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Synopsis | The Series | About the Author | Giveaway & Tour Stops Feature: Banewolf |
The Series: Dark Siren
Torn between saving their family and saving the world, Rhane and Kali are faced with impossible choices…and devastating consequences. Because sometimes, a little evil is necessary to protect what is loved most…and sometimes, even that may not be enough.According to author Eden Ashley, the Dark Siren series is "best described as a paranormal romance artfully wrapped within a plot chock-full of action, adventure, and edge-of-your-seat suspense, while the series has evolved to become a journey of redemption and second chances as two characters understand that sometimes committing evil is necessary to protect what is loved most. I took the siren from Greek mythology (and borrowed a little from mermaid lore), creating an entirely different creature, with its own mythology, and one that Publisher's Weekly praised for its passion and complexity. This is not just another werewolf/shapeshifter romance or vampire romance. I think this is a story that both adults and teens can enjoy, full of characters to fall in love with!"
Dark Siren is the beginning of a four-part series. The books should be read in order.
|| Dark Siren || Banewolf || Blood Chained || Primed Son ||
Click on the book cover to Look Inside the book on Amazon and read an excerpt.
Dark Siren [1]
*FREE to Download**To survive, their bond must be unbreakable.
When the mysterious and passionate Rhane rescues Kali from an attacker in the theater parking lot, they form an immediate, smoldering connection. But Kali doesn't remember Rhane or anything from their past. As far as Kali knows, she's just a seventeen-year-old kid coping with an insatiable hunger for the "spark" or energy of others, feeding on classmates to survive.
A unique artifact--one that may hold the key to returning Kali's memories--is uncovered by the archaeology firm where she works part-time, sending Kali and Rhane on a dangerous journey that leads them to the Forbidden City, into the unforgiving Gobi, and into the ruins of Rhane's ancient homeland. As they fight for survival, Kali begins to discover who she really is and the true power she possesses. But Rhane still harbors a secret that could destroy Kali...unless old enemies kill her first.
[Published 10 November 2013, 427 pages]
Excerpt
First Date
Rhane looked at her like she was nuts. “You just met me. What makes you think I’ll let you take my truck?”Moving toward him, Kali rested one palm against his cheek. His eyes were translucent in the sunlight, two seas of emerald bordered with flecks of amber. She leaned in close, wanting to drown in them and nearly did so. Her lips brushed softly against his as she spoke. “You won’t refuse me.” She felt him tremble.
A long moment passed. “I think you’re right,” he finally said, and held up a key.
Snagging it, Kali smiled gratefully. Then she walked away, throwing her hips deliberately because she knew he watched her. “Don’t worry,” she called to him. “I promise to thank you later.”
Placing one foot on the runner, she hauled herself into the truck. The dark grey leather molded to her form as sank into it. Kali sighed, remembering how Rhane’s lips and hands felt against her body. She wriggled in the seat.
“You might need this, Kalista.”
Startled, Kali jumped about four inches. She adjusted the shoulder belt in an attempt to hide her embarrassment. Her cheeks were flaming, but she found the nerve to look at him. Rhane was holding her purse.
“Oops, I almost forgot. Thanks.” She took the bag and started the truck. The engine came to life with a purr, and the time displayed on the clock. Six a.m. was approaching fast. She was already ridiculously late. A few more minutes wouldn’t hurt. Besides, Kali was curious about him. Such a nice suit had to mean Rhane had been headed somewhere. And it certainly wasn’t to deliver pizzas.
“Will you be late for work?”
“Not really, it was a business meeting.”
“Will you make it?”
He shrugged. “It’s via satellite and can’t happen without me. I’ll reschedule.”
She nodded, wanting to know more but lacking the time to pry. She put the gear in drive but kept a foot on the brake. “How did you fix Greg’s car so fast?”
“I know a guy,” he answered vaguely. “And I threw a lot of money at him.”
“You loaded or something?”
“You could say so.”
“I really wish I had more time to finish this conversation.”
He scratched his head. “I’m glad you don’t,” he said and smiled.
Kali grinned back and was about to go, but stopped again. Her smile faded. “Rhane?”
“Yeah?”
“I usually don’t do this. Go around kissing strange men I’ve just met.” They’re usually teenage boys, she amended silently.
His expression was unreadable. “I surely hope not.” He leaned into the window. “Are you free tonight?”
“Can’t wait for that thank you?”
He winked. “That, and I’d like my nice, shiny and new truck back.”
“Then it’s a date.” With an earsplitting grin pasted across her face, she pulled out into traffic. Looking into the rearview mirror, she noticed Rhane watching her until he was a tiny dot in the distance.
