Blood Beyond Darkness

by Brown, Stacey Marie

  “Let’s hope this time when we are using the bathtub, Cal will notice we’re in it.” Eli pretended to shiver. “Having three naked bodies in a bathtub will never have the same appeal to me.”

  “Cal didn’t seem to mind.”

  “Neither did you.” Eli grabbed my butt more firmly, shifting me closer in.

  “You told me to never underestimate what six inches can do,” I whispered huskily in his ear.

  Eli’s eyes glinted. “I think you might have to double that.”

  “We live in Fae-land not imaginary land.”

  “Shut up, Brycin.” Eli moved us to a soft spot of grass.

  “Why don’t you make me, Dragen? You are all talk and little action.”

  My back was on the ground, his body between my legs in a split second. “I’ve missed you.” His lips met mine with a heavy desire.

  “Is thirty hours, twenty minutes, and forty-five seconds too long for you?”

  He smirked. “Yup.” His fingers unbuttoned my jeans and moved underneath my underwear.

  I moaned softy as he tugged off my pants, never losing contact with me.

  “I can tell you didn’t miss me at all.” He smiled as he made me gasp louder.

  “Not really.” I forced my voice to stay even. “I missed Cal and Simmons, though.”

  He grinned while shoving his jeans down his hips. “We’ll see whose name you scream out.”

  He didn’t give me a chance to respond.

  The world was in pieces, but there was nowhere else I wanted to be. I finally found my place in this crazy world. Yeah ... and that included being next to one tall, cocky, pain-the-ass Dark Dweller.

  Eli and I would always be complicated. Things would never be easy for us, but he was my home. He got me on a level no one else ever would. Beyond blood, beyond darkness or light we were connected. We would fight for the new world together. And we would fight for each other.

  Always.

  I probably should seek therapy for that.

  Thank You

  Thank you to all my readers. Your opinion really matters to me and helps others decide if they want to purchase my book. If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving an honest review on the site where you purchased it. Thank you.

  Want to find out about my next book, City in Embers? Sign up on my website and keep updated on the latest news. www.staceymariebrown.com.

  Zoey Daniels has been tossed from foster home to foster home, where she grows up fast and tough. When she is placed in her “last-chance home, she finds a reason to stay and turn her life around: her foster sister, Lexi, who is paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair. Zoey will do anything to keep Lexi safe. After high school, Zoey is hired by a special government agency, the Department of Molecular Genetics (DMG), where she meets the other reason to remain: Daniel, her co-worker, the man she loves.

  But there is something unique about Zoey. She can see fae. Because of this, the DMG hires her to work as a Collector: catching, researching, testing, and using the fae to save human lives. The work never registers on her sympathy radar. She was raised to think of fae as beasts that feed on humans and want to destroy them.

  When devastation hits Seattle, Zoey’s whole world is turned upside down. The electric storm connects her to a ruthless fae Wanderer named Ryker whose dealings expose them to even more trouble and danger. They embark on a journey, running and hiding from the government and fae, both of which threaten their lives and those they love.

  Acknowledgements

  I can’t believe Blood Beyond Darkness is the end of the Darkness series! The first book, Darkness of Light, started as a little idea, a glimpse of characters who came to me when I was trying to sleep. They slowly melted onto the page when they wouldn’t leave me alone. Little did I know those characters would change my life forever. They were leading me to where I am supposed to be. I will forever be grateful to Eli and Ember, for coming to me so loud and strong I could no longer ignore my destiny.

  To my readers: You are the reason those characters came to life, live so brightly on the pages, and were able to continue telling their story. They kept me up at night so it’s only fair they kept you up, too! Thank you for supporting me (or at least Eli!) so completely. Even though the series is over, Eli and Em will never be, and I hope the next series will be one you love just as much.

  To my mom: These books probably would not have made it out to the public if not for you. You are my critic, sounding board, and support. I don’t know what I would do without you. Thank you.

  To Chase Nottingham: You are my savior. Your editing and notes are fundamental to me, and your insights have made me a better writer. Thank you. http://www.chaseediting.com and paperchase@comcast.net.

