One With the Darkness
Praise for
New York Times
Bestselling Author
S
USAN
S
QUIRES
O
NE WITH THE
S
HADOWS
“Full of colorful characters, romantic locales, and vivid details of 1820s life,
[One with the Shadows]
has a delicious pace and plenty of thrills, and her vampire mythos is both mannered—almost Victorian—and intriguingly offbeat. Bound to net a wide audience of paranormal fans, this one may even convert devotees of traditional historicals.”
—
Publishers Weekly
(A Best Book of the Year)
O
NE WITH THE
N
IGHT
“Superb … captivating … With her usual skill and creativity, Ms. Squires has crafted a novel that is passionate, heartbreaking, suspenseful, and completely riveting.”
—Romance Reviews Today
“Few writers combine a sensual romance within a supernatural thriller as well as Susan Squires consistently does. Her latest is a terrific Regency vampire romantic suspense starring two courageous heroes battling one hell of a meanie.”
—Midwest Book Review
“This is an incredibly unusual take on historical vampire stories. Susan Squires delivers an exciting story.”
—Fallen Angel Reviews
T
HE
B
URNING
“A terrific tale … the story line is action-packed.”
—Midwest Book Review
“Blazingly hot and erotic.”
—Romantic Times BOOKreviews
“Marvelously rich, emotionally charged, imaginative, and beautifully written.”
—BookLoons
“A fantastic erotic vampire thriller.”
—Fresh Fiction
T
HE
C
OMPANION
“A darkly compelling vampire romance … the plot keeps the reader turning the pages long into the night.”
—Affaire de Coeur
“Bestseller Squires charts a new direction with this exotic, extremely erotic, and darkly dangerous Regency-set paranormal tale. With her ability to create powerful and tormented characters, Squires has developed a novel that is graphic, gripping, and unforgettable.”
—Romantic Times
(4½ starred review)
“Travel through Egypt’s deserts and London’s society with two of the most intriguing characters you will ever read about. You will encounter a dark world that is intense, scary, and sexy, and a love that will brighten it … powerful and passionate … captivating … Squires has a wonderful ability to keep her readers glued to the edge of their seats.”
—Romance Junkies
“A vibrant, riveting, and sometimes just plain scary novel that should satisfy anyone—including the man in your life—who enjoys paranormal tales … Squires’s saga is off to an intriguing start.”
—
All About Romance
“Squires does a fantastic job of taking an old tale of vampirism, and she spins it into a new and fresh tale with characters who intrigue and captivate.”
—Fallen Angel Reviews
“An unforgettable, sensual, and erotic novel that takes you places you’ve never gone before … will make you believe in the power of true love.”
—Romance Reader at Heart
“[The
Companion
] delivers sensual love scenes, and an intriguing plot fraught with danger, adventure, and the unexpected which will leave readers anxiously awaiting the next enthralling tale from this immensely talented author.”
—Rendezvous
“Squires has just taken the traditional vampire novel to a whole new level with
The Companion.
With her riveting and compelling writing, she has woven a tale of love amidst the most desperate of circumstances and created unforgettable characters … fans of the genre will be fascinated …
The Companion
will capture your interest from the first scene until the last … readers who like a strong historical novel as well as one with a definite bite should add
The Companion
to their wish list. It will be a keeper for sure!”
—
aromancereview.com
“Squires has demonstrated a talent that few can surpass. Her descriptions and historical details are flawless. Her characters exceed their potential and the plot keeps you quickly turning the pages. Squires has joined the company of authors whose books are classics. Look for this book to become a classic in its genre too.
The Companion
is a gem. Obviously, everyone needs it.”
—
Coffee Time Romance
“A totally absorbing novel … the characters are brilliantly conceived and perfect for the gripping plotline. The author gives the reader a unique twist on what vampires really are, a tortured hero to adore, the only heroine who could possibly be right for him, a truly horrific villain—and a fascinating story that carries the reader through one exciting adventure after another … Squires’s prose grabs you from the beginning and gives you a relentless ride through this complex, beautifully written book.”
—
NewAndUsedBooks.com
“A riveting story, the first of what I expect to become a fresh, unforgettable new vampire series.”
—BookLoons
“A book to be savored, not torn through at breakneck speed … Squires is a talented author and
The Companion
offers the promise of more beautifully dark vampire novels to follow.”
—The Romance Reader
St. Martin’s Paperbacks Titles By
S
USAN
S
QUIRES
One with the Shadows
One with the Night
The Burning
The Hunger
The Companion
One
with the
Darkness
S
USAN
S
QUIRES
St. Martin’s Paperbacks
NOTE:
If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
ONE WITH THE DARKNESS
Copyright © 2008 by Susan Squires.
All rights reserved.
For information address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
ISBN: 0-312-94104-8
EAN: 978-0-312-94104-8
Printed in the United States of America
St. Martin’s Paperbacks edition / June 2008
St. Martin’s Paperbacks are published by St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To Jen, for making me think twice. And to Harry, for teaching me how to live with a human of the male persuasion, and why it’s worth trying to understand one.
1
Florence, Tuscany, 1821.
H
ER FRIEND
, E
URIPEDES
, used to say, “Time cancels young pain.” Euripedes was wrong. After eighteen hundred years, the thorn of regret had festered until it was like to poison her.
Contessa Donnatella Margherita Luchella di Poliziano drifted onto the balcony of the Palazzo Vecchehio. The scent of star jasmine hung in the air as twilight deepened into indigo. Summer in Florence gave precious little darkness, an inconvenience to her kind. Below her in the Piazza del Signoria the usual throng of women crowded around Buonarroti’s statue of David. It had been modeled after her son, Gian, in 1504.
Gian was the bright spot in her life. It was so rare for her kind to be blessed with a child. He was like his father, Jergan—as handsome as Jergan had been, as much of a leader. But Gian was vampire, like Donnatella, born in
A.D.
41 in Rome, and Jergan had been human.
Her eyes filled. She could have changed that. She hadn’t had the courage to make Jergan vampire because the Rules forbade it and the vampire Elders always enforced the Rules. So she had watched the only man she ever loved grow old and die. Such a short time she’d had with him! Half a century? No more.
She shook herself and turned inside. The library smelled
of the lemon oil used to polish the heavy, dark furniture. Her gaze fell on her favorite painting. Botticelli had rendered Jergan as Neptune rising from the waves, based only on Donnatella’s description. The likeness was remarkable in view of the fact that the artist had never seen him. Green eyes. Long, dark hair. Body sculpted by a warrior’s training. The painting and her son were all she had left of Jergan.
If only she had known the regret that waited for her, she would have found the courage. She could have infected him with her Companion, the parasite in her bloodstream. Then he would have shared her more-than-human strength and senses, the healing, the power to compel men’s minds, the ability to translocate. There had been one moment—he’d been wounded; she’d almost done it then, used that as an excuse. The Companion would have healed him. Of course the Companion also demanded its host drink human blood. How could she have asked him to take on such a burden? To be thought a monster … Still, if he’d survived the infection, they would have had forever together.
Of course, if he’d died, then she’d have had no time with him at all.
And it was against the Elders’ Rules. If one made a vampire every time one fell in love …