Darkness Awakened Read online

  Darkness Awakened: Reimagined

  Stephanie Rowe

  Contents

  Copyright

  What Readers Are Saying

  Bonus Version

  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

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Bonus Book: Immortally Cursed

  Copyright

  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

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Acknowledgments

  Sneak Peek: Hunt the Darkness

  Sneak Peek: Curse of the Dragon

  Sneak Peek: Burn

  A Quick Favor

  Stay in the Know

  Books by Stephanie Rowe

  About the Author

  Acknowledgments

  Copyright

  Darkness Awakened: Reimagined. Copyright © 2020 by Stephanie Rowe

  ebook ISBN: 978-1-940968-86-5

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  Publisher: Authenticity Playground, LLC

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  Cover design © 2020 by Kelli Ann Morgan, Inspire Creative Services.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, disseminated, or transmitted in any form or by any means or for any use, including recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without the prior written consent of the author and/or the artist. The only exception is short excerpts or the cover image in reviews. Please be a leading force in respecting the right of authors and artists to protect their work. This is a work of fiction. All the names, characters, organizations, places and events portrayed in this novel or on the cover are either products of the author’s or artist's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author or the artist. There are excerpts from other books by the author in the back of the book.

  What Readers Are Saying

  "Rowe is a paranormal star!"

  ~J.R. Ward, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author

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  "What a mesmerizing story. Stephanie Rowe has caught me in her net of intrigue, love, myth, and warriors." ~Voracious Reader (Amazon Review on Darkness Awakened)

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  "If you enjoy the Dark Hunters, Black Dagger Brotherhood, and or the Breed series, then you won't want to miss The Order of The Blade!"

  ~ nyrican4t-A-Bibliophile (Five-star Amazon Review on Darkness Awakened)

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  "Marrying the styles of J. R. Ward with Sherrilyn Kenyon, we have Stephanie Rowe's series of The Order of the Blade. What a fantastic read."

  ~Cindy R (Five-star (Amazon Review on Darkness Awakened)

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  "It blew me away."

  ~Pknv (Five-star Amazon Review on Darkness Awakened)

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  "WOW, REALLY REALLY GOOD. MUST READ!! The blood bond that took place between Grace and Quinn was smoking hot!!!"

  ~Ginka (Five-star Amazon Review on Darkness Awakened)

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  "DARKNESS POSSESSED is a story that will keep you on the edge of your seat, with characters you won't soon forget!"

  - Paige Tyler, USA Today Bestselling Author of the X-OPS Series

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  "Hits the spot."

  ~Publishers Weekly, on Kiss at Your Own Risk

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  "Stephanie Rowe has really outdone herself! DARKNESS POSSESSED is the perfect paranormal. Sexy, dark, and with enough twists to keep you glued to your seat with breathless anticipation. Zach and Rhiannon set the pages of this book on fire!"

  ~ Kerrigan Byrne, International Bestselling Author

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  "Stephanie Rowe writes with a wit reminiscent of bestselling author J.R. Ward, and an imagination that authors envy."

  ~Romance Fiction on Suite101.com

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  "Positively scorching! A gem from beginning to end."

  ~R.E. Butler, Bestselling author

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  "This is escapism in full force!"

  ~Romantic Times on Immorally Cursed

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  "Suspense, danger, evil, life threatening situations, magic, hunky Calydons, humor, fantasy, mystery, scorching sensuality, romance and love – what more could you ask for in a story? Readers – take my advice – do not miss this dark, sexy tale!"

  ~Romance Junkies on Darkness Possessed

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  “Laugh-out loud-funny and completely original. You must buy this book now!"

  ~ Angie Fox, NYT Bestselling Author on Rock Your Evil

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  “Wickedly funny. A spectacular sassy and sexy new series!”

  ~Melanie James, NYT Bestselling author on Rock Your Evil

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  “Stephanie Rowe is a rock star writer. This book has it all. Laugh out loud funny, sexy, highly imaginative and grippingly suspenseful are just a few terms that come to mind. You have to read it!”

  ~Five-star Review from Jem’s Book Reviews on Curse of the Dragon

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  “The characters are off the charts badass AND hot… This book is original, imaginative, funny, fast-paced and there's no way you can see the ending ahead of time. I can't wait to check out the next one!”

  ~Tyne R. (Amazon Reviewer)

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  “This was the BEST story I've read in a long time and is definitely something special!”

  ~Amber S (Five-star Amazon Review on Rock Your Evil)

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  “Seriously, I loved this! It was funny, quirky, witty, with great characters and descriptions. I literally laughed out loud! This book does not disappoint (except when you reach the end and realize that you have to wait for the next book in the series... then you might be a little sad)! Don't make us wait!”

  ~mamalu (Five-star Amazon Review on Rock Your Evil)

  Bonus Version

  Congratulations! Because you preordered Darkness Awakened: Reimagined or purchased it the first week of its release, you are receiving BONUS content in this book!

  * * *

  In addition to Darkness Awakened: Reimagined, included in this version of the book is a FREE copy of the sexy, funny paranormal romance Immortally Cursed, the first book in Immortally Sexy series, a two-time nominee for the RITA Award for Best Paranormal Romance.

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  You can find Immortally Cursed listed in the Table of Contents, or you can skip ahead to it here.

  Enjoy!

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  Love,

  * * *

  Stephanie

  Chapter One

  "What kind of monster would do that to another human being?"

