The Darkwings' current mission is to locate the Intrepid, an aircraft carrier that has seemingly vanished into thin air. After briefly considering and then dismissing a "Philadelphia Experiment"-type scenario, the Darkwings focus on terrorists as the more likely answer.

As Daphne Urban and her team work to uncover the mystery of the Intrepid, they are also trying to deal with the arrival of vampire hunters in the city. The hunters' appearance seems to be connected to Daphne's sometimes-lover, Darius. A former hunter-turned-vampire, Darius still mourns his lost humanity. And once before, he accidentally led hunters to himself...and Daphne. Although Daphne has forgiven Darius, the other vampires, Daphne's mother included, aren't so quick to forgive and forget. Everyone wants to know what Darius has to do with the current situation. Is he as innocent as Daphne hopes, or has he come home to betray them all?

Savannah Russe successfully juggles two plotlines in UNDER DARKNESS. Daphne and her issues are always front and center. Turned into a vampire at age 18, she still struggles with maturity issues, mother issues and moral issues, even though she's "lived" for centuries. The spy/mystery part of this series of books is always well- handled, but the meat of the story, for me anyway, is Daphne and her complicated life.