Dreams of a Dark Warrior

#1
New York Times bestselling author

KRESLEY COLE

PLEASURE OF A DARK PRINCE

“Consistent excel ence is a Cole standard!”

—
Romantic Times
(4½ stars)

“There are few authors that can move me to tears. Kresley Cole is one of them.”

—Book Binge

“Kresley Cole’s Immortals After Dark series does not cease to amaze me.”

—Love Vampires

KISS OF A DEMON KING

“Perennial favorite Cole continues to round out her Immortals After Dark world with kick-butt action and

scorching passion!”

—
Romantic Times

“Kresley Cole knows what paranormal romance readers crave and superbly delivers on every page.”

—Single Titles

“Ful of magic, mayhem, sorcery, and sensuality. Readers wil not want to miss one word of this

memorable and enchanting tale. The closer to the end I got the slower I read because I knew once the

story ended I would be left craving more of this bril iant and emotional y gripping saga. … It is truly one of the most amazing tales Kresley Cole has ever released.”

—Wild On Books

Dreams of a Dark Warrior
is also available as an eBook

“Cole deftly blends danger and desire into a bril iantly original contemporary paranormal romance. She

neatly tempers the scorchingly sexy romance between Sabine and Rydstrom with a generous measure

of sharp humor, and the combination of a cleverly constructed plot and an inventive cast of characters in

Kiss of a Demon King
is simply irresistible.”

—Reader To Reader

DARK DESIRES AFTER DUSK

“
New York Times
bestsel er Cole outdoes herself. … A gem.”

—
Romantic Times

“Kresley Cole is a gifted author with a knack for witty dialogue, smart heroines, fantastic alpha males,

and yes, it has to be said, some of the hottest love scenes you’l read in mainstream romance. … You’re

in for a treat if you’ve never read a Kresley Cole book.”

—RomanceNovel.tv

“A wonderful y romantic tale of two people from the opposite sides of their immortal world. …

Everything I had hoped it to be and so much more!”

—Queue My Review

DARK NEEDS AT NIGHT’S EDGE

“Poignant and daring. You can trust Cole to always deliver sizzling sexy interludes within a darkly

passionate romance.”

—
Romantic Times

“The evolution of this romance is among the most believable and engrossing I’ve ever read. Cole’s

Immortals After Dark series continues stronger than ever with this latest instal ment.”

—Fresh Fiction

WICKED DEEDS ON A WINTER’S NIGHT

“Leave it to the awe-inspiring Cole to dish up a combustible mix of sorcery and passion. One for the

keeper shelf!”

—Romantic Times
(4½ stars)

“Kresley Cole … effortlessly delivers heart-wringing romance, likable heroines, hot heroes, and hotter

sex … set against an original and exciting paranormal mythology that keeps the both the story and reader

speeding along from one high point to another.”

—Love Vampires

NO REST FOR THE WICKED

“Sizzling sex and high-stakes adventure are what’s on tap in mega-talented Cole’s sensational new

paranormal release. … One nonstop thril ride. Brava!”

—
Romantic Times
(Top Pick)

“Oh, wow! Kresley Cole writes another spine-tingling, adventurous, and passionate romance. … I

recommend readers grab a copy of Kresley Cole’s
No Rest for the Wicked
today. It’s a definite keeper.”

—Romance Reviews Today

A HUNGER LIKE NO OTHER

“Intense action, devilishly passionate sex, and fascinating characters … leads readers into an amazing

and inventive alternate reality. … Hot stuff!”

—
Romantic Times
(Top Pick)

“Rich mythology, a fresh approach, and excel ent writing make this vampire tale superb.”

—Fresh Fiction

BOOKS BY KRESLEY COLE

The Sutherland Series

The Captain of All Pleasures

The Price of Pleasure

The MacCarrick Brothers Series

If You Dare

If You Desire

If You Deceive

The Immortals After Dark Series

A Hunger Like No Other

No Rest for the Wicked

Wicked Deeds on a Winter’s Night

Dark Needs at Night’s Edge

Dark Desires After Dusk

Kiss of a Demon King

Pleasure of a Dark Prince

Demon from the Dark

With Gena Showalter

Deep Kiss of Winter

Pocket Books

A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

1230 Avenue of the Americas

New York, NY 10020

www.SimonandSchuster.com

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and

incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used

fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons,

living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2011 by Kresley Cole

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or

portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address

Pocket Books Subsidiary Rights Department,

1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020

First Pocket Books paperback edition March 2011

POCKET and colophon are registered trademarks

of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

The Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your

live event. For more information or to book an event contact the

Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau at 1-866-248-3049 or visit

our website at www.simonspeakers.com.

Cover design by Lisa Litwack

Cover illustration by Craig White

Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

ISBN 978-1-4391-3680-5

ISBN 978-1-4391-7701-3 (ebook)

Dedicated with much love

to the amazing Roxanne St. Claire,

a bright shining star of a writer and dear friend.

Glossary of Terms

from

THE LIVING BOOK OF LORE

THE LORE

“… and those sentient creatures that are not human shall be united in one stratum, coexisting with,

yet secret from, man’s.”

♦Most are immortal and can regenerate from injuries. The stronger breeds can only be kil ed by

mystical fire or beheading.

♦Their eyes change with intense emotion, often to a breed-specific color.

THE VALKYRIE

“When a maiden warrior screams for courage as she dies in battle, Wóden and Freya heed her call.

The two gods give up lightning to strike her, rescuing her to their hall and preserving her courage

forever in the form of the maiden’s immortal Valkyrie daughter.”

♦They take sustenance from the electrical energy of the earth, sharing it in one col ective power,

and give it back with their emotions in the form of lightning.

♦They possess preternatural strength, speed, and senses.

♦Without training, most can be mesmerized by shining objects.

THE BERSERKERS

“A berserker’s lonely life is filled with naught but battle rage and bloodlust. …”

♦A cadre of human warriors, known for their merciless brutality, who swear al egiance to

Wóden.

♦Stronger and faster than mere mortals, they carry within them the spirit of the bear and can

channel its ferocity into a
berserkrage,
temporarily becoming as powerful as an immortal.

♦When a berserker wins his two hundredth battle in Wóden’s name, the god wil grant him

ohalla
—immortality with untold strength.

THE ORDER

“The immortal takers. Once captured by the Order, immortals do not return. …”

♦A multinational mortal operation created to study—and exterminate—nonhumans.

♦Thought to be an urban legend.

THE VAMPIRES

♦
The Fallen
are vampires who have kil ed by drinking a victim to death. Distinguished by their

red eyes.

♦
Tracing
is teleporting, the vampires’ means of travel. A vampire can only trace to destinations

he’s previously been or to those he can see.

THE TURNING

“Only through death can one become an ‘other.’”

♦Some beings can turn a human or even other Lore creatures into their kind through differing

means, but the catalyst for change is always death, and success is not guaranteed.

THE ACCESSION

“And a time shall come to pass when all immortal beings in the Lore, from the Valkyrie, vampire,

Lykae, and demon factions to the witches, shifters, fey, and sirens … must fight and destroy each

other.”

♦A kind of mystical checks-and-balances system for an ever-growing population of immortals.

♦Occurs every five hundred years. Or right now …

PROLOGUE

H
ark! Hear this tale, the legend of Aidan the Fierce and Reginleit the Radiant One, a pair of lovers
both bound and cursed by fate.

It begins, as many legends do, with a destined meeting—this one between an immortal girl who

would never know death and a jaded mortal man who lived only to kill.