Seducing
the Darkness
The
Darkness Series Book 1
by
Shiela Stewart
Genre:
Paranormal Romance
Trinity
was once a fragile girl. Being taken by a powerful vampire prince
changed her. Discovering him in the arms of another woman changed
destiny. Alone, she’s learned fast how to be tough, how to survive,
and how to protect the people in her city from the evil that lurks in
the dark. She was managing just fine, until Basil walked back into
her life.
Basil
Hawthorn has been the reigning prince of vampires since banishing his
father to the Realm of Dark Mystics decades earlier. When a prophetic
dream makes him realize Trinity’s life is at risk, he decides the
only way to save her is to push her away. Doing so is not easy.
Trinity is the only woman he has ever loved, ever will love, and he
can’t seem to let her go.
When
rumors arise of a plan to raise the King and blot out the sun, both
Trinity and Basil know they must do everything to stop it. Even if it
means working together. Despite the betrayal and the threat, they
find themselves drawn to each other. Love has no boundaries,
especially in the face of danger. But will they be able to stop the
ritual before it’s too late?
Or
will the darkness capture them both?
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That damn itch she’d been having lately was back, and it was driving her nuts. Rolling her shoulders, she watched two redheads staggering from the bar’s exit and towards a dimly lit street. Here we go again, She kept to the shadows as she followed after them. Uneventfully, they made it to their car and drove off. She hoped the cops were out tonight and those two were hauled in to sleep off their drunk. Turning back to the club, she waited and watched for the next two hours and was glad nothing had happened. So far. But the night was still young. “Can you smell it?” She didn’t jump, but slowly looked over at Basil who appeared next to her. She hated when he just appeared out of thin air, but she knew he loved that entrance the best. “Your stink? Always.” He didn’t sneer at her but slowly lifted his hand and lit the cigarette between his fingers. “The blood of a human. Does it still draw you in, make you hunger, make you want?” “I’ve got a strong will.” Deliberately, she shifted away from him. It wasn’t only the smoke that bothered her—and always had—but his scent. It pissed her off that he could still make her ache. She waved the smoke away annoyingly and shifted just a bit farther away. “Why are you skulking, Basil? Because if you’re following me, I am going to so kick your ass.” “I was in the neighborhood.” She glared at him and growled her response. “If you’re here to drink, let me warn you now that I won’t allow it.” “Who am I supposed to drink from now that I no longer am nourished by your blood?” She chose not to answer that. “Why does it seem that you’re always around, lurking in the dark, around places that aren’t your usual hangouts? Unless….there’s a reason?” The thought stabbed into her, and though she didn’t want to believe it, she had to ask. “Are you trying to take more females of your own? Are you the one abducting young girls?” With one quick and easy flick, he tossed the cigarette into the darkness. The red tip glowed as it flew through the air before landing on the gravel to bounce and spit out a cloud of red sparkling fireworks. “I will not even dignify that with an answer.” “It’s so obvious, now that I think about it. I was young when you took me, made me yours. Is that what you’re doing, Basil, making another mate?” His icy blue eyes narrowed dangerously as he stepped closer. “I have a mate and to think you would even have such a thought sickens me.” “You don’t have me, Basil.” Her voice grew dangerous. “If I’m so wrong, then do explain to me why
you’re always out in the darkness, skulking near all these young girls?” “The very same reason you are, my dear.” He ran a finger along her face, making her scowl. She snorted, stepping away from him before he decided to do something stupid, like kiss her. “Please, I hardly think you’re out here looking to find the person or persons responsible for taking four innocent girls.” Leaning against the building behind them, Basil looked off into the direction of the bar and the people waiting in line to be allowed inside. “You think so little of me and that’s a shame. But I suppose I’ve done it to myself. Yes, Trinity, I am looking to find out who took those young girls, as you are. And why you might ask?” He shifted towards her, sliding in nice and close and making her pulse speed up. He laid his fingers on her cheek, then slowly slid them along her face. “Because I have a feeling I am connected to the reason they’ve been taken.” She had all but a moment to open her mouth to respond when he closed it with a mind numbing kiss, then pulling away, turned into a dog and scampered away. Now what the hell did he mean by that?
