Demon Forged

Table of Contents

 

 

 

 

 

 

“An excellent entry in a great series . . . Another winner as the multifaceted Guardian saga continues to expand in complexity while remaining entertaining . . . Complex and beautifully done as always.”

—
Book Binge

 

“Be prepared for more surprises and more revelations . . . Brook continues to deliver surprising characters, relationships, paranormal elements, and plot twists—the only thing that won’t surprise you is your
total
inability to put this book down.”

—
Alpha Heroes

 

“Readers will be blown away by the fascinating and unique heroine.”

—
Romantic Times

 

“Raises the bar on paranormal romance for sheer thrills, drama, and world-building, and hands-down cements Brook’s place at the top of her field.”

—
Romance Junkies

 

 

 

 

“Meljean is now officially one of my favorite authors. And this book’s hero? . . . I just went weak at the knees. And the love scenes—wow, just wow.”

—Nalini Singh,
New York Times
bestselling author of
Slave to Sensation
and
Visions of Heat

 

“This is the book for paranormal lovers. It is a phenomenal book by an author who knows how to give her readers exactly what they want. What Brook’s readers want is a story that is dangerous, sexy, scary, and smart.
Demon Night
delivers all that and more! . . . [It] is the epitome of what a paranormal romance should be! I didn’t want to put it down.”

—
Romance Reader at Heart

“Poignant and compelling with lots of action, and it’s very sensual. You’ll fall in love with Charlie, and Ethan will cause your thermometer to blow its top. An excellent plot, wonderful dialogue . . . Don’t miss reading it or any of Meljean Brook’s other novels in this series.”

—
Fresh Fiction

 

“An intense romance that will leave you breathless . . . I was drawn in from the first page.”

—
Romance Junkies

 

 

 

 

“The fourth book in Meljean Brook’s Guardian series turns up the heat without losing any of the danger.”

—
Entertainment Weekly

 

“A read that goes down hot and sweet—utterly unique—and one hell of a ride.”

—
New York Times
bestselling author Marjorie M. Liu

 

“Sensual and intriguing,
Demon Moon
is a simply wonderful book. I was enthralled from the first page!”

—Nalini Singh

 

“Action-packed, with a fascinating, one-of-a-kind vampire hero and a heroine with some very unique qualities.”

—
Romantic Times

 

“Brings a unique freshness to the romantic fantasy realm . . . Action-packed from the onset.”

—
Midwest Book Review

 

“I loved every moment of it.”

—
All About Romance

 

“Fantastically drawn characters . . . and their passion for each other is palpable in each scene they share. It stews beneath the surface, and when it finally reaches a boiling point, . . . OH WOW!”

—
Vampire Romance Books

 

 

 

 

“I’ve never read anything like this book.
Demon Angel
is brilliant, heartbreaking, genre-bending—even, I dare say, epic. Simply put, I love it.”

—Marjorie M. Liu

 

“Brook has crafted a complex, interesting world that goes far beyond your usual . . . paranormal romance.
Demon Angel
truly soars.”

—Jennifer Estep, author of
Jinx

“I can honestly say I haven’t read many books lately that have kept me guessing and wondering ‘what’s next,’ but this is one of them. [Brook has] created a unique and different world . . . Gritty and realistic . . . Incredibly inventive . . . This is a book which makes me think and think about it even days after finishing it.”

—
Dear Author

 

“Enthralling . . . [A] delightful saga.”

—
The Best Reviews

 

“Extremely engaging . . . A fiendishly good book.
Demon Angel
is outstanding.”

—
The Romance Reader

 

“A surefire winner. This book will captivate you and leave you yearning for more. Don’t miss
Demon Angel
.”

—
Romance Reviews Today

 

“A fascinating romantic fantasy with . . . a delightful pairing of star-crossed lovers.”

—
Midwest Book Review

 

“Complex and compelling . . . A fabulous story.”

—
Joyfully Reviewed

 

 

 

“An emotional roller coaster for both the characters and the reader. Brook has penned a story I am sure readers won’t soon forget . . . Extraordinary work.”

—
Romance Junkies

 

“In-depth and intriguing. I loved the obvious thought and ideas put into writing this tale. The characters are deep, as is the world that is set up.”

—
The Romance Readers Connection

 

“Brook . . . creates fantastic death-defying love . . . Extremely erotic . . . With a paranormal twist.”

—
Fresh Fiction

 

“Intriguing . . . The sex is piping hot.”

—
Romance Reviews Today

 

“I look forward to many more tales from Ms. Brook.”

—
Joyfully Reviewed

DEMON ANGEL
DEMON MOON
DEMON NIGHT
DEMON BOUND
DEMON FORGED

 

 

HOT SPELL

WILD THING

 

FIRST BLOOD

MUST LOVE HELLHOUNDS

Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)

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Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

 

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. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

 

DEMON FORGED

 

A Berkley Sensation Book / published by arrangement with the author

 

PRINTING HISTORY

Berkley Sensation mass-market edition / October 2009

Copyright © 2009 by Melissa Khan.

 

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

 

eISBN : 978-1-101-14526-5

 

BERKLEY
^®
SENSATION

Berkley Sensation Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

BERKLEY
^®
SENSATION and the “B” design are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

 

 

Writing is solitary work, but a book can’t be produced alone. Thank you to my editor, Cindy Hwang, who is patient and brilliant, and I thank God every day that she’s mine. To her assistant, Leis Pederson, who gets me everything I need. To the art department at Berkley, and the cover artist, Cliff Nielsen, who blew my socks off with this spectacular design, and an image that is everything I write my heroines to be: strong, strong, strong . . . and sexy. And to everyone else at Berkley whose work has touched the books in this series—I can’t thank you enough.

Also, my undying gratitude goes to Nathalie Nguyen, who helped me out with the French that my Spanish classes in high school and college never covered. To Michelle Dominguez, who checked my Italian. Everything correct is theirs, every error is, of course, mine. To Ilona Andrews, Jill Myles, Jennifer Lampe, Holly Mercer, and Kate Garrabrant, who always manage to send me e-mails at exactly the right time, whether they know it or not. And to all of the readers who stop by my blog, drive to a signing, or send me e-mails and cookies to share with my daughter, and whose lives touch my strange little one—thank you.

To the city of San Francisco: I’m sorry. I couldn’t pick up City Hall and move it, so I took liberties.

 

Two years ago, the senators and I met in this room to discuss the formation of Special Investigations, which now operates under the Homeland Security umbrella. Madam Secretary, Mr. Secretary, in that meeting, your counterparts in the former administration heard the story of the First Battle, during which rebel angels, led by Lucifer, were defeated and transformed into demons. These demons were tossed into Hell, but were able to travel to Earth through the Gates until the events two years ago that brought the Guardians to the attention of your government.