New Site!

Thank you all for your support over the years!  To stay in touch, with the most up-to-date information on my writing, please follow me at Dave Ferraro's Comics-and-More.  I'll be sharing writing and updates on my projects, as well as talking about the art that inspires me, including comic, books, music and movies.  Many of the features you enjoy on this site have transferred to the new site, so please check it out!!  :)

Second HOTD Omnibus

For those of you who need to catch up on Hunters of the Dark, a second omnibus has been released, collecting books 4-6!

The Abyss On Sale!!!

The Abyss (Hunters of the Dark #6) is on sale now!  Find it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords!

The hunters have been divided.

Those still under the tutelage of Valor are in hiding as Agent Ross hunts them down with their former friends.  But Shanna Hunt and her friends are still fighting the good fight, and decide to use Amelia’s power source to create a gateway to the realm of Paimon, a terrible demon who would devour their souls.

When things go terribly wrong in Paimon’s dimension, the hunters find themselves thrown into a dark world that has many similarities to their own.  While Shanna doesn’t quite understand what is going on in this broken world, she does see that the choices of the hunters themselves have dire consequences for their future.

Merry Christmas!!!

My gift to you:  Secret Santa for FREE!!!  Just use coupon code ZY45Z upon checkout at Smashwords.  Hurry because it's only good through the 26th!  Enjoy, and I appreciate all of you!!!

Secret Santa - The First Chapter!!

Chapter One

“Watch where you’re going!”

Holly Hamilton jumped at the harsh voice, her hands immediately shooting up into the air, as if to prove that she was holding nothing.

A large woman in a fur coat, carrying a little white dog far too adorable to belong to such an ugly person, glared at Holly, her round cheeks flushed, her eyes searching Holly suspiciously.

Holly grinned back as an apology until the woman turned on her heel with a practiced “Hmph.”

Letting out a deep breath, Holly lowered her hands and searched the crowded street for the man in the business suit she had been about to pickpocket before Miss Hmph had forced her to abort her mission.  She scowled as she saw the man duck into a nearby shop.  It was one thing to “accidentally” bump into someone on a crowded street to grab their wallet.  It was quite another to try to pick a pocket in a store with few exits, and no crowd to disappear into.

She debated for a moment on whether she should wait for him outside and try again, but the crowd was already noticeably tapering off.  She would have to target someone else, although she hated losing such easy money.

As she scanned the people milling about, hurrying home after work or running errands, she scolded herself for not being more careful.  She was actually lucky that the woman had yelled at her.  Had Holly been in the process of grabbing the man’s wallet when she’d bumped into Miss Hmph, she would have been in a real pickle.  She had to be more observant before she made a move.  Normally she was more attuned to her surroundings, but with the meager prizes she’d managed to swipe that day, she had to make up for her losses by being quicker, and thus, more daring than usual.  Or Mr. Grott would really make her pay.  She would be lucky to get anything to eat tonight.

As if on cue, her stomach growled, and her determination soared.  She would be eating tonight.  On a cold winter night such as this, she needed a nice hot meal to top off the day.

She felt the inside pockets of her coat, assuring herself that the lumps of wallets and jewelry that she’d procured so far were still there.  She had more than enough for Mr. Grott to approve of her work.  She was a natural sneak-thief, probably the best of his “students.”  Her younger brother Matthew, on the other hand, was clumsy and awkward at it, and usually ended up with only a wallet or two to show for a full day’s work.  Which is why Holly had to work so much harder.  She could have easily gotten by herself, but she had to look out for her brother.  She’d promised her parents she would, and she never broke a promise.

Turning to take a gander in the other direction, Holly gasped as a woman carrying a pile of boxes up to her eyes, walked right into her.

The woman let out a startled cry and fell forward, crushing the largest box, and spilling the contents of one of her bags.  Holly landed on her butt in a pile of slush, which quickly soaked through her jeans and sent an icy chill up her spine.  She jumped to her feet in a flash, then thought better of it and leaned over to help the woman gather her pyramid of boxes.

