Lord of the Vampires. Gena Showalter
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Praise for the novels of New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author GENA SHOWALTER
“Raw, and dark, and sexy. Lord of the Vampires sizzles.”
—Nalini Singh
“A world of myth, mayhem and love under the sea!”
—J.R. Ward on The Nymph King
“Gena Showalter delivers an utterly spellbinding story!”
—Kresley Cole on Playing With Fire
“Dark and tormented doesn’t begin to describe these cursed Lords of the Underworld … This is darkly satisfying and passionately thrilling stuff.”
—RT Book Reviews
“The Showalter name on a book means guaranteed entertainment.”
—RT Book Reviews on Twice as Hot
Dear Reader,
I’m so thrilled to bring you Lord of the Vampires, the first tale in the dark and sizzling ROYAL HOUSE OF SHADOW series.
Writing this book was such a blast! A world with vampires, werewolves, witches and monsters? Hell, yes! A prince known for his wicked ways and fearsome temper? Even better! A human woman who will either save or destroy him—bringing him to his knees in the process? Yes, yes, a thousand times yes.
Throw in upcoming stories by Jill Monroe (Lord of Rage), Jessica Andersen (Lord of the Wolfyn) and Nalini Singh (Lord of the Abyss) and I’m practically drooling about this series. E-mailing these ladies about the different books was truly inspiring.
I hope you enjoy our modern takes on beloved fairy tales. We certainly had fun writing them.
All the best,
Gena Showalter
About the Author
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author GENA SHOWALTER has been praised for her “sizzling page-turners” and “utterly spellbinding stories.” She is the author of more than seventeen novels and anthologies, including breathtaking paranormal and contemporary romances, cutting-edge young adult novels, and stunning urban fantasy. Readers can’t get enough of her trademark wit and singular imagination.
To learn more about Gena and her books, please visit www.genashowalter.com and www.genashowalterblogspot.com.
Also available from Gena Showalter The sensational LORDS OF THE UNDERWORLD series
The Darkest Night
The Darkest Kiss
The Darkest Pleasure
The Darkest Whisper
Dark Beginnings
The Darkest Passion
The Darkest Lie
The Darkest Secret
COMING SOON
The Darkest Surrender
Lord of the Vampires
Gena Showalter
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This one is for Jill Monroe, Jessica Andersen and Nalini Singh. Amazing ladies and talented authors. I’d plot with you guys anyday!
And to Tara Gavin, for her amazing support and enthusiasm for the ROYAL HOUSE OF SHADOWS
Prologue
Once upon a time, in a land of vampires, shape-shifters and witches, the Blood Sorcerer coveted the only power denied him: the right to rule. He and his monstrous army attacked the royal palace, slaughtered the beloved king and queen of Elden and sought to do the same to Nicolai, the crown prince, as well as his three siblings, Breena, Dayn and Micah.
The sorcerer succeeded in all but the latter. He had not counted on a king’s hunger for retribution and a mother’s love for her children.
Just before expelling his final breath, the king used his power to fill his offspring with an unbreakable need for vengeance, ensuring they would fight for eternity to claim their due. At the same time, the queen used her power to send them away, saving them. For the time being.
Only, the king and queen were weak, their minds fogged from pain, and their magic conflicting.
And so, the royals were now bound to destroy the man who had slain their parents, yet they were also cast out of the palace, each flung to different kingdoms within the realm with only one link to the Royal House of Elden: a timepiece, given to them by their parents.
Nicolai, the Dark Seducer as his people called him, had been in bed, but not alone. He was never alone. He was a man known for the violence of his temper as well as the deliciousness of his touch; and after his youngest brother’s birthday celebration, he’d adjourned to his private chamber to sate himself on his newest conquest.
That’s when the dual natures of the enchantments struck him.
When he next opened his eyes, he’d found himself in another bed—and not with his chosen partner. He was naked still, only now he was chained, a slave to the very desires he’d evoked in his lover. Desires that had mingled with the magic and sent him straight to the Sex Market, where he was quickly sold to a princess of Delfina, his will no longer his own, his pleasure no longer his own, his timepiece stolen and his memories wiped from his mind.
But two things could not be taken from him, no matter how fervently the princess tried. The cold rage in his chest and the blistering need for vengeance in his veins.
The first, he would unleash. The second, he would savor. First with the princess, and then with a sorcerer he could not quite remember, but a sorcerer he knew he despised all the same.
Soon.
He had only to escape….
Chapter 1
“I need you, Jane.”
Frowning, Jane Parker placed the note on her kitchen countertop. She studied the scarred, leather-bound book resting inside an unadorned box, surrounded by a sea of black velvet. A few minutes ago, she’d returned from her five-mile jog. This package had been waiting on her porch.
There’d been no return address. No explanation as to why the thing had been left for her, and no hint as to who “I” was. Or why Jane was needed. Why would anyone need her? She was twenty-seven years old and had only recently regained the use of her legs. She had no family, no friends, no job. Not anymore. Her little cabin in Smallest Town Ever, Oklahoma, was secluded, barely a blip in the neighboring expanse of lush green trees and wide open, blue sky.
She should have tossed