Demon Blood Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18

  CHAPTER 19

  CHAPTER 20

  CHAPTER 21

  CHAPTER 22

  CHAPTER 23

  CHAPTER 24

  CHAPTER 25

  Teaser chapter

  DEMON FORGED

  “Dark, rich, and sexy, every page makes me beg for more!”

  —New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter

  “Another fantastic book in a beautifully written series. [It] has all the elements I love in Meljean’s books—strong, gorgeously drawn characters, a world so real I totally believe it, and the punch of powerful emotion.”

  —New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh

  DEMON BOUND

  “An excellent entry in a great series . . . Another winner as the multifaceted Guardian saga continues to expand in complexity while remaining entertaining . . . As complex and beautifully done as always.”

  —Book Binge

  “Be prepared for more surprises and more revelations . . . Brook continues to deliver surprising characters, relationships, paranormal elements, and plot twists—the only thing that won’t surprise you is your total inability to put this book down.”

  —Alpha Heroes

  “Raises the bar on paranormal romance for sheer thrills, drama, and world-building, and hands-down cements Brook’s place at the top of her field.”

  —Romance Junkies

  DEMON NIGHT

  “Meljean is now officially one of my favorite authors. And this book’s hero? . . . I just went weak at the knees. And the love scenes—wow, just wow.”

  —Nalini Singh

  “This is the book for paranormal lovers. It is a phenomenal book by an author who knows how to give her readers exactly what they want. What Brook’s readers want is a story that is dangerous, sexy, scary, and smart. Demon Night delivers all that and more! . . . [It] is the epitome of what a paranormal romance should be! I didn’t want to put it down.”

  —Romance Reader at Heart

  “Poignant and compelling with lots of action, and it’s very sensual. You’ll fall in love with Charlie, and Ethan will cause your thermometer to blow its top. An excellent plot, wonderful dialogue . . . Don’t miss reading it or any of Meljean Brook’s other novels in this series.”

  —Fresh Fiction

  “An intense romance that will leave you breathless . . . I was drawn in from the first page.”

  —Romance Junkies

  DEMON MOON

  “The fourth book in Meljean Brook’s Guardian series turns up the heat without losing any of the danger.”

  —Entertainment Weekly

  “A read that goes down hot and sweet—utterly unique—and one hell of a ride.”

  —New York Times bestselling author Marjorie M. Liu

  “Sensual and intriguing, Demon Moon is a simply wonderful book. I was enthralled from the first page!”

  —Nalini Singh

  “Brings a unique freshness to the romantic fantasy realm . . . Action packed from the onset.”

  —Midwest Book Review

  “Fantastically drawn characters . . . and their passion for each other is palpable in each scene they share. It stews beneath the surface and when it finally reaches boiling point . . . OH WOW!”

  —Vampire Romance Books

  DEMON ANGEL

  “I’ve never read anything like this book. Demon Angel is brilliant, heartbreaking, genre-bending—even, I dare say, epic. Simply put, I love it.”

  —Marjorie M. Liu

  “Brook has crafted a complex, interesting world that goes far beyond your usual . . . paranormal romance. Demon Angel truly soars.”

  —Jennifer Estep, author of Jinx

  “I can honestly say I haven’t read many books lately that have kept me guessing and wondering ‘what’s next’ but this is one of them. [Brook has] created a unique and different world . . . Gritty and realistic . . . Incredibly inventive . . . This is a book which makes me think and think about it even days after finishing it.”

  —Dear Author

  “Enthralling . . . [A] delightful saga.”

  —The Best Reviews

  “Extremely engaging . . . A fiendishly good book. Demon Angel is outstanding.”

  —The Romance Reader

  “A surefire winner. This book will captivate you and leave you yearning for more. Don’t miss Demon Angel.”

  —Romance Reviews Today

  “A fascinating romantic fantasy with . . . a delightful pairing of star-crossed lovers.”

  —Midwest Book Review

  “Complex and compelling . . . A fabulous story.”

  —Joyfully Reviewed

  FURTHER PRAISE FOR MELJEAN BROOK

  AND FOR “FALLING FOR ANTHONY”

  FROM HOT SPELL

  “An emotional roller coaster for both the characters and the reader. Brook has penned a story I am sure readers won’t soon forget . . . Extraordinary work.”