“Oh,” the woman surveyed the damage with a worried expression.  She blinked through thick glasses as she turned to Holly.  “I’m so sorry.  I hope I haven’t injured you.”

“Not at all,” Holly assured her as she dropped several chains of jewelry back into the bag, carefully sliding two of the more expensive-looking ones up her coat sleeve.  She handed the bag to the woman and looked down at the crushed box sympathetically.  “I’m afraid one box didn’t make it.”

“Quite so,” the woman agreed with a sigh.  She pulled off the box top to regard a broken toy airplane.  “Such a shame too.  It was a beautiful toy.”  With a shrug, she carried the box over to a nearby trashcan.  The box wouldn’t fit, so she dumped the contents into the garbage, before leaving the box propped up against it.  Then, without giving it a second thought, the woman hefted her stack of boxes up again, and continued on her way.

Holly stared after her for a moment as the teetering mountain of boxes disappeared into the crowd.  Some people have more money than they know what to do with, she decided as she walked over to the trash can.  But they make for easy pickings, at least.

She lifted the lid of the trash and gazed down at the airplane.  It gleamed white in the fading sunlight, a candy apple red stripe down one side, from propeller to tail.  One of its wings had broken off, but it was otherwise in perfect condition.  A little superglue would probably do the trick.  She reached in and carefully pulled the plane out, as well as the remote control that had been dumped unceremoniously beside it.  With a smile, she placed the items into the crumpled box the woman had left behind.  Matthew would love it.  He was only nine, four years younger than herself, and still loved playing with toys like this.  She imagined his eyes lighting up when he saw it, and quickly made for home, deciding that the extra jewelry would be enough to earn them supper for the night.  And if she got home before him, she could quickly glue the wing back on and it would be waiting for him when he arrived.

As was her custom, she stopped by the public library on the way home.  On really profitable days, when she was able to secure a good amount of valuables early in the afternoon, she wiled away the hours in the grand building, walking up and down the aisles and sitting down with a stack of books to lose herself in tales of daring young men, and girls with magical powers.  But more often than not, she made a very brief stop, as she did today.

Climbing the wide staircase, she looked around quickly before ducking behind one of the stone lions that stood sentinel on either side of the double doors.  Squatting down, she pulled on a loose brick and peeked into the hollow space behind it, a dark hole that only she knew about.  She reached her hand inside and felt the reassuring presence of a wad of bills.  She always went through the wallets she swapped, and took a few bills for herself.  She liked to think of it as a tip.  One that Mr. Grott didn’t need to know about.  It wasn’t as if he actually paid them anyway, so it served him right.  And one day, she would have enough saved up so that she and Matthew could leave, and start a new life for themselves.  A Life that didn’t involve petty crime.

She added two twenty dollar bills to her hidden cache and replaced the brick, before slipping back down the stairs and hurrying home.

As luck would have it, Matthew hadn’t returned, and she had just enough time to glue the wing onto the plane and figure out the instructions while it dried.  Holly considered the plane, which glistened in the light filtering in through the dingy windows of the orphanage bedroom.  There were four beds in the room, fitted with rough sheets boasting holes and smelling of mold.  Whenever an inspector came through, Grott would change the bedding, but until then, they would keep washing and bleaching the same sheets themselves, with the meager cleaning supplies he allowed, until they were all but rags.

“What’s that?” Patty, a girl the same age as her brother asked with interest, as she knelt next to the table where the plane sat, awaiting its first flight.

“A present for Matthew.”

Patty squinted at it and poked at the propeller, which spun weakly under the probe.

“Don’t touch,’ Holly hissed, slapping her hand away.  “It’s drying.”

“I never get presents,” the girl pouted, crossing her arms.  “Why does Matthew get one when he can’t even pick a pocket properly?”

“Patty picked a pocket properly,” Aaron, an older boy, said with a laugh as he entered the room.  He froze when he saw the plane.  “Whoa!”