Banewolf [2]
New enemies are made. New allies must be forged.Kali is beginning to regain her memories. In doing so, she discovers old secrets and betrayals that threaten to unravel her present and shake the foundation for Rhane's belief in her innocence. While her maturing abilities present unique challenges, a bigger problem arises when Kali learns her ex-boyfriend has made a misguided deal with the enemy in order to win her back--a decision that may ultimately cost him his humanity.
Keeping Kali safe has become a full time job for Rhane. And struggling to gain control of the immortal Banewolf isn't making that task any easier. The power to eliminate the growing threat against Kali lies at Rhane's fingertips, but using it means risking his friends to the insatiable blood lust of a monster. So Rhane is forced to forge a shaky alliance with creatures he has sworn to destroy. Despite these new allies, the danger pressing on their borders intensifies, culminating in a heartbreaking and shocking finale.
The strength of the bond between young and ancient lovers will be tested...and if Kali and Rhane are to survive, they must find a way to be unbreakable.
[Published 19 November 2013, 395 pages]
Excerpt
Prologue
The psychiatrist held the chart in hand, trying hard not to let the subject see just how uneasy he was. He was the professional, the doctor. He was there to diagnose and provide treatment. Dr. Graves couldn’t fulfill that duty if he was afraid.“This is your third session and we are well into another hour of complete silence. I can’t help if you won’t talk to me.”
The young man sat impossibly still, staring directly over the doctor’s head to where the clock hung on the wall. The only movement was the rise and fall of his chest.
“Mr. Youngblood, you voluntarily entered counseling because you needed help to manage your temper. Mr. Faust noted that you were afraid you might cause serious harm to your girlfriend or someone else. He referred you to me only because he felt he didn’t have the credentials to deal with your unique set of problems. I assure you that I can help you. But in order for me to do so, you must talk to me.”
Silence.
“Mr. Youngblood, do you understand that you will not be able to return to school until I deem you mentally sound?”
A soft thunk from the clock signaled the passage of yet another minute. Dr. Graves sighed. This was no way to make progress.
He opened the soft chart, closed until that moment. “Callan… you prefer to be called Cal. Since you have refused to contribute to your rehabilitation for the last three sessions, I took the liberty of pulling your file from children’s services. Before emancipating yourself at the age of sixteen, you underwent horrific abuse at the hands of your father. Would you care to talk about it?”
Cal’s eyes gradually slid down the wall to sharpen onto the doctor’s face. Encouraged by the response, Dr. Graves continued. “From age one through fourteen, you suffered twenty fractures and four mild to moderate concussions. You were a frequent bed wetter. Your last accident occurred when you were thirteen. You commented here that your father made you sit in a freezing tub of water filled with chunks of ice for thirty minutes. ‘My hands and feet were blue when he finally let me out,’ you said.” He paused briefly. “Your father was a very wealthy man. He must have paid off a lot of people in order to keep you in his custody.”
A wave of anger washed across Cal’s features. His fingers dug into the chair’s leather armrests.
That was good. Anger was something. It was at least the emotion the boy had come to therapy to deal with. “Tell me about the time he locked you in the closet for three days without food or water. What were you being punished for?”
Cal’s face smoothed into a sort of frightening calm. He leaned forward. Blue eyes gazed steadily at Dr. Graves. “I will tell you another story, human. One of power, betrayal and vengeance. Only then can your weak mind hope to understand my cause.
“Nine centuries ago, I learned the reality of my existence, the reason I and others like me had been created. Thought free men, we were truly pawns in a game reserved for those who believed themselves gods. Hundreds of my kin died in ignorance to correct a mistake not of our making. I discovered the existence of a real monster, one with power unmatched by even those who made it. Division exists among them, these Builders.” Venom dripped from Cal’s tongue as he pronounced the word. “Division makes them weak. They used Warekin to fight their mistake, to protect their secret. I acted to save my people from dying in a war that was not ours. Killing our makers was the only way to save us. It is the only way to save us.”
Thrilled the subject had finally opened up, Dr. Graves started writing furiously. Delusions. Personality disorder. Paranoia. Schizophrenia. He underlined the last word three times.
“To fight these beings I needed the support of our armies. But my brothers would not give them to me. Civil war started… I regret causing it even to this day.” Cal’s voice shook with bitterness. His eyes dropped to the floor. “I lost something very precious to me.”
In the silence, Dr. Graves looked up from his notepad. “Please continue, Cal. This is progress.”
“After defeat, I was stripped of my position and accused of high treason, hunted like an animal for many years by my own people. To Builders, the knowledge I possessed was a crime worthy of the severest punishment. They locked me in a tomb, taking away my ability to move, my ability to feel. For nine hundred years, I was trapped inside a useless body, void of sight and sound, fully conscious with only thoughts of regret and revenge. I became a very, very angry individual.”
Dr. Graves quickly jotted “transference” on the paper. “What does the anger make you want to do, Cal?”
“It makes us want to kill.”
