“Enter the world of Shannon K. Butcher and prepare to be spellbound.”
—Sherrilyn Kenyon
Praise for Shannon K. Butcher’s Novels of the Sentinel Wars
Willing Sacrifice
“Sizzling love scenes . . . emotionally intense.”
—Publishers Weekly
“A story of second chances in a world where staying alive is a daily struggle. The reader is pulled into an engaging and suspense-filled story line where a human places a stranger’s life above her own.”
—The Reading Cafe
“Throughout a number of Butcher’s previous Sentinel Wars novels, the heart-wrenching drama of Theronai warrior Torr and the all-too-human Grace has been previewed. . . .Their incredible struggles showcase all of Butcher’s exceptional talent for plot, characterization, and storytelling!”
—RT Book Reviews
Falling Blind
“A taut mixture of action and suspense.”
—Smexy Books
“Prime entertainment.”
—RT Book Reviews
Dying Wish
“A superb paranormal suspense.”
—Genre Go Round Reviews
“Butcher’s rise to the top of the paranormal and romantic-suspense genres has been swift. . . .Her hallmark is consistent superior storytelling that combines emotional punch with high-adrenaline danger—a recipe that can’t miss!”
—Romantic Times
Living Nightmare
“There’s only one way to describe this book to me: fabulous!”
—Night Owl Reviews
“[An] action-packed story of the brooding and angry warrior Madoc and his journey to the future. This series rocks!”
—Fresh Fiction
“Utilizing her ability to combine excellent characterization with riveting danger, rising star Butcher adds another fascinating tier to her expanding world. You are always guaranteed generous portions of pulse-pounding action and romance in a Butcher tale!”
—Romantic Times
“Ms. Butcher’s written word began to grab hold of my imagination and lead me on a ride unlike anything I have read before.”
—Coffee Time Romance & More
Running Scared
“What an entertaining and thrilling series! The characters are forever evolving, secrets are revealed, powers are found, new details come to life, and love is the cause of it all. I love it!”
—Fresh Fiction
“Superb storytelling. . . . I am amazed how Ms. Butcher’s intricacies and subplots continue to expand the story without bogging down the overall plot.”
—Romance Junkies
“This book jumps right in the fray and keeps you hooked till the end, and I was unable to put it down. Emotionally dark, this is a wonderful blending of paranormal romance and urban fantasy [with] many twists and turns.”
—Smexy Books
Finding the Lost
“Exerts much the same appeal as Christine Feehan’s Carpathian series, what with tortured heroes, the necessity of finding love or facing a fate worse than death, hot lovemaking, and danger-filled adventure.”
—Booklist
“A terrific grim thriller with the romantic subplot playing a strong supporting role. The cast is powerful, as the audience will feel every emotion that Andra feels, from fear for her sister to fear for her falling in love. Finding the Lost is a dark tale, as Shannon K. Butcher paints a forbidding, gloomy landscape in which an ancient war between humanity’s guardians and their nasty adversaries heats up in Nebraska.”
—Alternative Worlds
“A very entertaining read. . . .The ending was a great cliff-hanger, and I can’t wait to read the next book in this series. . . . A fast-paced story with great action scenes and lots of hot romance.”
—The Book Lush
“Butcher’s paranormal reality is dark and gritty in this second Sentinel Wars installment. What makes this story so gripping is the seamlessly delivered hard-hitting action and wrenching emotions. Butcher is a major talent in the making.”
—Romantic Times
Burning Alive
“A wonderful paranormal debut. . . .Shannon K. Butcher’s talent shines.”
—New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh
“Starts off with nonstop action. Readers will race through the pages, only to reread the entire novel to capture every little detail. . . . A promising start for a new voice in urban fantasy/paranormal romance. I look forward to the next installment.”
—A Romance Review (5 roses)
“This first book of the Sentinel Wars whets your appetite for the rest of the books in the series. Ms. Butcher is carving her way onto the bestseller lists with this phenomenal nonstop ride that will have you preordering the second book the minute you put this one down.”
—Affaire de Coeur (5 stars)
“Absorbing. . . .Butcher skillfully balances erotic, tender interactions with Helen’s worries, and intriguing secondary characters further enhance the unusual premise. Fans of Butcher’s romantic suspense novels will enjoy her turn toward the paranormal.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Ms. Butcher offers fresh and delightfully creative elements in this paranormal romance, keeping readers engaged as the story unfolds. Burning Alive is a well-crafted beginning to this exciting new series, and will have fans of the genre coming back for the next adventure in the Sentinel Wars.”
