Eve of Darkness (39 page)
Eve slipped on the shoes. “What’s in San Diego?”
“Seahawks versus Chargers.”
“That’s such a guy date,” Eve teased, smiling.
He grabbed her keys and shades. Then he pulled her out to the hallway and locked the door. “We’ll take care of the girl parts later.”
NOTE: If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”
This is a work of fiction. All the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
EVE OF DARKNESS
Copyright © 2009 by Sylvia Day
All rights reserved.
A Tor Book
Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC
175 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10010
Tor® is a registered trademark of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.
ISBN-13: 978-0-7653-6041-0
ISBN-10: 0-7653-6041-1
First Edition: May 2009
Printed in the United States of America
0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
T
HE
S
EVEN
A
RCHANGELS
1. These are the names of the angels who watch.
2. Uriel, one of the holy angels, who presides over clamor and terror.
3. Raphael, one of the holy angels, who presides over the spirits of men.
4. Raguel, one of the holy angels, who takes vengeance on the world of the luminaries.
5. Michael, one of the holy angels, to wit, he that is set over the best part of mankind and over chaos.
6. Sarakiel, one of the holy angels, who is set over the spirits, who sin in the spirit.
7. Gabriel, one of the holy angels, who is over Paradise and the serpents and the Cherubim.
8. Remiel, one of the holy angels, whom God set over those who rise.
—The Book of Enoch 20:1–8
T
HE
C
HRISTIAN
H
IERARCHY OF
A
NGELS
First Sphere
—Angels who function as guardians of God’s throne
• Seraphim
• Cherubim
• Ophanim/Thrones/Wheels
(Erelim)
Second Sphere
—Angels who function as governors
• Dominions/Leaders
(Hashmallim)
• Virtues
• Powers/Authorities
Third Sphere
—Angels who function as messengers and soldiers
• Principalities/Rules
• Archangels
• Angels
(Malakhim)
A
BBREVIATED
P
LAYLIST
(in no particular order)
“Killing in the Name of”—Rage Against the Machine
“Blasphemous Rumors”—Depeche Mode
“California Love”—Tupac
“Carry on Wayward Son”—Kansas
“Dead or Alive”—Bon Jovi
More extras at
www.sjday.net
There are some projects in an author’s career that are inspired. The Marked series is definitely that for me. Eve came to me like Athena of Greek mythology, springing from my head fully armed and prepared for battle. Her story was then expanded upon by random synchronicities. I won’t attempt an explanation for how often random events offered prompts and clues at the exact moment I needed them, but I’m grateful.
Residents of Huntington Beach and Anaheim will note that I took creative license with locations. The fictional Henry’s Ice Cream shop is located where Lorenzo’s Pizza used to be on the corner of Cerritos and Euclid. Both the Circle K and Lorenzo’s are gone now, leaving a hole in my life that only Lorenzo’s pastrami sandwiches could fill.
St. Mary’s Church as described in the Marked series is nothing like the actual St. Mary’s by the Sea, which is located in a different part of the city and is much smaller and older. My St. Mary’s more closely resembles Saint Vincent de Paul in some aspects of appearance and location, but it’s fictional in every way.
I’ve taken other liberties with my beloved hometown area. Locals will spot them; non-locals won’t care. I hope you enjoyed the story in either case!
Turn the page for an excerpt from
of
DESTRUCTION
S. J. Day
Available June 2009
A TOR PAPERBACK
ISBN-13: 978-0-7653-6042-7 ISBN-10: 0-7653-6042-X
Copyright © 2009 by Sylvia Day
Evangeline Hollis woke to the scents of Hell—fire and brimstone, smoke and ashes.
Her nostrils flared in protest. She lay on her back, unmoving, willing her brain to catch up with her circumstances. Licking her lips, she tasted death, the bitterness coating both her tongue and her mouth in a thick, immovable wash. Her muscles shifted in an attempt to stretch and a groan escaped her.
What the hell?
The last thing she remembered was . . .
. . . being burned to a crisp by a dragon.
Panic assailed her with the memory, quickly followed by her mind lurching into full awareness. Eve jackknifed up from her sprawled position, sucking in air with such force it was audible. She blinked, but only inky darkness filled her vision. Her hand reached up to her arm and her fingertips found the raised brand there. The Mark of Cain—a triquetra surrounded by a circlet of three serpents, each one eating the tail of the snake before it. The eye of God filled the center.
The mark burned whenever she took the Lord’s name in vain—which was often—and whenever she lied, which was a little less often but useful on occasion. When dealing with Satan’s minions, playing dirty leveled the playing field.
Where the fuck am I?
In her upright position, the smoky stench in the air was magnified. Her nose wrinkled.
Maybe I’m in Hell?
As a longtime agnostic, she still struggled with facing the reality of God. Heaven, Hell, souls . . . They were concepts that couldn’t be explained with reason.
Besides, if there was a merciful God and a Heaven, she’d be there. She had only been cursed with the Mark of Cain for six weeks, and she hadn’t yet been properly trained in how to kill Infernals, but during that short time she had eradicated a tengu infestation, killed a Nix, and managed to vanquish a dragon. She’d also helped to put a lid on a major new threat to the good guys—a concoction of some sort that allowed Infernals to temporarily hide in the guise of mere mortals.
And
she’d managed to get Cain and Abel to work together for the first time since they were kids.
If all that wasn’t enough to save her soul, she would take her chances with the Devil. Maybe he’d have a better sense of fair play.
As Eve’s mind struggled to catch up with her present circumstances, the sound of singing penetrated the fog of her thoughts. She couldn’t understand a word, but it was familiar all the same. The language was Japanese; the voice, her mother’s.
The idea of sharing Hell with her mother was oddly both comforting and chilling.
And look for
Eve of Chaos
,
on sale June 30, 2009.
