Ruby Shadows Read online

  Born to Darkness

  Book 3: Ruby Shadows

  Evangeline Anderson

  * * * * *

  PUBLISHED BY:

  Evangeline Anderson Books on Smashwords

  Born to Darkness

  Book 3: Ruby Shadows

  Copyright © 2015 by Evangeline Anderson

  Smashwords Edition License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work.

  Dedicated to my Aunt Treasure. You may be gone but you will never be forgotten. Thank you for always being so supportive of my writing. I love you and miss you so very much.

  Author’s Note #1: To be the first to hear about new releases, join my new newsletter. I promise no spam—you will only get email from me when a new book is out for either preorder or for sale.

  Author’s Note #2: I'm so pleased to let you know that the Kindred series is slowly but surely being put into the audio format. Claimed is available in audio and Hunted is out in audio as well. Sought and Found are following later in 2015. The books are performed by the very talented Anne Johnstonbrown whom I hand-picked to read the series.

  Listening to the books on audio is like reading the story for the first time all over again. Audio is wonderful for long commutes, exercising at the gym or just listening while you're cleaning around the house. Just be sure you wear your headphones--Anne really brings the steamy scenes to life and you'll be blushing if your family hears what you're listening to! : )

  Hugs and Happy Reading and Listening to you all,

  Evangeline Anderson May, 2015

  Other Books by Evangeline Anderson

  Brides of the Kindred books (in order)

  Claimed (also available in print and as an audio book)

  Hunted (also available in print and as an audio book)

  Sought

  Found

  Revealed

  Pursued

  Exiled

  Shadowed

  Chained

  Divided

  Devoured (also available in print)

  Enhanced

  Cursed

  Enslaved

  Targeted coming Summer of 2015

  Forgotten coming Fall of 2015

  Born to Darkness Paranormal series

  Crimson Debt

  Scarlet Heat

  Ruby Shadows

  Cardinal Sins (coming soon)

  ***The above books are just a small sample of Evangeline's work. For a complete list of books from all publishers, please visit her website***

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  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 17

  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

  Epilogue

  Kindred 15: Targeted excerpt

  Born to Darkness 4: Cardinal Sins excerpt

  Also by Evangeline Anderson

  About the Author

  Prologue

  When you’re dealing with demons, nothing is for free.

  Believe me—I found that out the hard way. My name is Gwendolyn LaRoux and I’m a witch. Not a green-skinned cackling old hag with a hump on her nose and a skinny black cat kind of witch, though. I’m actually quite modern, thank you very much—a typical twenty-something just trying to make her way in the world.

  Well, except for one minor detail—I’m still a virgin.

  But lest you go thinking it’s because I’m a prude, let me set the record straight. Witches need to keep themselves intact until they find someone to form a love bond with. No love bond equals no sex. That’s because casual encounters and one night stands without love involved will half a witch’s power and greatly diminish her potency, which leaves her vulnerable to attacks by rivals and other supernatural creatures who might wish her harm.

  This particular rule doesn’t apply to warlocks—male witches—though. It’s just those of us with girly parts that have to keep our legs crossed. Not fair, right? No, not a damn bit but that’s the way it is and, as my Grams keeps reminding me, I have to stay pure to stay powerful. Though she doesn’t say it, I know what else she’s thinking—stay pure to stay protected. She always worries about me so much and I can’t say I blame her. The women in our family aren’t known for being able to stay out of trouble.

  Take my mom, for instance. She got on the wrong side of a fire demon back when my sister Keisha and I were just little girls. Grams always says she went too far toward the darkness and just couldn’t come back. Unfortunately, it ended up killing her, which left Grams to raise us.

  After that, I promised Grams I would stay pure. Keisha did the same but unfortunately, she couldn’t resist a certain boy in high school who promised he would love her forever. She gave in and lost half her power along with her virginity—no surprise since he was a player who never really cared for her in the first place. It takes two to form a love bond and unfortunately, Keisha judged unwisely. After that her life just got worse until… well, I’d rather not say any more about her.

  As for me, I’ve had my share of ups and downs—not that I would let my Grams know. Well, she does know I used my power to form a soul eater for a local vampire by the name of Corbin—but that was for a good cause. And he offered me his blood in payment, which I happened to need for a spell.

  What Grams doesn’t know is that I called on a minor demon for help in forming the soul eater. I promised her I’d only use my powers for light and stay away from the darkness that ate my mother, but I had to make one little compromise—just one.

  Unfortunately, that one little compromise came back to bite me in the ass. The demon I called goes by the name of Laish and ever since he helped me, he’s been all up in my business. It’s incredibly irritating—especially considering that he’s ridiculously good looking with coal black hair, a big, muscular body to die for and these weirdly attractive ruby-red eyes.

  I’ve never dated outside my race before—to be honest, I’ve never dated much at all—but Laish would tempt me to give it a try. If he wasn’t a demon, that is.

  I don’t know how Grams would feel about me dating a white guy but I do know how she’d feel about me dating a demon. Especially one so sinfully attractive he makes me feel hot and cold all over every time we’re in the same room together.

  Laish has this deep, smoky voice and when he looks at me with those ruby eyes I feel like I’m naked. He’s always calling me annoying little French nicknames—mon chatte, and mon ange—which I’m sure is a dig at my Creole heritage. Naturally I don’t give him the time of day. Demons don’t have souls so you can’t bond with them—not that I w