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Dreaming was never so deadly or
exciting... Hades doesn't often
give second chances.
Xypher has one month on Earth as a
human to redeem himself through one good deed or be condemned to eternal torture
in Tartarus.
Simone Dubois is a woman with a
secret even she doesn't know. She's never understood why the dead haunt her,
especially her sidekick who will never leave her alone. But over the years she's
learned to cope. At least until an intriguing and lethal stranger walks into her
life.
Now the fate of the world hangs in
their hands...
It was bad enough when just the dead
relied in her. Now there's Xypher who needs Simone to open a portal to hell.
And you thought you had bad days...
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Sherri originally
intended for Solin's book to follow
after Arik's, but the instant Xypher
appeared in Devil May Cry, she had no
choice except to follow him into the
next story.
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This is the book that introduces Jaden. A mysterious stranger who will forever
change the Dark-Hunter world and one who will wreak havoc in books to come...
*** There is a special, never before seen excerpt from Acheron contained in the
back of Dream Chaser.
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Factoid: Simone originally appeared
in Night Pleasures in the morgue scene with
Amanda and Kyrian, but was taken out when
Sherri's original editor decided that the
readers didn't need to meet her yet.
Click here for
Correct Reading Order
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More countries coming as
we get the books in |
Excerpt
As he chanted, the wind picked up speed. It whispered around
him as ancient forces gathered to awaken the one he called.
Al-Baraka...
The tree began to shake as a black mist from the earth rose
to encircle it. Kaiaphas looked up to see a pair of glowing
eyes– one vibrant earth green and the other dark earth
brown– materialize in the center of the mist. The air
swirled faster, rising up like a geyser that began to form
the shape of a tall, lean man standing on a large limb.
Black hair rose up, tangling in the wind before it settled
over broad shoulders. It was followed by a rippling white
that formed a shirt, then black pants and a brown, stitched
leather jacket. The last to form was a face that was as
handsome as it was brutal.
A thin gold band encircled the man’s throat and there at the
base of his neck rested a stone as green as his inhuman
right eye.
As quickly as it’d come, the wind stopped. The mist
evaporated. Now the man and the tree stood out crisp and
clear against the backdrop of night.
Those fierce duo colored eyes seemed to penetrate Kaiaphas.
Suddenly, something hard wrapped itself around his neck and
squeezed it closed.
Choking, Kaiaphas fell to his knees.
“There now,” the voice was deep and evil as Jaden jumped to
the ground. He landed on his feet in front Kaiaphas before
he kicked him onto his back.
Unable to speak for the pressure still wrapped around his
throat, Kaiaphas stared up into the very face of evil. Not
human, not demon, not a god, Jaden was born of the first
power.
Al-Baraka. He was the go-between for the higher powers and
demonkind.
Jaden cocked his head as he studied the demon lying before
him. “Kaiaphas...” he let the name roll off his tongue. In
one heartbeat, he knew everything about the demon. His past
and his questionable future. “Why have you awakened me?”
“I need your help.”
Jaden laughed at the desperate plea. “Aye, you do. Tell me
what you’ll give for my services.”
“Three unbaptized virgins.”
He scowled at the demon. What was this? The Middle Ages?
“Three?”
“Is it not enough?”
It depended on the virgins...
And their skills. In this day and age, virgins could be more
promiscuous than the sluts of the past.
“Perhaps.” Jaden hissed as he felt his arm burn in response
to the summons that constricted Kaiaphas’s band. “You dare
call me while your mistress summons you?”
“I-I-“
Jaden blasted him. “Go, you maggot. In one moon rising
you’ll have my answer.”
The demon vanished instantly.
Jaden stood there in the cold stillness under the shelter of
the oak, getting his bearings on this time and place. He
lifted his head to smell the blood that tainted the air
around him.
Turning, he saw the body of a woman in her late twenties.
Her lifeless eyes stared in horror.
He went to her and knelt before her. “Sleep in peace, little
one,” he whispered, closing her eyes.
It was a most unnecessary death. Strike one against the
demon.
Jaden paused as he caught something else in the wind. The
tree was whispering to him, telling him what he needed to
know. Kaiaphas wasn’t the only one thinking of him.
There was another...###
Xypher lay on the cold, pine floor as he
listened to Simone breathing. She’d fallen asleep about an
hour ago while Jesse was in his room, playing records way
too loud. He didn’t know how Simone could sleep through the
same Altered Images song playing over and over again, but
unlike him, she seemed immune.
Of course, he’d gotten used to not sleeping. In Tartarus,
part of his punishment was someone beating him every time he
closed his eyes to rest.
“Xypher...”
He tensed at the whispered call. The voice was a deep
baritone laced with a demon’s sharp accent.
It was a voice he hadn’t heard in centuries.
“Jaden?”
The demon lord appeared before the closed door in a crouched
position.
“Salt?” Jaden laughed. He stood up, walked to the window and
licked his finger. His smile was cold as he lifted the digit
to his mouth and sampled the salt they’d put there. “I know
you weren’t trying to keep me out with this.”
“I know better. How is that you’re here?”
Jaden didn’t answer as he walked to the bed where Simone
continued to sleep oblivious to the fact that one of the
most powerful entities in existence was close enough to
touch her. “She’s pretty enough. Is she your offering?”
He had to bite back his fury. To snap at Jaden invited
instant death. “No.”
“That was a quick denial. Why do you seek me, demonspawn?”
As if he didn’t already know. But that was one thing about
Jaden, he always wanted you to speak your needs. “I was
going to summon you tomorrow.”
“In the daylight where I’m weak.” He tsked. “What bargain do
you wish this time?”
“I need my powers returned and I want the human protected.”
Jaden arched a brow. He turned back toward Simone and
brushed her face with his hand. “Human...”
Jealousy flared inside him so much that it was all he could
do not to shove Jaden away from her. But that would be a
fatal mistake, especially since he needed Jaden’s
cooperation.
“A Daimon bound us together and I can’t do what I need to so
long as we’re joined. I need your help. I have to have my
freedom and my powers unencumbered.”
Jaden turned toward him. “My help comes at a premium price.
You know that. You’ve already paid me once.”
Xypher wanted to curse at the reminder.
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