NIGHTDRAKE a free short story by LARA ADRIAN ***** In this post-apocalyptic romantic urban fantasy short story, a tough

mercenary known as Nisha the Heartless is hired to transport mysterious cargo from exotic New Asia to a well-paying client. But things are ne er what they seem in a dark new world now populated by humans and the !trange" shapeshifters and telepaths, nymphs and hobgoblins. It is a lesson Nisha learns all too soon--one that puts her on a #ourney with a dangerous, enigmatic man who will force her to confront the nightmares of her past, and risk her heart for a future she ne er dreamed could be hers. ***** NOTE $ollowing this free short story, you will find bonus excerpts from other %ara Adrian no els, including Kiss of Midnight, the first title in her New York Times and &' internationally bestselling (idnight Breed ampire romance series ) on sale now for just 99 cents at most online retailers*
+,! only. %imited time offer- publisher may cancel sale without notice..

Also included is a pre iew from Heart of the Hunter, the first title in the award-winning /ragon 0halice medie al paranormal romance series. $or a complete list of %ara Adrian no els, please click to the last page of this ebook. 11111 CO !RIGHT Night/rake Author2s 3dition eBook +c. 45'4 by %ara Adrian, %%0 $irst published !eptember 45'5 in 6he (ammoth Book of 7aranormal 8omance 4 by 0onstable 9 8obinson

:riginal 7rint 0opyright 45'5 by %ara Adrian, %%0 8eissue 0opyright 45'4 by %ara Adrian, %%0 8eissue 0o er Art 0opyright by $iona ;ayde +8omanceNo el0o ers.com. All rights reser ed. No part of this work may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoe er without permission, except in the case of brief <uotations embodied in critical articles and re iews. 6his book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the author2s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual e ents, locales, or persons, li ing or dead, is entirely coincidental. No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from Author. "#ash$ords Edition% Li&ense Notes 6his free ebook is licensed for your personal en#oyment only. 6his ebook may not be re-sold or gi en away to other people. If you would like to share this free ebook with another person, please download an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this ebook and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, please return to !mashwords and purchase your own copy. 6hank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Cha'ter ( 7eople are strange. A twentieth-century philosopher once said that, or so I2 e been told. As I dro e my rig through the rain and sludge toward the docks in 7ort 7hoenix, I couldn2t help thinking how apt the obser ation was. 3specially now, some three hundred years after 3arth hiccupped on its axis in 45== and brought about all manner of changes to the world mankind once knew. 6he waters rose in many places- anished in others. %and masses shifted, ripped apart by earth<uakes and olcanic eruptions, or drowned by mudslides se eral stories deep. :nce-great cities toppled, technology and infrastructure swept away o ernight. >ingdoms and go ernments, corporations and institutions were all rendered impotent with the sudden, irreparable, global financial crash. !ur i ors of the planet2s changes--a population estimated to be only in the tens of millions--fled across borders that no longer existed to rebuild their li es and form new communities. And, after some long millennia of hiding, li ing in the safety of the shadows, a small number of other sur i ors came out of the dust and rubble of this altered new world. 6hey are the !trange. !hapeshifters and telepaths, nymphs and hobgoblins. Goddamned freaks of nature, I thought to myself as I rolled to a stop at the dockyard entrance and glanced through the box-truck2s window at a pair of gray-skinned gargoyles s<uatting atop the tall pillars of the gate. I stared for a long moment, if only to let them know that

I had no fear of them. 6he disdain between the !trange and me is well-known, and definitely mutual. As I rolled down the glass, one of the hideous creatures perched o erhead sneered down at me through the dark and dri??le of the cold summer night. @Nisha the (erc,A he hissed, ob iously recogni?ing me while I reached out and pulled the rope on a copper bell, then waited for the guard on duty to come o er and let me inside. Abo e me, the beast crouched lower, dropping his oice to a gra elly whisper. @Nisha, the cold-hearted bitch.A Amused, the other gargoyle chuckled <uietly and shifted on his taloned feet, rattling the hea y iron manacles that ensured he and his companion remained at their posts. 3 en if they weren2t shackled in place, these two !trange beasts couldn2t touch me and they knew it. Harming a human was punishable by death. But they could hate me. 6hey could despise that I made my li ing as a mercenary, although I2 e always preferred to think of myself as a facilitator. Benerally speaking--and for the right price--I was a problemsol er. Chen something needed to get done <uickly and <uietly, no <uestions asked, folks with the money and the means usually turned to me to make it happen. 6onight2s #ob was no different. I had been hired to pick up and transport a cargo shipment for someone who preferred to keep his business at the seedy 7ort 7hoenix dockyard confidential. Not that any of the lowlife humans working the yard, or the e en lowlier !trange ensla ed there as laborers, would gi e a damn what was coming or going from the supply freighters that arri ed from all parts of the globe. !till, my client had his reasons, I supposed, and that was good enough for me. I didn2t need to know who he was or what I was mo ing. All that mattered was the two rough-cut diamonds currently tucked into the fur lining of my boot and the three that would be gi en to me after I2d deli ered tonight2s cargo to its destination. 6he big human guard humped out of his shack near the gate, a long black rifle slung across his body from a wide leather shoulder strap. I leaned out and he peered at me through the rusted iron bars, recognition lifting the hea y brow that isored small, a id eyes that made my skin crawl. @Back so soon, eh, NishaDA He grunted, leering now. @Eou sure are a woman in high demand these days. Not that I2m complaining about that, of course.A I ga e him a smile that a smarter man might ha e recogni?ed as loathing. @Chat can I sayD Business is booming.A He grinned as he unlocked the gate and let me dri e through. @Chich slip is it tonightDA @F-3ast,A I said out the open window, the designation indicating the docks where cargo from New Asia arri ed. Chen the guard hopped up onto the truck2s running board alongside me, I ga e him a flat look. @I know the way.A He dropped back down with a scowl. @6hat freighter #ust came in about an hour ago. 6hey2re still unloading. 0ould be a while before they2re done, so if you need to get out of the cold, you come on up and I2ll let you sit with me in the guard house.A I wa ed him off without looking back. 6he icy rain was turning to sleet, pelting the windshield like tiny pebbles. Burrowing deeper into the hood of my parka, I dro e toward the deep-water port that had long ago been desert lands and city skyscrapers--before the planet2s shift had cracked a wide saltwater chasm between the island of (exitexas and the shrunken coastal borders of North America. As I neared the enormous ship moored at the slip marked F3, the stench of brine and steel and belching exhaust fumes blew into the open window, clinging to my throat and stinging my eyes.

I slowed to a stop near the loading ramp, where four big, tusked trolls were carrying a tarp-co ered crate across the plank to the dock. 6hey shi ered in the bad weather, their clothing sodden, long braided beards dripping water with each lumbering step. 6he workhorses of the !trange, trolls were built like tanks and able to labor tirelessly in all kinds of climates. 6hese four walked gingerly with the large rectangular container--almost re erently--one of them on each corner, taking great care with it. A human super isor waited at the end of the ramp, closely monitoring their progress. @Be careful with that, you brainless clods*A he barked. @:ne slip and I2ll ha e your bloody hides*A I got out of my rig and walked o er to the dock boss. @I take it this one2s mineDA He grunted in acknowledgment and wiped the back of his filthy hand under his runny nose. 6hat same hand then reached out to me, palm up. @I2ll ha e my payment now, Nisha.A I dug into the pocket of my coat, withdrew a chip of cloudy pink stone and dropped it into his waiting hand. @6here you go. :ne <uarter-carat raw ruby, same as always.A His greedy fingers closed around the paltry gemstone that represented a fortune to him. 6he little rock disappeared an instant later, and I didn2t follow his hand to see where he2d stuffed it. @Chate er2s in that thing, it2s got my laborers spooked,A he told me, staring through the sleet as the container neared the end of the ramp. @Chat the hell are you picking up tonightDA @/on2t know, and don2t care,A I said. @I don2t get paid to care.A He scoffed. @No, I reckon you don2t. (ost folks say you2d sell your own mother if the price was right.A @Harsh,A I replied, wholly unfa?ed. 6he insult was based on reputation, more than fact. All of which ser ed me #ust fine. As for my mother . . . it was harder to remain unaffected by the thought of her. !he was killed years ago, when I was #ust a young girl. 6he nightmare of that day still haunted me, sometimes e en when I was awake. Her death had haunted my father too, until his heartbreak had finally claimed him. 6he dock boss said nothing more, watching with me as the trolls carefully brought the crate off the ramp and set it down in front of us. 6he contents shifted slightly as the box came to rest on the ground, something metal clacking <uietly from within. Chate er was inside must ha e been hea y--not to mention aluable, gi en that it was protected from the elements in an enormous sheet of rare, extremely expensi e plastic. Buns, I guessed, ha ing transported a fair share of munitions in my line of work. I stepped up to the corner of the crate to check the bindings on the plastic tarp. Although they looked secure, I wanted to be certain before I ga e the okay for the trolls to load the container into the back of my rig. As I reached out to test the straps, something growled and began to mo e inside the box. Something big. !omething mired by what sounded to be hea y chains and shackles, but something ery much ali e.

