Gena Showalter is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of the spellbinding Lords of the Underworld series, the entrancing Gods of War series, two young adult series—Everlife and the White Rabbit Chronicles—and the highly addictive Original Heartbreakers series. She’s hard at work on her next novel, a tale featuring an alpha male with a dark side and the strong woman who brings him to his knees. You can learn more about Gena, her menagerie of rescue dogs and all her upcoming books at genashowalter.com or Facebook.com/genashowalterauthor. Praise for Gena Showalter “One of the premier authors of paranormal romance. Gena Showalter delivers an utterly spellbinding story!” —Kresley Cole, #1 New York Times bestselling author “I love this world and these alpha males—this is Gena Showalter at her best!” —J.R. Ward, #1 New York Times bestselling author, on Shadow and Ice “Gena Showalter never fails to dazzle.” —Jeaniene Frost, New York Times bestselling author “Showalter...rocks me every time!” —Sylvia Day, #1 New York Times bestselling author “Showalter writes fun, sexy characters you fall in love with!” —Lori Foster, New York Times bestselling author “Showalter makes romance sizzle on every page!” —Jill Shalvis, New York Times bestselling author “A fascinating premise, a sexy hero and non-stop action, The Darkest Night is Showalter at her finest.” —Karen Marie Moning, New York Times bestselling author “Sexy paranormal romance at it hottest! The Gods of War series is my new obsession.” —Christine Feehan, #1 New York Times bestselling author, on Shadow and Ice Also available from Gena Showalter From HQN The Darkest King Frost and Flame Shadow and Ice The Darkest Warrior Can’t Let Go Can’t Hardly Breathe The Darkest Promise The Darkest Torment The Harder You Fall The Hotter You Burn The Closer You Come All for You (anthology featuring “The One You Want”) The Darkest Touch Burning Dawn After Dark (duology featuring “The Darkest Angel”) The Darkest Craving Beauty Awakened After Moonrise (duology with P.C. Cast) Wicked Nights The Darkest Seduction The Darkest Surrender The Darkest Secret The Darkest Lie The Darkest Passion Into the Dark The Darkest Whisper The Darkest Pleasure The Darkest Kiss The Darkest Night The Vampire’s Bride The Nymph King Jewel of Atlantis Heart of the Dragon Twice as Hot Playing with Fire Catch a Mate Animal Instincts Prince of Forever Prince of Stone From Harlequin Nonfiction Dating the Undead (with Jill Monroe) From Inkyard Press The Glass Queen The Evil Queen Everlife Lifeblood Firstlife A Mad Zombie Party The Queen of Zombie Hearts Through the Zombie Glass Alice in Zombieland Twisted Unraveled Intertwined And look for the first book in Gena Showalter’s captivating new Immortal Enemies series Heartless coming soon from HQN! Gena Showalter The Warlord To Jill Monroe and Mandy M. Roth for the laughs, encouragement and brainstorms. And to Naomi Lane and Marie Dowling for every assist—you are treasures sent from above! Contents Epigraph Prologue 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 Excerpt from Heartless by Gena Showalter “Um, guys? Guys! You might want to pay attention to me and gear up, because really bad stuff is about to go down. Like, the-asteroid-is-hitting bad. Oh, never mind. This will be fun...to watch.” —Neeka the Unwanted PROLOGUE Excerpted from The Book of Stars Author unknown They are ancient warriors, evil to the core and loyal only to one another. Known as the Astra Planeta, Wandering Stars, the Warlords of the Skies—the beginning of the end—they travel from world to world, wiping out enemy armies in a single battle. Drawn to war, they finish even the smallest skirmish with pain and bloodshed. To see these warriors is to know you’ll soon greet your death. With no moral compass, they kill without mercy, steal without qualm and destroy without guilt, all to receive a mystical blessing: five hundred years of victories without ever suffering a loss. If they fail to obtain this blessing, they automatically receive the curse: five hundred years of utter defeat. The time has come for the next bestowing, each Astra Planeta forced to complete a different task. To start, their leader, Commander Alaroc “Roc” Phaethon, Emperor of the Expanse, Rock of the Ages, Giant of the Deep, the Blazing One, must wed an immortal female of his choosing. Thirty days after the vows are spoken, he is to sacrifice this bride on an altar of his own making. If she dies a virgin, even better. He and his men receive a second blessing. If not...his greatest enemy receives it. The Commander has never wavered in his duty. He cannot. If one Astra fails to complete his task, all fail. Little wonder Roc will cross any line to succeed. There has never been a woman alluring enough to tempt him from his path. No warrioress powerful enough to overcome his incredible strength. No enchantress desirable enough to make him burn beyond reason. Until her. 1 Harpina, realm of the harpies 2248 AG (After General) The night of her ninth birthday, Taliyah Skyhawk stalked through the royal Harpinian gardens amid a chorus of buzzing locusts and chirping birds. She approached a blazing firepit where multicolored flames crackled. Three moons painted surrounding thickets with an eerie, cerulean glow, the scent of skullflowers and smoke hanging heavy in the air, saturating her every inhalation. Her mother, Tabitha the Vicious, stood shoulder to shoulder with her aunt Tamera the Widow-maker and her fifteen-year-old cousin Blythe the Undoing—Taliyah’s idol. The armed trio created a wall of strength. “A death squad? Just what I wanted,” she quipped, but no one smiled. Rather, her mother readjusted her pose to better show off a sword made of fireiron. A material used to battle fae and other elemental species. “Kneel,” she ordered, her small fangs bright in the firelight. Excuse me? Taliyah’s gaze darted from one family member to the other. What was going on? Earlier, when Blythe requested a midnight meeting, Taliyah had expected a surprise party. Maybe a