  —Romance Junkies

  “In-depth and intriguing. I loved the obvious thought and ideas put into writing this tale. The characters are deep, as is the world that is set up.”

  —The Romance Readers Connection

  “Brook . . . creates fantastic death-defying love . . . Extremely erotic . . . with a paranormal twist.”

  —Fresh Fiction

  “Intriguing . . . The sex is piping hot.”

  —Romance Reviews Today

  “I look forward to many more tales from Ms. Brook.”

  —Joyfully Reviewed

  Titles by Meljean Brook

  DEMON ANGEL

  DEMON MOON

  DEMON NIGHT

  DEMON BOUND

  DEMON FORGED

  DEMON BLOOD

  Anthologies

  HOT SPELL

  (with Emma Holly, Lora Leigh, and Shiloh Walker)

  WILD THING

  (with Maggie Shayne, Marjorie M. Liu, and Alyssa Day)

  FIRST BLOOD

  (with Susan Sizemore, Erin McCarthy, and Chris Marie Green)

  MUST LOVE HELLHOUNDS

  (with Charlaine Harris, Nalini Singh, and Ilona Andrews)

  THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP

  Published by the Penguin Group

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ered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

  DEMON BLOOD

  A Berkley Sensation Book / published by arrangement with the author

  PRINTING HISTORY

  Berkley Sensation mass-market edition / July 2010

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

  For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group,

  a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,

  375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

  eISBN : 978-1-101-44225-8

  BERKLEY® SENSATION

  Berkley Sensation Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group,

  a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,

  375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

  BERKLEY® SENSATION and the “B” design are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  http://us.penguingroup.com

  To Charles and Lori Holbrook, with love

  A BEDTIME STORY

  Three centuries ago, there lived in Florence a little girl beloved by her mother, father, and young brother. Though she was not a princess, as many girls in these stories are, the wealth and power of her family made such distinctions irrelevant.

  Unbeknownst to that happy family, their wealth and power also attracted a demon.

  When the girl was seven years of age, her father journeyed to Rome and returned a changed man, as if someone else inhabited his skin. The words of love he’d once whispered to her mother became whispers of another sort, until she could bear him no longer. But when he thwarted each assassin she hired and the wounds he received quickly healed, when she poured enough poison to kill an army into his wine and he did not sicken or die, she poisoned her own cup.

  Darkness settled over the household. Quiet and frightened, the girl and her brother went largely unnoticed by their father, except for when he subjected them to small torments for his amusement. They noticed him, however, watching his movements as mice will watch a cat until it has left the room, and they saw that he neither slept nor ate. In rare moments, they glimpsed the crimson glow of his eyes, the appearance of scales over his skin, and cloven hooves. They witnessed him move inhumanly fast and fly with bats’ wings; they saw him battle and behead a woman who wore wings of white feathers. They watched, and as the years passed, the children understood what their father had become.

  The girl shielded her brother from their father when she could, and was relieved when the boy’s schooling took him from their home. Though the girl prayed for a similar escape through a good marriage, no happy fate awaited her; eager to form an alliance with a noble family, the demon arranged her wedding to an aged man known for his perversity. The girl fled and found sanctuary in an abbey whose prioress had once been a friend of her mother’s, and who pitied her. The girl’s father did not pursue her, and she realized that although he had power enough to kill an angel, he dared not cross the Church.

  Five years passed. Protected and cloistered, the girl grew into a woman and took her solemn vows. Her brother rarely visited, but they corresponded often, and his missives brought her great joy. Over time, however, his infrequent journeys to the abbey stopped altogether. Dark and melancholy sentiments filled his letters, until they, too, stopped. She still wrote to him daily, begging him to visit her again. Five more years passed before he did, and he was in the company of her father.

  They came at night. Despite the hour, she spoke with them in the convent parlor, through the grating that separated the cloister from the outside world. Even obscured by the grating, however, she could see the changes in her brother: his pale appearance, the hunger in his gaze, the teeth that would rival a wolf’s—but the greatest alteration was his manner, which had become cold and cruel. He looked upon her with disdain, and she could see no love in him. Alarmed, she began to retreat, but with a few words, her father halted her escape. He told her the abbey offered no protection from her brother and offered her a terrible choice: Either she would die by her brother’s hand, or all of her sisters would.