—Darque Reviews
“An exciting romantic urban fantasy. . . . Shannon K. Butcher adds her trademark suspense with plenty of tension and danger to the mix of a terrific paranormal thriller.”
—Midwest Book Review
—ParaNormal Romance
“A different twist on the paranormal genre. . . . Butcher has done a good job with Burning Alive, and I will definitely be reading the next in the series.”
—Fallen Angel Reviews
NOVELS OF THE SENTINEL WARS
Willing Sacrifice
Falling Blind
Bound by Vengeance (A Penguin Special)
Dying Wish
Blood Hunt
Living Nightmare
Running Scared
Finding the Lost
Burning Alive
THE EDGE NOVELS
Edge of Betrayal
Edge of Sanity
Razor’s Edge
Living on the Edge
SIGNET
Published by the Penguin Group
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New York, New York 10014
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penguin.com
A Penguin Random House Company
First published by Signet, an imprint of New American Library,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) LLC
Copyright © Shannon K. Butcher, 2015
Penguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin to continue to publish books for every read
er.
REGISTERED TRADEMARK—MARCA REGISTRADA
ISBN 978-1-101-63535-3
PUBLISHER’S NOTE
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
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Contents
Praise
Other Novels by Shannon K. Butcher
Title page
Copyright page
Dedication
Character List
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Excerpt from ROUGH EDGES
For Glen
Character List
Drake Asher: Theronai warrior, bonded to Helen Day
Briant Athar: Sanguinar
Connal Athar: Sanguinar
Logan Athar: Sanguinar, blood hunter, Hope Serrien’s mate
Aurora: Athanasian servant
Cain Aylward: Theronai warrior, Sibyl’s protector, bonded to Rory Rainey
Brenya: Queen of all Athanasia, the Solarc’s wife
Angus Brinn: Theronai warrior, bonded to Gilda
Gilda Brinn: the Gray Lady, Theronai, bonded to Angus
Maura Brinn: Theronai, Sibyl’s twin sister
Sibyl Brinn: Theronai, Maura’s twin sister
Canaranth: Synestryn, Zillah’s second in command
Meghan Clark: blooded human
Helen Day: the Scarlet Lady, Theronai, bonded to Drake Asher
Eron: Athanasian prince
Neal Etan: Theronai warrior, bonded to Viviana Rowan
Madoc Gage: Theronai warrior, bonded to Nika Madison
John Hawthorne: blooded human
Mabel Hennesy: blooded human
Lexi Johns: the Jade Lady, Theronai, bonded to Zach Talon
Justice: nomadic woman hunted by Ronan
Dakota Kacey: the Turquoise Lady, Theronai, bonded to Liam Lann
Nicholas Laith: Theronai warrior
Ronan Laith: Sanguinar
Liam Lann: Theronai warrior, bonded to Dakota Kacey
Samuel Larsten: Theronai warrior
Tynan Leygh: Sanguinar
Lucien: Athanasian prince, father of Jackie Patton
Andra Madison: the Sapphire Lady, Theronai, bonded to Paul Sloane
Nika Madison: the White Lady, Theronai, Andra’s sister
Victoria (Tori) Madison: Theronai, sister to Andra and Nika
Torr Maston: Theronai warrior, bonded to Grace Norman
Beth Mays: blooded human, Ella’s sister
Ella Mays: blooded human, Beth’s sister
Jake Morrow: human, member of the Defenders of Humanity
Blake Norman: human, Grace Norman’s stepbrother
Grace Norman: the Lavender Lady, bonded to Torr Maston, Blake Norman’s stepsister
Jackie Patton: the Golden Lady, Theronai, daughter of Lucien, bonded to Iain Terra
Andreas Phelan: Slayer, leader of the Slayers, Lyka’s half brother
Eric Phelan: Slayer, Andreas’s brother, Lyka’s half brother
Lyka Phelan: Slayer, Andreas’s half sister
Rory Rainey: the Amethyst Lady, Theronai, bonded to Cain Aylward
Joseph Rayd: Theronai warrior, leader of the Sentinels
Viviana Rowan: the Bronze Lady, Theronai, bonded to Neal Etan
Hope Serrien: Logan Athar’s mate
Cole Shepherd: blooded human
Alexander Siah: Sanguinar
Paul Sloane: Theronai warrior, bonded to Andra Madison
Carmen Taite: blooded human, Gerai, cousin to Vance and Slade Taite
Slade Taite: blooded human, Gerai, cousin to Carmen, brother to Vance
Vance Taite: blooded human, Gerai, cousin to Carmen, brother to Slade
Zach Talon: Theronai warrior, bonded to Lexi Johns
Iain Terra: Theronai warrior, bonded to Jackie Patton
Morgan Valens: Theronai warrior
Zillah: Synestryn lord
Chapter 1
November 30
“That woman needs to be restrained or someone is going to get hurt.”
