Immortals After Dark 07 - Kiss of a Demon King

Kiss of a Demon King by Kresley Cole
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    Pocket Books
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    This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
    Copyright © 2009 by Kresley Cole
    All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Pocket Books Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
    First Pocket Books paperback edition February 2009
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    For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Simon & Schuster Special Sales at 1-800-456-6798 or [email protected] Cover design by Lisa Litwack; cover illustration by Craig White Manufactured in the United States of America
    10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
    For Gena Showalter, light o' my life.
    Extraordinary writer, treasured mentor,
    and dearest friend.

    Glossary of Terms from The Living Book of Lore
    The Lore
    "... and those sentient creatures that are not human shall be united in one stratum, coexisting with, yet secret from, man's."
    • Most are immortal and can regenerate from injuries. The stronger breeds can only be killed by mystickal fire or beheading.
    • Their eyes change to a breed-specific color with intense emotion.
    The Demonarchies
    "The demons are as varied as the bands of man. . . ."
    • A collection of demon dynasties.
    • Most demon breeds can teleport or trace to places they've previously been.
    • A demon must have intercourse with a potential mate to ascertain if she's truly his—a process known as attempting.
    The Rage Demons
    "The one who controls Tornin controls the kingdom. ..."
    • A demonarchy located in the plane of Rothkalina.
    • Castle Tornin is their capital.
    x GLOSSARY
    • Were the guardians of the Well of Souls, a mystickal font of power located within Tornin.
    The Sept of Sorceri
    "The Sept forever seek and covet others' powers, challenging and dueling to seize more — or more darkly, stealing another's sorcery. ..."
    • A breed-line broken from the enchantment caste of the House of Witches.
    • Born with one innate power, their root power. If they lose it, they become slaves to their own kind called lnferi. They can trade and steal secondary powers.
    • One of the physically weaker species in the Lore, they used elaborate armors to protect their bodies.
    Eventually they held metals—and especially gold—sacred.
    The House of Witches
    "... immortal possessors of magickal talents, practitioners of good and evil."
    • Mystickal mercenaries who sell their spells.
    • Separated into five castes: warrior, healer, enchantress, conjurer, and seeress.
    The Valkyrie
    "When a maiden warrior dies with valor in battle, W6den and Freya preserve her courage forever in the form of an immortal Valkyrie daughter."
    • Take sustenance from the electrical energy of the earth, sharing it in one collective power, and give it back with their emotions in the form of lightning.
    • Possess preternatural strength and speed.
    GLOSSARY xi
    The Vampires
    "In the first chaos of the Lore, a brotherhood of vampires dominated, by relying on their cold nature, worship of logic, and absence of mercy. They sprang from the harsh steppes of Dacia and migrated to Russia, though some say a secret enclave, the Dad, live in Dacia still."
    • Consist of two warring factions, the Horde and the Forebearer Army.
    • Like many demons, vampires can trace.
    • The Fallen are vampires who have killed by drinking a victim to death. Distinguished by their red eyes.
    The Accession
    "And a time shall pass that all immortal beings in the Lore, from the Valkyrie, vampire, Lykae, and demon factions to the phantoms, shifters, fey, and sirens . . . must fight and destroy each other."
    • A kind of mystickal checks-and-balances system for an ever-growing population of immortals.
    • Occurs every five hundred