The Dark Ones
Release Date: Sept 20, 2015
BLURB
To touch a Dark One is death.
To talk to an immortal is suicide.
Yet, I've been marked by both.
A Vampire.
And the King of the immortals.
My life is no longer my own.
And now I know the truth, my life was never mine to begin
with.
It was theirs.
It's always been theirs.
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ABOUT RACHEL VAN DYKEN:
Rachel Van Dyken is the New
York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author of regency
and contemporary romances. When she's not writing you can find her drinking
coffee at Starbucks and plotting her next book while watching The Bachelor.
She keeps her home in Idaho
with her Husband, adorable son, and two snoring boxers! She loves to hear from
readers!
Want to be kept up to date on
new releases? Text MAFIA to 66866!
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Links:
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EXCERPT:
I still tasted her
blood on my lips, was embarrassed for the first time in a century when
Alex glanced up from his spot at the kitchen table to see me licking my lips
like I'd just devoured the poor girl.
He shook his head.
"Been that long, huh?"
"Alex…" I
closed my eyes and prayed for patience. "…remind me why I let you live
here?"
"I'm
good-looking," he answered simply. "Besides, I'm a hell of a fighter
— scrappy, I think is how you define my kind. You need me."
"Stop." I
pressed my fingertips to my temples and rubbed. The ache to have her had
consumed me so much that I'd run down the stairs moving so fast I'd nearly
collided with a wall, and grabbed blood from the fridge.
I didn't need it.
But I craved it.
And if I didn't drink
the donated blood, I sure as hell was going to drain her and enjoyed very last
drop.
"I wonder…"
Alex's voice pierced my thoughts. "What's it like?" He leaned
forward. "Having to learn self-control all over again… being as ancient as
you are?"
I ignored him.
He kept talking.
"Blood-free for a
century and now…" He grinned and licked his lips. "Kind of like
falling off the wagon, yeah?"
"You're giving me
a headache." I threw the empty bag of blood at his face. He moved to the
side and snickered. "And I'm fine. Everything is just—"
Her smell was
intoxicating. She was walking down the stairs, so her heart picked up speed,
her body giving off a scent of burnt vanilla and oranges with a hint of sugar.
My mouth literally watered.
"Fine?" Alex
said in a mocking voice. "Was that what you were going to say? Damn, man
show a little decorum, you look… starved."
"I am," I
whispered and fought the urge to rock back and forth. That was the problem with
mating — with bonding. Nothing tasted like her, nothing ever would, and
typically, having her as my mate gave me full access.
But the more I took…
The stronger the bond.
And the more I wanted…
It was a vicious
overwhelming cycle. It would lead me to become emotionally invested while she,
as a human, could simply pretend.
It wasn't fair.
Immortals, in essence,
were cursed with a deep desire to be like a human — to possess them, to bond
with them forever — while humans only felt the same draw to us if they actually
loved us.
Ridiculous.
"Oh, there you
are." Stephanie pushed Genesis forward and pulled out a chair.
Slowly, Genesis took a
seat and glared at each one of us. "Where's Mason?"
It shouldn't have pissed
me off.
But it had.
"He's none of
your concern," I spat.
"Easy!" Alex
chuckled. "Rule number one, don't ask your mate where the other dude is.
Just… don't."
Genesis blinked at
Alex then back at me. "Because you guys have the capacity for
jealousy."
Alex whistled while
Stephanie laughed.
Immortals were the
most jealous beings on the planet. Had her school taught her nothing?
Was I to be her tutor
as well?
"So…" Alex
trained his eyes on her, putting her at as much ease as he could without
stopping her poor heart. "Now that the mating is complete, you get to
learn all about us and service your man here." He slapped my back.
Really. Really. Poor
choice of words.
Genesis paled.
I rolled my eyes.
"He's kidding."
Alex laughed. "I
think it needs to be said that having a human at the house has already helped
my mood immensely."
"That makes one
of you," Genesis said under her breath.
Alex leaned forward
and whispered, "Ethan, try not to be so grouchy. Keep the fangs in and
all."
I extended them just
to prove a point.
Genesis recoiled.
