Storm Kissed

Table of Contents

 

 

“This series goes right to your heart! Jessica Andersen is a must read for me!”

—#1
New York Times
Bestselling Author J. R. Ward

 

“Andersen ramps up the danger . . . mix[ing] action . . . with soul-searching, lust, and romance. Jade’s inner journey is particularly engaging, and while the background makes more sense to returning fans, even new readers will find plenty to latch on to.”

—
Publishers Weekly

 

“Destiny and free will are on a collision course in this high-stakes romantic drama. Andersen delivers another exhilarating entry!”

—
Romantic Times

 

“Intense . . . thrilling . . . a world that fans of any genre will enjoy.”

—
The Romance Readers Connection

”Fabulous. . . will have the audience appreciating the skills of master magician Jessica Andersen.”

—
Midwest Book Review

 

“An exciting, romantic, and imaginative tale,
Skykeepers
is guaranteed to keep readers entertained and turning the pages.”

—Romance Reviews Today

 

“A gripping story that pulled this reader right into her Final Prophecy series.”

—Romance Reader at Heart (top pick)

 

“The Final Prophecy is a well-written series that is as intricate as it is entertaining.”

—The Romance Readers Connection

 

“The world of Nightkeepers is wonderful, and I love visiting it. It is intricate, magical, and absolutely fascinating. . . . Step inside the Nightkeeper world and prepare to be swept away!”

—Joyfully Reviewed

 

“Prophecy, passion, and powerful emotions—
Dawnkeepers
will keep you on the edge of your seat begging for more!”

—Wild on Books

 

“This exhilarating urban romantic fantasy saga is constructed around modernizing Mayan mythology . . . . The story line is fast-paced and filled with action as the over-arching Andersen mythology is wonderfully embellished with this engaging entry.”

—Genre Go Round Reviews

 

“Using the Mayan doomsday prophecy, Andersen continues to add complexity to her characters and her increasingly dense mythos. This intense brand of storytelling is a most welcome addition to the genre.”

—
Romantic Times

 

“Action-packed with skillfully written and astounding fight scenes . . . will keep you on the edge of your seat begging for more.”

—Romance Junkies

 

“Raw passion, dark romance, and seat-of-your-pants suspense—I swear ancient Mayan gods and demons walk the modern earth!”

—#1
New York Times
Bestselling Author J. R. Ward

 

“Andersen’s got game when it comes to style and voice. I loved the kick-ass series . . . a mix of humor, suspense, mythology, and fantasy . . . a series that’s sure to be an instant reader favorite, and will put Andersen’s books on keeper shelves around the world.”

—
New York Times
Bestselling Author
Suzanne Brockmann

 

“I deeply enjoyed the story. It really hooked me!”

—
New York Times
Bestselling Author Angela Knight

 

“Part romance, mystery, and fairy tale . . . a captivating book with wide appeal.”

—
Booklist

 

“[A] nonstop, action intensive plot.... Ms. Andersen delivers a story that is both solid romance and adventure novel. If you enjoy movies like
Lara Croft
. . . or just want something truly new, you will definitely want this.”

—Huntress Book Reviews

 

“Intense action, sensuality, and danger abound.”

—
Romantic Times

 

“If
Nightkeepers
is any indication of her talent, then [Jessica Andersen] will become one of my favorites. . . . [The book] brought tears to my eyes and an ache in my heart. I read each word with bated breath.”

—Romance Junkies

 

“[A] terrific romantic fantasy . . . an excellent thriller. Jessica Andersen provides a strong story that . . . fans will cherish.”

The Novels of the Nightkeepers

SIGNET ECLIPSE

Published by New American Library, a division of
Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street,
New York, New York 10014, USA
Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto,
Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)
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Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.)
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New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.)
Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue,
Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa

 

Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices:
80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

 

First published by Signet Eclipse, an imprint of New American Library,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

 

First Printing, June 2011

Copyright © Jessica Andersen, 2011 All rights reserved

 

SIGNET ECLIPSE and logo are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

 

 

Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

eISBN : 978-1-101-51563-1

 

PUBLISHER′S NOTE

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.

