Mercy Burns Read online

  Praise for Keri Arthur

  Nominated for the Romantic Times

  2007 Reviewers’ Choice Award for

  Career Achievement in Urban Fantasy

  Winner of the Romantic Times

  2008 Reviewers’ Choice Award for

  Career Achievement in Urban Fantasy

  “Keri Arthur’s imagination and energy infuse everything she writes with zest.”

  —CHARLAINE HARRIS

  Praise for Full Moon Rising

  “Keri Arthur skillfully mixes her suspenseful plot with heady romance in her thoroughly enjoyable alternate reality Melbourne. Sexy vampires, randy werewolves, and unabashed, unapologetic, joyful sex—you’ve gotta love it. Smart, sexy, and well-conceived.”

  —KIM HARRISON

  “Full Moon Rising is unabashedly and joyfully sexual in its portrayal of werewolves in heat.… Arthur never fails to deliver, keeping the fires stoked, the cliffs high, and the emotions dancing on a razor’s edge in this edgy, hormone-filled mystery.… A shocking and sensual read, so keep the ice handy.”

  —The Celebrity Café

  “Keri Arthur is one of the best supernatural romance writers in the world.”

  —HARRIET KLAUSNER

  “Strong, smart and capable, Riley will remind many of Anita Blake, Laurell K. Hamilton’s kick-ass vampire hunter.… Fans of Anita Blake and Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse vampire series will be rewarded.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “Vampires and werewolves and hybrids … oh my! With a butt-kicking heroine and some oh-so-yummy men, Keri Arthur … has put her own unique spin on things, and the results are a sensual and energized fantasy brimming with plenty of romance.”

  —Romance Reviews Today

  “Unbridled lust and kick-ass action are the hallmarks of this first novel in a brand-new paranormal series.… ‘Sizzling’ is the only word to describe this heated, action-filled, suspenseful romantic drama.”

  —Curled Up

  “Grade A, desert island keeper … I wanted to read this book in one sitting, and was terribly offended that the real world intruded on my reading time! … Inevitable comparisons can be made to Anita Blake, Kim Harrison, and Kelley Armstrong’s books, but I think Ms. Arthur has a clear voice of her own and her characters speak for themselves.… I am hooked!”

  —All About Romance

  Praise for Kissing Sin

  Finalist for the 2008 Fantasm Award for Best Werewolf Romance

  “Strong world-building, vivid personalities and the distinctive cultures of each of the various paranormal strains combine for a rich narrative, and Arthur’s descriptive prose adds texture and menace.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “The second book in this paranormal guardian series is just as phenomenal as the first.… I am addicted!!”

  —Fresh Fiction

  “Riley Jenson returns with a vengeance in Keri Arthur’s Kissing Sin.… The sex is hot and intense, but it doesn’t detract at all from this fast-paced story.”

  —Romance Reviews Today

  “Arthur’s world building skills are absolutely superb and I recommend this story to any reader who enjoys tales of the paranormal.”

  —Coffee Time Romance

  “Fast paced and filled with deliciously sexy characters, readers will find Kissing Sin a fantastic urban fantasy with a hot serving of romance that continues to sizzle long after the last page is read.”

  —Darque Reviews

  “Kissing Sin will captivate readers from page one with its kick-ass heroine’s struggle to do what’s right without losing herself.… Keri Arthur’s unique characters and the imaginative world she’s created will make this series one that readers won’t want to miss.”

  —A Romance Review

  Praise for Tempting Evil

  “Riley Jenson is kick-ass … genuinely tough and strong, but still vulnerable enough to make her interesting.… Arthur is not derivative of early [Laurell K.] Hamilton—far from it—but the intensity of her writing and the complexity of her heroine and her stories are reminiscent.”

  —All About Romance

  “This paranormal romance series gets better and better with each new book.… An exciting adventure that delivers all you need for a fabulous read—sexy shape-shifters, hot vampires, wild uncontrollable sex and the slightest hint of a love that’s meant to be forever.”

  —Fresh Fiction

  “An amazingly awesome book that completely blew me away. Ms. Arthur’s world building skills are absolutely second to none.… I simply must have more please, as soon as humanly possible. Five cups.”

  —Coffee Time Romance

  “Pure sexy action adventure … If you like your erotic scenes hot, fast, and frequent, your heroine sassy, sexy, and tough, and your stories packed with hard-hitting action in a vividly realized fantasy world, then Tempting Evil and its companion novels could be just what you’re looking for.”

  —SF Revu

  “Keri Arthur’s Riley Jenson series just keeps getting better and better and is sure to call to fans of other authors with kick-ass heroines such as Christine Feehan and Laurell K. Hamilton. I have become a steadfast fan of this marvelous series and I am greatly looking forward to finding out what is next in store for this fascinating and strong character.”

  —A Romance Review

  Praise for Dangerous Games

  Finalist for the 2008 Fantasm Award for

  Best Urban Fantasy Romance

  “Dangerous Games is by far one of the best books I have ever read.… The storyline is so exciting I did not realize I was literally sitting on the edge of my chair seat.… With this series, Ms. Arthur has a real winner on her hands. Five cups.”

  —Coffee Time Romance

  “The depths of emotion, the tense plot, and the conflict of powerful driving forces inside the heroine made for [an] absorbing read.”

  —SF Revu

  “This series is phenomenal! Dangerous Games is an incredibly original and devastatingly sexy story. It keeps you spellbound and mesmerized on every page. Absolutely perfect!!”

  —Fresh Fiction

  Praise for Embraced by Darkness

  “Arthur is positively one of the best urban fantasy authors in print today. The characters have been well-drawn from the start and the mysteries just keep getting better. A creative, sexy and adventure-filled world that readers will just love escaping to.”

  —Darque Reviews

  “A great continuation of the Riley Jenson Guardian series … Each book has been thrilling, suspenseful, and outside the box.… Arthur continues to get better and better and I can’t wait to see what she has in store for us next.”

  —Night Owl Romance

  “Arthur’s storytelling is getting better and better with each book. Embraced by Darkness has suspense, interesting concepts, terrific main and secondary characters, well developed story arcs, and the world-building is highly entertaining.”

  —Reuters.com

  “Once again, Keri Arthur has created a perfect, exciting and thrilling read with intensity that kept me vigilantly turning each page, hoping it would never end.”

  —Fresh Fiction

  “Arthur’s fifth Guardian novel is just as fabulous as the first.… Fast paced and attention grabbing, Embraced by Darkness is a must read and a necessary possession. Five cups.”

  —Coffee Time Romance

  “Takes on a much more mature tone, at least when it comes to Riley and her men … Add to that plenty of action and intrigue, and readers will definitely want to be Embraced by Darkness.”

  —Romance Reviews Today

  “Reminiscent of Laurell K. Hamilton back when her books had mysteries to solve, Arthur’s characters inhabit a dark sexy world of the paranormal.”
/>   —Parkersburg News and Sentinel

  “Packed with fast-paced action, paranormal intrigue and passion at every turn, Embraced by Darkness is a steamy addition to this thrilling series.”

  —MediaBoulevard.com

  “I love this series.”

  —All About Romance

  Praise for The Darkest Kiss

  “The paranormal Australia that Arthur concocts works perfectly, and the plot speeds along at a breakneck pace. Riley fans won’t be disappointed.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  Destiny Kills

  2008 Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice

  Nominee for Best Contemporary

  Paranormal Romance

  Also by Keri Arthur

  THE RILEY JENSON GUARDIAN SERIES

  Full Moon Rising

  Kissing Sin

  Tempting Evil

  Dangerous Games

  Embraced by Darkness

  The Darkest Kiss

  Deadly Desire

  Bound to Shadows

  Moon Sworn

  THE MYTH AND MAGIC SERIES

  Destiny Kills

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

  A Dell Mass Market Original

  Copyright © 2011 by Keri Arthur

  Excerpt from Darkness Unbound by Keri Arthur

  copyright © 2011 by Keri Arthur

  All rights reserved.

  Published in the United States by Dell, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

  DELL is a registered trademark of Random House, Inc., and the colophon is a trademark of Random House, Inc.

  This book contains an excerpt from the forthcoming book Darkness Unbound by Keri Arthur. The excerpt has been set for this edition only and may not reflect the final content of the forthcoming edition.

  eISBN: 978-0-440-33990-8

  Cover design: Lynn Andreozzi

  Cover illustration: Juliana Kolesova

  www.bantamdell.com

  v3.1

  Acknowledgments

  I’d like to thank:

  Everyone at Dell who helped polish this book—most especially my editor, Anne; assistant editor, David; all the line and copy editors who make sense of my Aussie English; and cover artist Juliana Kolesova.

  I’d also like to send a special thank-you to my agent, Miriam, for her support and guidance; the Deadline Dames for being totally ace women and fab writers; my crit buddies and best mates—Robyn, Mel, Chris, Carolyn, and Freya; and finally Kasey, for just being an awesome kid.

  You all rock, ladies.

  Contents

  Cover

  Other Books by This Author

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Acknowledgments

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Excerpt from Darkness Unbound

  Chapter One

  We’ll have you out in a minute, ma’am. Just keep still awhile longer.”