  Believing that her brother would stay his hand at the ultimate moment, she chose her own death. Though no longer a girl, she could not help but remember the love she and her brother shared when they had been young, and how they had protected each other. He’d been corrupted by her father, his soul twisted, but she could not believe her brother would truly kill her.

  She was wrong. He used his fangs to tear open her throat. As her lifeblood poured onto the floor, she watched her brother walk away from the abbey, leaving her for dead. She heard her father laughing.

  He did not laugh long. Just as he had once slain an angel, another appeared in a flare of white light and struck the demon’s head from his shoulders. The angel lifted her from where she lay dying, told her he was named Michael, and he, too, offered her a choice: to become as he was, a protector who guarded humans against demons; or to die, and face what awaited her in the afterlife. She chose to live, was transformed and taken to Caelum, a shining realm of light and beauty. There, she learned they were not angels, but Guardians. She heard their story, and years later, she would tell it to children whom she called her own:

  The Story of the Guardians

  Many years ago, when the universe was old but the world was still new, Lucifer the Morningstar led his angels in a rebellion against Heaven. The rebels battled the seraphim, a small order of warrior angels loyal to Heaven, and they rent the skies with their war. But even as the rebels fought the seraphim, they struggled against one another for their place beneath Lucifer, and it was not long before duplicity and betrayal weakened the rebels’ ranks. Though vastly outnumbered, the seraphim had but one purpose—to protect Heaven—and with their combined might, they crushed the rebels.

  As their punishment, the rebel angels were transformed into demons. Angels were created of energy and light, and although they could assume the appearance of flesh, it was only an illusion; demons were stripped of their light and bound to flesh. They were turned away from Heaven and tossed into Hell, where they dwelled in darkness.

  Some angels, uncertain which side to take in the war, hid in the dark corners of the universe until the victor became apparent. They emerged, swearing fealty to Heaven, but they were too late: The weakness of their faith and their hearts had been revealed. These angels were bound more closely to their flesh than demons, cursed with a deep hunger for blood and a need for sleep. They burned at the touch of sunlight. They were called nosferatu, “those who would not be tolerated.”

  This was the First Battle.

  Demons could travel through the Gates to Earth, where humans lived under the protection of the seraphim and the Rules, which forbade both angels and demons from killing humans and from interfering with human free will. Demons could tempt mankind to sin, however, so that when men died, their souls would not ascend into Heaven, but be tortured in the Pit. From those tortured souls, Lucifer drew much of his power. He reigned in Hell, hoarding knowledge, using angelic symbols and blood to perform experiments on lower creatures from Earth and the Chaos realm, from which he drew even more power. He did not rule uncontested, however. The demon Belial, once Lucifer’s lieutenant, promised his fellow demons a return to Grace and escape from their punishment if they helped him overthrow Lucifer’s throne. Their civil war has been waged in Hell for millennia.

  The seraphim, when they were not on Earth, resided in the realm of Caelum—a
shining marble city situated in the center of an endless sea. The creatures of light took human form when they walked among men, but the seraphim’s overwhelming beauty and manner eventually led mankind to regard them as gods. Lucifer’s jealousy was great. In his rage, he brought a dragon from Chaos to Earth, declaring another war upon the seraphim.

  This war, the Second Battle, did not take place in the heavens, but on Earth. The demons rode the dragon, and the seraphim fell before it. The world burned. Mankind saw the battle taking place, and one man—Michael—struck his sword into the great beast’s heart, slaying the dragon.

  With the dragon defeated, the seraphim regrouped and were victorious. But the angels knew that they could never hide their nature from humans; it would only lead to more Earth-bound wars between demons and angels, and offer a false truth to mankind. They were not gods.

  So they bestowed upon Michael the power of the angels, and gave unto him the ability to transform any other human who sacrificed his life to save another from the temptations of demons and the terrors of the nosferatu. These men and women would be called Guardians. In addition to immortality, wings, strength, and the ability to alter their appearance, these Guardians were given individual Gifts to assist them in their battles. Because they had once been human, they could walk among men without drawing notice, but like the angels, Guardians had to follow the Rules; they could not interfere with human free will or kill humans, no matter how terrible some men were. If a Guardian broke the Rules, he either had to Fall and return to human form, or Ascend and go on to his afterlife.