Desiring
the Darkness
The
Darkness Series Book 2
With
the cloak of darkness surrounding Jacob’s Cove, Dante Vega must
work to protect the humans from the blood-thirsty vampires trying to
take over the human race. When a half-naked young woman races into
his arms begging him to protect her, he is compelled to help despite
the fact that she is a vampire.
Before
all hell broke loose, Gypsy Dawn was an average woman carrying on
with her ordinary life…until she’s turned into a vampire. With no
family and no where to go, she clings to Dante. Aside from his dark,
mysterious, good looks, she finds herself inexplicably drawn to him.
And when his life is threatened she discovers just how protective she
has become.
Trying
to bring back the sun is not easy, especially when the creature
responsible, has gone into hiding. With Dante’s long lost brother
working with the enemy, one friend is killed and another is taken
hostage.
Will
Dante be able to save him before it’s too late?
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“Remind me again why I have to be the bait?”
Dante heard Jonah’s voice in his ear as he hid behind the dumpster. Lowering his voice, he replied, “Because I was bait last time.”
“Right. You’ll tell Ariel I love her if I don’t make it?”
“You’ll be just fine, Jonah. I’ve got you covered and Basil is lurking about, ready to jump in and snatch the bastards. Just stay calm.”
“Yeah, easy for you to say. Oh shit! Bloodsucker, eight o’clock.”
Dante swiveled in his spot behind the garbage bin, looking in the direction Jonah instructed. He saw the chubby guy heading Jonah’s way and prepared himself for the attack. The vampire’s ugly yellow eyes caught sight of Jonah and Dante could imagine what was going through his mind.
Fresh meat.
Not this time.
“Get ready.”
“I’m ready.” Pulling the tranquilizer gun from his belt, Dante aimed it at the vampire and waited. Because Jonah had the microphone pinned beneath his jacket, Dante could hear everything, including the vampire’s comments.
“Well, looky here. What have we got? Oh, and I smell lots of fear. Gonna be a nice snack for me.”
“You don’t want to drink me. I’m anemic. I won’t satisfy you much,” Jonah added with a great deal of quiver in his voice.
“Oh, I’m betting you’ll be just what I need.”
He heard the growl, heard Jonah scream, and took his shot. The dart hit the vamp right in his backside and as
Dante stood up, he saw the vamp pull back in shock. He didn’t waste any time and took another shot. This time he hit the vampire in the arm. The vamp looked up, searching for where the shot had come from as Dante raced towards him.
“Took your time. He was about to bite me.” Jonah took a couple steps away from the vamp.
“I had to make sure I got a good shot.” The vampire hissed as he approached, then his knees gave out and he went down. “Damn, I was hoping to knock him around a bit first.”
“You’ll get your chance later.”
“Jesus Christ, Basil! I hate when you do that.” His heart pounding, Dante aimed a steely glare at Basil. The guy loved to make an entrance, but did he have to appear out of nowhere without warning and scare the living shit out of him?
“Good shot,” Basil stated as he lowered down to the vampires body. “But next time, aim higher. If you can get the neck or near the heart, he’ll go down with one shot.”
“Yeah, thanks for the advice.” He’d only known Basil a few short days and was still on the fence about him. The guy was the last of the true vampires and had several advantages over the rest of the vamps. For one, he could materialize at the blink of an eye and transport himself anywhere. Two, he could transform into any creature and blend in everywhere. And anyone that didn’t know him personally would think he was your typical average human being. Until he bore his fangs and his icy blue eyes began to glow. Only the truest vampires had the icy blue eyes, all the others were yellow.
A sign of their impurity.
“He one of Chaos’ men?” Dante asked, looking down at the unconscious vampire.
“Won’t know until he wakes up and talks. Let’s call it a night for now and get some rest.” Basil hoisted the vamp over his shoulder. “You can ride with me, Jonah, and make sure this guy doesn’t wake up before we get to the castle.”
“Gee, thanks, boss.”
“You can follow us in your car, Dante.”
While the sun was nonexistent they had all agreed to stay at Basil’s castle. It was a smart idea, keeping them all under one roof, but Dante was feeling the crunch of hanging around the same people day and night. He needed a bit of a break now and then, and though Basil’s place was huge, he still managed to run into someone often enough. He was used to living on his own, having no one around but himself.
He missed his privacy.
But he climbed into his car, ready to follow them anyway. Glancing in his rear view mirror, he watched them pull away and saw what looked like a woman, running towards him. He turned around to get a better look, then hustled out of the car. It had been a woman running towards him, clad in only a bra and panties.
