Sacrifice of Darkness: A Guardians of Eternity Novella

Showalter
COLLECTION SIX
DRAGON CLAIMED by Donna Grant
ASHES TO INK by Carrie Ann Ryan
ENSNARED by Elisabeth Naughton
EVERMORE by Corinne Michaels
VENGEANCE by Rebecca Zanetti
ELI’S TRIUMPH by Joanna Wylde
CIPHER by Larissa Ione
RESCUING MACIE by Susan Stoker
ENCHANTED by Lexi Blake
TAKE THE BRIDE by Carly Phillips
INDULGE ME by J. Kenner
THE KING by Jennifer L. Armentrout
QUIET MAN by Kristen Ashley
ABANDON by Rachel Van Dyken
THE OPEN DOOR by Laurelin Paige
CLOSER by Kylie Scott
SOMETHING JUST LIKE THIS by Jennifer Probst
BLOOD NIGHT by Heather Graham
TWIST OF FATE by Jill Shalvis
MORE THAN PLEASURE YOU by Shayla Black
WONDER WITH ME by Kristen Proby
THE DARKEST ASSASSIN by Gena Showalter
Discover Blue Box Press
TAME MEby J. Kenner
TEMPT ME by J. Kenner
DAMIEN by J. Kenner
TEASE ME by J. Kenner
REAPER by Larissa Ione
THE SURRENDER GATEby Christopher Rice
SERVICING THE TARGET by Cherise Sinclair
THE LAKE OF LEARNING by Steve Berry and MJ Rose
THE MUSEUM OF MYSTERIES by Steve Berry and MJ Rose

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Table of Contents
Book Description
About Alexandra Ivy
Also from Alexandra Ivy
Acknowledgments from the Author
Discover 1001 Dark Nights
Foreword
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Epilogue
Discover 1001 Dark Nights Collection Seven
Discover More Alexandra Ivy
An excerpt from Shades of Darkness by Alexandra Ivy
Discover the World of 1001 Dark Nights
Special Thanks


One Thousand and One Dark Nights
Once upon a time, in the future…
 
I was a student fascinated with stories and learning.
I studied philosophy, poetry, history, the occult, and
the art and science of love and magic. I had a vast
library at my father’s home and collected thousands
of volumes of fantastic tales.
 
I learned all about ancient races and bygone
times. About myths and legends and dreams of all
people through the millennium. And the more I read
the stronger my imagination grew until I discovered
that I was able to travel into the stories... to actually
become part of them.
 
I wish I could say that I listened to my teacher
and respected my gift, as I ought to have. If I had, I
would not be telling you this tale now.
But I was foolhardy and confused, showing off
with bravery.
 
One afternoon, curious about the myth of the
Arabian Nights, I traveled back to ancient Persia to
see for myself if it was true that every day Shahryar
(Persian: شهريار, “king”) married a new virgin, and then
sent yesterday's wife to be beheaded. It was written
and I had read that by the time he met Scheherazade,
the vizier's daughter, he’d killed one thousand
women.
 
Something went wrong with my efforts. I arrived
in the midst of the story and somehow exchanged
places with Scheherazade – a phenomena that had
never occurred before and that still to this day, I
cannot explain.
 
Now I am trapped in that ancient past. I have
taken on Scheherazade’s life and the only way I can
protect myself and stay alive is to do what she did to
protect herself and stay alive.
 
Every night the King calls for me and listens as I spin tales.
And when the evening ends and dawn breaks, I stop at a
point that leaves him breathless and yearning for more.
And so the King spares my life for one more day, so that
he might hear the rest of my dark tale.
 
As soon as I finish a story... I begin a new
one... like the one that you, dear reader, have before
you now.


Prologue
Human architects and artists had created a beautiful tribute beneath the city of Athens. The underground stoas were a hidden labyrinth of shops and villas—and even some temples. The beauty, however, paled in comparison to the grandeur demons created in the subterranean tunnels buried deep in the ground.
The sprawling fight club was built of rare marble with arched doorways that led to vast rooms filled with a wide variety of entertainment. Water sprites splashed among the sparkling fountains, and naked imps sprawled on velvet pillows for any vampire in need of blood.
Or anything else they might hunger for.
Even the actual fighting pit had been built in the style of an elegant amphitheater—a cage in the center, and marble seats sweeping upward in the shape of a fan. It was all very civilized. Except for the air that pulsed with thick, savage violence.
Leaving the pit–still covered in the blood of his latest opponent–Javad the Vanquisher strolled through the corridors with their fluted columns and heavy tapestries that depicted his rise as a fighter. He couldn’t remember each and every battle that had been embroidered on the heavy velvet. Still, he had a vivid memory of the first time his sire, Vynom, had placed him in a fighting pit. The orc he’d been about to battle had laughed at the sight of Javad in a simple loincloth, his dark hair pulled back, and his hands empty. The creature had assumed that Javad needed weapons to be dangerous. Javad had swiftly taught him the error of his ways.
The battle had ended when Javad ripped the tusk out of the male’s mouth and used it to slice open the orc’s chest, destroying the heart.
Stories of the gruesome victory had spread far and wide. Within a few decades, Vynom had abandoned the small demon club to create a larger, more exclusive establishment, offering the opportunity for demons to wager vast sums of money on their ability to defeat Javad the Vanquisher. They’d become successful beyond their wildest imaginings.
Lately, however, it didn’t feel like success to Javad. In fact, everything had started to feel like a prison. And in some ways, it was.
From the moment Javad had awakened as a vampire, Vynom had stressed the importance of loyalty. He reminded Javad over and over that most sires abandoned their offspring before they ever rose from the grave. And that Javad would be dead or roaming the mountains of Persia alone and feral if Vynom hadn’t taken him into his lair. It had been he who’d taught Javad to survive as a vampire. He who’d protected him when they were attacked by a roving band of hellhounds. He’d also honed Javad’s fighting skills.
And any time