I instantly felt
guilty.
Damn it.
"You won't…"
I licked my lips. "You won't have to service me, as Alex so delicately put
it."
"Is that what
mates do?" Genesis asked, her eyes searching mine. "They…" She
lifted her hands into the air and dropped them.
"If that's what
you think they do, we have a very big problem." Alex mimicked her
movements and winked.
She blushed.
I hissed at him and
returned my attention to her. "It's like a human relationship, only
stronger. You'll attend functions with me, be by my side, at my beck and call
for as long as you live."
I didn't want to say
until one day she just didn't wake up. It sounded too cruel.
"And when I'm
bored out of my mind… I do what?" She crossed her arms. "I mean, what
could you possibly need from me?"
"Adorable."
Alex sighed happily. "I'm so glad we kept her."
"Alex…" I
was two seconds away from slamming him into the nearest wall. "Make
yourself useful and find our human a snack."
"I'm not a
pet!" Genesis yelled. "And I'm not your human!"
"You are," I
yelled right back, "mine!"
"Kids."
Stephanie stepped between us.
I didn't even realize
I'd gotten out of the chair and was towering over her, fangs out, hands raised.
She'd turned me into a monster. And still, my eyes found her erratic pulse. One
more taste…
"Ethan—"
Stephanie pushed against my chest. I didn't move. "Ethan!"
"Friend…"
Mason walked into the room. "Sit your ass down before she hands it to
you."
"Like she
could!" I roared.
"Like I
have!" Stephanie pushed me again. "Don't tempt me… again."
I sat, while Mason
made his way over to Genesis and offered an easy smile. The man had nothing to
smile about, yet he was smiling — at my mate.
I growled.
Mason gave me the
finger and kept his attention trained on Genesis. "How do you feel?"
"Better."
She returned his smile and squeezed his outstretched hand. "Thanks for
not… killing me when I asked."
"Damn…" Alex
said from the kitchen.
"You were in
pain." Mason shrugged. "And I'm glad you're alright."
"She's fine.
We're fine. Everything's fine," I said through clenched teeth. "Now
it's probably time to give her answers before she thinks she can run off and
actually survive in the real world without being hunted by a Dark One, or
worse, found by Cassius."
"He isn't all
bad," Stephanie said defensively.
We all glared at her.
"What?" She
lifted her hands into the air. "I'm just saying he's been trying as hard
as we have. So what if he's gotten a bit possessive over the last few numbers
that have been called."
Alex slammed his fist
onto the table. "He stole Ethan's—"
"Enough." I
held up my hand. The pain in my chest grew until it was hard to breathe. I knew
what would take that pain away.
Genesis.
But I was too angry to
ask for it. Too ashamed to fall to my knees in front of a mere mortal and beg
for her to end the pain by allowing me one solitary drop of her blood.
As if on cue, another
bag of blood hit me in the head.
Alex must have sensed
my mood.
I bit into it and
looked away from Genesis's horrified expression.
EXCERPT #2
"Ethan, a
word?" Alex stood.
"Sure."
Ethan kissed the top of my head and left the room while Mason started rummaging
around the kitchen; pots and pans clanged together, and then he pulled out a
giant piece of steak.
"I hope that's
not for me." I pointed.
"Protein…"
He threw the steak into the pan. "…feeds the blood, which feeds the mate,
which, in turn, feeds you."
"You gonna
start singing Circle of Life?" I joked.
"Circle of
life?" he repeated.
"Lion
King?"
"Cassius is
king."
I looked helplessly
to Stephanie, who was trying to hide her smile behind her hand.
"Have you
seriously never watched Lion King?"
"Werewolves are
scared of TV," Stephanie said with a soft laugh.
"And sirens are
afraid of the dark," he fired back, while she shuddered. "I'm not
afraid of the TV. I just don't see the point in sitting in front of a flat box
and watching people make fools of themselves."
"He'd rather be
the fool." Stephanie nodded and winked in my direction.
"Mason…" I
walked over to him and put my head on his shoulder. "How about I eat the
steak and we watch Lion King?"
"No."
"Dances with
Wolves?"