  To Jordan Rosenfeld: You are incredible woman. Your notes make my writing and the story so much richer. Thank you again for all the hours you put in to help shape and develop my book. I absolutely adore you! http://jordanrosenfeld.net/.

  To Dave at Woulds & Shoulds: Your cover designs are amazing. I think I’ve gained a lot of new fans just from them. Thank you for your continued help and talent. http://editinganddesign.com.

  To Judi at http://formatting4u.com. Thank you! You have made the stress of getting my books out on time so much easier.

  To my street team, Stacey’s Geek Squad (aka Eli’s Entourage): Jessa, Dee, Akilah, Tori, Casey, Shayna, Heather, Brandi, Jackie, Danielle, and Aarati. I love you girls so much. Your ‘above and beyond’ support is appreciated more than words can say.

  To all the bloggers who have supported me: My gratitude is for all you do and how much you help indie authors out of the pure love of reading. I bow down. You all are amazing!

  To incredible people like Tammie Ross Zimmerman and Charles Young: You go above and beyond ... You will always be my “staff pick!”

  To all the indie/hybrid authors out there who inspire, challenge, support, and push me to be better. I love you! To Janet Wallace who does this with just one word or a by simply the tone of her voice. You are incredible woman. If I could only have you in my pocket everyday kicking my ass!

  And to everyone who has picked up the Darkness Series. THANK YOU!

  Glossary

  A ghra: Gaelic for “my love."

  Ar meisce: Irish for “drunk” or “intoxicated.”

  Bitseach: Gaelic for "bitch."

  Brownies: Small, hardworking Faeries who inhabit houses and barns. They are rarely seen and would do cleaning and housework at night.

  Carrogs: Massive creatures. Part human, part beast. They are hard to kill, love to fight, and will destroy anyone in front of them.”

  Ciach ort: Irish for “dammit" or "damn you.”

  Cinaed/Cionaodh: Irish meaning “born of fire.”

  Dae: Beings having both pure Fairy and Demon blood. Their powers and physical features represent both parentages. The offspring of Fairies and Demons are extremely powerful. They are feared and considered abominations, being killed at birth for centuries by the Seelie Queen.

  Damnú air: Irish for “damn it.”

  Damnú ort: Irish for “damn you.”

  Damnú ort bean dhubh: Irish for damn you black-haired woman

  Dark Dweller: Free-lance mercenaries of the Otherworld. The only group in the Otherworld that is neither under the Seelie Queen nor the Unseelie King command. They were exiled to Earth by the Queen.

  Demon: A broad term for a group of powerful and usually malevolent beings. They live off human life forces, gained by sex, debauchery, corruption, greed, dreams, energy, and death. They live on earth taking on animal or human form, their shell being the best weapon to seduce or gain their prey.

  Draoidh: Another term for "Druid."

  Draoidhean: Plural for Draoidh.

  Dreamscape: Dreamscaping is pulling someone into a dream, usually only another Fay. But because of the blood they share, Ember can bring Eli into hers. She can fully interact with the person. It feels just as real as when you’re awake.

  Dreamwalk: D
reamwalking is the ability to put yourself in a place that is happening in real life and actual time. But you cannot be seen or interact with people while dreamwalking. You are a ghost to them.

  Drochrath air: Gaelic for “Damn it” or “Damn you.”

  Druid: Important figures in ancient Celtic Ireland. They held positions of advisors, judges, and teachers. They can be both male and female and are magicians and seers who have the power to manipulate time, space, and matter. They are the only humans able to live in the Otherworld and can live for centuries.

  Fae: A broad group of magical beings who originated in the Earth Realm and migrated to the Otherworld when human wars started to take their land. They can be both sweet and playful or scary and dangerous. All Fae possess the gifts of glamour (power of illusion), and some have the ability to shape shift.