Cha'ter )

A couple hours later, I was sitting atop an empty grain barrel in the back of my truck, eating a tin of hydrated soy meal for supper while I waited for my client2s people to come to the pri ate warehouse where I was parked and relie e me of my newest cargo. I had to admit, if only to myself, I was eager to be rid of it. I2d ne er mo ed li e goods before, and despite my willingness to transport all manner of other things without batting an eye, suddenly I was wondering if the three diamonds waiting at the end of this #ob were payment enough for what I was carrying. (ore than that, I was wondering about the contents of the container sitting #ust a few short paces away from me in the truck. !peculating on #ust what was shuffling around inside there and what my client could possibly want with it. I picked up the instructions the dock boss had handed me before I2d left 7ort 7hoenix. 6hey were written on a small s<uare of dried animal skin that had been affixed to the container from its point of origin. I2d read the directions already, three succinct orders, penned by a bold hand" Keep the crate and contents dry at all times. Do not insert anything into the crate. Do not open under any circumstances. I set down my empty soy meal tin and hopped off the barrel. $rom where I stood, I saw there were the smallest tears here and there in the plastic tarp. I knew whate er sat inside the large box had been watching me the whole time I2d been in back of the truck with it. I2d felt eyes on me--shrewd, predatory eyes. Now, as I walked closer to the co ered crate, the fine hairs at the back of my neck rose in warning. @6hey say you are colder than ice.A 6he deep, cultured male oice sounded from behind the concealing plastic and confining wood. @No one e er mentioned that you were also ery beautiful. As dark and enticing as night itself . . . Nisha, the Heartless.A I didn2t say anything at first. !hock stole my breath and I stood there for a long moment, dumbstruck and unmo ing. I hadn2t expected to hear my cargo speak to me, let alone know my name. :h, I2d assumed it was some kind of beast in the crate--e en now, I knew that he was something !trange, more than likely--but the smooth tone and elegant oice took me aback completely. @Chat are youDA @0ome closer and see for yourself. I ha e no wish to harm you, e en if I were able.A I snorted, snapped cleanly out of my stupor by that treacherous in itation. @6he only way I2d come any closer to one of the !trange is to put a pistol up against its head.A @Ah, yes,A he said, exhaling a <uiet sigh. 0hains clinked and straw rustled as he mo ed about in his tight prison. @How you lo e your weapons, Nisha. 7articularly when they are used against my kind. (any ha e died because of the arms you2 e put into the hands of bad men.A @I do what I ha e to in order to sur i e,A I said, unsure why I felt the need to defend myself to him. @I2m in the supply-and-demand business, that2s all. (y clients pay me to deli er things they want. Chat they do with those things is not my concern.A @Hmm.A He shifted inside the crate again, and I could feel that assessing stare locked on me still. @!o, you2re saying that you would #ust as easily sell your weapons for war to me--to one of the !trange--if I had the need and the wherewithal to meet your priceDA I wouldn2t, and we both knew it. I glared toward the co ered crate. @I don2t need to #ustify what I do, least of all to someone like you.A

He released a hea y breath. @No, you don2t. And it was pointless to e en ask it. (y kind has no desire to wage a war against man. Ce ne er did.A @Eou2d ne er win anyway,A I pointed out flatly. @Eou ha e too few numbers, for one thing, and most of you are indentured, besides. Cars take more than weapons, you know. 6hey take ision and determination. 6hey take leaders, and that2s something your kind has lacked all along. If the !trange were going to fight, they should ha e done it long ago.A @Ees. Eou2re right, Nisha.A I heard regret in his oice now, and told myself I had no reason to feel guilty for that. @But there are those among my kind who belie e that, in time, there will be peace.A I exhaled a humorless laugh. @6hat2s why you2re sitting in a crate in shackles, about to be shipped off to who knows where and for what purpose.A @I know what lies ahead for me,A he replied, that el ety deep oice as calm as I2d heard it so far. @I won2t be ensla ed. 6hat2s not why they took me. (y capture will ha e only one outcome.A @/eath,A I whispered, ignoring the twinge in my chest. I wanted to see his face in that moment--whether or not it was !trangely hideous--to determine if the thought of dying scared him e en a little. It didn2t seem to, and I held my ground, fisting my hands at my sides instead of reaching out to mo e aside the tarp that hid him. @Eou know you will be killed.A @3 entually, yes,A he said, without a trace of fear or sorrow. @I feel my death might ser e a higher purpose.A I shook my head, unsure if he could see me or not. $or some reason, despite e erything I knew and felt about his kind, his resignation bothered me. (ore than bothered me, it pissed me off. @Eou2re #ust gi ing up. /on2t try to pretend it has anything to do with honor.A @!ometimes, Nisha the Heartless, there is a greater good to be gained in dying than there was in li ing. $or me, certainly. I go to my fate willingly.A I barked out a sharp laugh. @Cell, then, I guess that makes you either ery courageous, or ery stupid.A I reminded myself that he wasn2t my problem. His fate--whether or not he welcomed it with open arms--sure as hell was not my concern. I walked o er and picked up my empty soy meal tin, my mo ements tight with aggra ation. @I2 e had enough thought-pro oking con ersation for one night,A I told him, more than ready to get away from him and spend the rest of the wait up front in the cab by myself. @Bet some rest. Eour other ride should be here soon.A I #umped out of the back of the truck and closed the doors, sealing him inside.

Cha'ter * I fell asleep in the cab. 6he dream woke me, as it always does. Not the iolent nightmares I2d had since my parents2 deaths, but the one that started soon afterward and isited me more often than I liked. 6his time, e erything seemed more i id, so real I felt as though I could sweep my hand out before me and touch it.

!unlit skies. Blittering a?ure ocean. And me, soaring high abo e it all, twisting and gliding on a gentle wind toward an infinite hori?on. I #olted awake, trembling and breathless. It was the usual reaction. ;ust the thought of flying terrified me. 6he act itself was unnatural, whether achie ed in the thunderous, now obsolete, metal machines of decades past, or as performed by those rarest of the !trange who2d needed none of man2s in entions to aid them. $lying was nothing I2d e er done, or e er wanted to know. /esperate to purge the troubling sensations, I pushed myself up in the dri er2s seat of the cab and fumbled for the wristwatch I kept fastened to the steering wheel. It was an ancient windup type, the only time-keeping de ices that still functioned in the post-technology age. I checked the glo ed hands on the smiling black-and-white mouse. @!hit.A I2d been asleep for more than two hours. 6he truck was <uiet. No mo ement at all in the warehouse, and no sign of my client2s people coming to take the !trange cargo off my hands yet. @How much longer before I can collect my pay and get out of hereDA I grumbled, climbing out of my rig to go check on things around back. I heard the dry, choking rasp as soon as I opened the doors. @Are you all rightDA I asked, climbing in and stepping cautiously toward the co ered crate. 6here was no reply, only a further round of coughing and a terrible-sounding whee?e. @Are you hurt in thereDA I reali?ed I didn2t e en know his name, not that I needed to. Nor did I need to run for my water canteen when he started to dry hea e, but that2s precisely what I did. I told myself it was only reasonable to make sure (r. Honor-and-Higher-7urpose stayed ali e long enough for my client to kill him, since that2s what he2d claimed he wanted so badly. I came back and #umped into the back of the truck. He was gasping now, sucking in air, each breath sounding deathly parched. 0anteen in one hand, I hurried to the crate and tugged loose a corner of the tarp. @I ha e water. Eou need to dr--A (y oice fled as I lifted the plastic sheet from the front of the wooden container. A li<uid gold ga?e peered at me through a slim crack between the nailed planks of the box. It startled me, penetrating and intense, sending a swift, unbidden heat into the core of my being. ;ust as <uickly, the golden eyes were shuttered as he turned back into the darkness of his cell and his whee?e grew more iolent. @!tay away,A he rasped from deep within the shadows. His throat scraped with e ery syllable, sounding as dry as cinders. @%ea e me. 6his will pass.A I muttered a curse, low under my breath, knowing he was in far worse shape than he wanted me to think. I walked around the crate, pulling off the tarp as I went. 6he few gaps that separated the wooden planks were so tight not e en my little finger would be able to slip through them. No way could I get the canteen to him without breaking open the box. And that was out of the <uestion. @Hold on,A I said. @I ha e an idea.A !linging the canteen strap o er my shoulder, I hoisted myself up onto the side of the crate and clambered to the top of it. I brought the canteen around and took out the stopper. Beneath me, his bright citrine eyes followed my e ery mo ement through the narrow breaks in the wood. 3 ery ner e ending in my body tingled, warning me that something !trange and powerful lurked #ust below the place where I sat.

