"Packed with Hot and Sexy Vibes, Spiced with Danger"
Reviewed by Diana Troldahl
Posted May 26, 2011
Romance Paranormal
Laylah is on the run, again. A forbidden being, half Jinn-
half human, she doesn't feel evil. Yet, because she is
unaffiliated with the Commission, she has a target on her
back. After years of being in hiding and living on the edges
of society, she brings all the talent she has to bear on one
goal-- protecting the child that has been given into her
keeping. The child has been wrapped in a stasis field by
someone of great power and Laylah senses it may be the
catalyst in a war between good and evil. She is willing to
do whatever it takes to protect the child, even use her
powers to bind her pursuer to her desires.
Tane, Charon of the leader of the vampires, is charged by
the Commission to hunt down the rogue half-jinn and bring
her before them for their judgment. Too bad she is so damned
sexy.
He senses Laylah is hiding something but the end of the
pursuit is inevitable and he is willing to bide his time
until she reveals her secrets.
Alexandra Ivy has another winner in DEVOURED BY DARKNESS.
This seventh in the Guardians of Eternity series is packed
with hot and sexy vibes and spiced with danger.
Tane will have what he wants, Laylah is just as determined to
keep what she needs. It is fascinating to watch the two
of them come together as the plot unfurls around them. An
interesting cast of secondary characters adds layers of
complexity to the over-arching and tightly plotted
storyline. Ivy has written one of the best urban fantasy
series out there.
SUMMARY
Tane is a Charon, sworn to hunt and kill rogue vampires.
His new assignment seems like a waste of his talents-until
he catches up with the jinn he's been sent to capture.
Half human, half demon, Laylah has a vulnerable streak
that strikes right through to Tane's cold heart. He should
be furious when she uses her powers to bind them together,
preventing him from dragging her before the Commission.
Instead he welcomes any reason to stay close enough to
touch, to taste, to seducez Laylah doesn't know why she
was chosen to protect a child who may be the catalyst in a
war between good and evil.
But the mysteries of her past pale compared to the dangers
approaching. Tane is devastatingly strong, breathtakingly
sensual. And Laylah will have to trust in every ounce of
that strength, because her enemies are drawing near, eager
to destroy them both...
ExcerptLaylah was tired.
She was tired of the dark, cramped tunnels sprawling
beneath the northeast corner of Missouri that she’d been
running through for the past two days. She was tired of
being chased by an enemy she couldn’t see. She was tired of
her stomach cramping with hunger and her limbs screaming in
protest at her relentless pace.
Reaching a small cavern, she came to an abrupt halt,
shoving her fingers through the short, spiky strands of her
brilliant red hair, her black eyes searching the shadows for
her pursuer.
Not that she expected to actually catch sight of the
frigid pain in her ass.
Vampires not only possessed supernatural speed and
strength, but they could shroud themselves in shadows,
making them impossible to sense, even to most demons. It
was only because she had the power of Jinn blood running
through her veins that she could detect the relentless leech
following her mad dash through the tunnels.
What she didn’t know was…
Why.
She shivered, her mouth dry. Christ. She’d thought she
was being so clever when she’d initially allowed the vamp to
catch her scent. She’d hoped to lure him, along with the
other intruders, away from Caine’s private lair.
Not that she gave a damn about the cur, but she’d hidden
her most precious treasure at his estate, and she couldn’t
afford to allow any creature with the superior senses of a
vampire, or even a full-blooded Were, near her secret.
She’d thought the demons would give chase for a few hours
and then grow tired of the game, hopefully returning to
Hannibal or even St. Louis.
But her hasty plan had fallen apart right from the start.
The Were had continued on his path to Caine’s lair, and
the vampire had refused to give up, no matter how far or how
fast she’d run.
Now she was too weak to call upon her shadow walking
powers, and too far from Caine to call for his help.
"Oh, screw it," she muttered, planting her hands on her
hips and tilting her chin in unspoken defiance. "I know
you’re following me, vampire. Why don’t you just show
yourself?"
A warning chill thickened the air, prickling painfully
over her skin.
"You think you can give me orders, half-breed?" A dark,
sinfully beautiful voice filled the cavern.
