Demon from the Dark

Demon from the Dark (The tenth book in the Immortals After Dark series) Kresley Cole

Dedicated with all my heartfelt thanks to Louise Burke, publisher extraordinaire.

I'm on a man-fast. Why bother with them? The good ones are always taken. Or they're weirdly uninterested in a capricious wild child with continuous legal problems.

—Carrow Graie, a.k.a. Carrow the Incarcerated, mercenary of the Wiccae, practitioner of love spells

My enemies have deemed me fearless. 'Tis no compliment. The only males who know no fear are the ones who have nothing to lose.

—Malkom Slaine, leader of the Trothan rebellion

Glossary of Terms from THE LIVING BOOK OF LORE

THE LORE

'... and those sentient creatures that are not human shall be united in one stratum, coexisting with, yet secret from, man's.'

* Most are immortal and can regenerate from injuries. The stronger breeds can only be killed by mystical fire or beheading.

* Their eyes change with intense emotion, often to a breed-specific color.

THE HOUSE OF WITCHES

'... immortal possessors of magical talents, practitioners of good and evil.'

* Mystical mercenaries who sell their spells.

* Separated into five castes: warrior, healer, enchantress, conjurer, and seeress.

* Led by Mariketa the Awaited.

THE ORDER

'The immortal takers. Once captured by the Order, immortals do not return. ...'

* A multinational mortal operation created to study—and exterminate—immortals.

* Thought to be an urban legend.

THE SCARB A

'Abominations, created rather than born, with unnatural powers—and hungers. ...'

* Demons poisoned with vampire blood who retain the traits of both species.

* Previously thought to be truly mythical; considered abominations by most in the Lore.

* Strongest of any sentient immortal being.

* Colloquially known as vemons.

THE VAMPIRES

* Two warring factions, the Horde and the Forbearer Army.

* Each vampire seeks his Bride, his eternal wife, and walks as the living dead until he finds her.

* A Bride will render his body fully alive, giving him breath and making his heart beat, a process known as blooding .

* The Fallen are vampires who have killed by drinking a victim to death. Distinguished by their red eyes.

THE ACCESSION

'And a time shall come to pass when all immortal beings in the Lore, from the Valkyrie, vampire, Lykae, and demon factions to the witches, shifters, fey, and sirens ... must fight and destroy each other.'

* A kind of mystical checks-and-balances system for an ever-growing population of immortals.

* Occurs every five hundred years. Or right now ...

Chapter 1

Demon plane of Oblivion, City of Ash

Year 192 in the Rule of the Dead

'Do we go to our death—or worse?'

Malkom Slaine gazed over at his best friend, Prince Kallen the Just, wishing he had a better answer for him, anything to ease the apprehension in Kallen's eyes.

As the vampire guards shoved them along, deeper into their stronghold, Malkom suspected death might be welcome before the night was out.

'The rumors are likely untrue,' he lied, putting up a renewed resistance as the dozen guards forced them down a flight of stone steps. But his bonds were mystical; Malkom was unable to teleport or break free.

At the base of the stairs lay a subterranean chamber with an ornate throne on a dais. Though the floor was of packed earth, the walls were hung with rich silks and tapestries. Rare crystal and glass adorned the room.

At once, Malkom began analyzing every inch of the area for an escape. Ahead, a pair of winded demon slaves stood beside a freshly dug grave. More guards lined the walls, with swords at the ready. In the back, a black-robed sorcerer worked at a vial-cluttered table.

Gods, let the rumors be untrue ... those whispers of the Scarba—the abominations.

Kallen muttered, 'Can you see a way out of this?'

Normally, Malkom could. Without fail, he figured his way out of seemingly impossible predicaments. 'Not as of yet.'

The guards shoved Kallen and Malkom to their knees before the grave.

'Ronath will pay for this once I get free,' Kallen grated. Ronath the Armorer was a seasoned warrior, the strongest demon after Malkom. He'd once been Kallen's favored commander. 'The traitor will not see another night.'

'Twas Ronath who'd turned Malkom over to the vampires. Disastrous enough. But without Malkom's unwavering defense, Kallen's fortress had fallen just a week later. The Trothans' beloved prince had been captured.

Blinded by his hatred for Malkom—a slave turned commander—Ronath had unwittingly doomed Kallen and