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Dusk Series 1-2 Bundle, By E.L. King (Pdf)

Her resentment burns her alive...
Since her horrible break up, Stella is living and functioning but remains empty like a shell. She doesn't wish to get hurt, or violate her laws, and end up hurting someone else. With her best friend focused on building her own life, Stella is trying to pick up the pieces. Well, at least learn how to survive on her own, but a man with iron eyes who haunts her dreams won't make it easy.

He would gladly burn with her...
Xavier has ruled his kingdom for over a century. Chooses to live as a greater ruler than his cruel father. However, with so
much time, he swiftly grows bored with most things. Until he discovers an interesting creature, whose skin heats his and whose blood makes his heart pound. As the King of vampires, it is only a matter of time till he claims his new prize as his concubine.

TAKE A PEEK INSIDE...

©2017 Published by After Hours Publications, Inc.

www.afterhourspublications.com

All rights reserved.

Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage without express permission by the publisher.



This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.



Contains explicit language & adult themes suitable for ages 17+


Chapter One



Her pain was his salvation.



Xavier did not know whom to thank for the two days of darkness that swallowed his chosen mate, but he would gladly thank them. He held her close to his body as she trembled in his arms. “His gaze held by the tears that fell from her eyes as she was kept captive by the abyss.”

He wandered amongst Stella’s dreams, placing himself as her savior and benefactor. He waltzed with her in his arms and seduced her in the darkened corners of clubs. Even now, as they slept in a bed of his imagination with the two of them wrapped around each other; He found himself entranced

Her hand rested innocently over his heart that had never known a beat. She breathed in and out gently. The heat, the fire he’d been searching for, lit her hair and flickered back and forth lazily. The warm glow of the ever-setting sun was viewable in the distance. The wind - ever blowing- brought with it a sweet tropical scent.

He hadn’t known such bliss, though he knew his pleasure came from her pain. Her wails and screams had pulled him in and drawn him to this place.

Still, he wouldn’t have her freed. He wished for her to remain in this place of darkness and never to be released.

Even as she shifted, her chestnut colored skin held a red tinge, just like the fire that had over taken her hair and spilled over her shoulder. Her amber eyes almost glowed, as she revealed them to him. His breath caught and his hand tightened on her nude hip. His hunger grew as he watched this being, this creature, awaken in his arms. Her eyes sharpened on his face, and just like a light exploding, her lips parted giving view to white teeth as she smiled at him. Her heart was in her eyes, and like the selfish beast that he was, he coveted it.

He’d been furious when he returned to his dorm, only to find that his guard had allowed entry and hadn't stopped them from leaving with her with out contacting him first.. The minute he touched her, he knew she was the one, and that he wouldn’t live without her fire against his cold skin.

How many centuries had it been since a Leviathan had taken a mortal as a mate? He leaned forward, burying his nose in her throat. In this space, she couldn’t evade his touch, and the bitterness and anger he’d seen in her eyes when they were in the human realm, didn’t touch her here.

"How long have you been watching?” She asked, her voice husky with sleep.

His lips brushed against her shoulder, as she shifted closer to him rising, and she pulled her head away from him. “Xavi?”

He gave in and peered into her eyes and said intently, “Forever.”

She blinked and laughed brightly. Shaking her head as the flames trailing her hair died out, to Reveal thick, slightly curly locks of brown and black hair. She mock glared at him, “You’re a creeper.”

“Your creeper,” he said, smirking as he trailed his fingers down the palm of her hand.

The beauty of the moment so captured him, that he almost wished he could tell her it was all a dream. However, he didn’t dare tell her that she was truly still imprisoned in a cold place. A place he, in all his power; couldn’t seem to reach.

She lifted her hand out to brush his pitch-black hair from his forehead, only for her hand to stop and her body to stiffen.

Seeing this alerted him to a change, he pushed up, straightening, “Stella?”

She lost the color in her cheeks, and slowly as if against her force she stared at something he couldn’t see.

"No,” she whimpered, as she shook her head, “I-I don’t want to go!” She wailed, before she threw her body against his, her eyes still forward, “Don’t take me!”

Grasping her to his chest, he pressed his cheek against her head. Closing his eyes against what he knew to be inevitable, “Stella, shush, it is okay.”

“No, no, no! I can’t! I don’t want to go!” she cried turning her head away, as the unseen darkness cloaked the ever-setting sun, and the chamber where they resided emptied of light. Her hands grasped at his arm, “Please don’t let them take me! Xavi, stop them!” she begged, but he, who was known to be powerful, held none in this place. Her body slowly grew dim in his hands as he forced her to rise and face him.

His cold heart was wrenching in pain when he saw it reflected in her gaze. The tears fell covering his hands. The cold sensation was like a knife in his chest.

He closed his eyes briefly against it, before opening them with his eyes bright and hard, “I will come for you,” he promised grimly, as she shook her head. “I will come for what is mine, and once more you will be in my arms.” He swore it.

“P-promise me,” she demanded, her eye color fading. “Promise me. You’ll come for me.”

“I vow it.” He promised.

Slowly, her expression emptied as her body fell limp in his arms before it crumbled like sand and blew away.

Filled with rage, he threw his head back and roared.



~ Vampire Realm~



Glowing eyes snapped open in a dark chamber. The softly flickering sconces gave little light. As a pale-skinned hand lifted, the light brightened, and the red silk sheet slowly fell giving view to a fit torso, broad shoulders that were decorated by a tattoo of intricate swirls and circles. Pagan in nature, another tattoo of a buck with the circle of the Three Graces adorn the males back.