  Fairy (Fay): A selective and elite group of Fae. The noble pureblooded Fairies who stand as the ruling court known as the Seelie of Tuatha de Danann. They are of human stature and can be confused for human if it wasn’t for their unnatural beauty. One weakness is iron as it is poisonous to the Fay/Fae and may kill them if there is too much in their system. Also see “Fae” above.

  Feliz que esté en casa segura: Spanish for “Happy to be safe in the house.”

  Gabh suas ort fhéin: Gaelic slang for “Go f*ck yourself.”

  Glamour: Illusion cast by the Fae to camouflage, divert, or change appearance.

  Gnome: Small humanlike creatures that live underground. Gnomes consist of a number of different types: Forest Gnomes, Garden Gnomes, and House Gnomes. They are territorial and mischievous and don’t particularly like humans.

  Goblins: Short, ugly creatures. They can be very ill-tempered and grumpy. They are greedy and are attracted to coins and shiny objects. Will take whatever you set down.

  Incubus: Male. Seduces humans, absorbing their life force through sex.

  Incantation: An incantation or enchantment is a charm or spell created using words.

  Kelpie: A water spirit of Scottish folklore, typically taking the form of a horse, reputed to delight in the drowning of travelers.

  Lamprog: Oversized ladybug with electric wings which glow every time it starts to fly. Once a year on the full moon before Samhain, thousands gather to mate. They get violent and aggressive and can be very dangerous.

  Mac an donais: Gaelic, for “damn it,” literally meaning “son of the downturn”

  Mo chroi: Gaelic for “my love.”

  Mo chuisle/Mo chuisle mo chroi: Gaelic for “my pulse.”/Irish phrase of endearment meaning “pulse of my heart.” Can also mean “my love” or “my darling.”

  Mo shiorghra: Gaelic for my “eternal love.”

  Ni ceart go cur le cheile: Gaelic for “There is no strength without unity.”

  Ninjuitsu, pankration, or bataireacht: Forms of martial arts. Bataireacht is Irish stick fighting.

  Otherworld: Another realm outside of the Earth realm where the Fae inhabit.

  Páiste gréine: Gaelic for “child born out of wedlock.”

  Pixies: These six-inched Fairies are mischievous creatures that enjoy playing practical jokes. They are fierce and loyal and have a high “allergy” to juniper juice.

  Pooka/Phooka/Phouka: Irish for goblin. They are shape changers that usually take on the appearance of a goat.

  Pyrokinesis: The ability to set objects or people on fire through the concentration of psychic power.

  Raicleach: Irish for vixen; “easy” woman.

  ‘S magadh fúm atá tú: Celtic for “You’re kidding me.

  Samhain: Celtic lore describes it as a magical interval when laws of time and space are temporarily suspended, and the thin veil between the worlds is lifted. It is generally celebrated on October 31st.

  Seelie: The “Light” court of the Tuatha De Danaan meaning "blessed." This court consists of all the noble (pure) Fairies and Fae. They have powers that can be used for good or bad, but are thought of as more principled as the Unseelie. However, “light” does not necessarily mean “good.”

  Shefro: A type of male Fairy.

  Shuriken: Traditional Japanese, concealed, hand-held weapons that are generally used for throwing.

  Sidhe: Another name for the Fae folk of Tuatha De Danann.

  Sin payasadas en la cocina: Spanish for “No antics in the kitchen.”

  Sionnach: Gaelic for “fox.”

  Striapach: Gaelic for "whore."

  Strighoul: “Cannibal” of the Fae world. They consume the flesh of other Fae to gain their powers. Will eat humans, but prefer Fae.

  Technokinesis: The ability to move an object with the power of one's thoughts.

  Téigh trasna ort féin: A Gaelic swear word with the approximate meaning of “Go screw yourself.”

  Telekinetic: The power to move something by thinking about it without the application of physical force.

  Tuatha Dé Danann (or Danaan): A race of people in Irish mythology. They are the earliest Fae/Fairies.

  Unseelie: The “Dark” Fae of the Tuatha De Danaan. These are considered the un-pure or rebels of the Otherworld and do not follow the Seelie ways. Nocturnal and have powers thought to be more immoral. They can also use their shell to seduce or gain their prey; however, “dark” does not necessarily mean “bad.”