Joseph did his best to stay focused on what the concerned human parents were saying, rather than on just how much the idea of restraining Lyka Phelan appealed to him. “I’m sure she’s being careful with her lessons.”
“Our son broke his arm,” said the mother, Joann, her lips tight with irritation.
“I’ll see to it that one of the Sanguinar heals him.”
“Lyka already took care of that, but that brings us to the next issue,” said the father, Darren.
“Which is?” asked Joseph, bracing himself for yet another problem added onto the already impressive pile he had on his plate today.
His patience had worn thin. His head throbbed and his chest ached with the strain of the magic growing inside him. Unlike the men under his command, who were free to roam, he was usually trapped behind a desk, unable to enjoy the physical exertion of battle. Without even that small outlet, the power he stored within his body continued to build, causing the kind of pain he could have only imagined a few years ago. The one thing that would ease this ache was to find a woman who could wield that power, channel it out of him and free him from it.
And he sure as hell wasn’t going to find her sitting behind a desk inside a fortified compound, deep in the rural Midwest.
The human woman sitting across from him tightened her lips until they were bloodless with irritation. “Lyka didn’t even ask us if we wanted one of the Sanguinar treating our son. She had no right to let one of those leeches touch him.”
Joseph bit back the harsh reprimand that surged behind his teeth at the woman’s use of the derogatory term for the Sanguinar. “When we found your son hovering at death’s door, you didn’t seem to mind the Sanguinar healing him.”
“That was before we found out what one of them did,” said Darren. “We always knew they were a shady lot, but stealing children? It’s unthinkable.”
Since word had gotten out that one of the Sanguinar had turned traitor and stolen a human woman and her child to use their lives as a bargaining chip with the enemy, everyone inside the walls of Dabyr had become suspicious of them.
Every day fewer and fewer humans offered the Sanguinar their blood to help fuel their efforts to heal the sick and injured. An
d every day the Sanguinar grew weaker.
“We found the traitor,” said Joseph, with as much patience as he could muster. “He’s dead. He can’t hurt anyone ever again.”
“You found one traitor,” said the man. “For all you know, there could be more of them waiting for an opportunity to strike. They can read minds, you know. Twist your thoughts and make you believe they’re telling the truth.”
Joseph pulled in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Pain stabbed behind his eyes, and the lighting in his office felt as if it were slicing his retinas. “I understand your concern, but I assure you that Tynan has used all his massive mind-reading ability to ensure that none of his people were working with the traitor.”
“And you believe him? Our son can’t leave this place. If he does, Synestryn demons will find him and he’ll be as good as dead. This is the only place he’ll ever be safe. That’s what you promised us when we agreed to live here.”
“Your son is safe here,” said Joseph. “The Sanguinar aren’t going to hurt him.” He’d had this conversation or one just like it a hundred times in the past week. At least that’s how it seemed.
All he wanted to do was get back to his job. Lead the Theronai in the war against the demons. Keep the humans under his care safe and sound. Calming worried parents was not in his job description, but it was all he seemed to be doing lately.
“Our son broke his arm,” said the woman slowly, as if Joseph were a small, stupid child. “That’s hardly safe.”
Most of the nearly five hundred people Joseph housed at Dabyr were reasonable folks. They were grateful for the safety the magically enhanced walls around the compound provided. Unfortunately, these two people had forgotten the hysterical terror they’d faced three years earlier, when their son had been stolen by demons and rescued before he’d been exsanguinated for the traces of magical blood flowing through his veins. They’d forgotten how desperate they’d been at the time, and how willing they’d been to do whatever it took to keep their baby safe.
But Joseph hadn’t forgotten. He knew what they would face outside these walls, and the fate that awaited their son if Joseph wasn’t able to appease them.
Synestryn demons wouldn’t care what the boy’s parents thought or felt. All they cared about was draining as much blood as possible from their son before tossing his remains to their beasts to pick his bones clean.