  The whispered words shocked Madison Locke into sudden panic. Who were they talking about? Her? Had they found her? After all these years on the run, had they finally tracked her down?

  All her instincts leapt into flight mode, and she whirled toward the entrance of the yoga studio, her heart pounding as she frantically scanned her surroundings.

  Frank Willem, the owner of the studio, was guiding one of the other yoga teachers into the lobby from the street. They were hunched together, gripping each other for support as if they'd just seen something horrific, like, oh, maybe pictures of that night from fifteen years ago?

  Were there police outside, showing photographs, asking if anyone had seen her?

  Madison froze, throat tight, waiting for the duo to look her way. She would know immediately if they knew what she'd done fifteen years ago, if it was time to run again. There would be no way for them to hide their horror.

  "I think that poor man's throat had been completely torn away. And his arms..." Evie Marlow's face was pale, her blue eyes stark with the grim reality of something she would never be able to forget. "Did you see how they'd been ripped open? Like someone had stripped the bones right out of his flesh."

  The words ran over Madison like a flood, blurring as the panic gripped her.

  Her skin went cold, perspiration breaking out over her as her yoga students forgot about the class she was teaching. Instead, they started talking and looking toward Frank and Evie.

  Madison glanced at the emergency exit, wondering if there were police out there, waiting to catch her. Could she get out that way? Or were they all around the studio? Was she completely trapped, or was there a way out?

  She closed her eyes as sudden exhaustion flooded her. Going on the run again? For a split second, she was tempted not to flee. To let them take her before she lost the ability to control the monster within her. To lock her up before her beast got free again.

  Maybe that was the right choice. The moral choice. To turn herself in before she lost control again. But she knew she could never do it. Her survival instinct was too strong, and she knew she would run. Because she knew what they would do to her if they caught her…and she would kill them all.

  If they tried to stop her, she would fight for her freedom with everything she had, and she would fight equally hard to escape without hurting them, even a scratch, if it were possible.

  The darkness inside her was strong, but for the last fifteen years, she'd been stronger. But if she were threatened, if she were in danger, she might not be able to control it. Don't trap me, she whispered silently. Don't try to contain me.

  She closed her eyes for a split second against the image of destruction that appeared in her mind. I will not kill them—

  "Attention, please."

  Madison's eyes flew open at the sharp command.

  A police officer was standing in the doorway to the studio, his navy uniform pressed and his face almost as ashen as Evie's. Two other cops were visible behind him, guns up, their movements stealthy and smooth. In hunter mode. Moving with a grace no human could manage…because they were not human.

  One of the officers surveyed the students in the class, and she tensed as he met her gaze.

  His eyes were yellow.

  A Cahir.

  Her hand went to her heart and she took a step back, knowing she would never be able to escape a Cahir. More animal than human, once they locked onto their prey they did not stop until their target was destroyed. Most police forces had Cahir on their payroll to help them hunt down Otherworld suspects too elusive for human police to catch. If he targeted her, she would have no chance to escape.

  And then…her magic would be triggered. Her Illusions, the darkest, most dangerous magic on the planet, would rip free of her control and kill everyone around her.

  Illusions were false realities, visions, things that weren't real…and yet…they were real enough to cause death: a person who believed he was being strangled by an Illusion would tear his own throat out trying to get the cord off his neck.

  But Madison was cursed with far more than that. She was one of the few Illusionists with the power to manifest physicality out of the dark energy of the Illusion. If she created the Illusion of someone being stabbed with a knife, her Illusion would concentrate such energy on that illusionary knife that its energy would take on a physical manifestation and actually be able to cut through the person's skin.

  The only defense against an Illusion was if the person believed it wasn't real, but she was so powerful that no one could see through hers…not even that boy from fifteen years ago. Her Illusions were indiscriminate, affecting anyone within range. So, if the Cahir went after her, and her Illusions arose to protect her, every innocent person around would die as well.

  The Cahir scanned the room, his gaze settling on each face, one at a time. Panic hammered through her, but Madison made herself stay absolutely still, so still that she wasn't worth noticing. Please don't see me.

  His gaze stayed on her for a long moment, so long she was sure he could smell her terror, hear her blood thundering through her, taste her guilt.

  Then, suddenly, mercifully, his gaze slid from her, and he turned away.

  She didn't move as he left the studio and walked down the hall, out of sight.

  He hadn't seen who she was. He didn't know. Dear God. That was too close.

  "There's been a murder on the street outside the studio," one of the remaining police officers said.

  Madison's gaze jerked back to the cop. A new murder? Not the one from fifteen years ago? This wasn't about her?

  Warily, she watched as he firmly escorted Frank and Evie into the room.

  "We would like everyone to stay here while we search the building for the suspect," he said. "Once we know the suspect isn't in the building, we will lock it down and ask you to wait until we can interview you. Our first priority is securing the site." His radio crackled and he gave the room a firm glare. "Stay here." Then he stepped into the hall, answered the call, then took off running.

  Not toward her.

  Away from her.

  After someone else.

  Madison's legs gave out, and she sat down hard on her pink mat.

  The room burst into excited chatter, and the class leapt to their feet, crowding around Evie and Frank to find out what they'd seen outside.

  Madison remained on her mat, too shaken to move, her hands trembling as she lowered her face to her hands. She was still safe. Everyone in the room was safe…at least from her.

  "There was so much blood," Evie whispered to the others. "I've never seen so much in my life."