Dark Memory by Christine Feehan
Dark #33
Paranormal Romance
10/3/2023 by Berkley

Summary:

Safia Meziane has trained since birth to protect her tribe, the family she holds so dear. All along she told herself the legends she was raised with were simply that. But now, she must call upon all of her skills to fight what lies ahead. Evil has come to their small town on the cost of Algeria, evil that Safia can feel but cannot see.

She is terrified she will not be able to protect the ones she loves. As her family’s “chosen one,” she has always believed she would face this task alone—until her family reveals she has been promised to a warrior who will join her. An outsider. A Carpathian. . . .

Petru Cioban is one of the oldest Carpathians in existence, and he has spent all that time without the soothing presence of his lifemate. For two thousand years he has waited for this woman to be reborn, only to find her in the sights of a monster he has fought before, a vampire risen again to finish a battle started centuries ago.

Now, Petru must face his greatest enemy and his greatest shame. He has no hope that Safia will forgive his betrayal once the memories of her past life return to her. But he will not make the same mistake again, even if he has to sacrifice everything for the woman who has claimed his immortal soul.

Excerpt:

Petru drank in the sight of her. Her hair was sleek, shiny and dark from the water. It hung thick and long down her back. The moon seemed to spotlight her beauty, the oval of her face with her dark lashes framing her large, jeweled eyes. It was impossible to keep from looking at her full lips and not imagine kissing her, which was a little shocking to him. He didn’t have thoughts like that, not in the middle of a crisis.

Safia wore a royal blue one-piece bathing suit that hugged her figure like a second skin. Petru had dulled the brightness of colors to keep from hurting his eyes, but even with keeping them blurred, it was impossible to stop the vivid beauty of her from nearly blinding him. She shone like the brightest star. More, she had a natural sensuality in every line of her body that appealed to him.

There was no way to stop himself from putting his hands on her hips to hold her steady in the rough water. The moment his palms settled around her and his fingers pressed into the contours of her feminine shape, his body reacted. Discipline was gone. Unexpected fire swept through his veins every bit as hot as the blue flames in her crystal sword. Her green gaze jumped to his, confusion mixed with reluctant desire.

“Have you been here all along?” Her gaze didn’t leave his.

He realized he had to be very careful. “Yes, we have no knowledge of these demons or how to best fight them. You are the expert, and we thought it best to learn from you. We did not give away our presence for fear of distracting you.” He hoped it didn’t occur to her that he could just pull the knowledge from her mind the way he did from everyone else around him.

Benedek and Nicu both made some disparaging sound in his mind, which could have been a snicker on their private ancient path established in the monastery.

Petru thought it best to ignore the brethren and concentrate on his lifemate. Evidently, he’d given her the best answer possible. Her eyes lit up briefly, despite the wariness she was exhibiting.

“I think it best, Safia, if we allow Petru and these men to help,” Izem said. “I have little air in reserve, and if the last sea centipede is a giant, you’ll need to rest and regain your strength before you take on that large of an opponent.”

Carpathian males never allowed interference when it came to their lifemates, but Petru had gone to Safia’s father and oldest brother to ask for their advice. He was aware he knew nothing of relationships or humans. He had hurt her feelings once already through careless words. He knew she felt less than confident around him, even though those emotions were buried deep. He knew the vampire had planted those seeds in the child for Lilith. Now he kept quiet and was grateful for Izem taking control.

“But Izem . . .” Safia gave a halfhearted protest.

Izem gave her a stern look. “I don’t wish to argue over this. I will wait with Mataias for you. Rest on the boat while the demon is led farther from the harbor. Gain strength and then destroy it. Hopefully vampires stay away this night.” He leaned over, gripped his sister’s forearms and then looked at Petru. “I leave her in your care.”
Excerpted from Dark Memory by Christine Feehan Copyright © 2023 by Christine Feehan. Excerpted by permission of Berkley. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

About the Author:

Christine Feehan is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of many novels, including the Carpathian series, the GhostWalker series, the Leopard series, the Torpedo Ink series, the Shadow Riders series, and stand-alone romantic suspense novels. Learn more online at www.christinefeehan.com.

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