Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Epigraph
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
Teaser chapter
Praise for the Novels of Deidre Knight
Red Demon
“Excellent . . . urban fantasy with a terrific premise. . . . Fans will need to set aside time as this is a one-sitting red-eye special.”
—Genre Go Round Reviews
“A wonderful addition to the Gods of Midnight series and I hope that another installment isn’t far away.”
—Romance Junkies
“Knight does her usual terrific job building a tale of lost love, loyalty, and danger in this latest Gods of Midnight novel.”
—Romantic Times
Red Kiss
“Sensual, action-packed, steaming hot. . . . Filled with demons, Gods, immortal warriors, and unique world building, Red Kiss will leave you begging for more.”
—Armchair Interviews
“Ms. Knight did a wonderful job blending the old-world sensibilities with the modern age.”
—Eye on Romance
“Breathes life into some of history’s most amazing men . . . and spins a captivating web of honor, deceit, and the overwhelming power of love.”
—Darque Reviews
“A sensational story that packs a ton of heat, action, and fantasy into its pages, Red Kiss is an enthralling read you just can’t miss!”
—Romance Reviews Today
“A must read for any romantic at heart.”
—TwoLips Reviews
“The women are strong, and the men are hot! Deidre Knight really knows how to steam up a cold night.”
—Fallen Angel Reviews
“A terrific tale that once again will have readers believing in the Knight world, where Gods and immortals intervene in the lives of expendable humans.”
—Midwest Book Review
“Action-packed and passion-filled . . . definitely a must read!”
—Fresh Fiction
“Deidre Knight has outdone herself with Red Kiss, a novel that will rest on our keeper shelf.”
—Single Titles (5 stars)
“Knight’s expertise at combining sensuality and pulse-pounding action is on full display. Make room for another ‘Knight’ on your keeper shelf.”
—Romantic Times (4 stars)
Red Fire
“Knight expertly blends scorching passion, gritty danger, and a wildly creative plot in Red Fire, the first in an edgy new paranormal series.”
—Chicago Tribune
“Exciting . . . a fantastic series.”
—Romance Junkies
“An incredible tale populated by only the most incredible characters . . . fast-paced, emotional, riveting. . . . I promise you’ll love it!”
—Romance Reviews Today
“What an exciting beginning to this new Gods of Midnight series! Very well-done by the talented Deidre Knight. I loved it!”
—Fresh Fiction
“Scorching hot, with a pace that never lets up.”
—New York Times Bestselling Author Christina Dodd
“White-hot immortal warriors, heart-pounding romance, and thrilling action. It doesn’t get any better than this!”
—New York Times Bestselling Author Gena Showalter
“Deidre Knight has created a fascinating world of gods, demons, and immortal warriors. I can’t wait for more!”
—New York Times Bestselling Author Angela Knight
“Hot Gates, hot men, myth, and magic in modern day. . . . Sign me up for more Gods of Midnight!”
—Jessica Andersen
“A fantastic and riveting new voice in paranormal fiction.”
—New York Times Bestselling Author
Karen Marie Moning
Parallel Desire
“Wonderful book . . . outstanding series.”
—Affaire de Coeur
“Twists, turns . . . and scintillating romance.”
—ParaNormal Romance
Parallel Seduction
“Intriguing. . . . There’s never a dull moment in this terrific series!”
—Romantic Times
“Deep emotion, fast-paced action, characters who come alive, and a plot full of surprises.”
—Romance Reviews Today
Parallel Heat
“Powerfully sensual and mind-blowing . . . a hot romance . . . a great paranormal.”
—Romance: B(u)y the Book
“Once again Knight explodes with another compelling page-turner . . . one heck of a riveting sensual ride.”
—The Best Reviews
Parallel Attraction
“This book swept me off my feet. A fantastically original, smart, and sexy adventure.”
—National Bestselling Author Susan Grant
“At times humorous, at others heart-wrenching, but always compelling.”