“Whoa, what?” Matthew asked, coming in behind him.  His gaze fell on the plane and he tilted his blonde head curiously, his blue eyes sparkling as they drank in the toy.  “Whoa!”

Holly smiled with satisfaction.  “A present for you, Matthew.  It was broken, but I fixed it up, right as rain.”  She puffed out her chest proudly.  “What do you think?”

“Whoa,” Matthew repeated, stepping up to the table shyly.  He picked it up quickly, causing Holly to wince, but the wing held as he examined it.  “Does it fly?” he wondered, his gaze shifting to the remote control.

“It flies,” Holly confirmed, and watched with pleasure as he immediately began to fiddle with the controls.

“Let me try!” Aaron demanded, pushing him out of the way.  He always was sort of a bully.

“It’s Matthew’s,” Holly said sternly, glaring daggers his way.  “You can try it out after Matthew, if he allows it.”

With a grumble, Aaron relented.  “It’s lame anyway,” he decided as he plodded out the door.  “I bet it doesn’t even fly.”

But fly it did.  Patty clapped happily as Matthew flew it around the room expertly, his tongue sticking out from between his lips in concentration.  He had mastered sharp turns and kept flying it quickly toward the walls before making it veer away at the last second.  It gave Holly a heart attack every time.  He was just getting the hang of loop-de-loops when the bedroom door opened with a thunderous crash as it swung into the opposite wall.

Matthew paled and turned his attention toward landing the plane as Holly sauntered up to Mr. Grott, her eyes not missing Aaron lingering in the doorway, a wide grin on his face.  The dirty rat.

Mr. Grott’s beady eyes grew even smaller as he took in the scene before him.  His thick mustache twitched beneath his hooked nose, his dense eyebrows lifting in response to the plane.  He had a receding hairline, which he tried to hide by combing his hair forward, but it only served to accentuate the hair loss.  Holly theorized that he grew out his mustache to make up for his head, but whatever his reasons, the overall look screamed “villain.”  And that’s exactly how he acted, and how Holly perceived him.  Perhaps he’d realized that he was a bad guy and figured he may as well embrace the look.

“Hello, Mr. Grott.  Did you get today’s donations?” she asked sweetly.

He called them “donations,” like it would fool them into thinking that the people they stole from had willingly let them take their valuables.  Usually Holly refused to call them by the term, but she didn’t need to provoke him at the moment.

Mr. Grott ignored her, sidestepping her so that he was in full view of the plane that Matthew had managed to land perfectly.  Matthew was a genius like that, and managed to get the hang of things really quickly.  He read manuals for fun, for Pete’s sake, when his nose wasn’t stuck in his favorite book, that was.  The dictionary.  Talk about boring.  Before the accident, their dad had even let Matthew watch him take apart an engine.  Matthew had been in seventh heaven.

“Well, well,” Mr. Grott said in an oily voice as he cracked his knuckles before him, as if in anticipation.  “What is this, then?”

“It’s Matthew’s,” Holly said matter-of-factly.

“Is that so?”  His eyes pounced on her.  “And how did Matthew manage to procure such a fine airplane?”

Matthew looked like he was about to cry, which made Holly’s blood boil even hotter than it already was.  She knew she shouldn’t talk back to Mr. Grott, that it would only make matters worse, but she couldn’t help herself.

“Not that it’s any of your business, but some lady was throwing it away, and I saved it.  It only needed a little TLC and it worked fine.”

“Hmmm.  So, you’re saying that you didn’t buy it?” Mr. Grott prodded.  “Perhaps with some of the…donations?”

Holly gritted her teeth to keep from screaming.  “I told you how I got it.”

Mr. Grott nodded, like it all made sense to him now.  “So, you’re saying that you’re not skimming off the top of the donations you bring to me?”  He snorted.  “Well, I guess I’ll have to trust that you wouldn’t cheat me.”