The switch in reflexive pronouns made Dr. Graves raise a brow. “Are there other voices inside your head speaking to you, Cal?”
The young man chuckled. It was a hollow, grating noise that ended in a hiss. A chill slid up the doctor’s spine. The same sort of behavior had been studied in serial killers— charming, detached, and completely unstable. Dr. Graves was all too aware his subject might have deeper issues than anyone realized.
“We want to tell you something, doctor. Someone should know the truth.” Cal’s voice echoed as though someone else was speaking alongside him, overlapping the same words. “And then you are going to fill out the document that allows Callan Youngblood to return to school.”
“I-I can’t make that recommendation.”
Dr. Graves tried not to wet his pants or faint when Cal suddenly rose from the seat, crossing the room in a fraction of a second. The face held mere centimeters from his had taken on animalistic features. Coarse patches of fur punctuated thick, leathered skin. The boy’s eyes changed from blue to red and glittered like rubies.
Miserably failing in his first ambition, the doctor concentrated on not fainting. “W-what do you want to tell me?”
Cal smiled. Even his teeth were no longer human in appearance. “It’s not the siren we’re after.”
Blood Chained [3]
Sometimes a little evil is necessary to keep what you love most.
After centuries on the run, Rhane can avoid justice no longer. Primes have called him home and now he must finally answer for the sins of his past. But the situation in Rhane's homeland is far worse than anyone could have imagined, and the judgment Rhane faces is a brutal one. Even relying on the strength of the immortal Banewolf, the man he has become may not survive.
Kali and the other kin work tirelessly to secure Rhane's freedom, but many obstacles stand in their way. Wesley offers a solution that hinges upon resuming a dangerous search for the Siren's Heart. Trusting him, she and the kin set out once again to find the elusive artifact, believing Rhane and Warren's freedom can be bartered in exchange for the statue. But other creatures are searching for the Heart. And with greater resources and a head start, their enemies may reach it first.
[Published 18 November 2014, 451 pages]
Excerpt
PROLOGUE
Silver Buds, vine-like creatures adorned with brilliant blue-green blossoms, flourished only in the shadows of Golden Mountain. Passive until disturbed, Silver Buds possessed a constrictive nature that proved extremely valuable in restraining prisoners. Hair trigger sensors covered the surface of the creatures’ skin. Detecting the slightest movement, their thick bodies would tighten like ropes, setting razor-sharp edges deeper into the flesh of the bonded. Imprisoned in their grasp for months, Rhane no longer had the strength to struggle. All feeling had left his arms some time ago. But whenever the guides yanked his limp body up from the floor, the Silver Buds still tightened mercilessly.Only three parts of his body did not radiate with pain. The last three toes on his right foot. Everything else was bruised, bloodied, or broken. Enough blood silver pumped through Rhane’s system to make him bleed like a mortal. Healing was damn near impossible. He was pretty certain he couldn’t have mended a paper cut.
Each day, he was transported from prison bowels up to surface caverns and delivered to dealers. Dealers were the few remaining kin in Golden Mountain not of royal lineage. Assigned to carry out Rhane’s sentencing, they meted out punishment with a finesse that gave testament to centuries of practice. Their enthusiasm made Rhane wonder if there had ever been a prisoner strong enough to survive their brutality for so long. But even he was barely surviving.
Nothing compared to the sting of bane silver slicing through skin and muscle. The wounds healed slowly, bled almost non-stop, and skewered obscene amounts of pain through his body as the element leeched into various organs and poisoned his blood.
Lying on the freezing dirt floor of his cell, Rhane tried to breathe as little as possible. Every breath was torture, agony that lasted beyond the rise and fall of his chest. He didn’t dare close his eyes. That put him back in the chamber… in the dark… underwater… with river serpents swimming all around. Trapped. Submerged. Drowning.
Rhane took a breath, winced with the effort. He had not seen night or day in months, but guessed it was near dusk. Dusk made sense traditionally. The torment lasted for many hours, until sunrise. But went beyond that if he lost consciousness, because then inflictions were suspended until he awakened.
Footsteps.
Heavy.
Methodical.
Rhane tensed. Dealers. Their movements were more disciplined than clockwork. Already barely keeping his eyes open, he knew it was going to be a long session. The last time had been so severe. Now came the hour to start again. To receive the judgment his leaders had mandated.
Primes.
They had killed his people and blamed Kalista, sentenced her to death. Back then Rhane upheld her innocence. The woman he knew could have never committed such an act of betrayal. To keep her safe, he’d used Banewolf to destroy an entire legion of his own kin. His actions deserved retribution. He didn’t challenge that. And he could endure it. Lashings with spiked whips laced in blood silver. The strokes of Bellefuron. Beatings that went beyond broken bones and loss of consciousness. Starvation. Sensory deprivation.
