By Christine Feehan
Torpedo Ink series:
Judgment Road
Vengeance Road
Desolation Road
Shadow series:
Shadow Rider
Shadow Reaper
Shadow Keeper
Shadow Warrior
Shadow Flight
‘Dark’ Carpathian series:
Dark Prince
Dark Desire
Dark Gold
Dark Magic
Dark Challenge
Dark Fire
Dark Legend
Dark Guardian
Dark Symphony
Dark Melody
Dark Destiny
Dark Secret
Dark Demon
Dark Celebration
Dark Possession
Dark Curse
Dark Slayer
Dark Peril
Dark Predator
Dark Storm
Dark Lycan
Dark Wolf
Dark Blood
Dark Ghost
Dark Promises
Dark Carousel
Dark Legacy
Dark Sentinel
Dark Illusion
Dark Song
Dark Nights
Darkest at Dawn (omnibus)
Sea Haven series:
Water Bound
Spirit Bound
Air Bound Earth Bound
Fire Bound
Bound Together
GhostWalker series:
Shadow Game
Mind Game
Night Game
Conspiracy Game
Deadly Game
Predatory Game
Murder Game
Street Game
Ruthless Game
Samurai Game
Viper Game
Spider Game
Power Game
Covert Game
Toxic Game
Lethal Game
Drake Sisters series:
Oceans of Fire
Dangerous Tides
Safe Harbour
Turbulent Sea
Hidden Currents
Magic Before Christmas
Leopard People series:
Fever
Burning Wild
Wild Fire
Savage Nature
Leopard’s Prey
Cat’s Lair
Wild Cat
Leopard’s Fury
Leopard’s Blood
Leopard’s Run
Leopard’s Wrath
Leopard’s Rage
The Scarletti Curse
Lair of the Lion
PIATKUS
First published in the US in 2020 by Berkley,
an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC
First published in Great Britain in 2020 by Piatkus
Copyright © 2020 by Christine Feehan
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
All characters and events in this publication, other than those clearly in the public domain, are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental .
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
A CIP catalogue record for this book
is available from the British Library.
ISBN: 978-0-349-42674-7
Piatkus
An imprint of
Little, Brown Book Group
Carmelite House
50 Victoria Embankment
London EC4Y 0DZ
An Hachette UK Company
www.hachette.co.uk
www.littlebrown.co.uk
Contents
Acknowledgments
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
APPENDIX 1 Carpathian Healing Chants
APPENDIX 2 The Carpathian Language
For my amazing team:
Denise, Domini, Brian, Sheila .
You are the best of the best .
FOR MY READERS
Be sure to go to christinefeehan.com/members/to sign up for my private book announcement list and download the free ebook of Dark Desserts . Join my community and get firsthand news, enter the book discussions, ask your questions and chat with me. Please feel free to email me at Christine@christinefeehan.com. I would love to hear from you.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
As with any book, there are so many people to thank: Brian and Sheila, for competing with me during power hours. Domini, for always editing, no matter how many times I ask her to go over the same book before we send it for additional editing. Denise, for staying up nights and letting me write while she did the brunt of the business I never want to do. I can’t thank you enough.
DARK SONG
By Caedyn Feehan
Through the howling of the wind, a whisper can be heard;
A soft serenade, piŋe sarnanak, feel my words .
A slumber for the ages, hidden within your retreat;
Awaken from your nightmare, feel the ground beneath your feet .
There’s light in the darkness, waiting to be seen;
Just as I wait for you, a king for his queen .
The earth may shake, and rivers may swell;
Yet here I stand, ready to break the spell .
The fog along the ridge, drifting through the trees;
A shadow in the distance, nothing but a breeze .
The rain upon a fire, frenzied and in need;
A blessing for all life, and fortune for the seed .
What once was a blaze, grows stronger than before;
A metal in the forge, turns a sword for the war .
A life of hope sings to you, melodies of devotion;
A world of love awaits, vaster than the ocean .
As the hues of the sky, shift upon the shore;
The reds once gray, a spectrum once more .
The waves among the rocks, music of the sea,
Thunderous harmonies carry you to me .
Hand in hand we are strong;
Sing with me, it’s to you I belong .
I’ll be the bright star, in the dark hour of night;
When you’re feeling lost, I will be your light .
I am by your side with every step you take;
Fighting every demon, your love I won’t forsake .
When evil seeks a place, deep within your mind;
I will be your shield, protecting what’s inside .
I can’t heal your scars or take away the pain;
But I can be your shelter, a refuge all the same .
I’ll teach you the words, and show you the way;
You’re strong on your own but tell me you’ll stay .
A symphony of power rolling through the land;
You and I together, here we make our stand .
Once blinded by the wicked, now your eyes are clear;
Look inside yourself, there’s nothing left to fear .
The cage has collapsed, the prisoner stands tall;
The battle is ours to end, once and for all .
Now tell me this and tell me true;
Say you’ll choose me, as I chose you .
What once was a blaze, grows stronger than before;
A metal in the forge, turns a sword for the war .
A life of hope sings to you, melodies of devotion;
A world of love awaits, vaster than the ocean .
1
Through the howling of the wind, a whisper can be heard;
A soft serenade, piŋe sarnanak, feel my words .
Sound woke her. Elisabeta Trigovise didn’t want to be awake. She wanted to sleep forever, but those weeping notes refused to allow her to succumb to her need to hide from the world. Like the drops of rain drumming softly into the earth, feeding the soil, those notes slipped into her mind with a song of rising. More and more that gentle melody awakened her on each rising, became more insistent that she comply more fully. That she more than just wake to feed and go straight back to slumber.
Whereas before, the song was in her mind, now it sank into her body, her blood and bones, her heart and soul, calling to her persistently, and she knew it was the call of her lifemate—one she couldn’t ignore. She didn’t dare ignore. It didn’t matter how terrified she was of him. She had to answer.
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