And two burly men were right behind her.
“You’ve got to help me. Please, help me,” she screamed as she ran.
Running towards her he pulled out his revolver. “Get behind me,” he ordered to her and took aim. It utterly shocked him when the two men halted then spun around and took off in the opposite direction. “Fuck!” He turned to the woman who was shivering in the cold air. “Get in the car and lock the doors. I’m going after them.”
“No, no, please, don’t leave me.”
She grabbed hold of his arm and pressed her body so tightly to his he could feel the curve of her breasts through the thickness of the suede jacket he wore. “I have to go after them.”
“No, please, just let them go. I don’t want to be alone.”
She clung to him even tighter.
What was he going to do, shake her off of him and drag her to his car? Not likely. So the only chance he had was to stick by her. “Okay. I won’t go after them. You can give a description of them to the cops—”
“NO! No police. Please, don’t take me to the cops.”
He didn’t know what her deal was but she sure was adamant about not involving the cops. And that worried him some. “You have to tell them you were attacked.”
“I don’t want to follow up on this. Please, don’t make me. I don’t trust the cops,” she sighed, still clinging to him.
He could feel her body tremble and he wasn't sure if it was entirely from the chill in the air, or from fear. “Okay, I won’t take you to the cops. You’re cold. Let me give you my jacket.” When she didn’t release him, he patted her arms. “I need you to let me go so I can take off my jacket.”
“Oh, okay.” She released him and wrapped her arms around her chest.
He striped from his jacket then held it out to her. “Here, put this on before you catch a cold.”
She took the jacket and hurriedly slipped into it.
“Thanks.”
“No problem. So why don’t you tell me where you live and I’ll give you a ride home.”
“I don’t have a home.” Dante’s brow lifted and she continued. “I was evicted a few days ago.”
He heard glass breaking in the distance and assumed someone was breaking into yet another building. “This isn’t the safest place to be right now. Why don’t I take you to my place and we can figure out what we’re going to do next.”
He held his hand out to his car then walked with her to it, holding the passenger side door for her. After she’d settled in, he hurried to his side and climbed behind the wheel. He got them rolling and was damn glad they were only three blocks from his office/apartment.
“My name is Dante, Dante Vega.”
“Gypsy Dawn.”
Embracing
the Darkness
The
Darkness Series Book 3
One
upon a time Jonah Moore had it all. Then his wife and unborn child
were taken from him, leaving his life darker than when Chaos and his
evil vampires stole the sun. Now, Jonah has lost the will to face
another day, which could be a problem, considering he’s just been
turned into a vampire and is now destined to live for eternity.
As
a nurse, Raven Moony is used to tending to the needs of others. Until
an accident changes everything. When she is abducted and forced to
tend to Chaos’ needs, she is more than ready to give in and
willingly accepts her role as his slave.
When
Jonah enters the picture, she finds herself fighting for his safety
and freedom as well as her own. Can she convince Jonah to go on
despite her own doubts? And can they open their hearts to love and
learn that there is indeed life after death?
Charming
the Darkness
The
Darkness Series Book 4
Daniel
Vega had never been comfortable as a human so when he was offered
eternal life as a vampire, he turned his back on his family and
welcomed the darkness. Then Chaos, the one man Danny thought he could
always count on, goes missing. Now, shunned by his own kind, it seems
that leaving Jacob’s Cove is his only option. Until he crashes into
a high-spirited redhead.
Born
from witches, Starla Raine has spent her entire life learning to
control and manage her powers. Drawn to Jacob’s Cove, a city
magically cloaked in darkness, Starla runs into Daniel, a man
connected to the infamous spell, and she knows just what to do. Hold
him hostage and, use any means possible to make him give her what she
wants.
The
two forge an unlikely partnership, with Danny agreeing to help Starla
find the ritual, but only if she’ll work with him to locate Chaos.
At first he doesn’t mind using her magical abilities, or her body,
for his own gain. Sex is just sex, after all… until someone’s
heart gets in the way.