 

 

The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author′s rights is appreciated.

I don’t know about you guys, but I love a bad boy, especially one who lives by his own code of honor. Dez is one of those guys—except he went off the rails a while back and broke the heart of the woman who was, and will always be, his soul mate. What’s more, Reese Montana—a former bounty hunter who is a badass in her own right—isn’t the kind to forgive and forget. So when they’re reunited, major sparks fly.

Please join me now as these two butt heads, lock lips, and try to figure each other out while racing to discover the secret of the serpent bloodline, and kicking some serious ass in the process.

For new readers and fans alike, there’s a glossary and list of characters at the back of the book. I hope you’ll check it out.

To explore the Nightkeepers’ online world and sign up for Nightkeeper News, please visit
www.JessicaAndersen.com
. Also, you can friend me on Facebook to get a look at my oh so Freudian typos and other authorial misadventures!

My heartfelt thanks to Deidre Knight, Claire Zion, Kara Welsh, Kerry Donovan, and others too numerous to name for helping me bring these books to life; to J. R. Ward for being my sounding board; to Suz Brockmann for being a mentor and an inspiration; to Sally Hinkle Russell for reminding me to keep my eyes up and my heels down; and to my family, friends, and many e-friends for always being there for a laugh or (cyber) hug.

And thank you, dear reader, for picking up Reese and Dez’s story. I hope you love it as much as I do—I’m not much of a weeper, but the ending of this one gets me every time.

Jessica (aka Doc Jess)

Bound by blood and magic, the Nightkeepers must defend mankind from the rise of terrible demons. In order to reach their full powers, they must find and bond with their gods-destined mates . . . who aren’t always who or what they seem.

 

With their ancient enemy reincarnated in the form of a brutal mage named Iago, their gods trapped in the sky by the destruction of a critical Mayan ruin, and people disappearing mysteriously, the magi need all hands on deck. So when one of their own—a powerful and dangerous mage named Mendez—vanishes without a trace, the Nightkeepers’ king does the only thing he can think of . . .

Ten years ago
Denver

 

Reese Montana had survived her parents’ divorce, a grabby-fingered stepfather, and hitting the gang-infested streets at fifteen. She had survived—barely—being targeted by the leader of one of those gangs, and had turned police informant to help bring him down. But now, at nineteen, she was sick of surviving. She wanted to
live
. And, damn it, she wanted to do it with the man who was squared off opposite her in the main room of their shared two-bedroom, looking like she’d just gut-shot him.

“Reese,” he grated. “Don’t do this.”

Mendez meant it as an order, but it came out more like a plea. His pale hazel eyes slid from hers, but he didn’t move, just stood there—six seven worth of wide-shouldered, rawboned energy wearing jeans and a leather jacket he shouldn’t have been able to afford, with an angular face that hadn’t been carded in years, though he’d only just turned twenty-one.

His big body vibrated with the same tension that ran through hers—the need to fight, to kick ass, to burn off the heat that had been growing between them for months now. But although he would fight for her, fight with her, he wouldn’t fight
her
. His control, like his protection, had been his promise. And she was sick of both.

“Sorry. I’ve had it with your timetable.” She kept her voice dead level, knowing that if she got shrill and snippy—or worse, let him sense her nerves—he would find a way to put her back in the “little sister” box inside his rock-hard head. But she wasn’t his sister, hadn’t ever been.

Closing the distance between them, she splayed her hand on his chest as she had often done in their early days together, when they had huddled in abandoned squats, sharing body heat and vigilance. His heartbeat was fast against her palm, his chest a solid wall of muscle.

Heat pooled alongside her nerves, and her stomach gave a little flutter. She knew his body completely, yet she didn’t. The shared-warmth cuddles had ended a year ago when they’d finally started making enough to get into an official flop with actual utilities, a signed lease, and the locks he’d installed on the insides of both their bedroom doors. And she was sick of that, too. More, she was afraid that if she didn’t do something, he was going to decompress. He’d been driving himself too hard lately, straying way too close to the line between right and wrong. The thought of him going all the way over that line scared her worse than the idea of being rejected.