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GENA SHOWALTER

THE DARKEST SEDUCTION

At long last, New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter unveils the story of Paris, the darkest and most tormented Lord of the Underworld….

Possessed by the demon of Promiscuity, immortal warrior Paris is irresistibly seductive—but his potent allure comes at a terrible price. Every night he must bed someone new, or weaken and die. And the woman he craves above all others is the one woman he’d thought was forever beyond his reach…until now.

Newly possessed by the demon of Wrath, Sienna Blackstone is racked by a ruthless need to punish those around her. Yet in Paris’s arms, the vulnerable beauty finds soul-searing passion and incredible peace. Until a blood feud between ancient enemies heats up.

Will the battle against gods, angels and creatures of the night bind them eternally–or tear them apart?

Praise for the novels of New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author

“ The Darkest Surrenderis another sure-to-please hit…Gena Showalter knows how to keep readers glued to the pages and smiling the whole time.”

— New York Timesbestselling author Lara Adrian

“Showalter gives her fans another treat, sure to satisfy!”

— RT Book Reviewson The Darkest Passion

“The Showalter name on a book means guaranteed entertainment.”

— RT Book Reviewson Twice as Hot

“If you like your paranormal dark and passionately flavored, this is the series for you.”

— RT Book Reviewson The Darkest Whisper

“Talk about one dark read…If there is one book you must read this year, pick up The Darkest Kiss…a Gena Showalter book is the best of the best.”

— Romance Junkies

“A fascinating premise, a sexy hero and nonstop action, The Darkest Nightis Showalter at her finest, and a fabulous start to an imaginative new series.”

— New York Timesbestselling author Karen Marie Moning

“A world of myth, mayhem and love under the sea!”

—#1 New York Timesbestselling author J.R. Ward on The Nymph King

“Sexy, funny and downright magical!”

— New York Timesbestselling author Katie MacAlister on The Stone Prince

Other sexy, steamy reads from

GENA SHOWALTER

and HQN Books

The Lords of the Underworld series

The Darkest Night

The Darkest Kiss

The Darkest Pleasure

The Darkest Whisper

Heart of Darkness

“The Darkest Angel”

Into the Dark

The Darkest Passion

The Darkest Lie

The Darkest Secret

The Darkest Surrender

The Atlantis series

Heart of the Dragon

Jewel of Atlantis

The Nymph King

The Vampire’s Bride

Tales of an Extraordinary Girl

Playing with Fire

Twice as Hot

Other must-reads

The Stone Prince

The Pleasure Slave

Animal Instincts

Catch a Mate

From Harlequin TEEN

Intertwined

Unraveled

Twisted

From Harlequin Nonfiction

Dating the Undead (with Jill Monroe)

GENA SHOWALTER

The Darkest Seduction

Dear Reader,

At long last, I’m pleased to bring you the story of Paris, keeper of the demon of Promiscuity. Yes, I finally feel as though I’ve tortured him enough. After all, since the Lords of the Underworld were first introduced, Paris has

1) Lost the only woman he was able to bed more than once

2) Given up his chance to find her by choosing to save one of his friends instead

3) Formed an addiction to an illicit substance

4) Choked out any light of goodness inside himself

5) Turned into a war/fighting machine

His road to happily ever after has been paved with blood, sweat and tears. Mostly mine. Fine. Mostly his. Whatever. Semantics.Anyway, I knew he deserved something, and someone, special. In fact, I had an idea for him and sat down to write it. Four tries later—with three hundred pages in the trash—he showed me exactly what he wanted. Okay, fine (again). I finally gave in and did things his way. And you know what? He got the “special” I wanted for him.

The characters had so much more depth than I expected, and as they interacted the puzzle pieces began to fall into place—I saw why he wanted what he wanted, and for the first time in a very long time I heard Paris laugh. (I heard this in my head, of course, but laughter is laughter.) He’d found his “mine,” and she was and is exactly what he’s needed all along.

Will I ever stand in my characters’ way again? Well, yeah. (Hey, at least I’m honest.) But this one time, giving in proved to be the best thing I could have done.

I hope you are as satisfied with Paris’s story as he is.

All my best!

Gena Showalter

Throughout the years I’ve learned that family matters. I’ve been blessed with one of the most amazing families EVER. They love me, support me, and they are always there when I need them. The bond you see between the Lords, as well as the bond between the Harpy sisters? That’s what I have with my family, and I am beyond grateful. So this one is to my husband and children, my mom and dad, sisters and brothers, in-laws (who are so much more than that), nieces and nephews and crazy aunts and uncles. I love and adore you all!

Acknowledgments

From family to friends, I am blessed. To Jill Monroe, Kresley Cole and P.C. Cast. I love you, ladies!

Contents

EPIGRAPH

PROLOGUE

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER TWENTY

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

CHAPTER THIRTY

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE