Dark-Hunters®

The #1 New York Times bestselling series.

The Dark-Hunter Credo:

We are Darkness. We are Shadow.

We are the Rulers of the Night.

We, alone, stand between mankind and those who would see mankind destroyed. We are the Guardians.

The Soulless Keepers.

Our souls were cast out so that we would not forewarn the Daimons we pursue. By the time they see us coming, it’s too late.

The Daimons and Apollites know us. They fear us. We are death to all those who prey upon the humans.

Neither Human, nor Apollite, we exist beyond the realm of the Living, beyond the realm of the Dead.

We are the Dark-Hunters.

And we are eternal.

Yeah, yeah. Enough of the doom and gloom because, baby, that ain’t us. You want to know what a Dark-Hunter is? We are what the intro says. We’re Mad, Bad and Immortal. We’re ancient warriors with attitudes who fight rough, and play hard.

We are the scary things that go bump in the night. And we love every minute of it. So when you think you’re being watched. You just might be. The question is…is it something evil or is it one of us?

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In the world of the Dark-Hunters nothing is ever as it seems. Life and death both take on a whole new meaning as this immortal cadre of warriors fight to protect mankind from those creatures and demons who would prey on us. It’s dark. It’s deadly and it’s a whole lot of fun and laughter.

There are questions in every book that will be answered in the future. The one thing I ask readers to keep in mind is that every story has at least two sides. The side of the person who witnessed or experienced it (each book shows *that* character’s viewpoint and memory which may or may not be the same as another character’s memory or viewpoint) and the truth. Events are always clouded by perception, conclusions and emotions. If two or more people experience the same exact event, they will come away with two entirely different tales about it. Sometimes VASTLY different. My series is no exception. Each character will have their own unique take on every event.

Sometimes they will contradict each other. Much like my sister and I tell two different versions of an event with I was in 4th grade. Her best friend and I were playing vampire. When Virginia went to bite me, she said. “I vant to suck your blood.” Of course I jokingly cried out, “No, you can’t!” To which she responded, “Why? Are you anemic?” My response to Virginia was “No, I’m Catholic!” Now my sister (who is thirteen years older than I) refuses to believe that I knew it was a joke. She says I was too young to understand what anemic meant and confused the word with atheist. Of course, since I was the one who responded, I know for a fact that I knew what anemic meant (I was first diagnosed with anemia by my doctor at age five and have been treated for anemia all my life). My sister to this day says that I didn’t know– you cannot convince her otherwise. In her mind, she’s right, but I know for a fact, that I am the correct one in this situation.

Everyone has argued such events with another participant so I know you all know exactly what I’m referring to. Then of course, there are those people who flat out lie about events to cover for themselves or others (or lie for reasons only they understand) and I know you all know them, too. Apollo is one who often fabricates things in the series, to save face and to wound.

While this can be confusing at times for the reader and may look like I forgot what I’d initially written, I’m hoping all of you will give me the benefit of the doubt until the real truth is “shown” to you. Believe me, in the DH world even the lies have a place.

Likewise, you will see different aspects of the characters through the eyes of others. Many have noted that Nicolette was entirely different in Unleash the Night than she’d been in other books. The reason for this is that you see her through Wren’s vantage point and Wren doesn’t like her at all. Likewise, she’s extremely mistrustful of him and is cold and guarded whenever he’s around. Something she’s not with her own children or with Vane. But again, we are all that way. There are those we get along with and those we don’t. Our friends have an entirely different view of us than our enemies do. To me, these are the things that make all of my series and characters seem real. They are slices of their world and of their lives.

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Daimon Rules:

There is actually only one rule: Don’t Die.

However we have put together a few reminders for you:

Don’t fall onto pointy objects chest first.

Don’t drink the blood of the dead.

Sunblock doesn’t work, nor do umbrellas or anything else. If sunlight touches you, you violate the only one real rule- Don’t die.

All humans are evil.

Dark-Hunters are vermin in need of extermination.

Squires are extra yummy when eaten.

Avoid taking the life of an Arcadian or Katagari unless they are offered to you as a sacrifice. They tend to have very large families that will hunt you down and kill you. On that note, remember, they can travel and kill in daylight. We can’t.

In fact, avoid angering anything that walks in daylight. They tend to break into our cribs and expose us to light. So don’t play with your food. Kill them, eat them and move on.

Dark-Hunters can’t go into cemeteries or any haunted place. For a great show, drag them inside and watch what happens.

Dark-Hunter blood is poisonous to us.

