Dark Matters: A Novella

By Vicki Pettersson

Originally appeared in the print anthology Unbound.

Following the slaughter of his parents, J.J. became an Agent of the Light. But now, in Vicki Pettersson's Dark Matters, his love for the beautiful killer who spared his life transforms the fierce defender into the most perfect predator of all.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: May 1, 2012
• ISBN: 9780062206787

Vicki Pettersson

Vicki Pettersson is the New York Times bestselling author of the Sign of the Zodiac novels, a six-book urban fantasy series set in her hometown of Las Vegas. Though she'll always consider that glittering dust bowl home, she now divides her time between Vegas and Dallas, where she's learning to like good Tex-Mex (easy) and the Dallas Cowboys (easier than you'd think).

Book preview

Chapter 1

The bar was a college hangout, hardly more than a steel ceiling and a concrete floor. The so-called band had just finished their final set and was now taking their payment from the tap. JJ let his head hang forward as Warren called for another round, and the bartender, who’d only dubiously allowed the last one, frowned. Options flitted over his face like words on a teleprompter. He could be fined if they left this bar and suffered injury under the influence of the whiskey he’d served, but on the up side, they wouldn’t come back. Even in a run-down, midtown Las Vegas bar, where transience was an accepted part of life, a guy who smelled like a bum and one who looked like a pissed-off linebacker were undesirable. So he hedged his bets, and brought them the bottle. JJ offered up a lopsided smile. It was the Vegas way.

Once served, his troop leader finally came around to the subject he’d spent the last half hour inching up on. That, my son, was a close one.

No, JJ thought, tapping the glass and throwing back his head. It had been even closer than that. Trapped in that steel plane, thousands of feet above the ground, JJ had been forced to consider something rare, at least in relation to himself: death. In fact, he’d never been so sure of anything in his life as the commuter flight the Shadows had hijacked flew toward the base, flanked by fighter jets, screams tearing through the air. What most surprised him was the voice, the one he trusted and had named his intuition, had sighed its acceptance. Finally.

JJ knew Warren expected some bland agreement, but his overriding thought was, Just buy me another shot, man.

Then his troop leader surprised him by squaring on him fully. It’s hard living in the past. Hard to even call it your past if you’ve never put it behind you.

JJ peered into his shot glass. This thing still empty?

Warren motioned, took the bottle from the bartender’s hands, and started pouring it himself. You’ve broken even so far, but that’s just treading water, and today proved it.

Because today, for the first time in the three years he’d been a full-fledged agent of Light, JJ had almost

Reviews for Dark Matters

[jalenv_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I've read a few stories set in Vicki Pettersson's The Sign of the Zodiac series, but not enough of them to be that invested in 'Dark Matters' until about chapter four or five of its seven chapters.When the story starts, a five-year-old JJ, son of two agents of Light, gets to witness his parents die in a battle with the Shadows. One little Shadow girl, Solange, could have killed him but didn't. They meet again 23 years later. Their interactions are this story, coupled with the need to find the Kairos, the child of prophecy. A human psychic could have the answer. Who will get to her first? This is an origin story. If you're a fan of the series, it should prove interesting. Otherwise, it takes a while to get into the story.