And with that, he took a step in Matthew’s direction, making sure to step directly on the airplane, earning a definitive crunch.

Holly’s heart sank and she avoided looking her brother’s way.  When he was upset, his lower lip trembled and his eyes shined with tears.  She couldn’t face that right now, or she would punch the smug grin off of Mr. Grott’s face, and that wouldn’t be good for either of them.  They wouldn’t have a place to sleep tonight, let alone something to eat.

“How clumsy of me,” Mr. Grott said in mock surprise.

“You did that on purpose,” Patty frowned.

He sneered.  “A lesson in life.  For free.  Quite a bargain.”  Then he turned and swept out of the room, an evil-sounding chuckle following him.  He had to have worked on that laugh.  It sounded way too super-villainy to be natural.

“No fair,” Patty grumbled.  “I didn’t even get a turn.”

Holly sighed, staring down at the remnants of the plane.  The wing had come free again, but that was the least of its problems.  It was crushed and shattered in places that simply couldn't be repaired.  Without looking her brother's way, she turned on her heel.  "I'll get a dust pan and broom."

Suprise Book Release!

Ahead of the release of the new Hunters of the Dark book, I have released my first middle grade novel, just in time for the holidays! 

Here's the synopsis:

"Holly Hamilton hates Christmas.

Since her parents died last year, she's been watching out for her brother in an orphanage, where they pick pockets for the unforgiving Mr. Grott, who's some sort of supervillian-in-training.  The looming holiday brings back painful memories for Holly, and her brother getting his hopes up for presents he will never receive serves to make her feel angrier than ever.

That all changes one day when circumstances (and a sleigh pulled by a gaggle of ornery reindeer) whisk the orphans to The North Pole, where they meet creatures they'd only read about in fairytales.  Thus begins Holly's adventures in Tinseltown, where she learns the logistics behind Christmas, and uncovers the secret origins of the elves, and even Santa himself."

I wrote Secret Santa last year, and poured all of my enthusiasm and love for Christmas into it.  I hope you all love it as much as I do!  And if you're a fan of Oz, you're in for a nice treat!

You can purchase the ebook now from Amazon Barnes & Noble and Smashwords.

Cover Reveal

Here is the cover for Hunters of the Dark, Book Six!  And the title:  The Abyss!

Preview of HOTD #6!

Hunters of the Dark #6 is going to be delayed slightly - watch for it in November.  For now, check out the opening scene to whet your appetite!

Prologue

Samantha took a sip of tea carefully, focusing on controlling her hands so that they wouldn’t shake in the presence of the La Faer Noir elders who sat with her.  She hardly tasted the scalding liquid as it slipped down her throat.  She set her teacup down with a practiced smile and turned to her guests.  “Now, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company this evening?”

Lamia, a naga with light green skin and darker green hair, smiled politely back at her.  The woman was half-human, half-snake, and while Samantha noted the end of her tail uncoiling along the ground out of the corner of her eye, she ignored it out of politeness.  And perhaps a little out of fear. 

“Some concerning news has come to our attention,” Lamia said, pausing for suspense.  She turned to the other woman at the table.  The third and final member of their party sat still and tall.  She had an air of royalty about her, and the cold calm that Samantha felt in her presence was probably what she was intimidated by the most.  Iyln was of the fae, and her bone white skin contrasted with her black, bottomless eyes in a beautiful, very alien way.  Her ears were pointed, nearly touching the crown that sat atop her long, silky black hair.  Samantha had never sat so close to her, and could only admire the silver crown that threaded through her hair, inlaid with emeralds, topaz and amethyst.

“And what news is this?” Samantha asked nervously, looking back and forth between the two women.

Iyln looked out over the balcony of Samantha’s suite, where the sounds of New York’s nightlife traveled up to them.  Car horns blared, people yelled and hooted, and sirens rang out, echoing between the buildings.  Samantha swallowed hard, wondering if perhaps she should have invited them to sit indoors.  But then Iyln turned her piercing gaze on Samantha, and Samantha forced herself not to look away.