—New York Times Bestselling Author Gena Showalter
ALSO BY DEIDRE KNIGHT
Gods of Midnight
Red Demon
Red Fire
Red Kiss
The Midnight Warriors
Parallel Attraction
Parallel Heat
Parallel Seduction
Parallel Desire
SIGNET ECLIPSE
Published by New American Library, a division of
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First published by Signet Eclipse, an imprint of New American Library, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
First Printing, April 2011
eISBN : 978-1-101-51363-7
Copyright © Deidre Knight, 2011
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PUBLISHER’S NOTE
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This book is dedicated to Eleanor Knight, my mother,
for inspiring and encouraging me to be a writer.
May I give the same gift to others every day.
And also to Angela Zoltners, who has been part
of this journey from the very beginning.
You are truly the sister of my heart, dear friend.
“A little of Leonidas lies in the fact that I can go where I like and write what I like. He contributed to set us free.”
—William Golding, The Hot Gates
“Forward, sons of the Greeks, liberate the fatherland, liberate your children, your women, the temples of your ancestral gods, the graves of your forebears: this is the battle for everything.”
—Aeschylus
Prologue
More than twenty-five hundred years ago there was a land where the bravest, most valiant warriors were hammered like bronze, forged into human weapons by years of rigorous training and sacrifice. These men were noble, heroic, and stalwart; they would willingly give their lives for their homeland and face down even the most terrifying enemy. Their home, called Sparta, lay nestled deep in the rocky heart of ancient Greece. Its people were private and plainspoken, their lives austere. The men made a life of war, always eager for the next battle.
Then there arose a threat of epic proportions: a Persian force numbering in the hundreds of thousands. The Spartans’ Greek neighbors to the north reported that this Persian war machine had trampled entire villages, left forests devastated, the land ravaged and scorched, and that their ranks numbered more than the stars in heaven. Unbeknownst to these mortal soldiers, a much more sinister force stood behind the enemy’s massacres. Djinn demons drove the bloodlust of the Persian forces and influenced the outcome of the battles on their own quest to carry darkness into the souls of mankind.
When this invading Persian army came, they seemed invincible. The Greek forces allied against them, but could not halt their advances. The Greeks were desperate for more time to plan and strategize since it was their only hope of stopping the Persian hordes. One man, King Leonidas of Sparta, announced that he would provide the necessary delay—that he would lead his three hundred most elite officers to make their stand against the invaders at the narrow spit of land known as the Hot Gates.
Thermopylae.
This pass, an opening wide enough to accommodate only a few men fighting side by side, would be the stage. There Leonidas and his Spartans would bottle up the Persian forces, using the Gates themselves as an advantage to limit the power of the Persians. They would fight to the last man in order to restrain the enemy for as long as they could—even until the very last Spartan lay dead. These three hundred would give up their lives for Sparta and Greece, for duty and loyalty, for homeland and family. And for a hero’s passage to heavenly Elysium.
And so it was that for three sweltering August days this courageous, stubborn king fought alongside his crimson-cloaked warriors. Leonidas made no distinctions among them. All were soldiers, equal in battle, and all would drink from the cup of death as the gods decreed. Beside him, his senior captain, Ajax Petrakos, led charge after charge. Together they blocked the pass, warring with swords, shields, and eventually nothing but their bare hands.
The king and his soldiers never relented, never backed down, and on the third day, when the burning sun began to slide behind the mountains that marked the pass, only a handful of Spartans remained standing. It was then that the final moments came, and one by one the last of these Spartan warriors, inseparable in life, fell together in death. With their passing the battle was lost, but their Spartan duty was fulfilled.