Stephanie snickered
loudly behind her hand.
"Wolves do not
dance," Mason growled.
"Oh, we
know." Stephanie nodded. "I've seen it once. Don't care to see it
again."
"Too much
whiskey." Mason kissed the top of my head. "Eat the whole steak, and
then we'll talk about King Lion."
"Lion
King."
"Same
thing."
I sighed helplessly
and went to sit at the table while Mason cooked.
Stephanie gave me a
side hug. "Eight tomorrow morning, alright?"
"Great."
"Bed." She
shrugged. "It's been a long night." Her eyes misted again.
"Are you sure
you're okay?"
"Yeah."
Her voice cracked. "Like Alex said, we get emotional. Can't help it."
It felt like she was
lying, but I was human, how would I know? I nodded and turned my attention back
to Mason, who'd started searing the steak.
"So you cook
meat but refuse to eat it?"
"I'm a
vegetarian." He smiled. I'd never realized how pointy his teeth were on
the sides. Maybe that's how he'd been able to bite into me before Ethan had
mated with me.
"Your teeth say
otherwise." I pointed. "Flat means vegetarian. Pointy means
carnivore."
Mason rolled his
eyes. "I didn't say it was natural for me to be a vegetarian."
"Okay… so
why?"
He let out a heavy
sigh. "Meat made my mate sick… for one reason or another. It gave her
headaches. She only ate fruits, vegetables, nuts." He flipped the steak.
"So I learned to like other foods."
"And now?"
He went very quiet,
his eyes focusing in on the steak. "Now…" His voice was hoarse.
"I honor her with my every meal."
My throat clogged
with emotion.
The fact that he
honored her at all — but with every single meal — killed me. How did he survive
that? How did he live every day having known true love? And know he may never
experience it again — living forever?
"Don't pity
me." Mason let out a gruff growl. "It makes it harder."
"Sorry," I
whispered. "So pinecones, huh?"
He laughed.
"Yes, well, it's an acquired taste."
"I bet."
My heart picked up
speed, and then I smelled him. Ethan entered the room, briskly walking by me,
kissing my head. "Steak almost done?"
"I'm a
perfectionist." Mason held up his hands. "Let the juices seal."
Ethan scrunched up
his nose. "Her blood tastes better than that steak."
"Yes, well, her
blood tastes good because she's living. She's living because I feed her."
"Werewolf has a
point," I teased. "Besides, if I eat my whole steak, we're going to
watch Lion King!"
"Whose
king?" Ethan tilted his head. "What lion? Mason's a wolf."
And that's how I
ended up spending my evening between a vampire and a werewolf, eating steak and
watching a Disney movie while they argued over the animal kingdom, not to
mention the lion's choice in song.
It felt right.
Like I'd finally
found my place.
My home.
I had no idea that
the security I felt was about to get ripped from me, from the very people I'd
put my trust in.
ALPHA BOOK CLUB REVIEW
TITLE: THE DARK ONES
AUTHOR: RACHEL VAN DYKEN
GENRE: PARANORMAL ROMANCE
Imagine you lived in a world where immortals and humans cohabitated; However, in order for the immortals to have children they must mate with a human. A human is chosen to be this immortal breeder and once your number is called, there is no backing out.
The problem, humans don't know exactly what they are chosen for as they are taught they will be going with the immortals to teach them ways to co-habitate with the human world.
Ethan, a vampire elder, lost his last mate after she betrayed him. He never wanted to mate again. Genesis, her number was called - it was time to go be with the immortals and teach them. Genesis soon finds out she is not being called to the immortals to teach them anything but rather to be the next human breeder.
Can the human successfully mate with a vampire elder? Will she survive all the transition or will she choose death as an alternative? Will Ethan ever truly commit himself to having a new mate after the betrayal of his mate years ago, or is he doomed to watch the past repeat itself?
Rachel Van Dyken has written a 5 star book that will keep you entranced as you watch good v evil, Dark one against archangel and Vampire against All - you will not want to put this book down! Another excellent story and I anticipate this series to be 5 star all the way!!
ARC review by J.Loves2Read from Alpha Book Club.
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