The door to the chamber opened immediately, three people entered. All male, and all similar with reddened eyes and pale features. One of the three stepped forward, hair cut short and eyes almond shape he spoke first, “Sire, you’ve returned far earlier than we anticipated.”

The male still abed, brushed his raven-black hair away from his face. It’d grown long as he’d been abed for three days. The angry red color faded, as he faced them. His handsome features were a trait of all Leviathan Kings. His gaze met the other male's gaze, “Uzark, you need not apologize, I’ve returned much earlier than I wished.”

Rising from the bed, he walked down the stairs nude. His powerful form often proved to be overwhelming to humans, so when he attended to Araya he cloaked himself to appear younger and less physically impressive.

His feet had barely touched the ground when unseen hands moved forward and began dressing him. His clothing was the standard dress for a ruler, a uniform of black and red, with boots laced to just below his knee. He slapped a hand when it went to button the top. He didn’t like the sensation of being choked. Observing his appearance in the mirror, he tilted his head allowing the unseen hand to comb the long locks back, before tying it back.

“I believe I was set to meet with the Ou Clan. Have they responded to my inquiry?”

A male with shoulder length hair stepped forward. The grisly scar on his cheek more macabre, as the other side held the beauty of an angel. “Yes, Sire. They are due to meet us at the Black-Market Fest. It seems they’ve been having security issues and wished to discuss this at the meeting.”

“What does the Black Market have to do with my kingdom?” Xavier asked, as he turned to face them. His face was expressionless, all tensed despite this. “Grigori, the eternal night only deals in one part of the Black Markets, and that is flesh. Why do the Ou wish for our help now? They did not wish for our court to deal in their…lighter deals.”

“It seems that they’ve been dealing with Berserkers and hellhounds attacking there.” Another male answered stepping forward. His green eyes denoted him as being from a lesser royal family. “I’ve already inquired as to the happenings, and it seems the security hasn’t been able to deal with the surge of attacks.”

Smirking, though his eyes held no humor; The Leviathan King finished for him, “And they wish to beg for our protection, how quaint.” With that, he walked past his men and headed out. “It’s interesting how one’s enemies, can become one’s savior, Jakub.”



After he’d handled the Ou family and properly charged them for their request, he’d turn his attention to claiming Stella, once and for all.



A week later…

Giving a shiver, Stella muttered a curse when she almost hit another car. Grunting as she slammed on brakes, she flipped the driver of the speeding Mustang off. Moving her eyes back to the light once it turned green, she continued on her way to the Lykan dorm. She half expected Olive to return with her, but being a new mother, new leader, and generally new everything, it wasn’t going to happen.

She, herself, had second guessed her need to come back to school; she’d assured Olive she’d be fine, but ever since she’d come out of Teira she felt like something was missing. She wasn’t going to whine about it to Olive. After all, her friend had a lot on her plate.

Pulling into the parking lot, she released a heavy sigh, before hardening her resolve to get through the rest of the school year. After all, Olive couldn’t be her babysitter for the rest of her life. Still, it felt wrong coming back without her childhood friend.

Grunting as she pulled her suitcase out of the back of the car, Stella observed the silent grounds of her college and wondered how she was going to make it alone.

A vision of the darkness of Teira made her cringe. Teira was a cold place and she wholeheartedly wished to stay out of it. Making her way back towards her dorm, she was ready for the school year to be over already. She had her internship to look forward to and she was glad she wasn't going to be stuck with her warrior-like family. Luckily, her mother hadn’t lost it completely when she’d been thrown into hell. But that had more to do with Olive's mother.

"Yo!"

Pausing in the doorway, Stella spotted Christian, who looked to have just gotten back as well. "Did you just get in?"

She rolled her eyes, "Nah, I'm just coasting around with a suitcase."

He ignored her sarcasm. She didn't like it. No one ignored her, "I didn't think you would stay in our dorms. I thought the dean would for sure make you return to your all women dorms."

"Yeah, well I didn't want to make his life easy," Stella said shoving the door open, "He caused a lot of unneeded problems, so I figured I'd end the year being his."

Christian scoffed, "Poliv just can't handle a Sirianos, he's not good with Lykan in general."

"Siriano?" Stella repeated sending Christian a look, "Not going to call him Lucy?"

"Hah! And have him show up to strangle me?! No, thanks!"

Stella donned a thoughtful look, "I think I'll call him that from now on. I mean, he is mated with my best friend. He can't kill me without giving a really good reason."

The two of them came to a stop at the end of the hallway, Christian shaking his head at her joke, "You're crazy," he motioned to the right, "Well here's me, I'll check in on you in the morning."

Stella gave a short nod before she headed upstairs. She was grateful that Christian wasn't focused on her, especially in a flirting way. Romance, wouldn't have been something she could deal with at the moment. Her life was going well, without having anyone interrupting its flow.

Walking the rest of the way to her room, and unpacking, she eagerly got ready for bed.


Chapter Two

"Are you shitting me?"

Stella shouted glaring at Poliv, an open folder in front of her. "There is no way I can work in the Black market!"

Poliv cringed away from her but hardened his stance when nothing shot at him. "You applied for the intern summer program. It isn't up to you where you go. The black market is the one who put in the request for help."

"To go there, you have to have defensive magic!"


*******END OF SAMPLE******
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