@0ome closer, bring your mouth up to me,A I told him, more a command than re<uest. @!top being noble, and take a drink.A @Nisha.A (y name was barely a whisper in the shadows below. @Eou know the rules.A I swallowed, recalling ery well the instructions I2d been gi en for this #ob. Instructions that all my logic and experience told me to follow. But then he coughed again, a deep, shredding hea e of his lungs, and neither logic nor experience had prepared me for the concern I had for him in that moment. I leaned down and brought the mouth of the open canteen to the largest gap in the top of the crate. @/rink.A I thought he might refuse again, but then I heard him mo ing--sensed him drawing nearer to where I waited. His eyes locked on mine. I felt a warm rush of breath puff through the crack and skate across my hand. Chite teeth gleamed as he parted his lips near the break in the wood and waited for me to pour the water into his mouth. I ga e him only a trickle, not wanting to rush him before he was ready. His lips closed on a deep growl that ibrated through the crate and into my bones. And then the growl became louder. 6he crate rumbled beneath me, shuddering and shaking. I leapt off--#ust in time to watch the whole thing explode before me, wood planks splintering in all directions like nothing more than toothpicks. 6he !trange being within the container erupted out of the wrecked crate in a blur of gleaming, iridescent blue-and-black scales and immense, talon-tipped wings. 6he great head of the dragon swung toward me, massi e #aws agape, those golden eyes looking far more fierce in the light of my rig than they had in the dark confines of the box. 6errified, I scrambled backward, then pushed to my feet and fumbled for the pistol holstered on my belt. Hands shaking, I chambered a round and lifted the gun up in front of me to take aim on the beast. He was gone now. In his place was a man. A shapeshifter. Breathtakingly handsome, and utterly naked. He was tall and muscled, his skin a warm, sun-kissed bron?e. Blue-black hair fell down around his shoulders in thick, glossy wa es. Ageless citrine eyes seemed to bore straight through me as he strode forward, undeterred by the weapon I held s<uarely in line with his head. @!tand down, or I2ll shoot,A I warned him. @/on2t think I won2t kill you.A He ga e a mild shake of his head and kept ad ancing, easy paces that de oured the distance between us. I didn2t fire on him, and I suppose he guessed I wouldn2t. Cith gentle strength, he brought his hand up and wrapped his fingers around the barrel of my gun, slowly lowering it to my side. @Eou tricked me,A I muttered, wondering why I should feel such a sting at that. @No,A he replied, his oice as tender as I2d heard it all night. @(y captors had denied me of water and I was dying of thirst. Eou sa ed me. Eou . . . surprised me. It2s been a ery long time since I2 e been surprised by goodness, particularly in a human.A He smiled and stroked my cheek. Chen I turned my face away, ashamed of the pleasure that raced through me at #ust his praise and light touch, he caught my chin and gently drew my ga?e up to his. @I think, Nisha the Heartless, that despite what you lead others to belie e, you are, in fact, ery kind.A His hands were warm and firm as he cupped my face and brought me toward him. He kissed me, a sweet, tender brush of his lips across mine. All of my senses reached for him as though I2d been star ing for this--this !trange kiss--all my life. I could ha e kissed him all night.

7erhaps I would ha e, if not for the sudden rumble of an approaching ehicle outside the warehouse. @(y client,A I managed to gasp as I broke away from the shapeshifter I was expected to surrender to his would-be killers that ery moment. I heard the crunch of gra el, the sharp s<ueal of brakes . . . the hard thump thump of two ehicle doors being closed. @6hey2re coming for you.A He nodded solemnly and stepped back from me. Back toward the splintered remains of the cargo crate and the broken shackles that had fallen off him during his change. He wasn2t going to fight the men who were coming for him now. Casn2t going to threaten me or attempt to bargain his way out of capture. He was noble and proud, and I2d ne er been so li id in my life. @Chat the hell do you think you2re doingDA In truth, I should ha e been asking myself that same <uestion. I had but a split second to decide my next mo e--a decision that would set the course of my future, right then and there. /id I surrender my !trange cargo to his captors, collect my pay, then roll on to the next #ob and the next one after thatD :r did I throw e erything away to help one cra?y shapeshifter escape a death he neither feared nor resentedD I swore under my breath and ran o er to grab some clothing from one of my personal supply chests I kept in the back of my rig. 6he wool tunic I found was moth-eaten in places and the ancient blue #eans had last been worn by a dead man, but both were big enough to co er him. Choe er he was. @Chat2s your nameDA I asked him, hastily pulling the clothes out of the chest. :utside the warehouse, I could hear my client2s men nearing the door. I threw a hard look at the !trange man behind me. @Eour name, dammit*A @I am /rakor,A he replied, scowling at me. I threw the sweater and pants at him. @Bet dressed, /rakor. Ce2re getting the hell out of here.A His golden eyes were grim with understanding. @Eou do not know what you2re doing, Nisha.A @6ell me about it.A I sho ed my gun back in its holster as he shrugged into the clothing. @Ce need to hurry if we2re going to outrun these guys.A @Nisha.A He came up to me, dressed like a pauper, yet his handsome face was serene. As I stared up at him, I was tempted to call it regal. @6his could be a ery costly mistake for you.A I shook my head, hoping to dismiss some of my own misgi ings, slim as they were. @Ce need to go now. 0ome on, /rakor. $ollow me and don2t argue.A He growled something dark in a language I didn2t understand, but when I #umped out of the back of the truck, he was right beside me. I slammed the doors and threw the lockbar into place. I motioned him toward the cab as I ran around to the dri er2s side. I hopped in, and he took the passenger seat. @Eou2d better hang on,A I said, glancing in my side mirrors as my client2s men began to open the warehouse recei ing gate behind us. I threw the rig into re erse and watched as the two men2s faces lit up with surprise, then fear, when they reali?ed what was about to happen. I looked o er at /rakor, sitting beside me in silent obser ation. He probably thought I had lost my mind. Hea en knew, I was beginning to wonder myself. @All right, here we go.A

I stomped on the gas, and the truck rocketed backward out of the place, sending my client2s men scrambling for co er. I righted the ehicle and put us on the road, heading off into the cold, dark night . . . together.

Cha'ter + Ce were six hours north of 7ort 7hoenix before I dared slow down e en a little. 6he rig2s dim headlights piercing deep into the darkness ahead of us, I glanced out the side windows, trying to get some idea of where we might be. 6he night was fathomless on all sides of us. Nothing but stars o erhead and ast forest wilderness encroaching on the broken pa ement of the seldom-used highway. No one behind us, either, which I figured was about the best luck we could hope for at the moment. I didn2t suppose that luck would hold out fore er. 6onight I2d put a giant target on my back, and I had been in business with powerful, dangerous people long enough to know that a stunt like the one I2d #ust pulled would not go uncontested. @Eou look tired,A /rakor said from beside me. He2d been <uiet most of the trip. 7ensi e, I thought, ha ing caught him staring out into the dark more than once since we2d been on the road. I knew he had to be as exhausted as I washe2d confided in me along the dri e out of 7ort 7hoenix that his body was depleted after being star ed for food and thirst during his capti ity. Breaking out of the crate had drained him e en further. But I didn2t think it was any amount of physical fatigue that had him so still and brooding. His mind was burdened, perhaps his heart as well. @I2m fine,A I told him. @And we need to keep mo ing.A @No, Nisha.A In my peripheral, I saw his dark brows lower o er those shrewd canaryyellow eyes. @I want you to ha e rest. $ind someplace to stop the ehicle now.A 6here was an air of command in his oice that almost made me obey simply on instinct. !lmost. @Ce can2t afford to stop until we2 e put more distance between my client2s men and oursel es. 6hey could be following us e en now, gaining on us. Ce ha e to push onward.A He reached across the cab, his strong, elegant fingers closing o er my hand where it was locked in a death grip on the wheel. @Nisha, we go no farther until you rest. It is not a re<uest.A I gaped at him, astonished by his arrogance. @%ast I knew, I was the one calling the shots around here. ,nless someone died and made you king, I2ll thank you to sit back and let me handle the situation.A He remo ed his hand from mine and I found I instantly regretted the emptiness left in its place. /rakor settled back into his seat and ga?ed out the window. @(y father passed one hundred and fifty-se en years ago, after centuries of a peaceful, noble reign.A I threw a sharp look at him. @3xcuse meD Are you saying what I think you2re sayingDA He sighed remorsefully and glanced back at me. @(y father2s death made me >ing of the !trange. :r would ha e, if I2d actually been worthy of accepting that mantle of responsibility. 3ither of my elder brothers would ha e been far better suited, but they were both dead from war

with mankind by the time my father took his last breath. I was little more than a stupid boy, unfit to rule.A I hit a rut in the ruined old road and had to #ockey to keep my rig on course. Chen I was able, I stared at him again, incredulous. @If you ha en2t assumed your father2s place in all this time, who hasDA @I was twel e years old when I relin<uished my power to his court. I belie ed our kind would be better ser ed with someone other than me.A He grunted then, a soft, wry exhalation. @Apparently someone else in my homeland felt the need to make certain I could ne er change my mind. I suspect it was someone in the court who betrayed me to the person who hired you.A I was outraged--not only by the thought of /rakor being sold out by a traitor under his own roof, but also by the notion that he would ha e so readily accepted it. @!o, you are willing to let yourself die rather than risk failing as kingDA He looked at me for a ery long moment, a storm seeming to brew beneath the burnished gold of his ga?e. @I was willing.A @And nowDA I asked him. @(uch has changed since I was shackled inside that box and shipped across the ocean to this place, Nisha. Now I find myself <uestioning <uite a lot of things.A Although he was contemplati e and hard to read, I sensed the flicker of determination beneath his calm demeanor. He would make a dangerous ad ersary, I had no doubt. His kindness and intellect would make him a formidable, but fair, ruler. @It seems to me that you could better ser e your people by being the leader they need, /rakor, not a martyr.A @IndeedDA He smiled at that, only the subtlest cur ing of his sensual mouth. @I think you may be wiser than any of my long-li ed counselors and ad isors, Nisha the Heartless.A $or some reason I didn2t care to examine, it stung somehow to hear him refer to the cold reputation I2d prided myself on for so long. I wasn2t heartless--not when it came to him. I looked at /rakor and felt as though my entire being was made of awakening emotion and sensation, not the logic and fear and mistrust that had been drummed into me from a ery young age. I cared for him. If I didn2t watch my step, I worried that I might ery easily find myself in lo e with him. @/o you ha e somewhere that you can goDA I asked him, needing to steer my thoughts back to the situation at hand. @It won2t be safe for either one of us on the road any longer than we ha e to be.A He nodded, grim. @6here is a hidden encla e of my kind in this region of the new continent. 6hey ha en2t yet been disco ered by man. No human has been near their settlement, but if I asked it of them, they would pro ide us shelter.A I wasn2t sure I was ready to think about relying on the !trange for any form of protection, but I didn2t tell him that. @/o you know specifically where they areDA @6he place was once called 0olorado.A @It2s not far from here,A I said, recogni?ing the old name from the time long before I2d been born, when most of this land had been comprised of unseen borders hemming in and uniting areas known as states. @I can take you there.A /rakor seemed to consider for a moment. @In the southwest region of that place, there are ancient dwellings built into the side of a cliff. 6ribes of humans once li ed there, before their modern brothers dro e them out and used the dwellings as parkland. Now, the !trange hold it.A

I nodded and looked back out to the road. 3 en though I wanted to put another couple of hours behind us before we stopped to rest, my arms were hea y and my eyes were burning from staring into the darkness. @I ha e some old maps in the back,A I said. @(aybe we should pull o er and see if we can find where your people are located.A /rakor ga e me a silent nod of agreement. I slowed the truck and detoured off the empty old highway, taking us toward a thicket of woodlands se eral hundred yards from the road.

