Dark Needs at Night's Edge

BOOK: Dark Needs at Night's Edge
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New York Times
bestselling author
KRESLEY COLE
Winner of the 2007 RITA Award
for Best Paranormal Romance

The critics love her “devilishly passionate”
(
Romantic Times
)
series The Immortals After Dark

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 thrill ride. Brava!”

—
Romantic Times
Magazine (Top Pick)

“What a fabulous story! I can hardly wait to get my hands on the next one in the series.”

—Bella Online

“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
2007 RITA Award Winner

“With intense action, devilishly passionate sex, and fascinating characters,
A Hunger Like No Other
leads readers into an amazing and inventive alternate reality…. Hot stuff!”

—
Romantic Times
Magazine (Top Pick)

“Unquestionably an awe-inspiring romance!”

—Reader to Reader Reviews

“Not just another romantic read…it's a powerful experience!”

—
The Best Reviews

“A unique romance—it truly stands on its own!”

—Sherrilyn Kenyon,
New York Times
bestselling author

And her gripping historical romances
featuring the MacCarrick brothers

IF YOU DECEIVE

“With power and passion, Cole completes her MacCarrick brothers trilogy with a bang…. You'll be held fast in Cole's grip and utterly satisfied with every aspect of her story.”

—Romantic Times
(Top Pick)

IF YOU DESIRE

“Cole steams up the pages and keeps you coming back for more…. It's impossible to resist these heroes and their stories. Savor every moment of another passionate tale from a queen of adventure romance.”

—
Romantic Times
(Top Pick)

IF YOU DARE

“Filled with heated passion and wonderful repartee.”

—
Romantic Times
(Reviewers' Choice Award Winner)

“Cole's voice is powerful and gripping, and
If You Dare
is her steamiest yet!”

—
New York Times
bestselling author Linda Lael Miller

“A deliciously entertaining read that kept the sexual tension high!”

—Romance Designs

“[A] classic romantic adventure that will leave you breathless!”

—
New York Times
bestselling author Julia Quinn

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

Pocket Books
A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020

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 © 2008 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

POCKET and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

ISBN-13: 978-1-4165-6556-7
ISBN-10: 1-4165-6556-6

Visit us on the World Wide Web:
http://www.SimonSays.com

For Lauren,
my phenomenal editor and a dedicated champion
of the books. This is our tenth project together,
and it's still as crazy and exciting as the first.

Acknowledgments

Many, many thanks to my fantastic agent Robin Rue. So happy to be working with you. To Caroline Phipps, my steadfast friend who's always willing to do a midnight line-edit. To Gena Showalter, because my life's a more meaningful (and riotous) trip with you in it.

And to Roxanne St. Claire, a.k.a. G.U.F. Did I happen to mention you're my rock?

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.”

The Lykae Clan

“A proud, strapping warrior of the Keltoi People (or Hidden People, later known as Celts) was taken in his prime by a maddened wolf. The warrior rose from the dead, now an immortal, with the spirit of the beast latent within him. He displayed the wolf's traits: the need for touch, an intense loyalty to its kind, an animal craving for the delights of the flesh. Sometimes the beast rises….”

  • Also called werewolves, war-wolds.
  • Enemies of the Vampire Horde.

The Vampires

Two warring factions, the Horde and the Forbearer Army.

  • Each vampire seeks his
    Bride,
    his eternal wife, and walks as the living dead until he finds her.
  • A Bride will render his body fully alive, giving him breath and making his heart beat, a process known as
    blooding.
  • 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 Fallen
    are vampires who have killed by drinking a victim to death. Distinguished by their red eyes.

The Horde

“In the first chaos of the Lore, a brotherhood of vampires dominated, by relying on their cold nature, worship of logic, and absence of mercy. They sprang from the harsh steppes of Dacia and migrated to Russia, though some say a secret enclave, the Daci, live in Dacia still.”

  • Their ranks are comprised of the Fallen.
  • Enemies of most factions in the Lore.

The Forbearers

“…his crown stolen, Kristoff, the rightful Horde king, stalked the battlefields of antiquity seeking the strongest, most valiant human warriors as they died, earning him the name of Gravewalker. He offered eternal life in exchange for eternal fealty to him and his growing army.”

  • An army of vampires consisting of turned humans, who do not drink blood directly from the flesh, unless from an immortal Bride.
  • Kristoff was raised as a human and then lived among them. He and his army know little of the Lore.
  • Enemies of the Horde.

The Demonarchies

“The demons are as varied as the bands of man….”

  • A collection of demon dynasties. Some kingdoms ally with the Horde.
  • Most demon breeds can
    trace
    like vampires. Some breeds are bound to obey summonses.
  • A demon must have intercourse with a potential mate to ascertain if she's truly his—a process known as
    attempting
    .

The House of Witches

“…immortal possessors of magickal talents, practitioners of good and evil.”

  • Mystickal mercenaries who sell their spells.
  • Strictly forbidden to create personal wealth or grant immortality.
  • Separated into five castes: warrior, healer, enchantress, conjurer, and seeress.
  • The only witch known to possess the powers of all five castes is Mariketa the Awaited.

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.”

  • Take sustenance from the electrical energy of the earth, sharing it in one collective power, and give it back with their emotions in the form of lightning.
  • Possess preternatural strength and speed.
  • Without training, they can be mesmerized by shining objects and jewels.
  • Enemies of the Vampire Horde.

The Talisman's Hie

“A treacherous and grueling scavenger hunt for magickal talismans, amulets, and other mystical riches over the entire world.”

  • The rules forbid killing—until the final round. Any other trickery or violence is encouraged.
  • Held every two hundred fifty years.
  • Hosted by Riora, the goddess of impossibility.

The Turning

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

  • Some beings, like the Lykae, vampires, and demons, 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 pass that all immortal beings in the Lore, from the Valkyrie, vampire, Lykae, and demon factions, to the phantoms, shifters, fey, and sirens…must fight and destroy each other.”

  • A kind of mystickal checks-and-balances system for an ever-growing population of immortals.
  • Occurs every five hundred years. Or right now…
BOOK: Dark Needs at Night's Edge
7.23Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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