  Wards: A powerful, magical spell primarily used to defend an area and is supposed to stop enemies from passing through.

  Wolpertinger: A kind of squirrel with wings, antlers, tail, and fangs.

  About The Author

  Stacey Marie Brown works by day as an Interior/Set Designer and by night a writer of paranormal fantasy, adventure, and literary fiction. She grew up in Northern California, where she ran around on her family’s farm raising animals, riding horses, playing flashlight tag, and turning hay bales into cool forts.

  Even before she could write, she was creating stories and making up intricate fantasies. Writing came as easy as breathing. She later turned that passion into acting, living and traveling abroad, and designing.

  Though she had never stopped writing, moving back to San Francisco seems to have brought it back to the forefront, and this time it would not be ignored.

  When she’s not writing, she’s out hiking, spending time with friends, traveling, listening to music, or designing.

  To learn more about Stacey or her books, visit her at:

  Author website

  www.staceymariebrown.com

  Facebook

  Author page: https://www.facebook.com/staceymarie.brown.5

  Book page: https://www.facebook.com/DOLSeries

  Twitter

  @S_MarieBrown

  WHISPER

  ©

  By Heather Hildenbrand

  Chapter One

  My favorite place to stand in the whole world is Bitner Peak at sunset. Something about the way the light reflects off the treetops below, a sad slant of yellow and gold that fades slowly to gray, reminds me of life. The fragility of it, the way it inevitably fades to nothing. It is the symbol of all I’ve lost and everything I will one day become. And when it fades to black, like the curtain at the end of a play, the finality is so tangible you can taste it. The air changes and becomes heavier, like a cloak you can’t shake, and inside it hangs every sad thought that’s ever existed. And you must find a way to carry it with you, or fall under its weight.

  That’s what I was doing now—trying to find a way to carry the weight.

  I watched as the last of the light faded into purplish-gray somewhere over the farthest peak of the Rocky Mountains, feeling whatever little bit of emotion I carried inside me leaking away with the setting sun.

  When the darkness was complete, I stood empty and alone—the way I liked it. If you were empty, you couldn’t feel pain or loss or loneliness.

  Grandma used to say an empty jar was bad luck. “You had to take the bad with the good,” she would tell me. Half-filled jars lined her kitchen windowsill. “A sign of Cherokee optimism,” she’d say.


  Who knew what was in those jars; I never asked. To her, it didn’t matter, as long as they weren’t empty. I tried drinking one once and choked on vinegar. After that, I steered clear, fine with not knowing.

  If Grandma were still alive, she’d probably tell me to snap out of it, to feel something … anything. And quit walking around like an empty shell. But she wasn’t here. And she couldn’t possibly know the deep, cutting pain that would consume me if I let it. I had to keep it out.

  Empty was better than that kind of pain.

  I walked slowly back to my SUV, a present from Tinker to celebrate my release from Skye View Mental Health Facility three weeks ago—although if life were as it should be, it would’ve been a graduation present—and got inside. I sat there with the keys in my hand and stared blankly through the windshield at the stars overhead. They were bright and huge out here in the middle of Grant territory. “Enough square miles to start your own country,” Dad used to say. Generations of Grants had grown up here, disturbing only enough earth to live on, leaving the rest of it untouched except by Mother Nature. “The beauty is its ruggedness,” he said.

  I had to agree.

  One thing I’d learned at Skye View was how to sit for hours without really focusing long enough on one thought to let the emotion in. It was a sort of meditation I did. Allowing myself snippets of memories to fall into my awareness, relive them, and then let them fade away again. All before my emotions had a chance to react. It allowed me to still picture my parents’ faces without having a complete breakdown. Like the night of the accident, six months ago …

  I picked up on the fourth ring, right before it went to voicemail. “Hello?” I was breathless, distracted from digging my phone out of the bottom of my bag.

  “Whisper, hey, it’s Dad.”

  My heart leapt into my throat, and I swallowed back the lump. “Did we get her?” I asked.