Cha'ter , I lit a candle lamp and brought it o er to where /rakor was studying one of the do?en or so historical maps I kept on hand in my rig. I sat down next to him on the floor. @6his is about where we are right now,A I said, pointing to the area abo e a ghost town known as $lagstaff a couple hundred years ago. I mo ed my finger across the map and his sharp ga?e followed the northeasterly, diagonal path I indicated on the worn and brittle swatch of paper. @6his is the old state border of 0olorado. 6he area you told me about would be roughly around this corner. 6he roads between here and there aren2t the greatest. It will probably take me a couple of days to get you there.A Chen he looked up at me, I felt a <uestion burning in his unsettling eyes. I slowly shook my head, answering before he could ask me. @I won2t be staying once we arri e there. I can2t. I2m human, and I wouldn2t belong.A His black brows lowered. @Chat if I said I wanted you to stayD Chat if I demanded itDA I smiled, unwillingly pleased by his possessi e, imperial tone. @I would remind you that you may be king of the !trange, but I2m not one of your sub#ects.A He reached o er and cupped my cheek. @Chat if I told you that I don2t think I2ll be ready to let you go in a couple more daysDA I barely resisted the urge to turn my face into the warm cradle of his palm. Cith a strength I didn2t reali?e I had, I drew away from his touch and put my focus back on the spreadout map. @Ce2ll need to stop for fuel sooner than later. ,sually someone in the illages has a tank or two that can be bartered for--A @Nisha.A He pulled the map and cast it away, forcing me to look at him. @If you don2t accept my help, then where will you goD Eou can2t go back to your old home. Eour old life is gone now.A @I know,A I said. @I can2t go back to anything I knew before. Cord of what happened tonight will tra el fast. All I can do is keep mo ing now, figure out how to make my way. And I will. I2m not afraid of the unknown, /rakor. I know there2s bad in the world. I2 e sur i ed the worst. I won2t run and hide from anything e er again.A (y eyes stung with memories from my past. I tried to blink away the tears, but he saw them. He stared at me, his strikingly handsome face tender. @Chat did you lose, dear NishaDA I shook my head, ready to dismiss the <uestion before it could tear my heart wide open. But /rakor2s eyes were warm and caring, his hands comforting as he stroked my hair. 6he memories swelled inside of me until I couldn2t hold them in.

@(y mother,A I began, then took a steadying breath. @!he was killed when I was four years old. !he and my father and I were li ing in the country at the time. I don2t remember much about that time, only that one day hellhounds broke into our home and chased us out to the woods.A @Hellhounds.A /rakor2s expression hardened. @Ah, Bod, Nisha. 6hey are icious creatures, the worst of our kind.A I knew all about them, of course, as did most of mankind. Hellhounds li ed for blood sport and were most commonly employed as trackers. Cith their hideous double-heads, ra?orsharp claws and incredible speed, there were few that could escape them--human or !trange. @(y father ran with me in one arm, his other hand wrapped around my mother2s wrist.A I blew out a <uiet sob. @:ne moment she was with us, the next, she was gone. !he turned back and tried to lead the hellhounds away from us. I can still hear her screams in my nightmares.A /rakor gathered me to him and I hadn2t any strength to resist. I leaned against his chest, listening to the steady drum of his heartbeat. His arms were strong around me, his lips gentle as he pressed a kiss to the top of my head. @(y father was destroyed o er the loss of my mother. I think seeing me only made it worse because, with my black hair and dark blue eyes, I reminded him too much of her. (y father blamed himself for putting her in danger, but he ne er told me what he meant. Ce li ed in fear of all the !trange after that. He drilled into me that I could trust no one. 6hat no matter what, I should always look out for myself.A @And so out of your despair, you arose courageous and strong,A /rakor murmured as he lifted my face up toward his. He kissed me, long and slow and deep. Chen his lips left mine, I saw hot need in his ga?e. @Eou are such a beauty, Nisha. Eou are as exotic as the night for which you were named.A I reached up and stroked his bold, s<uare #aw. @(y mother named me in her language. !he was called ;ariat.A /rakor brows arched almost indiscernibly and he ga e a soft, amused-sounding grunt. @Chat is itDA @Nothing,A he said, caressing my cheek. @It2s a ery old name, from a ery old people. A beautiful name.A I rose up onto my elbow. @Is there anything you don2t knowDA He leaned down and kissed me once more. @I ha e been around for a ery long time. :ne cannot help but learn a few things. But you . . . you are a mar el to me, Nisha. I am ama?ed by all I2m learning from you. I ne er dreamed I could care so deeply for a human.A @Nor I, for one of the !trange,A I whispered, my heart aching with emotion, my body thrumming with desire. :ur lips met again, with a passion neither of us seemed able to deny. /rakor undressed me with maddening care, his mouth tasting each naked inch of my skin. His own clothing came off in a hurry, and then he was poised abo e me, his thick shoulders and arms bunched with muscles, his bare chest smooth as el et under my roaming fingertips. I put my hand around the back of his neck and pulled him down atop me. His mouth claimed mine with fierce need as our bodies came together, hot and yearning. He filled me up, ga e me more pleasure than I2d e er known. Ce tossed about in a slick, delicious tangle of legs and hands, insatiable for each other, e en after we2d both come down from a shattering release. He was wild and magnificent, and

e en if I2d spent a thousand nights in his arms I knew I2d still hunger for more. I hungered for all of him, and for all we2d ne er ha e again once we reached our destination and said our goodbye. As we lay together side by side, he stared into my eyes with the same unspoken longing I felt weighing down my own heart. @Nisha,A he murmured. @(y Bod, I ne er expected you. I ne er expected to feel any of this. I shouldn2t feel it. Eou are human, and I am not.A @I know.A I nodded, tried to smile e en though it hurt. He brushed his lips across mine, a sweet, tender kiss. @Eou are human . . . and I don2t care. I want to be with you, where er you need that to be. I lo e you, and none of the rest matters.A I swallowed, uncertain I2d heard him correctly. @Eou whatDA @I lo e you,A he said, and kissed me again, more firmly now. A claiming kiss that burned through me like fire. I started to tell him that I felt the same way, but then I heard something terrible ring out in the distance. A low howl, coming from somewhere in the dark outside. 6hen another, and still another. All the blood seemed to drain from my head and settle into my stomach, as cold as ice. /rakor looked at me, his ga?e stark. @Hellhounds.A

Cha'ter Ce barely had time to dress and #ump back into the cab of my truck before the beasts2 howls had grown dangerously close. I turned the engine o er and swore when the damned thing sputtered and choked. I tried again. It coughed to weak life, rattling as though it were on its last legs. And that2s when I noticed the needle on the fuel gauge. @!hit.A I reached into the dash and tapped the temperamental old gauges, hoping the needle had merely gotten stuck as it so often did on relics like the one I was dri ing. After a few knocks, it did mo e a couple of degrees--deeper into the negati e. @Ce2re practically out of fuel.A In my haste to put distance between my client2s men in 7ort 7hoenix and oursel es, I2d neglected to do e en the most basic systems check. And, in my state of fatigue after so many hours behind the wheel, I2d managed to dri e us smack into the middle of nowhere. Cith hellhounds on our tail. Another bone-grating howl went up somewhere in the darkness outside. @I think we can make it another ten miles or so. Ce can head deeper into the wilderness, try to outrun them.A I grabbed the gearshift and started to put the rig into dri e. /rakor2s hand stopped me. @Nisha, there isn2t time. 6he truck will only be a hindrance in the end.A He took my hand in his and pulled me across the seat to slide out the passenger side door with him. @%et2s go.A @Ce2ll ne er make it,A I said as we raced away from the sound of the gaining hellhounds. @Are you strong enough to flyDA