Captain Petrakos was the first to awake facing the River Styx, that boundary between mortal life and the mystery beyond. Next his servant Kassandros materialized beside him, the two linked together in death as they had been in life. One by one, other Spartans appeared out of the mist: Ajax’s brothers, Kalias and Aristos, then Nikos and his fellow warrior Straton. And finally their beloved King Leonidas, battered, broken, and mutilated from battle, yet standing tall among their ranks. But an unexpected being also emerged from the mist to stand beside their king. One beyond the warriors’ imaginings. Before them stood a towering golden god wearing a proud smile upon his face. It was none other than Ares, the lord of all Spartan soldiers, their god of war.
Ares had come to present an offer, one final choice, as the seven warriors stood at this place between life and death. They could lay down their swords and move on to Elysium and the afterlife that awaited them, or they could turn back to the world, take up their arms once more, and become immortal protectors of mankind for eternity.
They would fight every form of evil that threatened humanity, becoming battlers of demons and fighters of ageless wars. They would serve under Ares, in the name of mankind. With the deity’s offer, these warriors could ensure safety for their families, for Sparta, and for the sons and daughters of Sparta for centuries to come. In their immortal form, each man would possess abilities akin to those of the gods. They would be stronger than before and in the heat of battle could assume the form of hawks, with the flight, lethality, and grace of these warrior birds. They would become dark angels, saviors of the night.
The will of warriors was in their blood and in their souls, and they knew in their hearts that it was a noble quest. But it was a noble quest for a capricious god. Still, they would have followed their king to the ends of the earth, to Hades itself if he asked it of them. And when they looked into his wise eyes, they knew his decision had already been made.
Leonidas did not beseech them; the choice lay with each man alone. But these were men born and bred to fight for the glory of war. Their duty, honor, and love for one another bound the warriors in unspoken agreement. One by one, each of the seven men drank from the River Styx, binding their immortality and their vow.
There was no time for second thoughts and no place for regrets. The seven Spartans, now the immortal protectors of all mankind, turned away from what might have been and bowed down before the voice of war.
Chapter 1
The brand-new Mustang convertible was a thing of beauty, all sleek and shiny and black. Which didn’t begin to cover the way the vehicle drove, especially when Leonidas opened up the engine, gunning along the two-lane blacktop that led to his farm on the outskirts of Savannah. The car clearly possessed enough horsepower under its hood to power a small third-world country.
Well, perhaps that stretched the truth, but it felt that way to Leo, a man who was pushing twenty-six hundred years old, who’d grown to physical maturity astride a real horse—and had witnessed the advent of steam and electricity and nuclear power. He was also a man who rarely indulged in modern luxury or vanity, and who still preferred his stallion Virtue to any motor vehicle.
Yes, the sports car was a true aberration for someone as . . . well, Spartan as himself, but Leo still beamed with pride, and turned onto the driveway of his Savannah home. As he p
ulled up in front of the compound, he found Jamie Angel on the parking pad, busy washing his pickup truck. He turned, hose and sponge in hand, then dropped everything—including his jaw—as Leo parked the sports car.
By the time Leo climbed out of the driver’s seat, Jamie was already circling the vehicle. He whistled low in appreciation. “Damn, sir, you’ve truly outdone yourself!” he announced. “You could land a couple dozen women in the sack with this ride. As if rocking the kingship wasn’t enough . . .” Jamie lifted one highly suggestive eyebrow.
Leo coughed into his hand. “That’s not exactly what I had in mind,” he argued, but Jamie was already too busy sliding into the passenger seat to hear any objection.
Right then Ajax, ever Leonidas’s closest confidant among the cadre, came barreling down the front steps of the house, his dark eyes wide with shock. “Gods of Olympus!” He whistled—at least as loudly as Jamie had. “You actually bought something for yourself? Something expensive and indulgent and . . . flashy? Are you becoming slack in your old age?”
Hardly a fair assessment considering Leo still drank his wine cut with water, usually from a wooden bowl. He even disavowed his own garden tub because he feared it would make him too soft. And Jax had the gall to actually smirk at him, gloating with undisguised satisfaction.
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