Don’t try to kill a Dark-Hunter to steal his soul. They don’t have one. It’s a waste of your time and it just pisses off the Dark-Hunter.

You can only kill a Dark-Hunter by exposing him to daylight or by decapitation. Anything else just pisses them off.

If you see someone with a bow and arrow tattoo, walk on by. DO NOT ENGAGE. Not unless you’re a true Spathi and in that case Bon Apetite

Hang with the Goth crowd, we tend to blend and they think our fangs are cool. Not to mention Goth chicks will gladly ask you to bite them. Goth clubs = supermarket/fast food.

Avoid polyester and plaid. No real reason other than you just look stupid in it. No one should be caught dead in either one and since we’re dead…

Avoid the Dark-Hunter called Acheron. There is no such thing as escaping or defeating him. He will kick your ass and laugh while he mops the floor with you.

Avoid biker bars. 1. they tend to have Dark-Hunters in them. 2. we don’t blend in there.

Once you go Daimon, do not share this knowledge with any non-Daimon. If anyone should ask, you’re still Apollite. Who’s going to know? And if they do, kill them.

Never take an Apollite soul. It’s just bad form and we will hunt you down for it.

If a bolt-hole opens, go into it.

When approaching an Apollite, the key phrase to remember is “I am the Light of the Lyre and I walk in his grace.”

When approaching a Daimon, the key phrase is “I fear no evil, for I am the baddest creature walking the night.”

We don’t have records of all Apollite communities or groups, but the largest known groups are:

Karones– They are usually found in North America. Mostly the US and Canada. Unlike most of our people, they tend to frequent cooler climates.

Athenians–They are mostly found in and around our native homeland of Greece. They are marked by sun symbols of all sort.

Delphinians–They are our Oracles. Found throughout the world, it is believed they can summon the bolt-holes at will. You can find them by the dolphin tattoo or jewelry they all carry.

Polluxians (Cult of Pollux)– They are the strangest of Apollites in that they all swear an allegiance to die on their birthdays as Apollo decrees. Not well liked by other groups, they are usually found in remote areas.

Mavrovian–They are located in the warmer climates and many of them live in and around the Mediterranean. They are secretive, but we are told many of them carry the mark of the lyre.

Kalasian–They are our angels of mercy. Found all over, they usually live among the humans, but are willing to aid any Apollite they find. Many of them are located in the Arcadian or Katagaria sanctuaries.

Spathi–they are our warrior class. No one knows who they are or where they come from. They are mysterious and powerful. It is said one true Spathi can annihilate a group of Dark-Hunters easily. The true Spathi are identified by the mark of a yellow sun that holds a black dragon in its center. Their leaders are Stryker and Zephyra.

Agkelos–these are the Daimons who find it hard to take the life of “innocent” humans. The weakest of the Daimons, they prey on humans who are criminals and predators.

Dayslayer–we have been told of these since the dawn of our history. No one has ever seen a Dayslayer who is able to walk in daylight. But we believe they exist. It is also believed that one day the one true Dayslayer will come and unite us all so that we can take our place as the rulers of the earth. It is a day we all dream of.

Dikisi–they are called vengeance Daimons. They specifically target the humans who have preyed on Apollites. They also target the Dark-Hunters and any who help or serve them. They are governed by a series of leaders. Only the strongest of them is capable of leadership and if a leader is perceived as weak, he is overthrown by his next in command.

Apati–these are the “fake” Spathi. Dark-Hunters and many Apollites can’t differentiate between these and the true Spathi. Most of them are found living in and around human cities. They are tough, but not nearly as much as the real thing.

Trelos–they are the insane Daimons that even the Daimons hunt and kill. These usually start out as Agkelos who have taken so many criminal and evil souls that it has destroyed their own soul. They no longer have control of themselves and will kill anyone they come into contact with whether they need to feed or not.

Kathoros–Said to be even more evil than the Spathi, these Daimons are rare. At one time they were believed to have been the servants of the Atlantean war god Misos. Like the Arcadian Sentinels, one half of their faces is tattooed and legend says they shave their heads.

Doulos–they are human servants to the Daimons. They guard and protect the Daimons from the humans. Their blood can tide a Daimon over if she/he is desperate, but they are only killed when they have betrayed or are no longer necessary. Most of them believe they will become a Daimon and have immortality. They’re very stupid which is why we love them.

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**Please note that the books listed under series are in their correct reading order even though they don’t have to be read that way. The ones listed under related are books/anthologies that contain characters from this series, but they exist outside of the series time line.

Vocabulary