@I am,A he replied. @But I wouldn2t be able to carry you ery far yet. Ce ha e to run.A I tried to pull myself free of his hold, but he wouldn2t let go. @/rakor, listen to me. Eou ha e to get away. Eou ha e to lea e me here and sa e yourself.A He swore something dark and nasty and pulled me into a faster pace. 6he forest was pitch black, a ma?e of tall pines and thorny bramble. Ce tore through it, uncertain where we should go except as far away from the chasing hellhounds as possible. 3ach second I felt hopeful that we might elude them, it seemed the !trange beasts sounded closer. 6heir howls and snarls echoed in the woods, coming at us from se eral directions. @/rakor, please,A I whispered fiercely. @Ce can2t both get away from them. 6hey2re going to catch up to us.A @6hen I will stand and fight them,A he muttered tightly, not slowing his gait. No sooner had he said it did one of the two-headed hounds erupt from out of the darkness and launch itself at /rakor. I lost his hand in the sudden crash of colliding bodies. I heard the gut-wrenching sounds of the struggle, the snapping of animal #aws. 6he tearing of ulnerable flesh and sinew. @/rakor*A I cried, anguished to think of his suffering. All at once, flames shot up into the night. In the abrupt illumination, I glimpsed /rakor in his dragon form, the thick forest in front of him, nothing but endless night at his back. He hissed a plume of fire at the attacking hellhound, incinerating the beast. Another one came at him with both sets of #aws gnashing and was similarly torched. 6wo of the awful creatures were down, but three more were right behind them. And /rakor had already shifted back into a man. He was panting and sweating, strain showing in the taut lines of his face. (y heart sank like a stone in my breast. 6he shift had drained him of his power. @Nisha, behind you*A I swung around and met with two sets of feral eyes locked on me from the heads of an enormous hellhound who stood #ust an arm2s length away from me. It bared its terrible teeth and fangs, massi e hind legs coiled and ready to spring into a leap. I couldn2t run. 6here was nowhere to go. I went for my gun, but it was too late. 6he hellhound leapt at me. It knocked me off my feet, sent me reeling through the dark night air. I waited to feel the crushing blow of the ground coming up to meet my spine. It didn2t materiali?e. Instead, I fell and fell and fell . . . into a black oid. A chasm so deep and wide it was all I could see. @Nisha*A /rakor2s oice roared from somewhere high abo e. It echoed off the stone walls of the abyss that surrounded me. @Nisha, no*A All my fears of flying--the inexplicable terror of finding myself airborne--pressed down on me like a lead weight. I plummeted faster. $rom somewhere deep inside me, I knew it was my fear that would destroy me now. Not the hellhound that had pitched o er the ledge with me and had since dropped out of my sight, but myself alone. I thought of my mother, who sacrificed herself so that my father and I could li e. I thought of my father, who died of a broken heart because fate had torn her from his arms.

And I thought of /rakor, the !trange and noble man I didn2t want to lo e but couldn2t li e without. I didn2t want him to know my father2s pain. !elfishly, I wanted to spend the rest of my days in /rakor2s sheltering arms, howe er long destiny might grant us. $ar abo e me now, I heard him call to me again. I saw him leap o er the cliff2s edge, not in dragon form but as the man I lo ed. I screamed, heartbroken and horrified. !omething fell away from me in that moment. I felt my fears dry up and swirl off on the bree?e that rushed up all around me as I dropped. I watched /rakor di ing toward me in the empty darkness, and something deep within me shook free of its tether. I closed my eyes, and when I opened them again I wasn2t falling anymore. I was floating. I was flying, suspended on the night wind, my arms and torso co ered in glorious white feathers. And there was /rakor beneath me now, his massi e wings spread out as if to catch me, ho ering as I was in the middle of the immense canyon that gaped as far as the eye could see.

Cha'ter . Cith silent understanding, we flew together to the far side of the canyon, lea ing the remaining hellhounds and my client2s newly arri ed men to stare after us in disappointment. /rakor and I alighted on solid ground as one. He shook off his scales, and I watched in ama?ement as the snowy plumage that co ered me from my glossy beak to the tops of my taloned feet dissol ed back into my own skin. @An eagle,A /rakor said, wonder in his deep oice. @I might ha e guessed.A @How could you ha eDA I asked. @I didn2t know myself until #ust now.A His smile was rather smug. @Eour mother2s name, Nisha.A @;ariatDA I shook my head. @I don2t understand.A @As I told you, it is a ery old name, a mythical name. According to legend, ;ariat was a beautiful bird who became a human for lo e of her offspring.A It took me a moment to process e erything I was hearing, e erything that had #ust happened. @Eou2re telling me that my mother was !trangeD /o you think she was the ;ariat of legendDA He bent his head and kissed me with so much lo e it made my heart ache. @Ce ha e a lifetime to figure all of this out. Ce could share fore er, Nisha, if you2ll ha e me.A I smiled up into his handsome face. @I like the sound of that.A @6here2s #ust one other thing.A He grew ery serious then. @I will be making some changes in the way my father2s court is run. I will need someone courageous, someone honorable, whose opinion I alue o er any other, to stand beside me when I reclaim my father2s throne.A I swallowed, proud of him and hopeful for the future we might build together. @Eou want me to be part of your courtDA His assenting nod couldn2t ha e been more regal if his head was wreathed with a #eweled crown. @I cannot imagine becoming king unless you are with me, Nisha. As my <ueen and chief ad isor.A

I threw my arms around him and caught his mouth in an elated kiss. He chuckled. @I2ll take that as a yesDA @Ees*A I cried. @I lo e you, /rakor. !o, yes, yes* Ees to whate er you desire of me.A He growled with purely male interest. @Now, I like the sound of that.A

Cha'ter / /rakor and I spent two weeks with the !trange encla e that dwelled in the hidden cliffs of what had once been southwestern 0olorado. :nce he2d regained his strength and recuperated from the mistreatment by his captors, we tra eled back to the coast together to begin the rest of our #ourney toward the future that awaited us in his homeland of New Asia. 6he air was crisp that day, but the sun was high, its warming rays stretching down to touch us as we stood at land2s end and stared out at the ast blue ocean ahead of us. /rakor2s hand was clasped easily around mine. @Are you ready, NishaDA I looked up into the face of my lo er, my mate, my king, and I smiled. @I2m ready.A He ga e me a nod and let go of my hand. Cith a shrug of his mighty shoulders, he transformed. I #oined him in shifting, gi ing a shake like a dog throwing off water and watching with still-fresh wonder as my white feathers sprouted into glorious plumage. (y dragon looked at me, and I thought I could see him smile. I ga e him a nod of my beaked head. 6ogether we stepped off the steep edge of land. And we flew. ~*~ 6hank you for reading NightDra0e. I hope you en#oyed it* If you liked this short story--or any of my other releases--please consider rating the book at the online retailer of your choice. Eour ratings and re iews help other readers find new fa orites, and of course there is no better or more appreciated support for an author than word of mouth recommendations from happy readers. 6hanks again for your interest in my books* Lara Adrian $$$1LaraAdrian1&o#

G1G

Read on for more about LARA ADRIAN and for a sampler of her best-selling contemporary vampire series and award-winning historical romances G1G

About the Author

LARA ADRIAN is the New York Times and &' internationally best-selling author of the (idnight Breed ampire romance series, with more than 4 million books in print in the ,nited !tates and translations licensed to more than 'H countries. Her books regularly appear in the top spots of all the ma#or bestseller lists including the New York Times, "S! Today, #ublishers $eekly, Indiebound, Ama?on.com, Barnes 9 Noble, etc. Her debut title, Kiss of Midnight, was named Borders Books bestselling debut romance of 455H. %ater that year, her third title, Midnight A$a0ening, was named one of Ama?on.com2s 6op 6en 8omances of the Eear. 8e iewers ha e called %ara2s books @addicti ely readableA +0hicago 6ribune., @extraordinaryA +$resh $iction., and @one of the best ampire series on the marketA +8omantic 6imes..

Criting as TINA "T1 2OHN, her historical romances ha e won numerous awards including the National 8eaders 0hoice- 8omantic 6imes (aga?ine 8e iewer2s 0hoiceBooksellers Best- and many others. !he was twice named a $inalist in 8omance Criters of America2s 8I6A Awards, for Best Historical 8omance +3hite Lion4s Lady. and Best 7aranormal 8omance +Heart of the Hunter.. (ore recently, the 45'' Berman translation of Heart of the Hunter debuted on /er !piegel bestseller list. Cith an ancestry stretching back to the (ayflower and the court of >ing Henry IIII, the author li es with her husband in New 3ngland, surrounded by centuries-old gra eyards, hip urban comforts, and the endless inspiration of the broody Atlantic :cean.

Conne&t on5ine at6 www.%araAdrian.com www.(idnightBreed.com www.facebook.comJ%araAdrianBooks www.twitter.comJlaraKadrian www.goodreads.comJlaraKadrian www.pinterest.comJ%araAdrian G1G Read on for a sampler of LARA ADRIAN s other published novels! available now" G1G

THE MIDNIGHT 7REED "ERIE" +3dgy, dark contemporary ampire romance.

KI"" O8 MIDNIGHT 97oo0 (: New York Times % "S! Today bestseller @>I!! :$ (I/NIBH6 is dark, edgy and passionate, an irresistible ampire romance.A ;;Chi&ago Tribune Insatiable desire# $ndless seduction# %ne touch is just the beginning# He watches her from across the crowded dance club, a sensual black-haired stranger who stirs BabrielleLs deepest fantasies. But nothing about this night--or this man--is what it seems. $or when Babrielle witnesses a murder outside the club, reality shifts into something dark and deadly. In that shattering instant she is thrust into a realm she ne er knew existed--a realm where ampires stalk the shadows and a blood war is set to ignite. %ucan 6horne despises the iolence carried out by his lawless brethren. A ampire himself, %ucan is a Breed warrior, sworn to protect his kind--and the unwitting humans existing alongside them--from the mounting threat of the 8ogues. %ucan cannot risk binding himself to a mortal woman, but when Babrielle is targeted by his enemies, he has no choice but to bring her into the dark underworld he commands. Here, in the arms of the BreedLs formidable leader, Babrielle will confront an extraordinary destiny of danger, seduction, and the darkest pleasures of all . . . . G1G E<CER T It was wrong to pursue the woman. %ucan knew this, e en as he had waited on Babrielle (axwellLs apartment steps that e ening, showing her a detecti eLs badge and photo I/ card. It wasnLt his. It wasnLt real, in fact, only a hypnotic manipulation that made her human mind belie e he was who he had presented himself to be. A simple trick for elders of his kind, like himself, but one he seldom stooped to use. Eet now, here he was again, some time past midnight, stretching his slim personal code of honor e en thinner as he tried the latch on her front door and found it unlocked. He knew it would be- heLd gi en her the suggestion while he had talked with her that e ening, when he had shown her what he wanted to do with her and read the surprised, but recepti e, response in her soft brown eyes. He could ha e taken her then. !he would ha e Hosted him willingly, he was certain, and knowing the intense pleasure they would ha e shared in the process had nearly been his undoing.

