What Devil's May Come: Devil Series

By Raven Steele

"Dark forces are coming. We must face them together."

I am a psychic and an agent for the Deific, a secret agency with one purpose: stop evil supernaturals wherever they appear.

And right now, we have one major problem. An ancient vampire who calls himself the Dark Prince has come to our city and is creating vampires faster than we can keep up with.

Something big and terrible is about to happen. I can feel it in my bones.

I think I'm ready to face it, to fight it.

But then I meet her--Moira.

She fights vampires better than most men and seems to know my most private thoughts. 

I fear she may even know my heart's true desires.

But I'm not the only one who wants her.

The Dark Prince has taken a sudden interest in her.

And if I can't stop him, I'll lose the best thing to ever come into my life.
 

In this paranormal romance series, Steele introduces readers to a dark and sexy world full of vampires, shifters and witches. If you like Cassandra Clare, Patricia Briggs, Laurell K. Hamilton and Anne Rice, you will LOVE this series based in the Rouen world! Scroll up and grab your copy today!  
 

This is the beginning of a four-book series. Start it now!

 

What Devil's May Come (prequel)

 

The Devil's Fool
The Devil's Angel
The Devil's Soldier
The Devil

• Language: English
• Publisher: Raven Steele
• Release date: May 31, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393258759

Book preview

Chapter 1

The devil shouldn't have come here. It was brazen of him to enter a place with so many humans, and yet the white-haired vampire didn't seem concerned at all. He acted as if he was one of us and sat at a table near the door staring out the window. He even drank from the glass of water that a waitress had placed in front of him, like he needed it. He'd just as easily rip the woman's arm from her socket and drink the blood from the wound.

But he did none of those things. Yet.

I sat six booths over watching him closely, my hand gripping a wooden stake beneath the napkin on my lap. Maybe I should've stopped him before he entered the restaurant, but I really didn't think he would come in here. If he hadn't, I would've followed him to his destination, hoping he would lead me back to his nest. From there, I would've called the Deific for backup and together we would eliminate whatever vampires we found.

Unless… maybe this vampire was a good one and only came in here to escape the impending storm. I chuckled at the thought. Good vampires were an anomaly. In fact, I only knew of Henry, the founder of the Deific. He claimed there were others too, but I think I had a better chance of finding Bigfoot than a vampire who didn't kill humans.

Were you going to order something? a sweet-sounding voice said.

I turned and looked up into the prettiest eyes I had ever seen. They were soft and blue, warming me the way the sun does on a summer afternoon. I grinned like an idiot.

Sir? The woman smiled back, and her eyes twinkled.

I cleared my throat and lowered my gaze to the menu. She wasn't the same waitress who had seated me or brought me my last three sodas.

As if reading my mind, she said, I'm taking over for the other waitress. Her shift was over. Are you ready to order yet?

I glanced at her name tag: Moira. She looked like a Moira. Sandy blond hair pulled into a loose ponytail. Long, stray tendrils framed her oval shape. There couldn't have been a more perfect name.

She reached toward the menu and pointed. You'll love this. Chicken with mushrooms smothered in a cream sauce. It's my favorite.

As she withdrew her hand, it brushed mine, and I saw a flash of her sitting in a lecture hall, while a professor rattled on at the front of the room. She was doodling on a notebook, a cartoon figure. The image faded, and she looked at me funny.

Are you okay? she asked.

Sorry. Long day at the office. I returned my focus to the menu. I'll have what you suggested.

You got it. And I'll add in something special since you've had a rough day. She winked at me and walked away. I slumped into my seat at that wink. I don't know who she was, but I had to know more.

I watched her the entire time until she disappeared into the kitchen. How had I not seen her before? I've been coming to this restaurant once a week for the last three months ever since I was put on stakeout duty. The Deific had seen a rise of vampire activity in Wildemoor but had yet to find one that could guide us back to their nest.

Every night I ate at a different restaurant within a five block radius searching for vamps. Whenever I found one and tried to follow it, the vampire would lose me. It was almost like someone had taught them how to avoid us. This bothered me. I'd been working at the Deific as an agent for the last five years stopping all kinds of evil monsters, but never had it been this difficult.

I looked up at the vampire on the other side of the room. This is the closest I've come to one I wasn't immediately killing. Maybe if I could touch him, my psychic ability could latch on to his entity and I'd be able to track him easier. For now, my gift mostly relied on touch, but Henry thought it would increase as I grew older.

Moira exited the kitchen carrying a tray full of hot food. I didn't have to look to know she had entered the room, so strong was her connection to me. Usually my gift didn't work this well, but the touch we shared must have been powerful. It was a good feeling, exciting even. I hoped it would last awhile, but my linked connections rarely did.