“The hunters, Miss Cummings,” Iyln stated.  “We are concerned about the recent rift between the hunters.”

“The hunters?” Samantha frowned.

Tessa, a girl with blonde hair appeared out of the shadows and refilled Lamia’s teacup, the pink stone that fell over her forehead from a silver chain bobbing in the air for a moment.  And then she disappeared back into the shadows, as if swallowed by the darkness.

It gave Samantha a small amount of courage knowing that Tessa was there, and she stood a little straighter, feeling more confident.  “Yes, the hunters have split into two teams,” she said.  “Valor and Hunter are leading a team with most of the original members, while this new government crony, Ross, has taken over their facility in Lime Bay.”

“Valor’s team is on the run, and are considered fugitives,” Lamia commented.  “That is of concern to us.”

“Why should it concern you?” Samantha wondered, her eyes swiveling to meet Iyln’s.  Then she smiled.  “Ah.  Shanna Hunt, of course.”

Iyln took a sip of her tea and tilted her head.  “Not only is Shanna Hunt a person of interest to La Faer Noir, given her connections to our founder, the vampire Diana.  But we had a…relationship with the hunters at The Agency that suited us.”

“Oh?” Samantha sat forward, her interest piqued.  “How so?”

Lamia chuckled.  “Frankly, the hunters are easily manipulated.  We need only feed them a little information to give them a push, and suddenly, they take care of some of our more…unsavory problems for us.  Like in New Orleans.”  She paused.  “They have been a rather surprising asset.”

“And, of course,” Iyln continued, “having no clue as to the whereabouts of Valor’s group is rather…unsettling.”

Samantha nodded slowly.  “Of course.  I have a spy in Ross’ team right now, but despite my best efforts, I haven’t been able to locate the other team either.  However, given that they’re hunters, all we need to do is give them the right bait to flush them out.  They couldn’t stay away from a truly juicy supernatural threat.”

“Unless the other team responds first,” Iyln said, looking impatient.  “Miss Cummings, we are making this your branch’s top priority.”

“Do you realize what could happen to La Faer Noir without Shanna Hunt?” Lamia added.  “The Black Wings…they are everywhere, sabotaging our efforts.  The hunters have been able to keep them under control recently, but without their help…”  She shook her head.  “The future could be a very dark place indeed, if those fools have their way.”

“Shanna Hunt?” Samantha echoed, frowning.

“Shanna Hunt is to be turned over to us as soon as she is located,” Iyln said.  “If the Black Wings get to her first, we have no hope.  We must be proactive if we are to be triumphant in the coming war.”

“War?” Samantha paled.  “I didn’t realize that the situation had become so grim.”

“Without cohesion in La Faer Noir, without a truly united front, we will fall before our enemies.  Shanna Hunt can reunite us, and strengthen our cause.  With our original founder as a figurehead, we can continue to find ways to cohabitate with humans.  Without her, it’s only a matter of time before the Black Wings triumph and out us to the world, bringing about a dark age.”

Lamia nodded.  “It is pertinent that we get to Shanna Hunt first.

“But The Black Fire said that the choice was hers.”

“Irrelevant,” Iyln sniffed.  “The Black Fire is a tool.  We take its advice at our discretion.”

Lamia leaned forward.  “So if you know where Shanna Hunt is…”

Samantha shook her head.  “I don’t.  I wish I…”  She let her voice trail off, and chuckled.  “That was a close one, wasn’t it, Tessa?”

Tessa appeared among them again and refilled the cup before Samantha, even though she had hardly touched the brew.  “You let your concentration waver,” Tessa agreed.

“Ah, yes.” Iyln sat back to regard Tessa.  “Your djinn.”

“Reports state that you only have one remaining wish,” Lamia stated, also watching the djinn closely.