But %ucanLs first duty was to his Breed and the warriors who had banded together with him to combat the growing problem of the 8ogues. Bad enough that Babrielle had witnessed the nightclub slaying and reported it to the police and her friends before her memory of the e ent could be erased, but she had also managed to take pictures. 6hey were grainy, almost unreadable, but damning #ust the same. He needed to secure the images, before she had a chance to show them to anyone else. HeLd made good on that, at least. By rights, he should be back at the tech lab with Bideon, I/ing the 8ogue who had escaped outside %a Notte, or riding shotgun around the city with /ante, 8io, 0onlan, and the others as they hunted down more of their diseased brethren. And so he would be, once he finished this last bit of business with lo ely Babrielle (axwell. %ucan slipped inside the old brick building on Cillow !treet and closed the door behind him. BabrielleLs tantali?ing scent filled his nostrils, leading him to her now as it had the night outside the club and at the police station downtown. He silently na igated her apartment, through the main le el and up the stairs to her bedroom loft. !kylights in the aulted ceiling summoned the moonLs pale glow, which played softly o er BabrielleLs graceful cur es. !he slept nude, as though awaiting his arri al, her long legs wrapped in twisted sheets, her hair spread out around her head on the pillow in luxurious wa es of burnt gold. Her scent en eloped him, sweet and sultry, making his teeth ache. &asmine, he thought, curling back his lips in a smile of wry appreciation. An exotic flower that opens its fragrant petals only under the coaxing of night. 'pen for me now, Gabrielle. But he wouldnLt seduce her, he decided, not like this. He wanted only a taste tonight, #ust enough to satisfy his curiosity. 6hat was all heLd permit himself. Chen he was through here, Babrielle would ha e no memory of meeting him, nor of the horror she had witnessed in the alley a few nights ago. His own need would ha e to wait. %ucan went to her and eased his hip onto the mattress beside her. He stroked the burnished softness of her hair, brushed his fingers along the slender line of her arm. !he stirred, moaning sweetly, rousing at his light touch. @%ucan,A she murmured sleepily, not <uite awake, yet subconsciously aware that he had #oined her in the room. @;ust a dream,A he whispered, astonished to hear his name on her lips when he had used no ampire guile to place it there. !he sighed deeply, settling against him. @I knew you would come back.A @/id youDA @(m-hmm.A It was a purr of sound in her throat, raspy and erotic. Her eyes remained closed, her mind still caught in the web of her dreams. @I wanted you to come back.A %ucan smiled at that, tracing his fingers o er her placid brow. @Eou do not fear me, beautyDA !he ga e a small shake of her head, nu??ling his palm against her cheek. Her lips were slightly parted, small white teeth gleaming in the scant light o erhead. Her neck was graceful, proud, a regal column of alabaster abo e the fragile bones of her shoulders. How sweet she would taste, how soft against his tongue. And her breasts . . . %ucan could not resist the peachy dark nipple that peeked out from under the sheet draped hapha?ardly across her torso. He teased the little bud between his fingers, tugging it gently and nearly growling with need as it puckered into a tight bead, hardening at his touch.

He was hardening as well. He licked his lips, growing hungry, eager to ha e her. Babrielle s<uirmed languidly beneath the tangled sheet. %ucan slowly drew the cotton co erlet away, baring her to him completely. !he was ex<uisite, as he knew she would be. 7etite, yet strong, her body was lithe with youth, supple and fair. $irm muscle shaped her elegant limbsher artistLs hands were slender and expressi e, flexing mindlessly as %ucan trailed his fingers along her sternum and down to the conca e dip of her belly. Her skin here was el et and warm, too tempting to resist. %ucan mo ed o er her on the bed, and slid his palms beneath her. He lifted her to him, gently arching her up off the mattress. He kissed the sweet cur e of her hip, then let his tongue play across the small alley of her na el. !he gasped as he plumbed the shallow indentation, and the fragrance of her need wreathed his senses. @;asmine,A he rasped against her heated skin, his teeth dragging lightly as his kiss entured lower. Her moan of pleasure as his mouth in aded her sex sent a iolent #olt of lust through his eins. He was already stiff and erect- now his cock throbbed beneath the constricting barrier of his clothes. !he was wet and slick against his lips, her cleft a heated sheath against his <uesting tongue. %ucan suckled her as he would sweet nectar, until her body con ulsed with the coming of her release. And still he lapped at her, bringing her to the crest of another climax, and then another. !heLd gone slack in his arms, boneless and trembling. %ucan trembled as well, his hands shaking as he carefully eased her back down onto the bed. HeLd ne er wanted a woman so badly. He wanted something more, he reali?ed, bemused by the impulse that he had to protect her. Babrielle panted softly as her last climax subsided, and she curled onto her side, as innocent as a kitten. %ucan stared down at her in silent fury, hea ing with the force of his need. /ull pain tightened his mouth as his fangs stretched out from his gums. His tongue was dry. Hunger knotted in his gut. His ision sharpened as lust for blood and release slung its seducti e coils around him, and his pupils elongated to catlike sli ers in his pale eyes. Take her, urged that part of him that was inhuman, unearthly. She is yours. Take her. ;ust a taste--that was what he had owed. He would not harm her, only heighten her pleasure as he took a bit of his own. !he wouldnLt e en remember this moment, come the dawn. As his blood Host, she would gi e him a sustaining sip of life, then awake later, drowsy and sated, but blissfully unaware of its cause. It was a small mercy, he told himself, e en as his body <uickened with the urge to feed. %ucan bent o er BabrielleLs languid form, and tenderly swept aside the riot of ginger wa es concealing her neck. His heart was hammering in his chest, urging him to slake his burning thirst. ;ust a taste, no more. :nly pleasure. He came forward, his mouth open, his senses swamped with her intoxicating female scent. His lips pressed down against her warmth, settling o er the delicate pulse that beat against his tongue. His fangs gra?ed the el et softness of her throat, throbbing now, like another demanding part of his anatomy. And in the instant before his sharp teeth penetrated her fragile skin, his keen ision lit on a tiny birthmark #ust behind BabrielleLs ear. Nearly undetectable, the diminuti e mark of a teardrop falling into the cradle of a crescent moon made %ucan rear back in shock. 6he symbol, so rare among human females, meant only one thing . . .

Breedmate. He withdrew from the bed as though touched by fire, hissing a furious curse into the dark. Hunger for Babrielle still pounded through him, e en as he grappled with the ramifications of what he might ha e done to them both. Babrielle (axwell was a Breedmate, a human gifted with uni<ue blood and /NA properties that complemented those of his kind. !he and the few numbers like her were <ueens among other human females. 6o %ucanLs kind, a race comprised solely of males, this woman was a cherished goddess, gi er of life, destined to bond in blood and bear the seed of a new ampire generation. And in his reckless lust to taste her, %ucan had nearly claimed her for his own. ~*~ &I'' %( )IDNI*+, is available now! wherever boo-s! eboo-s and audioboo-s are sold# G1G THE DRAGON CHALICE "ERIE" +7aranormal, historical ad enture romance. HEART O8 THE H=NTER 97oo0 (: (omantic Times (e)iewers *hoice !ward $inner (omance $riters of !merica (+T! ,inalist @7assion, danger and a bit of mysticism all come together brilliantly in the bewitching /ragon 0halice medie al paranormal series.A >7oo05ist Ariana of 0lairmont would risk anything to sa e her kidnapped brother, a <uest she knows is fraught with peril. Her only ally is Braedon le 0hasseur, a formidable knight with a mysterious past, whose scarred face and brooding nature mask a soul filled with pain. Ariana fears this dangerous man and the secrets he stri es to conceal--but Braedon2s touch is pure seduction, his kiss a potent lure that tempts her into a passion she is powerless to resist. :nce known as 6he Hunter, now haunted by a dark legacy he struggles to deny, Braedon li es in a world of shadow and isolation--until he is thrust together with an innocent beauty in need of his protection. 3mbarking on a #ourney that will lead them to a legendary treasure, Braedon will be forced to confront old enemies and the stunning secret of his true nature--or risk losing Ariana and the only happiness he has e er known. . . . G1G

