Keri Arthur - Darkness Rising

Keri Arthurs imagination and energy infuse everything she writes with zest Charlaine Harris, bestselling author of Dead Until Dark

Keri Arthur is one of the best supernatural romance writers in the world Harriet Klausner

This series is phenomenal! It keeps you spellbound and mesmerized on every page. Absolutely perfect!

FreshFiction.com

Ms Arthur is positively one of the best urban fantasy authors in print today. The characters have been well-drawn from the start and the mysteries just keep getting better. A creative, sexy and adventure-filled world that readers will just love escaping to Darque Reviews

Vampires and werewolves and hybrids oh my! With a butt-kicking heroine and some oh-so-yummy men, Keri Arthur has put her own unique spin on things, and the results are a sensual and energized fantasy brimming with plenty of romance

RomanceReviewsToday.com

Keri Arthur knows how to thrill! Buckle up and get ready for a wild, cool ride! Shana Ab, New York Times bestselling author

Keri Arthur won the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award for Urban Fantasy and has been nominated in the Best Contemporary Paranormal category of the Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Awards. Shes a dessert and function cook by trade, and lives with her daughter in Melbourne, Australia.

Visit her website at www.keriarthur.com

Dark Angel Series:

Darkness Unbound

Riley Jenson Guardian Series:

Full Moon Rising

Kissing Sin

Tempting Evil

Dangerous Games

Embraced by Darkness

The Darkest Kiss

Deadly Desire

Bound to Shadows

Moon Sworn

Damask Circle Series:

Circle of Fire

Circle of Death

Circle of Desire

Spook Squad Series:

Memory Zero

Generation 18

Penumbra

Nikki & Michael Vampire Series:

Dancing with the Devil

Hearts in Darkness

Chasing the Shadows

Kiss the Night Goodbye

Ripple Creek Werewolf Series:

Beneath a Rising Moon

Beneath a Darkening Moon

Myth and Magic Series:

Destiny Kills

Mercy Burns

Published by Hachette Digital

ISBN: 978-0-748-12292-9

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.

Copyright 2011 by Keri Arthur

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.

Hachette Digital

Little Brown Book Group

100 Victoria Embankment

London, EC4Y 0DY

www.hachette.co.uk

For Kasey, my baby girl,
who turned twenty-one this year.
So proud of you!

Id like to thank:

Everyone at Bantam for all the help and support theyve given me over the years, especially my editor, Anneyouve taught me so much, and I really do appreciate it.

Id also like to add a special thanks to my agent, Miriam, who is my rock when everything goes crazy. I dont know what Id do without you.

And finally, the Luluswriting buddies, best friends, five women I couldnt live without.

T HE HOUSE STILL SMELLED OF DEATH.

Two months had passed since Moms murder, but the air still echoed with her agony and I knew if I breathed deep enough, Id catch the hint of old blood.

But at least there were no visible reminders. The Directorates cleanup team had done a good job of removing the evidence.

Bile rose up my throat, and I briefly closed my eyes. Id seen herhad seen what had been done to herand it haunted me every night in my dreams. But in many ways, those dreams were also responsible for me finally being able to walk through the front door today.

Id done enough remembering, and shed enough tears. Now I wanted revenge, and that wasnt going to happen if I waited for others to hunt down the killers. No, I needed to be a part of it. I needed to do something to help ease the ferocity of the dreamsdreams that came from the guilty knowledge that I should have been there for her. That if I had, I might have been able to prevent this.

I drew in a deep breath that did little to steady the almost automatic wash of fury, and discovered something else. Her scent still lingered.

And not just her scent. Everything shed been, and everything shed doneall her love and energy and compassionfilled this place with a warmth that still radiated from the very walls.

For the first time since Id scattered her ashes in the hills that shed loved, I smiled.

She would never entirely be gone from this world. Shed done too much, and helped too many people, for her memory to be erased completely.

And that was one hell of a legacy.

Still, despite the echoes of the warmth and love that had once filled these rooms, I had no intention of keeping the house. Not when all I had to do was step into the kitchen to be reminded of everything that had happened.

I walked along the hallway, my boots echoing on the polished marble floor. Aside from the few items of furniture placed to give prospective buyers an idea of each rooms size and purpose, the house was empty. Mikewhod been Moms financial adviser and was still minehad made all the arrangements, talking to the real estate people on my behalf and shifting most of the furniture into storage so I could deal with it later. Only the items in the two safes remained untouched, and that was a task only I could handlealthough it was the one thing Id been avoiding until now.

I drew in a shuddery breath, then slowly climbed the carpeted stairs. Once I reached the landing, I headed for Moms bedroom down at the far end of the hall. The air had a disused smell. Maybe the people employed to keep the house spotless until it sold hadnt been as generous with the deodorizer up here.

But the soft hint of oranges and sunshine teased my nostrils as I walked into Moms bedroom, and just for a moment it felt like she was standing beside me.

Which was silly, because shed long since moved on, but my fingers still twitched with the urge to reach for her.

I walked across the thick carpet and opened the double doors to her wardrobe. Her clothes had already been donated to charity, but somehow seeing this emptiness hit me in a way that the emptiness of the other rooms had not. Id often played in here as a kid, dressing up in her silkiest gowns and smearing my faceand no doubt said gownswith her makeup.

Shed never once been angry. Shed always laughed and joined the fun, even letting me do her face.

I swiped at the tear that appeared on my cheek and resolutely walked into the bathroom. Most people wouldnt think of looking for a safe in an en suite, which is exactly why Mom had installed her second one here. This was where shed stored her most precious jewelry.

I opened the double doors under the basin and ducked down. The safe was embedded in the wall and visible only because all of Moms makeup had been cleared away.

After typing in the code, I pressed my hand against the reader. Red light flickered across my fingertips; then there was a soft click as the safe opened.

I took a deep breath, then sat and pulled the door all the way open. Inside were all her favorite items, including the chunky jade bracelet shed bought the last time she was in New Zealand, only a few weeks before her death. There was also a stack of micro-drive photo disks and, finally, an envelope.

There was nothing written on the front of the envelope, but faint wisps of orange teased my nostrils as I flipped it over and slid a nail along the edge to open it. Inside was a folded piece of paper that smelled of Mom. I took another, somewhat shaky breath and opened it.