Darkness Unmasked (DA 5)
Read Darkness Unmasked (DA 5) Online
Authors: Keri Arthur
Tags: #Fiction, #Romance, #Urban, #Paranormal, #Fantasy
Praise for Keri Arthur
Winner of the
Romantic Times
2008 Reviewers’ Choice Awards for Career Achievement in Urban Fantasy
“Keri Arthur’s imagination and energy infuse everything she writes with zest.”
—Charlaine Harris
Darkness Devours
“Prepare for intense action and sexual attraction to take center stage. . . . Arthur writes stellar action scenes. . . . I absolutely cannot wait to read what happens next in this indomitable story.
Darkness Devours
is bloody good with its provocative heroine and killer plotline.”
—Joyfully Reviewed
“An intricate and thrilling urban fantasy filled with sensuality, violence, and imagination . . . mesmerizing.”
—Night Owl Reviews
“Reminiscent of the early Anita Blake books, Arthur’s third Dark Angels book is an action-packed and highly sensual urban fantasy. . . . If you’re a fan of Arthur’s Riley Jenson Guardian series, you won’t want to miss reading this spin-off.”
—All Things Urban Fantasy
“Action-packed and loaded with hot guys (yummy!), this third installment has Risa running for both her life . . . and her heart.”
—The Book Swarm
“[Arthur’s] ability to raise the stakes in each book never ceases to amaze me. . . . I give
Darkness Devours
a resounding five-star rating. Arthur sure knows how to keep the reader coming back for more!”
—A Book Obsession
“Risa is becoming a fierce heroine. . . . The series keeps picking up steam and this is the strongest installment yet.” —
USA Today
Happy Ever After
Darkness Unbound
“Keri Arthur has blown me away again. Her worlds are so complex and ‘real.’ . . . Risa makes readers fall in love with her. . . . I highly recommend Arthur’s books.”
—
USA Today
“Must read! I love, love, love it! Arthur’s . . . kick-ass action and indelible heroine left me enraptured. Risa Jones is one of a kind; she is the next generation’s paranormal superheroine!” —Joyfully Reviewed
“Risa is an amazing character; she most certainly kicks butt.”
—Serendipity Reviews
Darkness Rising
“You will fall hard for [Keri Arthur’s] Dark Angels series.”
—Coffee Time Romance & More
“A highly imaginative world with memorable characters . . . everything a fan of romance and urban fantasy would enjoy. There is a cosmopolitan mix of supernatural creatures: werewolves, vampires, and witches . . . an exciting new series!”
—Night Owl Reviews
Full Moon Rising
“Keri Arthur skillfully mixes her suspenseful plot with heady romance . . . sexy vampires, randy werewolves, and unabashed, unapologetic, joyful sex—you’ve gotta love it. Smart, sexy, and well conceived.”
—Kim Harrison
“Deliciously sexy . . . [it] pulls you in and won’t let go. Keri Arthur knows how to thrill! Buckle up and get ready for a wild, cool ride!”
—Shana Abé
“Will remind many of Anita Blake, Laurell K. Hamilton’s kick-ass vampire hunter. . . . Fans of . . . Charlaine Harris’s Sookie Stackhouse vampire series will be rewarded.”
—
Publishers Weekly
“Well-done and entertaining.”
—
The Sunday Oklahoman
“Sexy and fast-paced.”
—
The Davis Enterprise
“Hot werewolves, sexy vampires, a huge amount of butt kickin’, and no-holds-barred sex. If you like a twist to your paranormal romance, you’ll love this book.”
—Fresh Fiction
Kissing Sin
Finalist for the 2008 Fantasm Award for Best Werewolf Romance
“Strong world building, vivid personalities, and the distinctive cultures of each of the various paranormal strains combine for a rich narrative, and Arthur’s descriptive prose adds texture and menace.”
—
Publishers Weekly
“The second book in this paranormal Guardian series is just as phenomenal as the first. . . . I am addicted!”
—Fresh Fiction
Dangerous Games
Finalist for the 2008 Fantasm Award for Best Urban Fantasy Romance
“By far one of the best books I have ever read.”
—Coffee Time Romance & More
“[An] absorbing read.”
—SFRevu
“This series is phenomenal! It keeps you spellbound and mesmerized on every page. Absolutely perfect!”
—Fresh Fiction
Embraced by Darkness
“Positively one of the best urban fantasy authors in print today.”
—Darque Reviews
“Arthur’s characters inhabit a dark, sexy world of the paranormal.”
—
News and Sentinel
(Parkersburg, WV)
Also by Keri Arthur
The Dark Angels Series
Darkness Unbound
Darkness Rising
Darkness Devours
Darkness Hunts
DARKNESS UNMASKED
A
D
ARK
A
NGELS
N
OVEL
KERI ARTHUR
A SIGNET SELECT BOOK
SIGNET SELECT
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street,
New York, New York 10014, USA
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Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
For more information about the Penguin Group visit penguin.com.
First published by Signet Select, an imprint of New American Library,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
Copyright © Keri Arthur, 2013
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
SIGNET SELECT and logo are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
ISBN 978-1-101-61270-5
PUBLISHER’S NOTE
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.
Contents
Excerpt from
Darkness Splintered
I’d like to thank the following people:
my editor, Danielle Perez; copy editor Penina Lopez; and the man responsible for the fabulous cover, Tony Mauro.
A special thanks to:
my fabulous agent, Miriam Kriss; my talented and funny crit buddies—Mel, Robyn, Chris, Carolyn, and Freya; and finally, my lovely daughter, Kasey.
Chapter 1
The office phone rang with a sharpness that jolted me instantly awake. I jerked upright, peeled a wayward bit of paper from my nose, and stared at the phone blankly. Then the caller ID registered and I groaned. The call was coming from Madeline Hunter, the bitch who was not only in charge of the Directorate of Other Races, but was a leading member of the high vampire council, too. She was also the very last person in this world—or the next—who I wanted to hear from right now.
Unfortunately, given that she was now my boss, she was not someone I could—or should—ignore.
I hit the vid-phone’s
ANSWER
button and said in a less-than-polite voice, “What?”
She paused, and something flashed in the green of her eyes. A darkness that spoke of anger. But all she said was, “I have a task for you.”
A curse rose in my throat, but I somehow managed to leash it. “What sort of task?”
But even as I asked the question, I knew. There was only one reason for her to be ringing me, and that was to track down an escapee from hell. She had not only the Directorate at her command, but a stableful of Cazadors—the high council’s elite killing force—and they dealt with all manner of murderers and madmen on an everyday basis.
I even had one following me around astrally, reporting my every move back to Hunter. Trust was not high on her list of good traits.
Not that I think she had all that many good traits.