Samantha stiffened, wondering how such information had leaked.  It was perhaps a sign of weakness on her part, that she’d needed the help of a djinn recently.  “I assure you that I have everything under control.”

Iyln turned to her.  “If we didn’t have confidence in you, Miss Cummings, we wouldn’t be here.  Do not let us down.”  She stood abruptly.  “Thank you for the tea.”

Samantha stood with Lamia and watched as the elders swept from the room.  Lamia turned to look back at her from the doorway and smiled.  “You are in line to be the next elder of the fire element, Samantha.  This could solidify your place among us.”

Samantha hadn’t been expecting that, and stood there stupidly, blinking after them, long after they’d gone.

“Deliver Shanna Hunt to them, and you will claim the role you have coveted your entire life,” Tessa whispered in her ear, causing Samantha to shiver.  “You will have limitless power.”

Samantha frowned.  “Yes.  And they will change Shanna Hunt into a vampire, so that they can have their precious Diana back.”

“Not a bad trade,” Tessa shrugged.

Samantha nodded, wondering why it bothered her so.

Teaser!

The release date for Hunters of the Dark 6 will be a little later than I thought - I want to get this one just right!  Here's a little teaser banner for it - and you'll be able to get your hands on it just in time for Halloween!  :)

Dreamlover

A new Hunters of the Dark novel will be coming out at the end of the summer!  Until then, I am serializing a novel on Wattpad called Dreamlover!  It's free to access books on Wattpad - you just need to create an account.  Basically, you'll be getting this book chapter by chapter as I write it.  Which means you won't have to be without my writing for too long!

The description:

Claire Montgomery takes a part of her dreams out with her when she wakes up.  Usually just small things, like seashells and sand.  But that changes when she wakes up with a guy in her bed.  A gorgeous guy.  He claims to have come from her dreams, but can she possibly believe him?  What could this mean?  And how is it all connected to her missing friend?  As events spiral out of control and get downright scary, Claire clings to a man that she may have literally dreamed up, and risks her life to uncover the truth and protect the ones she loves.

Update!

It's been awhile, but rest assured, I've been a very busy boy the last few months! :)  And thanks to you fans, I've reached over a thousand followers on Twitter!  If you haven't done so already, follow me:  @Dave_Ferraro  There's a lot of great stuff coming in 2014, so expect to start seeing teasers soon!

Dark Genesis Review!

A new glowing review is up for Dark Genesis at Chuckles Book Cave!  Take a look!

"The Shape of Evil" on sale now!!

The fifth book in the "Hunters of the Dark" series has finally arrived!  Grab it now!

 

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Smashwords

The Shape of Evil Synopsis

Traveling to Egypt, Shanna Hunt and her friends hope to uncover the secrets surrounding a ritual the shape-shifters partake in to create more of their kind, a ritual that leads to more questions about just where the shape-shifters originated.

While the other hunters investigate temples and pyramids hidden in the desert, Rachel attempts to rescue Natalia from a deep undercover assignment that has gone awry, which may lead Rachel to a fate that she never saw coming.

As the hunters race to stop the resurrection of what could be their greatest adversary yet, they encounter mummies, betrayal and familiar faces.  But their greatest challenge is still ahead of them.  For as Morpheus predicts, “Death will come nevertheless.  And His appetite will be voracious.”

HOTD Casting Call: Serene

Next on my casting list for a Hunters of the Dark film/television series is Serene, one of the mysterious girls that shows up in the second Hunters of the Dark book and goes on to become a big part of the series.

Runners Up to play Serene

 

 

 Tao Okamoto (The Wolverine)

 

Katie Chang (The Bling Ring, A Birder's Guide to Everything)

 

My Choice for Serene

 



 

Fan Bingbing (X-Men: First Class, Skiptrace)

 

Serene goes on to play a big role in the Hunters of the Dark books, with a unique character arc that sees her in different roles when it comes to the hunters, so the actress that plays her needs to be versatile and convincing.  Model Tao Okamoto was amazing in The Wolverine, but it was her first role, so I would like someone a little more seasoned in this role.  Katie Chang, again, has only been in a few movies, although the acclaim she earned for her part in The Bling Ring makes her a strong contestant.  In the end, however, I would go with Fan Bingbing, who has a pretty amazing career for one so young, in music and in film.  While she's a new face to American audiences, she brings a wealth of experience and she has this beautiful otherworldly quality about her that's perfect for Serene.



