often taking the form most likely to be accepted by those they’d come to collect. I’m not sure what it said about me that my reaper was shirtless, tattooed, and appeared to be wearing some sort of sword strapped across his back.
A reaper with a weapon? Now, that was something I’d never come across before. But maybe he knew I wasn’t about to go lightly.
I turned onto Ormond Place and hurried toward the private parking lot my restaurant shared with several other nearby businesses. There was no sound of steps behind me, no scent of another, yet the reaper’s presence burned all around me—a heat I could feel on my skin and within my mind.
Sometimes being psychic like my mom really sucked.
I wrapped my fingers around my keys and hit the automatic opener. As the old metal gate began to grind and screech its way to one side, I couldn’t help looking over my shoulder.
My gaze met the reaper’s. His face was chiseled, almost classical in its beauty, and yet possessing a hard edge that spoke of a man who’d won more than his fair share of battles. His eyes were blue—one a blue as vivid and as bright as a sapphire, the other almost a navy, and as dark and stormy as the sea.
Awareness flashed through those vivid, turbulent depths—an awareness that seemed to echo right through me. It was also an awareness that seemed to be accompanied, at least on his part, by surprise.
For several heartbeats neither of us moved, and then he simply disappeared. One second he was there, and the next he wasn’t.
I blinked, wondering if it was some sort of trick. Reapers, like the Aedh, could become energy and smoke at will, but—for me, at least—it usually took longer than the blink of an eye to achieve. Of course, I was only half Aedh, so maybe that was the problem.
The reaper didn’t reappear, and the heat of his presence no longer burned through the air or shivered through my mind. He’d gone. Which was totally out of character for a reaper, as fa
r as I knew.
I mean, they were collectors of souls. It was their duty to hang about until said soul was collected. I’d never known of one to up and disappear the moment he’d been spotted—although given that the ability to actually spot them was a rare one, this probably wasn’t an everyday occurrence.
Mom, despite her amazing abilities—abilities that had been sharpened during her creation in a madman’s cloning lab—certainly couldn’t see them. But then, she couldn’t actually see anything. The sight she did have came via a psychic link she shared with a creature known as a Fravardin—a guardian spirit that had been gifted to her by a long-dead clone brother.
She was also a full Helki werewolf, not a half-Aedh like me. The Aedh were kin to the reapers, and it was their blood that gave me the ability to see the reapers.
But why did this reaper disappear like that? Had he realized he’d been following the wrong soul, or was something weirder going on?
Frowning, I walked across to my bike and climbed on. The leather seat wrapped around my butt like a glove, and I couldn’t help smiling. The Ducati wasn’t new, but she was sharp and clean and comfortable to ride, and even though the hydrogen engine was getting a little old by today’s standards, she still put out a whole lot of power. Maybe not as much as the newer engines, but enough to give a mother gray hair. Or so my mom reckoned, anyway.
As the thought of her ran through my mind again, so did the sudden urge to call her. My frown deepening, I dug my phone out of my pocket and said, “Mom.”
The voice-recognition software clicked into action and the call went through almost instantly.
“Risa,” she said, her luminous blue eyes shining with warmth and amusement. “I was just thinking about you.”