E<CER T @Eou didnLt tell me you owned a ship.A Braedon unlashed one of the lines on his cog and turned to find Ariana of 0lairmont standing behind him on the wharf, regarding him in stormy accusation. He was not surprised to see her there- he had heard the terse clip of boots on the dock as she approached, but his instincts had told him it was her e en before her light gait and the angry swish of her skirts and long cloak ga e her away. @Chy didnLt you tell meDA He threw her a brief, dark scowl. @Eou didnLt ask.A His curt tone should ha e been enough to dismiss her, but to her credit and his dismay, she remained firmly planted where she stood, hands fisted on her hips, brow pinched in haughty offense. Her departure from 8ob and 7egLs house must ha e been hasty. Her unbound, sleeprumpled blond hair tumbled around her shoulders, de oid of hat and crispinette. 6he pale delicate strands lifted in the morning bree?e that blew in off the ri er. Her cheeks were flushed pink, but Braedon suspected their color had more to do with her ire than the chill mist of the dawning morn. !he had the look of a woman who would stand firm through the most brutal tempest, and for a moment--#ust a moment--Braedon found himself admiring her tenacity. @Bo back to 8ob and 7egLs, if you ha e any sense. 6he docks will be ali e with men soon, and you donLt belong down here.A @ILm not lea ing until you hear me out.A @Chy does that not surprise me,A he groused, not <uite under his breath. @(o e on, demoiselle, before you in ite more trouble for yourself.A !he mo ed, but only to take a step toward him. @I want you to take me to $rance.A He laughed aloud and ga e her his back while he continued to work on readying the ship to depart. @:ut of the <uestion.A @ChyDA @Because you will no doubt be more bother than you are worth. 6his isnLt a royal pleasure barge, my lady, itLs a working essel. And e en if I were inclined to take on a passenger, the last place I would take one is to $rance.A @:hD Chy, ha e you left a string of broken-hearted women thereDA He chuckled wryly and tied off the cogLs single sail with a harsh tug. @I gather youL e been talking to 7eg.A @!he told me I should keep my distance of you. !he said you canLt be counted on, that you lea e people #ust when they need you most.A Braedon rounded on her, ready to challenge that charge. He thought better of it, howe er, and caught himself before he was pricked into defending his old, tattered honor. He came around the thick wooden mast and le eled a hard stare on the girl. @If she said all of that, and you belie e her, then why are you hereDA @I told you. I need your help.A @I ha e helped you,A he replied. @If you didnLt want what I offered, thatLs not my concern. (y obligation to you--such as it was--is done.A !he let out an affronted little gasp, her footfalls clipping behind him on the planks of the dock as he stalked away from her to check one of his cargo nets. @Eou stole my passage money and left me at the mercy of strangers whom I know nothing about, and now here you are,

preparing to sail off without a care in the world for stranding me with no options whatsoe er. Eou are despicable.A Her barb stung him more than he wanted to gi e credit, but he cast off the insult with a shake of his head and an exhaled curse. @Eou were safe enough with 8ob. He is an honorable man. He would ha e made sure you got back to 0lairmont in one piece.A He felt the corner of his lip curl as he glanced up and met her indignant glare. @And I didnLt steal your money, either.A @Eou most certainly did, no matter what you choose to call it. 6hat purse belonged to me, not (onsieur $errand. And not you, sirrah.A He threw the web of rope netting down at his feet. @Eou are <uite <uick to #udge me, demoiselle.A @If I am,A she replied with a haughty toss of her head, @Ltis only because you betrayed yourself immediately and continue to pro e yourself a scoundrel the longer I see you. Eou, sir, are as wicked as you look.A 7ro oked beyond toleration, he stalked toward her then, ad ancing to where she stood on the wharf, chin held high, fists clenched at her sides. @Eou #udge only what you plainly see. Is that so, Ariana of 0lairmontDA 6hat stubborn chin climbed up a notch. @Ees.A @6hen why donLt you ha e a look in that satchel of yours and tell me what you see.A Braedon found a per erse measure of amusement in her sudden look of confusion, in the wary frown that put a crease of apprehension in her smooth white forehead. @Chat do you know about thisDA she demanded, protecti ely clutching at the large, fat leather pouch and holding it to her as if she feared he might steal that, too. !he unhooked the thong and toggle that held it closed, her fingers trembling in her haste to check the contents. @If you took anything from within here, I swear, I will...oh.A !he reached in and withdrew the small coin purse from where Braedon had placed it in the moments before he left 8ob and 7egLs a short few hours ago. A flush of color filled her cheeks. @!atisfiedDA He arched a brow to make his point. @Now, if youLll excuse me. As you can see, I ha e work to do here.A He pi oted to dismiss her bodily and heard the #ingle of coins behind him. @I can pay you.A @I know how much you ha e in that bag, Ariana. Eou canLt afford me.A He threw a knowingly arrogant glance o er his shoulder. @Besides, if I needed your money, ILd ha e kept your purse.A @$ine,A she replied. @If that is how you feel.A @It is.A He stared, unblinking, waiting for her to absorb his refusal. @Now, run along, demoiselle. 6he tide is in, and ILd like not to be delayed any longer with pointless con ersation.A Bi ing his back to her for what he hoped was a final time, he continued with the last checks of his essel. He listened for a muttered curse or a huff of frustration. $or the angry, staccato clip of boots retreating up the dock in defeat. He heard no such thing. :nly the lengthy pause of contemplation--the persistent, almost audible turning of a stubborn female mind-assailing him from behind. Her ga?e needled the back of his head like tiny daggers. BodLs blood. He would not turn around and in ite further argument. He owed the chit nothing. He would not gi e her the slightest concession in this--

@Iery well,A she said. @If my coin is of no alue to you, and honor does not compel you to help me, then let us make a different bargain. 6here must be something else you might accept in exchange for my passage...A 6ry as he may to remain unaffected by the woman, her suggestion halted him where he stood. 0ocking his head, he slowly swung back around to face her. !he was ner ous now, her slender fingers fidgeting with the furred edge of her mantle. A flush of pink filled her cheeks and she <uickly glanced down, a erting his ga?e. @Chat do you proposeDA !he seemed reluctant to meet his ga?e in that moment--an innocent, there could be no doubting that fact, despite the sensual implication in her blurted offer. Cithout looking at him, she said, @Name your price...and I will pay it.A 6ossing down the end of the rope he had been coiling, Braedon crossed the deck of the cog and leapt down onto the wharf. He strode up to Ariana, lea ing not a half-pace between them, and grabbed her chin between his thumb and forefinger. He tilted her face up, forcing her to meet his eyes. @Chat exactly is it that you suggest to bargain with, demoiselleDA Cide blue eyes flicked up uncertainly, then down again, shuttered by a sweep of her long lashes. !he s<uirmed, turning her head away from him. Her oice stammered when she finally found it, wobbling #ust abo e a whisper. @I...I think you take my meaning. /o not make me say it.A Braedon grunted low in his throat, a predatory sound of pure male interest that should ha e scared her off like a frightened hare. @If you cannot say it, %ady Ariana, then how do you intend to do itDA !he swallowed hard, but that guileless ga?e lifted once more and met his steady stare. @I told you. Name your price. ;ust...say youLll do this for me. 6ake me to $rance. 7lease.A As he contemplated the sensual allure of her mouth, those lush pink lips that seemed so ripe for kissing, he wondered if he ought to test her, right then and there. Her scent--a mix of trepidation and stubborn resol e--drew him closer, heightening his bodyLs awareness of her. All that was male in him, all that was untamed and animal, went taut with anticipation. @Eou are that intent on reaching the 0ontinent,A he challenged, his oice a soft growl, his breath steaming in the scant space between them. @Are you that determined to see your brotherDA !he stared up at him in mute silence, her foolish tongue no doubt paraly?ed by the weight of the bargain she was on the erge of striking. But there was no need for her to answer his <uestion. Braedon could see the truth of it in her eyes. 6he determination, the desperation. 6he stark, <ui ering fear. 6esting her, he reached up and touched her cheek, letting his fingers sift through the silky tendrils of her hair. !he scarcely flinched at the contact. :nly the slightest tremor of her indrawn breath, and the sudden skitter of her pulse beneath his fingertips as they curled around her nape, betrayed her anxiety at his touch. !he held herself ery still, her eyes on his as he gradually pulled her to him. His desire thrummed as their bodies came together. At the feel of her pressed so deliciously against his thighs and abdomen, his sex stirred, his arousal swift and complete. !he had to feel his interest, no doubt she saw it in his hungry ga?e, in the flaring of his nostrils as he greedily breathed her in. Innocent or nay, she was old enough to know what he was about in that moment. !he was far too cle er not to understand what she encouraged with her rash offer. Eet she did not shriek in irginal terror or make the slightest effort to pull away. He didnLt know whether to be elated or dismayed.

Irritated, he decided, reali?ing #ust now that she truly was that desperate to reach $rance. /esperate enough to consider gi ing herself to a irtual stranger--a ruthless, dangerous man, Braedon acknowledged wryly, who would be all too willing to collect on the debt when the time came. He might ha e been tempted to sample some of his boon right there on the dock, if not for the rise of oices coming from farther down the wharf. %ifting his head, he turned his ga?e o er his shoulder and peered through a swirl of thin morning mist, to where a group of sailors had gathered. 6he knot of rough-looking men were watching him and the girl. $errandLs men. :ne of them pointed and ga e a shout. 6he group started running on the manLs command, heading straight for BraedonLs dock. @/amn,A he cursed, sho ing aside his enticing thoughts of a delectable tangle with the lady to thwart this current mayhem. @Ce ha e to go, my lady. Now.A He grabbed her by the wrist and turned to haul her onto his ship. 6o his surprise, she dug her heels in and resisted. @Cait* (y horses,A she said, shaking her head. @;amesLs mount and mine are stabled back there, near the ta ern. I canLt lea e them. I will need a mount once I reach $rance.A @6oo late for that, demoiselle.A 6he sailorsL shouts grew louder. $ootsteps thundered on the wharf. !omething whi??ed o er their heads and lodged in the cogLs mast with a dull thwunkA crossbow bolt. :ne of $errandLs men paused to load another missile, then raised the weapon and let the second bolt fly. Another took up a similar position, leaning against a barrel to prepare a further attack. @/own*A Braedon shouted to Ariana, bringing her under his arm. Hunched o er with her, he ran a couple paces on the dock, pulling them out of the arrowLs deadly path. It missed its mark by a hairbreadth and splashed into the icy ri er. He crouched low and ran to untie the last line, releasing the cog from its slip. @If youLre coming with me, demoiselle, come now.A Cith a shriek, she ran the handful of steps to his ship and ga e him her hand to help her up onto the deck. Braedon sho ed off from the pier and shifted the cogLs wide sail to catch a gust of chilly morning air. @!tay down,A he instructed her, directing her to the forecastle at the head of the cogLs deck. 6he ele ated s<uare structure rose up on s<uat, sturdy beams, one of two small watchtowers at either end of the essel, which also ser ed as the sole means of protection from the elements. @!tay beneath here,A he ordered her. @/onLt mo e until I tell you.A !he scrambled into place with a <uick nod while Braedon ran for the rudder at the stern. $errandLs men launched a few more bolts, but the cog caught wind and was already gliding out of range, sailing off into the wide swell of the 6hames. Braedon steered the ship upri er as efficiently as he could, wondering whose head $errand wanted more" his, or %ady (ayhemLs. He glanced to where she huddled on the foredeck, her knees drawn up to her chest, her arms wrapped tightly around them. Her eyes were wild, fixed on him as if waiting for reassurance. Her lush lower lip trembled, caught between the neat white line of her teeth. !he was shi ering and scared beneath the forecastle, but she was safe. Bod help her if she trusted him to keep her that way. Braedon swore under his breath as he left %ondon in his wake and headed for the estuary that would set him on a course toward the 0hannel. 6oward $rance, the place of his birth... ery nearly the scene of his demise.