As she drew closer, a sudden vision filled my mind. The man sitting next to my booth was going to push away from his table at the exact moment Moira passed behind him. He would hit her tray and food would fly everywhere.

The images came upon me so fast that I didn't have time to do anything but think, Stop!

Moira froze where she was. The man slid his chair away from his table and stood, completely unaware of the waitress behind him.

She glanced over at me and grinned. Phew! That was close! Thanks for the warning.

She continued past me to deliver the food a few tables down. I stared after her, my mouth open. I must've said the word, not thought it.

I continued to watch her moving around the restaurant taking care of each customer as if they were family, smiling and laughing with them. It seemed I wasn't the only one to fall under her spell. She was clearly adored by everyone.

The front door jingled open. I probably wouldn't have looked, but a dark feeling settled over the room, as dark as the night outside my window. I turned to discover the cause. My heart skipped a beat.

Another vampire.

I averted my gaze before he caught me staring, but looked back just as he sat down with the other vampire. I shifted the stake on my lap, pointing the tip away from me. This was bad. For two to appear in public meant they were getting more comfortable being around humans. We didn't want them comfortable.

I closed my eyes, tension leaving my body when I felt Moira return to the dining room. As she weaved her way through the tables, her eyes flashed to mine and then to the vampire's table. Much to my dismay, she approached their table and took their order. She scribbled something onto a pad she was holding. What could they possibly be ordering? She disappeared into the kitchen again.

Despite my racing pulse, I slid the dagger into the sleeve of my arm, stood and crossed the room. Just before I reached the vampire's table, I pretended to trip. As I fell, I brushed the elbow of the closer one, the one who was much taller than I and had hair as long as Moira's, but jet black in color.

He shoved me away and growled, Don't touch me.

I stumbled into a table opposite him, grimacing. A sliver of darkness had pierced me the moment I had touched him, and it made me nauseous having it inside me. Definitely not a good vampire. But we were connected now. I should be able to sense him at least for the next few hours.

The vampires glared at me as I returned to my table. A moment later, Moira arrived with my food. She wasn't smiling like before.

She placed the plate in front of me. You're going to stay out of trouble, right?

I squirmed under the intensity of her gaze. What do you mean? I'm about as boring as they come.

What's your name?

I cleared my throat wondering if I should use my fake identity, but for some reason, I wanted her to know my real name. Charlie.

She tucked the tray under her armpit and leaned toward me, speaking low so other customers couldn't hear her. I saw you deliberately trip into those two men over there. I don't know what you want with them, but you need to stay away. They are dangerous. Do you understand, Charlie?

I grinned, enjoying her concern for my safety. If only she knew.

Yes, ma'am, I said.

Her eyes narrowed as she regarded me steadily. I thought she was going to say something else, but she turned and walked away. There was something different about her, not in a supernatural way, I don't think anyway, but special. She was keenly aware of everything going on around her and seemed to be good at reading people.

I continued to watch her and the vampires for the next thirty minutes while I slowly ate my food. It was almost nine o'clock and the dinner rush was over. Several people had already left leaving only a handful of us in the dining room. Because the restaurant didn't have a bar, it closed earlier than most.

Moira continued to take care of the vamps even though they had finished their food ten minutes ago. They had eaten everything on their plate, rare steaks and potatoes. It wasn't unheard of for vampires to consume human food; they just preferred not to.

At first, it worried me having Moira deal with the vampires as their temperaments could be volatile, but she handled them well. A little too well.

She returned to my table. Do you need anything else, Charlie?

The check is all. Are you new here? I come in here a lot but haven't seen you before.

I started five days ago. So far, it's been a great place to work.

What are you studying in college? I asked.

Her expression darkened. I didn't tell you I was in college.

That's when I realized my mistake. I had only seen that in a vision. I cursed silently and backpedaled. You didn't, but you're the right age to be in college so I guessed. Am I wrong?

She pursed her lips together as if deciding whether or not to answer me. I guessed she decided not to because she shook her head in frustration and walked way.

My eyes widened in surprise at her obvious dismissal of me. I admit it might've been a little bit creepy asking about college, but not out of the realm of possibilities. She did look like a college student after all, and I wasn't much older so it seemed like a reasonable question. Not only that, and I don't mean to brag, but I'm a good looking guy, having been asked by many people if I've ever modeled. I'd rather stab a hot poker in my eye than do something like that, but my looks did help me in the lady department. Being ignored by the opposite sex just didn't happen.

Until now.

I watched as she approached the vampire's table with their check. She laughed at something they said, and then did something incredibly stupid. She reached out and rested her hand on the tall one’s shoulder. He slowly looked up at her, a hungry predatory gaze. My blood turned cold. I'd seen that look many times before.

Moira was in trouble.

Chapter 2