The Shape of Evil - Preview!

Prologue

Fifteen years ago…

Samantha woke with a start.  She lay still for a moment, head on her pillow with her eyes open, as she listened for what may have woken her.  Perhaps it had been the sound of the mansion settling, or maybe it had been a dream.  She sighed, and put a hand to her forehead, fuzzy-headed and annoyed.  She’d been living in the demon Vassago’s house for nearly two months now, and rarely had a good night’s sleep.  He was teaching her what he knew of the dark arts, but she was growing weary of the beast, who mostly looked at her with condescension, or like she were a tasty morsel to eat, depending on his mood.  Was what he was teaching her worth it?  She knew what she wanted – to climb the ranks of La Faer Noir, to get in the front door and become someone, crawl up from the life of a lowly demon feeding off of the table scraps the big boys dropped.  She knew she belonged at the top.  It was her destiny.  She felt it in her bones.  And she would do whatever it took to achieve her dream.  Even if it meant suffering a sexist, haughty old demon who thought he knew more than everyone around him.  She only hoped that the time spent here would be worth it, that it would nudge her one step closer to the world she craved.  She’d certainly learned some interesting things, but were they the right things?  Were they the sorts of things that would impress the right people?  There was no way to know.  She would just have to absorb all that she could and hope that when the time was right, she impressed the right people with her knowledge, her determination, her power.

Turning over, she saw the moonlight filter in with the billowing curtains and smiled at the romantic scene.  She closed her eyes and willed sleep to come, forgetting that anything had awakened her in the first place.

And then she heard it.  The sound of a scream.  A cry of utter agony echoing through the halls.

Sitting up straight, Samantha was suddenly wide awake.  Her heart was pounding in her chest as she inched to the edge of her bed, wondering if the sound had been her imagination.  She pulled on her silk robe and slipped off of the bed, her feet meeting the cold tile floor with a shiver of pleasure on the warm night.

The scream echoed through the halls again.  It seemed to reverberate through the walls, and caused Samantha’s hands to shake with something like fright.  She chastised herself, and clasped her hands together.  She was a demon, and had nothing to fear.  Except perhaps whatever it was that could make a powerful demon like Vassago cry out like that, as if his body was the definition of pain.

What power the creature that had the ability to make Vassago scream for his life must wield.  Samantha had to know where such power came from.  And so without a second’s thought of running from a creature able to sow such discord, she followed the noise of her teacher’s agony, her body shuddering with anticipation as she hurried along the dark, empty hallways that led her toward the source of the wretched sounds.  He was weeping, begging for mercy.  Vassago!  It was unheard of.

Samantha shook her head incredulously, then paused outside of a heavy wooden door.  The library where Vassago kept his most precious books under lock and key.  No one was allowed inside, not even under his supervision.  She was sure the sounds had emanated from this room.  She glanced up the halls, deserted and silent.  The other apprentices who had come to learn from him had probably all fled after hearing his first cries, the cowards.  But she would not waste such an opportunity.  She would see what sort of beast made a mighty demon lord howl with pain, and cry disgracefully.  Then perhaps she would have learned something after all, during her stay here.

Despite the brave front she put on, she hesitated as she laid her hand on the door.  She could no longer hear his cries, but she could feel the residual fear that lay on the other side.  A succubus fed off of emotions, after all, usually from arousal and pleasure, but also pain and despair to a lesser degree.  And she felt it radiating in waves from the library.  Although she could tell before she opened the door that Vassago was dead.  The lingering energy was fading fast, growing cold, as surely as his body.  And perhaps she would meet a similar fate should she spy on the creature who had performed such a deed, but that was a chance she was willing to take.  It was such risks that separated the strong from the weak.  It was the mark of character that would propel one to greatness.