Tempting
the Darkness
The
Darkness Series Book 5
For
twenty long years, Cooper Hawthorne has kept the brightest light in
his bleak existence a deeply hidden secret. All this time, his
beloved Gabriella has slept safely in cryogenic stasis, awaiting the
day he finds a cure for her terminal cancer. As love blooms amidst
the Darkness, and still no cure in sight, loneliness drives Cooper to
drastic measures. He awakens Gabriella and breaks his last promise to
her—by turning her into a vampire. Gabriella’s sense of betrayal
weighs heavily on her attempts to deal with what Cooper has done to
her. Pushing him away, she turns to his friends for support—and
finds she isn’t the only one hurt by his actions. Cooper fights the
temptation to use his powers to wipe her mind of the damning
memories. But, when he comes face to face with the monster that
created him, he knows what he must do.
Will
Gabriella be able to save him before it’s too late? Or will the
Darkness swallow him whole?
Penetrating
the Darkness
The
Darkness Series Book 6
A
kidnapped child, a young woman in charge of protecting her, a newly
created vampire, and a city cast in darkness. Three innocent lives
are about to change.
Amara
loves her job caring for Felicity, the child stolen from her parents
by the vampire queen. Gifted with more power than a child should
possess, Felicity escapes to look for her mother and father, and
takes Amara with her. Thrust into a strange, dark world, Amara’s
loyalty and caregiving skills are put to the test.
Dusty
hoped to finish college and become a biologist. Until a sadistic
vampire kidnapped, tortured, and turned him. When he’s taken to
find his own victim, Dusty’s chance to free himself arrives in the
form of a bright white flash, a beautiful young blonde, and a small
child with the ability to incinerate anything and anyone with merely
a thought. As the three work together to find Felicity’s parents,
Dusty and Amara discover a deep affection for each other.
Can
their budding relationship survive the power struggle between warring
vampire factions?
Consuming
the Darkness
The
Darkness Series Book 7
In
Jacob’s Cove, where death is as common as apple pie, a serial
murderer is a first. Lieutenant Sienna Storm, the town’s newly
minted homicide detective, is eager to prove she’s up to the job of
tracking down the demon who rips out his victims’ still-beating
hearts. Even if it means using her abilities.
Detective
Nathan Powers lost his partner to the aptly named Heartless Killer,
and the trail of bodies leads him to Jacob’s Cove, a strange world
populated with bloodthirsty demons and run by a vampire. Still, the
leggy blonde, Sienna, is a pleasant distraction. Until he discovers
she’s after the same killer—and she’s not sharing.
On
the hunt, the more they cross paths, the harder it is to stay apart.
Together they discover not only clues, but a searing desire, one that
may be their downfall when the killer targets Nathan, and Sienna
risks everything to get him back.
Surviving
the Darkness
The
Darkness Series Book 8
You can run, but you
can’t hide.
Surviving an
abduction, and running home to hide, might seem like a good idea.
Except home is now run by vampires.
Deborah Carmichael
had it all. Fame, fortune and an amazing gift bringing songs to
life on her piano. Until a madman began stalking her. At first he
seemed harmless, attending her concerts, asking for autographs. Then
he turned creepy, sending photos of himself wearing identical dresses
she wore, dressing up mannequins in her likeness. But she made a
vital mistake, sending her bodyguard away. It was the perfect
opportunity for her abductor to strike.
Rich, debonair, and
owner of the only vampire/demon establishment in Jacobs Cove, Zachary
Adams has it all. Or so he thought. When a beautiful, troubled young
woman walks into his club, he is instantly taken by her.
Helping her overcome her fears, teaching her to stand up and fight,
Zach knows she is the one.
When her abductor
finds her, and takes her captive, Deborah fears this will be the end.
Will Zach find her on time, or will Deborah find the strength to
fight?
Shiela
Stewart is a paranormal suspense author with a writing history that
stems back to her youth. Always a dreamer, wondering if her stories
would ever reach an audience, she was finally published in 2006 and
hasn't stopped since. It is rare to find a stand-alone book as she
prefers series stories. Her longest running series to date is her
Darkness series which is a vampire romance.
Her
joy for scary suspense is evident in each of her books. She has had
several accomplishments including fighting for the top spot in
rankings with author Stephany Myers, receiving glowing reviews as
well as interviews on television.
When
not writing, Shiela spends her time with the love of her life,
William, and their children and grandchildren. She enjoys getting her
hands dirty, working in her gardens and planting flowers. Her strong
affection for animals is evident in the many cats, fish and birds she
cares for.
Her
favorite time of day is at sunset.
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