Darkness Hunts (DA 4)
Read Darkness Hunts (DA 4) Online
Authors: Keri Arthur
Tags: #Adult, #Azizex666, #Fantasy, #Romance, #Fiction, #General, #Urban Life
Keri Arthur
Nominated for the
Romantic Times
2007 Reviewers’ Choice Awards for Career Achievement in Urban Fantasy
Winner of the
Romantic Times
2008 Reviewers’ Choice Awards for Career Achievement in Urban Fantasy
Praise for the Dark Angels Novels
“Sensual and erotic. . . . I urge you to pick up Arthur’s series.”
—
USA Today
“Must read! I love, love, love it! Ms. Arthur’s . . . kick-ass action and indelible heroine left me enraptured. Risa Jones is one of a kind; she is the next generation’s paranormal superheroine! . . . [It’s] pretty damn hot.”
—Joyfully Reviewed
“Risa is an amazing character; she most certainly kicks butt.”
—Serendipity Reviews
“You will fall hard for [Keri Arthur’s] Dark Angels series.”
—Coffee Time Romance & More
“A highly imaginative world with memorable characters . . . everything a fan of romance and urban fantasy would enjoy. There is a cosmopolitan mix of supernatural creatures: werewolves, vampires, and witches . . . an exciting new series!”
—Night Owl Reviews
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.”
—Kim Harrison
“Deliciously sexy . . . [it] pulls you in and won’t let go. Keri Arthur knows how to thrill! Buckle up and get ready for a wild, cool ride!”
—Shana Abé
“Will remind many of Anita Blake, Laurell K. Hamilton’s kick-ass vampire hunter. . . . Fans of . . . Charlaine Harris’s Sookie Stackhouse vampire series will be rewarded.”
—
Publishers Weekly
“Well-done and entertaining.”
—
The Sunday Oklahoman
“Sexy and fast-paced.”
—
The Davis Enterprise
“Hot werewolves, sexy vampires, a huge amount of butt kickin’, and no-holds-barred sex. If you like a twist to your paranormal romance, you’ll love this book.”
—Fresh Fiction
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
Tempting Evil
“Delivers all you need for a fabulous read—sexy shape-shifters; hot vampires; wild, uncontrollable sex.”
—Fresh Fiction
Dangerous Games
Finalist for the 2008 Fantasm Award for Best Urban Fantasy Romance
“By far one of the best books I have ever read.”
—Coffee Time Romance & More
“[An] absorbing read.”
—SFRevu
“This series is phenomenal! . . . It keeps you spellbound and mesmerized on every page. Absolutely perfect!!”
—Fresh Fiction
Embraced by Darkness
“Positively one of the best urban fantasy authors in print today.”
—Darque Reviews
“Arthur’s characters inhabit a dark, sexy world of the paranormal.”
—
News and Sentinel
(Parkersburg, WV)
The Darkest Kiss
“A breakneck pace. Riley fans won’t be disappointed.”
—
Publishers Weekly
Bound to Shadows
“Riley’s journey has never been easy, but this book ratchets things up to a whole new level. This series just keeps getting better and better.”
—
RT Book Reviews
Destiny Kills
2008
Romantic Times
Reviewers’ Choice Nominee for Best Contemporary Paranormal Romance
“The always exhilarating Arthur begins a most intriguing new supernatural series. . . . Good pacing and plenty of action are highlighted by Arthur’s own patented sizzle.”
—
Romantic Times
Also by Keri Arthur
The Dark Angels Series
Darkness Devours
Darkness Rising
Darkness Unbound
DARKNESS HUNTS
A D
ARK
A
NGELS
N
OVEL
KERI ARTHUR
A SIGNET SELECT BOOK
Contents
Excerpt from Darkness Unmasked
SIGNET SELECT
Published by New American Library, a division of
Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street,
New York, New York 10014, USA
Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)
Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
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Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices:
80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
First published by Signet Select, an imprint of New American Library, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
Copyright © Keri Arthur, 2012
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
SIGNET SELECT and logo are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
PUBLISHER’S NOTE
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.
I’d like to thank the following people:
my editor, Danielle Perez; copy editor Jan McInroy; and the man responsible for the fabulous covers, Tony Mauro
A special thanks to:
my agent, Miriam Kriss; my crit buddies—Mel, Robyn, Chris, Carolyn, and Freya; and finally,
my lovely daughter, Kasey
Chapter 1
“I need to speak to a ghost.”
Adeline Greenfield paused in the middle of pouring tea into her expensive china cups and looked at me.
“I was under the impression you already could.” Her voice, like her appearance, was unremarkable. With her short gray hair, lined face, and generous curves, she reminded me of the grandmotherly types often seen on TV sitcoms. It was only her blue eyes—or rather, only the power that glowed within them—that gave the game away. Adeline Greenfield was a witch, a very powerful and successful one.
“No. I mean, I
can
hear them, and sometimes I can see them, but they don’t seem to hear or acknowledge me.” I grimaced. “I thought if I was on the same plane as they are—if I astral-traveled to them—it might help.”
“Possibly.” She set the teapot down and frowned. “But didn’t you help relocate a ghost that was causing all sorts of mischief at the Brindle?”
The Brindle was the witch depository located here in Melbourne, and it held within its walls centuries of knowledge, spells, and other witch-related paraphernalia. “Yes, but it wasn’t really a ghost. It was actually a mischievous soul who was undecided about moving on.”
“Souls are usually incapable of interaction with this world.”
“Yes, but the Brindle is a place of power, and that gave her the ability.”
She nodded sagely. “It is still odd that you cannot speak to them the same way as your mother, because I’m sure she said you had the skill.”
I raised my eyebrows. “You knew Mom?”
She smiled. “Those of us
truly
capable of hearing the dead are few and far between, so yes, I knew her. We had lunch occasionally.”
That
was something I hadn’t known. But then, there was probably a whole lot of stuff I’d never known about my mother—and never would, given she’d been murdered. Grief swirled, briefly touching my voice as I said, “Well, no matter what she may have believed, the dead
won’t
speak to me.”
“Ghosts
can
be vexing creatures,” she agreed. “And they often have no desire to acknowledge their death.”
“So how is ignoring me helping them disregard the fact that they’re dead?”
She placed a couple of sugars in each cup, then gently stirred the tea. “We’re talking about the dead here. Their minds are not what they once were, especially those who have been murdered.”
“I didn’t say he’d been murdered.”
“You didn’t have to. Trouble, my dear, darkens your steps, and it’s not such a leap to think that if you want to speak to a ghost, it’s because he died before his time. Otherwise, your reaper would have been able to find out whatever you needed.” She handed me a cup of tea, then glanced over my right shoulder. “I would prefer it, by the way, if you’d just show yourself. It’s impolite to skulk on the edges of the gray fields like that.”
Heat shimmered across my skin as Azriel appeared. Of course, he wasn’t strictly a reaper, as they were soul guides. He was something much more—or, if you believed him, something much less—and that was a Mijai, a dark angel who hunted and killed the things that broke free from hell.