THE DARK ONES is the first installment in a brand new stand alone series by Rachel Van Dyken… This paranormal romance has Genesis questioning everything she has ever been taught as she comes face to face with the immortals. Don’t miss out on this sexy read!
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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“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.
Jill’s Review
So anyone else here feel like Rachel Van Dyken seems to have a magic computer that can write every single genre out there? Well, here she goes again – tackling paranormal romance with the finesse and craft of a seasoned PNR writer in The Dark Ones.
From the very start you are taken along this journey with Genesis as her number is called and she steps foot from her safe human world that she is familiar with, into this world filled with immortals. You feel her fear as she comes face to face with themfor the first time and is marked!
This world of The Dark Ones is so different than other paranormal worlds that I have read before and I just drank it all up. All of the different types of beings seem to intermix together – we have a vampire, werewolf and sirens all living together, as elders, in one household. They are ruled by a Dark One (a fallen angel, half human-half angel). But the best part is that you never feel confused, or any more confused than the other human thrown in this mix, Genesis, is.
We learn about this world and all of the immortals through her eyes. As she pieces everything together and figures out what to believe, what she can trust from what she was taught growing up and what was utter nonsense, we learn quite naturally all about the immortals and their lives. We learn what role Genesis will come to play in their world and just why her number was called. And because we learn it through her eyes, it all flows well in the story, it doesn’t feel like information just thrown out there to catch you up on a background, or extra description thrown in just so you can get a feel for a story. Rather it is an integral part of the book and everything is just organic.
The characters in this story are ones you can’t help but become attached to. even the ones you don’t know if you want to like in the beginning you form a soft spot for by the end. The story has twists and turns that will keep you glued to the pages as you hope that the story works in their favor. It is full of wit and heartbreak, steamy scenes and struggle – and you won’t want it to end!
Snatch up this sexy paranormal read from Rachel Van Dyken! I promise you won’t regret it!
I received a complimentary copy of The Dark Ones in exchange for my honest review.
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!
You can connect with her on Facebook www.facebook.com/rachelvandyken or join her fan group Rachel’s New Rockin Readers. Her website is www.rachelvandykenauthor.com
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