But she was still unprepared for what she saw in that room.

Blood was everywhere, splattered on the heavy velvet curtains drawn over the windows, staining the spines of ancient books and manuscripts lining the shelves of texts that bordered the room.  One long intestine was laid out methodically along the floor, coiled as if someone were carefully placing it to measure its length.  Samantha knew immediately that he’d still been alive when this had occurred.  The amount of agony she’d felt from the room corresponded with the scene.

Samantha’s eyes flicked up to the blonde woman who was leaning back against the expensive oak desk, a look of rapture on her face.  Her head was thrown back, her eyes closed, a big smile spread out over her face.  She was a little thing, very pretty, and seemingly harmless.  The blood that ran up to both of her elbows, however, told a different story.

As if sensing another presence in the room, the girl suddenly looked up, causing Samantha to flinch.  She drew in an involuntary breath, but lifted her chin to impress upon the girl that she wasn’t afraid of her.

“Glorious,” the blonde said, stretching as if she were waking from a luxurious nap.  She slid off of the desk and glanced down at the intestines laid out before her.  “For all of his bravado, he was rather a weak creature in the end, wasn’t he?”  She looked up and Samantha met her clear blue eyes directly, marveling at their intense color, so like the sky.  Just above her eyes, in the middle of her forehead, hung a pale pink stone from a silver chain that disappeared into her hairline.  “But I find that most arrogant, self-absorbed men turn out to be utter disappointments when their strength is truly put to the test.  And so predictable.  They promise a challenge, but they inevitably burn through their wishes like little inexperienced schoolboys.”  She shrugged.  “Power corrupts, as the saying goes.”

“Who are you?” Samantha asked.  She looked from the girl to the bedlam around her, and it didn’t seem to quite add up.

“I am Tessa.  And you would be?”

“Samantha.  Samantha Cummings.”

Tessa cocked her head and looked her over.  “He was your teacher?”

Samantha licked her lips, resisting the urge to examine what was left of Vassago.  “He was a tool, to learn, to grow more powerful.”

“A tool for power, hmmm?” Tessa smiled, and it reached her eyes, which sparkled dazzlingly.  “How wonderful.  But you haven’t tasted true power yet, Miss Cummings.  Would you like to?”

Samantha looked at her uncertainly for a moment before nodding.

Tessa watched her carefully, before seeming to decide something.  She grabbed something off of the desk that caught the light, shining like gold, and tossed it to Samantha.

Samantha caught it and stared down at the shape of a simple oil lamp, fashioned from what seemed to be pure gold.  “What is this?” she breathed, feeling something intoxicating radiate from it.

“Power,” Tessa said, taking a step in her direction.  She lowered her eyes to the lamp.  “And please, be more of a challenge than Vassago, my dear Miss Cummings.”

“I don’t understand.”  Samantha rubbed a splatter of blood from the side of the lamp and watched it gleam, as if winking at her.  A shiver crept up her spine as she felt something like strength course through her veins from where she touched it.  It ran up her arm and filled her whole body with a delicious feeling.  Her eyes widened as she gazed down at the lamp, and the power suddenly seemed obvious, the air shimmering around it excitedly, like it were ready to burst from mere contact with the item.  The lamp was something more than it seemed.  Something old and terrible and full of magick.

She looked up, and Tessa bowed her head slightly.  “It’s simple, really.  Just…make a wish.”

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New Omnibus Cover

To be a little more cohesive with the rest of the books in the series, the Hunters of the Dark Omnibus is getting a new cover!

Cover Reveal: The Shape of Evil

 

The Shape of Evil

Hunters of the Dark #5 now has a title: "The Shape of Evil."  Cover reveal and synopsis to come.  Watch for it in mid-September.