&esu. $hat had he gotten himself into.

+$AR, %( ,+$ +.N,$R is available now in eboo- and print /audioboo- coming soon0 G1G HEART O8 THE 8LAME 97oo0 ): (omantic Times (e)iewers *hoice !ward Nominee @A richly imagined, paranormal-tinged historical . . . dark, ex<uisitely sensual and beautifully written.A >7oo05ist !ix months in an enemyLs dungeon might ha e broken a weaker man, but former 6emplar knight >enrick of 0lairmont has emerged from imprisonment with an unyielding determination, and consumed by a single daunting <uest" to find the /ragon 0halice, a mystical treasure said to grant its bearer unlimited power. It is a dangerous chase, one that pits >enrick against foes skilled in dark, deadly arts. But no obstacle will pro e more treacherous--nor more seducti ely lethal--than the fiery beauty called Ha en. 0aught up in the battle for the 0halice, Ha en sur i es a night of terror that lea es her wounded and near death. Her memory scorched by fe er, Ha en awakens to find herself in the care of the forbidding, handsome >enrick, who offers his protection in return for her alliance. A tenuous trust is formed between them, which soon ignites into a fierce passion neither can deny. But Ha enLs memory of her past is slowly beginning to surface, and it will threaten the fragile bond she and >enrick share--and embroil them in a fight for their ery li es. . . . G1G HEART O8 THE DO?E 97oo0 *: @A sensual paranormal . . . male olent shapeshifters, long-kept secrets and a thread of pure e il add a sinister twist.A >Library 2ourna5 @$ast-paced . . . as usual, 8I6A award finalist +!t. ;ohn. peoples her tale with ibrant and engaging characters.A

> ub5ishers 3ee05y 3 erything that 8andwulf of Breycliff lo ed was torn from his grasp in a night of fire and terror. His wife and child slain, his manor destroyed, 8and now li es for one thing alone" re enge on the man who ordered the attack. Armed with a part of the legendary /ragon 0halice--the ob#ect his enemy most desires--8and embarks on a deadly oyage to trap his foe. He will a enge his family . . . and let no one stand in his way. :n a stormswept shore in the wilds of northern 3ngland, a gentle maiden disco ers a man lying on the beach, shipwrecked and in need of care. But helping him is forbidden. !erena has the gift of >nowing" with a mere touch, she can see all the secrets in a manLs heart. It is a gift that has kept her secluded from the outside world, wary of those who would use her powers for their own gain. But 8andLs wounded heart beckons, and his passionate nature draws her to him-daring her to surrender to a dangerous seduction that could destroy them both. . . .

~*~ Read on for #ore about LARA ADRIAN4s a$ard;$inning histori&a5 ro#an&es a@ai5ab5e no$A B*B THE 3ARRIOR TRILOG! +7assionate medie al romance with strong, battle-hardened alpha heroes. 3HITE LION4" LAD! /ooksellers /est !ward $inner (omantic Times (e)iewers *hoice !ward Nominee (omance $riters of !merica (+T! ,inalist @Has e erything I look for in a good medie al romance" a strong hero, an intelligent and caring heroine, a really unpleasant illain, and plenty of atmosphere. It also has a few unexpected twists and turns, which complement an excellent plot . . . the romance is pure gold.A >A55 About Ro#an&e 9Grade A C Desert Is5e Kee'er: In this captivating tale of forbidden love and star-crossed destiny! a dangerous -night on a rogue s mission is reunited with the virtuous young lady who once adored him # # # #

Abducted on the way to her wedding, heiress Isabel de %amere is unaware that the scoundrel planning to use her for his own gain is the cherished champion on her childhood" Briffin, the Chite %ion. Eet e en as she disco ers his treachery, Isabel cannot deny that Briffin lingers in her dreams, awakening the passion in her steadfast heart. 6hen a twist of fate puts a price on both their heads, embroiling them in a life-and-death chase that will force Briffin to choose between his own freedom and his fierce desire for the woman who would redeem his noble spirit. But to reclaim his lost honor, the Chite %ion could lose Isabel fore er. . . G1G 7LACK LION4" 7RIDE (omantic Times (e)iewers *hoice !ward Nominee @A passionate ad enture romance . . . an action-packed lo e story with a strong conflict, welldetailed historical backdrop and memorable characters.A >RT 7oo0 Re@ie$s 9Ro#anti& Ti#es MagaDine: /aughter of the >ing of the Assassins, Mahirah was trained to be as deadly as she is beautiful. Chen she steals into the desert camp of the 3nglish army, she has one goal" to banish the crusaders from her homeland by murdering >ing 8ichard the %ionheart. Her decepti e strategy deli ers her into the hands of the enemy--and puts her at the mercy of the dashing Black %ion, !ebastian of (ontborne. $ighting for peace in a dangerous, exotic land, !ebastian ne er dreamed that the tides of war would bring him a mysterious beauty in need of his protection. Nor could he guess that the lady who ignites his heart is the ery enemy he has sworn to destroy on behalf of his king. 0aught in a deadly game of passion and deception, their unbidden lo e could cost them their li es. . . .

G1G LAD! O8 ?ALOR National (eaders *hoice !ward $inner 0'1T 2edallion ,inalist @0abal is a tortured hero, and if you like those, you2ll lo e him - he is a good man who thinks he has lost what makes him a human being. As for 3mmalyn, sheLs spunky without being annoying, strong and independent. It was a #oy to watch these two fall in lo e. If you are looking for a great medie al, look no further than %ady of Ialor.A

>A55 About Ro#an&e 9Grade A C Desert Is5e Kee'er: %eft a widow by her cruel husband2s death, %ady 3mmalyn of $allonmour is determined to control her own destiny, until her hard-won ows of independence are threatened by the mysterious warrior sent to protect her castle on order of the king. 3mmalyn is now at the mercy of !ir 0abal, a feared knight known as Blackheart. !killed at war and hiding a tormented past, 0abal swears allegiance to no one but himself and his country. But once he meets 3mmalyn, he finds his strength tested by this proud beauty who stirs his blood with desire, tempting him to defy his king and surrender his heart. . . . G1G LORD O8 ?ENGEANCE (omantic Times (e)iewers *hoice !ward $inner @Between the hero and heroine, a secret I was not prepared forNand the action building to a fe ered pitch toward the end, there was little or nothing not to lo e about Lord of ?engean&e. A truly wonderful read.A ;;A55 About Ro#an&e 9Grade A C Desert Is5e Kee'er: 6aken capti e by Bunnar 8utledge, a dark knight sworn to destroy her father, 8aina d2Bussy must teach forgi eness to a man who knows no mercy and li es only to exact re enge on his enemy. But time in Bunnar2s keep stirs an unwanted passion in 8aina, and something far more perilous, when she finds herself falling in lo e with the one man she should ne er desire. $or Bunnar, engeance is all that matters. He seeks the ultimate price from his enemy2s beautiful young daughter, claiming 8aina as his hostage. But the proud beauty defies him at e ery turn, tempting him like no other. !etting out to break 8aina2s glorious spirit, Bunnar instead finds himself bewitched by her goodness, her strength. 0an he sei?e the #ustice he is due without losing 8aina fore erD G1G

1omplete list of titles by New 2or- ,imes 3 45 internationally best-selling author LARA ADRIAN Midnight 7reed "eries >iss of (idnight >iss of 0rimson (idnight Awakening (idnight 8ising Ieil of (idnight Ashes of (idnight !hades of (idnight 6aken by (idnight /eeper 6han (idnight A 6aste of (idnight +ebook no ella. /arker After (idnight 3dge of /awn +hardco er release $ebruary 45'F. 0ra e the Night +hardco er release $ebruary 45'O. Night/rake +ebook no ella, reissuing 45'4. A Blimpse of /arkness +ebook collaborati e no ella. LARA ADRIAN writing as ,INA ',# 6%+N Dragon Cha5i&e "eries Heart of the Hunter Heart of the $lame Heart of the /o e F-in-' 3book 0ollection 3arrior Tri5ogy Chite %ion2s %ady Black %ion2s Bride %ady of Ialor %ord of Iengeance