But the chamber…
The chamber brought him to the brink.
The Primes would have returned a sentence of death, but executing an immortal was a useless endeavor. So, they stacked his sentence against the lives he’d taken. When he suffered enough to kill a mortal or revived after drowning in the chamber, a name was struck from the judgment. But hundreds of names comprised that list. Rhane’s punishment would continue for a very long time.
The Primes were not free from blame. They were responsible for the plot that ended with the massacre of the entire civilian class of Warekin. Generations old and young had been slaughtered in a single afternoon. Their foundation was gone forever.
Centuries ago, Primes had bargained with Rogues to spill innocent blood. Months ago, they made a deal with Rogues to take Warren, knowing Rhane wouldn’t let the boy die. Not like Rhaven. Rhane had returned to them.
Anger. He felt it constantly, always simmering at the back of his mind. Whenever he thought of his son, that anger bubbled to a violent boil. Spreading through his chest. Threatening to take over. Trying to calm it, he took a deep breath, and almost screamed from the pain that burst through his shattered ribcage. But Rhane had to stay calm. He couldn’t give in to rage. He couldn’t give in to the bane wolf. Not yet.
He had to speak to Jehsi.
Jehsi. A Prime. His father. The man who had stood before the village and claimed the outcast as his own. The man who bucked tradition and gave up his throne to live in ostracism with a son other royals refused to accept. He had been the first to fight for Rhane. He had been the first to love the little boy who did not know love could exist for him. If not for Jehsi, Rhane would have died long before the bane wolf chose him.
He only had to hold on a little longer. Jehsi would come.
It was too bad dealers had to come first.
Primed Son [4]
Kali’s maturity into the warrior she once was could not have come at a better time. Still haunted by his gruesome punishment in Golden Mountain, Rhane is slowly coming undone as the pressure mounts to save this world and preserve the lives of those closest to him. But given a miraculous chance to fix mistakes from the past, Rhane and Kali soon realize that the undertaking may be beyond the reach of even their combined powers.
The battle lines have been drawn as evil marches toward their doorstep. But who fights for which side has never been more unclear. And time is running out to separate friend from foe.
Torn between saving their family and saving the world, Rhane and Kali are faced with impossible choices…and devastating consequences. Because sometimes, a little evil is necessary to protect what is loved most…and sometimes, even that may not be enough.
[Published 26 November 2015, 315 pages]
Excerpt
The Graveyard
As Rhane started to speak, he turned his head toward a sound in the distance. It was a faint crack, one that barely breached the range of York’s supernatural perception but was enough to propel him into action. He drove one shoulder into Rhane’s chest, knocking him off the sidewalk and onto the lush cemetery lawn and brought his own body into a low crouch as he did so. Another crack bit into the night and blasted apart a chunk of cement from the headstone only inches to the left of Rhane’s head. Rolling onto his side, he maneuvered his body into better cover and yanked York to safety. “What the hell?”“Someone’s shooting at us,” York said, breathing heavily. The grave stone was barely big enough to shield the both of them, even with York’s body stacked directly on top of Rhane’s.
“Yeah. I got that part.” Growling, Rhane glared up at him. “But why?”
“Well…who have you pissed off in the last nine hundred years?”
Rhane stared at York with frank disbelief. “You just got shot and still can’t be serious.”
York pressed a hand to his side. “It’s not bad.”
“You’re bleeding all over me.”
“Barely. That shirt was ruined anyway. You would have never gotten the smell of blood out. I just did you a favor.”
“The jacket was salvageable.”
York hesitated. Then he nodded. “Yeah. It was. I bet you paid five hundred bucks for that grain of leather.”
“I thought I’d get more use out of it.” He risked a cautious peek around the stone. No one shot at him. Turning back to York, Rhane lifted an eyebrow. “You mind?”
“Oh. Sure,” York said and lifted himself into a push up position. The sound of gunfire immediately erupted, this time splitting off a section from the top of the headstone.
“Keep your head down,” Rhane hissed. Then he rolled quickly across the ground, taking cover at the next grave. He looked back at York, now in a much more protected position. He still clutched his side, but the bleeding seemed to have slowed. Rhane knit his brow together. “How worried should I be?”
York glanced down at his wound. “Stings like hell, but the bullet was regular lead. Already healing. Whoever’s shooting at us obviously doesn’t know who they’re dealing with.”
The Dark Siren Series
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About the Author
Cynic, realist, and hopeless romantic all rolled into one, Eden was born and raised in a small, sunny town in South Carolina where thunderstorms helped inspire her best ideas. There are few things she loves more than curling up with a good book and a cup of coffee on a rainy day (except maybe chocolate cake, she loves cake), often reading into the wee hours of morning when something really grabs her.
Eden enjoys reading or watching anything with supernatural elements, so writing paranormal and fantasy romance is a natural fit.
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