Laylah’s heart missed a beat. Even with her demon blood
she wasn’t immune to the ruthless sensuality that was as
much a part of a vampire as his lethal fangs.
"What I think is that I’m done running," she gritted.
"So either kill me or go chase someone else."
"Ah. Then you’re confident you’ve managed to lead me far
enough away?"
"Away?" Laylah stiffened, licking her suddenly dry lips.
He couldn’t know. No one knew. "Away from what?"
"That is what I’m wondering," the dark voice drawled.
"It must be of great importance."
Laylah forced herself to suck in a deep breath, refusing
to panic. The stupid vamp was simply trying to press her
buttons. Everyone knew that they loved to toy with their prey.
"I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about."
"Hmmm. Have you ever watched a quail?"
She felt unseen fingers brushed her nape, the cold touch
ironically sending a bolt of heat straight to the pit of her
stomach. She whirled around, not surprised that the
predator had disappeared.
"The bird?" she rasped, belatedly wishing she was wearing
more than a pair of cutoff jeans and a muscle shirt. Having
so much skin exposed was making her feel oddly vulnerable.
Not that clothing would halt a determined vampire.
It wouldn’t matter if she were dipped in cement and
wrapped with barbed wire.
"When a predator approaches the nest, the mother quail
will feign a broken wing and dash away to lure the danger
from her chicks," her tormentor murmured, his voice seeming
to speak directly into her ear.
She instinctively stumbled backward, her mouth dry with a
sudden fear.
"The only quail I care about are baked and served on a
bed of rice."
"What are you trying to protect?" There was a deliberate
pause. "Or is it who?"
"I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about."
"Is it a lover? A sibling? A child?" His soft chuckle
grazed her cheek as the sharp leap of her pulse gave her
away. "Ah, that’s it. Your child?"
Laylah bunched her hands into fists of frustration. He
was getting too close. She had to distract the bastard.
"I thought vampires were known for their courage," she
deliberately taunted, willing to risk a battle she couldn’t
win if it would keep her secrets. "Are you such a coward
you have to hide in the shadows?"
The chill thickened, the danger a tangible force in the
air. Then, the shadows directly before her stirred, and the
vampire slowly became visible.
Laylah reeled, feeling as if she’d just been punched in
the gut.
All vampires were beautiful. And sexy.
Wickedly, indecently sexy.
But this one…
Reminding herself to breathe, Laylah allowed her gaze to
skim over the elegant features that revealed his Polynesian
ancestors, lingering on the slanted eyes that were a
brilliant shade of honey and the inky black hair that had
been shaved on the sides, leaving the top to form a mohawk
that fell past his broad shoulders.
Her gaze lowered, that vicious awareness twisting her gut
at the sight of his half naked body barely covered by a pair
of khaki shorts.
Damn the annoying leech.
Had he deliberately left his body on full, wondrous
display? After all, he had to know it would make her
fingers twitch with the desire to investigate the smooth
muscles of his chest. Or wait… maybe she would go down the
flat plane of his stomach…
Lost in her helpless response to his sensual beauty, she
was jerked back to the danger of her situation as the demon
stepped far too close, his fingers casually stroking along
the curve of her neck.
"Have you never been told the dangers of provoking a
vampire?" he murmured.
A chill inched down her spine, but she forced herself to
meet his hypnotic gaze.
"Do you intend to drain me?"
His lips twitched. "Tell me about the child."
"No."
"It’s yours?" He paused, his fingers drifting to the
pulse that hammered at the base of her throat, an intense
concentration etched on his beautiful face. "No. Not
yours. You are as pure as an angel."
Genuine fear speared through her heart. Damn the
interfering leech.
"Leave me alone," she breathed.
The honey eyes darkened with a dangerous hunger. Laylah
wasn’t sure if it was for blood or sex.
Probably both.
"A beautiful angel," he husked, his arms wrapping around
her to yank her hard against the strength of his body. "And
I have waited too long to have a taste."
Unable to halt her panic any longer, Laylah’s
unpredictable powers lashed out, the electrical charge that
filled the air enough to make the vampire leap back in wary
surprise.
"I said, leave me alone," she hissed, wrapping her arms
around her waist.
A dark brow arched. "Well, well. You like to play rough?"
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