  The voice rolled across the gray mist enshrouding my mind—a soothing sound that brought no comfort, only confusion. Why would he say I shouldn’t move?

  And why was he saying it just to me? Why wasn’t he saying anything to Rainey, who’d been driving the car?

  Ignoring the advice, I shifted, trying to get more comfortable, trying to feel. Pain shot through my side, spreading out in heated waves across my body and reverberating through my brain. The sensation was oddly comforting even as it tore a scream from my throat.

  If I could feel, then I wasn’t dead.

  Should I be?

  Yes, something inside me whispered. Yes.

  I swallowed heavily, trying to ease the dryness in my throat. What the hell had happened to us? And why did it suddenly feel like I was missing hours of my life?

  The thing that was digging into my side felt jagged and fat, like a serrated knife with a thicker, heavier edge, yet there were no knives in the car. People like me and Rainey didn’t need knives or guns or any other sort of human weapon, because we were born with our own. And it was just as dangerous, just as accurate, as any gun or knife.

  So why did it feel like I had a knife in my side?

  I tried to open my eyes, suddenly desperate to see where I was, to find Rainey, to understand what was going on. But I couldn’t force them open and I had no idea why.

  Alarm snaked through the haze, fueling my growing sense that something was very wrong.

  I sucked in a deep breath, trying to keep calm, trying to keep still as the stranger had advised. The air was cool, yet sunshine ran through it, hinting that dawn had passed and that the day was already here. But that couldn’t be right. Rainey and I had been driving through sunset, not sunrise, enjoying the last rays before the night stole the heat from us.

  Moisture rolled down the side of my cheek. Not a tear; it was too warm to be a tear.

  Blood.

  There was blood on my face, blood running through my hair. My stomach clenched and the fear surged to new heights, making it difficult to breathe. What the hell had happened? And where the hell was Rainey?

  Had we been in some sort of accident?

  No, came the answer from the foggy depths of my mind. This was no accident.

  Memories surged at the thought, though the resulting images were little more than fractured flashes mixed with snatches of sound, as if there were bits my memory couldn’t—or wouldn’t—recall. There was the deep, oddly familiar voice on the phone who’d given us our first decent clue in weeks. And Rainey’s excitement over the possible lead—our chance to discover not only what had happened to her sister, but also to everyone else who had once lived in the town of Stillwater. Our mad, off-key singing as we’d sped through the mountains, heading back to San Francisco and our meeting with the man who just might hold some answers.

  Then the truck lights that had appeared out of nowhere and raced toward us. The realization that the driver wasn’t keeping to his own side of the road, that he was heading directly for us. Rainey’s desperate, useless attempts to avoid him. The screeching, crumpling sound of metal as the truck smashed into us, sending us spinning. The screaming of tires as Rainey stomped on the brakes, trying to stop us from being shunted through the guardrail. The roar of the truck’s engine being gunned, and a second, more crushing sideways blow that buckled the doors and forced us through the very railing we’d been so desperate to avoid. The fear and the panic and the realization that we couldn’t get out, couldn’t get free, as the car dropped over the ledge and smashed into the rocks below, rolling over, and over, and over …

  The sound of sobbing shattered the reeling images—deep, sobbing gasps that spoke of pain and fear. Mine. I sought desperately to gain some control, to quiet the sobs and suck down some air. Hysteria wouldn’t help. Hysteria never helped.

  Something pricked my arm. A needle. I wanted to tell them that whatever they were giving me probably wouldn’t work because human medicine almost never did on us, but the words stuck somewhere in my throat. Not because I couldn’t speak, but because I’d learned the hard way never to say anything that might hint to the humans that they were not alone in this world.

  And yet, despite my certainty that the drug wouldn’t work, my awareness seemed to strengthen. I became conscious of the hiss of air and of the screech and groan of metal being forced apart. Close by, someone breathed heavily; I could smell his sweat and fear. Farther away was the murmur of conversation, the rattle of
chains, and the forlorn sighing of the wind. It had an echo, making it sound as if we were on the edge of a precipice.

  What was absent was Rainey’s sweet, summery scent. I should have been able to smell her. In the little hatchback there wasn’t much distance between the passenger seat and the driver’s, yet I had no sense of her.

  Fear surged anew and I raised a hand, ignoring the sharp, angry stabbing in my side as I swiped at my eyes. Something flaked away and a crack of warm light penetrated. I swiped again, then a hand grabbed mine, the fingers cool and strong. I struggled against the grip but couldn’t break free, and that scared me even more. He was human, and I wasn’t. Not entirely. There was no way on this earth he should have been able to restrain me so easily.