Authors: Susan Sizemore
Primal Instincts
PRAISE FOR THE PRIMAL PASSION
FROM
NEW YORK TIMES
AND
USA TODAY
BESTSELLING AUTHOR
SUSAN SIZEMORE
DARK STRANGER
“Atmospheric and exciting,
Dark Stranger
takes the reader into a murky prison populated by frightening creatures, thwarted ambitions, and sizzling love.”
—BookPage
“A thrilling story of danger, diplomacy, and secrecy. Superior romantic adventure!”
—Romantic Times
“Aliens, vampires, adventures, and passion all wrapped up in a can’t-put-down thrill ride. I loved it!”
—Gena Showalter,
New York Times
bestselling author of
Seduce the Darkness
“An underground prison world, and a man and a woman with dangerous secrets—and even more dangerous desires—launch readers into Sizemore’s futuristic. This story is sure to enthrall and entertain Sizemore’s fans once again.”
—Linnea Sinclair, RITA Award–winning author of
Shades of Dark
PRIMAL INSTINCTS
is also available as an eBook
PRIMAL NEEDS
“Sizemore pours on the passion and danger!”
—Romantic Times
“Susan Sizemore’s
vampire series just keeps getting better and better. . . .”
—Fallen Angel Reviews
PRIMAL DESIRES
“Sizemore’s expanding alternate world adds layers of complexity and sizzling passion to an already rich blend. . . . Outstanding reading!”
—Romantic Times
“A superb paranormal romantic suspense thriller. . . .”
—Genre Go Round Reviews
PRIMAL HEAT
“An intriguing alternate reality with absorbing characters and touches of humor makes this series one of the best and most consistently appealing around.”
—Romantic Times
“Passion, danger, and mystery fill the pages of
Primal Heat . . .
an intense and satisfying read.”
—Romance Reviews Today
“This world grows more fascinating as each new chapter unfolds.”
—Huntress Reviews
MASTER OF DARKNESS
“What a bad boy charmer! Definitely Sizemore’s most fun and original hero to date. . . . Once again, Sizemore serves up a terrific blend of edgy humor, passionate romance, and thrilling danger.”
—Romantic Times
“Great action, snappy dialogue, and powerful prose. . . . Susan Sizemore’s
Master of Darkness
is engaging from beginning to incredible end.”
—A Romance Review
I HUNGER FOR YOU
“Sizemore’s sizzling series gets more intriguing. . . . Hot romance and intense passions fuel this book and make it a memorable read.”
—Romantic Times
“An alluring plot, page-turning excitement, and scrumptious romance.”
—Romance Reviews Today
I THIRST FOR YOU
“Passion, betrayal, and fast-paced action abound in this sizzling tale.”
—Library Journal
“Edge-of-your-seat thrills combine with hot romance and great vampire lore!”
—Romantic Times
“An action-packed, suspenseful roller-coaster ride that never slows!”
—Romance Reviews Today
I BURN FOR YOU
“With her new twist on ancient vampire lore, Sizemore creates an excellent and utterly engaging new world.
I Burn for You
is sexy, exciting, and just plain thrilling. It’s the perfect start for a hot, new series.”
—Romantic Times
“I adored
I Burn for You
and really hope it’s the beginning of another wonderful vampire series from Ms. Sizemore.”
—Old Book Barn Gazette
“[A] sexy read laced with laughter, the first in a burning new series.”
—Booklist
“Sizemore’s hunky vamps can visit me anytime! I was so sorry to see this book end. This one is a must buy.”
—All About Romance
Also by Susan Sizemore
Dark Stranger
Primal Needs
Primal Desires
Primal Heat
Master of Darkness
Crave the Night
I Hunger for You
I Thirst for You
I Burn for You
Anthologies
The Shadows of Christmas Past
(with Christine Feehan)
Moon Fever
(with Maggie Shayne, Lori Handeland,
and Caridad Piñiero)
The sale of this book without its cover is unauthorized. If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that it was reported to the publisher as “unsold and destroyed.” Neither the author nor the publisher has received payment for the sale of this “stripped book.”
| Pocket Star Books |
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2010 by Susan Sizemore
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Pocket Books Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
First Pocket Star Books paperback edition September 2010
POCKET STAR BOOKS and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
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.
Cover illustration by Gene Mollica
Manufactured in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
ISBN 978-1-4165-6214-6
ISBN 978-1-4391-7695-5 (ebook)
For Micki Nuding
With thanks to Brenda Novak for sponsoring her annual auction to support diabetes research and Kea Barnica for her generous contribution.
“Do you know the legend about the selkie? It’s not really legend but true, in a way.”
He wished the vampire would keep quiet. But the damned creature wouldn’t and always expected answers to its inane comments. And since they were working together, he had to put up with it.
He lowered the binoculars and glanced at the vampire called Dr. Stone standing in the shadows at the edge of the pine forest just up from the black rock beach. Heavy clouds scooted by overhead and it was close to sunset, yet the creature was still cautious about light. Odd. He’d been told that it took the drugs that gave it resistance to light.
“What legend? Selkies are creatures that can
change from human to seal shape.” They were waiting for one right now.
The wind off the water was cold. The raucous noise and fishy smell from the seals frolicking in the waves and on the isolated beach would have thrilled a nature lover. He wasn’t a nature lover. And standing there talking to a vampire while waiting for a slimy shapeshifter to emerge from the water made his skin crawl.
Of course the vampire knew this and was relishing his discomfort, though he pretended to merely be friendly, conversing to pass the time.
“According to mortal folktales, a selkie can be controlled by anyone who steals their sealskin. Without their animal skin, the selkie is trapped in human form and cannot return to the sea. Mortals generally get the details wrong when it comes to the supernatural, but those old Celtic grannies got some things right about the watery shapeshifters of the British Isles. Selkies are not all that high on the intelligence scale, or even on the food chain. It’s very easy to steal their sealskins.”
He turned to face the vampire. “What the devil does that mean? Shapeshifters are in either human form or animal form. Selkies do not have sealskins that can be taken off and stolen.”
“I know that. You know that.” The vampire came out of the woods. It moved so lightly past him that he
couldn’t hear any disturbance of the loose stones. The vampire’s gaze was fixed on a sleek dark body moving toward land through the surf as it spoke.
“Selkies—all shifters, really, but selkies more than most—are psychically vulnerable. If I had a dual nature, and probably dual DNA, I’d likely be half-crazed myself. Selkies are the only shifters that are at home on the land and in the water. They are very rare.”
“There are raptor shifters,” he reminded the vampire. “At home on land and in the air.”
“And they are even rarer than the selkies.” The vampire gave a low chuckle. “But I don’t know of any vampire that would willingly touch the mind of a wereeagle. We’re mammals, as are selkies. That’s why we’ve chosen to use a selkie to set our plan in motion.”
He’d thought it was because they knew what the seal creature did in its day job.
“Stop thinking of her as a thing,” the vampire told him. “Remember that you’re going to be her handler. Soon you’ll be as close as lovers.”
“You realize that the purpose of terrorism is theater,” Tobias Strahan said to the Clan leaders. “It’s not so much what our enemies have done to hurt us that they care about, but how we react to it that they’re counting on.”
Francesca Reynard smiled at the Prime’s superior tone. She wondered if the Matri Council was going to let him get away with lecturing them or if the commander of the Dark Angels was about to get his ears boxed. She waited in the council room to see what would happen next. She wasn’t supposed to be there and this wasn’t a conversation she was supposed to hear. A small rebellion, but she’d take any kind she could get.