Blood and Madness: A Dark Fantasy Reverse Harem Romance

By Sarah Piper

War is on our doorstep. The odds have never been so bleak.

The Dark Goddess invades from the south, an unstoppable army of ghouls at her command. Darkwinter gathers in the north, their attack imminent. Rebel factions divide the realm, undermining Keradoc’s rule and leaving Midnight ripe for invasion.

And with every passing night, we sink deeper into the torments of our own souls, the secrets of the past as dangerous as the enemies of the present.

Love and loyalty have seen us through the worst of Midnight’s brutalities, but it’s no longer just me and my fierce, protective monsters. Our fates are now bound to the realm and its warlord—a cruel, enigmatic fae harboring dark secrets of his own.

Secrets that will either help us win this war…

Or destroy everything we’re risking our lives, our hearts, and our very souls to save.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Two Gnomes Media
• Release date: Jan 6, 2022
• ISBN: 9781948455596

Book preview

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About Blood and Madness

War is on our doorstep. The odds have never been so bleak.

---

The Dark Goddess invades from the south, an unstoppable army of ghouls at her command. Darkwinter gathers in the north, their attack imminent. Rebel factions divide the realm, undermining Keradoc’s rule and leaving Midnight ripe for invasion.

---

And with every passing night, we sink deeper into the torments of our own souls, the secrets of the past as dangerous as the enemies of the present.

---

Love and loyalty have seen us through the worst of Midnight’s brutalities, but it’s no longer just me and my fierce, protective monsters. Our fates are now bound to the realm and its warlord—a cruel, enigmatic fae harboring dark secrets of his own.

---

Secrets that will either help us win this war…

---

Or destroy everything we’re risking our lives, our hearts, and our very souls to save.

---

Blood and Madness is also available in audio narrated by Mackenzie Cartwright, Teddy Hamilton, Aaron Shedlock, and Jason Clarke!

Blood and Madness audiobook

1

HALEY

Terror.

It vibrated from my demon’s very soul as he paced the oily street in front of the facility, raking his hands through his hair.

Hudson landed and set me on my feet, and when Jax looked up and met my gaze, I saw it right there in his eye—that raw, unguarded fear that could only mean one thing.

Whatever had happened, Elian was in bad shape.

I swallowed hard, momentarily frozen in place as a dozen horrific scenarios played through my mind. An overdose. An attack. Hawthorn stakes. Gem. Bleeding out. He’s dead…

I didn’t have the courage to voice a single fear. When I finally opened my mouth, the only word I could manage was, Jax?

Angel, he breathed, pulling me close and holding tight. A tremor rolled through him, and I caught it like a virus, my whole body quaking in his embrace. You came.

I glanced up at the other gargoyle who’d followed us here—one of Keradoc’s goons. As soon as we heard. I—

Fuck. I’m so sorry, Haley. Jax pulled back and cupped my face, his eye searching me in the glow of a flickering streetlamp. For all of it. What I said the other night… that you’re not the woman I thought you were? Way out of line, and not even remotely true. You’re so much more than that, angel. So fucking much more, and I can’t even… You didn’t deserve that shit from me. I’m sorry.

We hadn’t seen each other since our argument about Elian the other night. I’d been so convinced he was upset with me—that he and Elian were both avoiding me. But now, staring into that bright blue eye, feeling the lingering tremble in his muscles, knowing Elian was in trouble, I could barely remember why we’d argued at all. All those harsh words and accusations suddenly felt so meaningless. So insignificant.

I’m sorry too. I nestled in closer and stayed in his arms for another beat, stealing a final moment of warmth and comfort. I knew it would vanish as soon as I let go; whatever terrible news he had about Elian would fill up all the space between us like a dark shadow.

But it was Jax who broke away first, pulling back to cradle my face in his hands.

It’s bad this time, he whispered. Real bad. None of us can get through to him.

I blew out a breath, relieved to know that Elian was still alive, at least. Tell me what happened.

Jax searched my face again, then gripped my hand and gestured for me to follow him inside.

The knot in my throat tightened. My heart was beating so loudly I could feel it pounding in my ears.

What could be so bad that he has to show me? That he can’t even say the words?

With Keradoc’s guard and Hudson on our heels, we entered the facility. The darkness enveloped me completely, the iron scent of blood heavy in the air. It was too sweet, though. Cloying, like a vase of dead roses long forgotten.

It reminded me of Keradoc.

Step by precarious step, Jax pulled me deeper inside the room. The stench grew so heavy it made my eyes water, and when my gaze finally adjusted to the darkness and revealed the scene, I nearly gagged.

In that moment, had my heart remained whole, I probably would’ve choked on it.

But it wasn’t whole. The moment I saw him, it shattered into a thousand pieces.

Elian, I gasped.

He didn’t acknowledge me. Didn’t acknowledge any of us—not even Gem, who paced in silence behind him, her face sheet-white.

Elian was kneeling on the floor, staring blankly at his trembling, blood-slicked hands as if he didn’t even recognize them. The same dark blood stained his clothes. Spilled from his mouth. Covered the lifeless bodies strewn around him.

Corpses.

They’re all dead, I whispered, shock stealing my breath. How… how did this happen?

Jax put his hands on my shoulders, his voice low against my ear as we continued to watch Elian. We were finishing up the last batch of the night, and out of nowhere, he just… He lost it, Haley. Started grabbing pills, downing them by the fistful. Gem and I couldn’t even get close to him—no one could. Eventually he headed for the Dreamers. I’d thought maybe he’d burned himself out and needed to sleep it off, but before we even realized it was happening, he… he just…

Jax trailed off into a dark, broken sigh that made me shiver.

He murdered them, Gem said suddenly, her voice too loud. Too shrill. Her hands trembled as badly as Elian’s, but still, my vampire-fae didn’t even blink. "He mutilated them."

But why? I asked. "The pills I understand, but the people? Elian isn’t a killer. Not like this."

Once the pills were gone, Jax said, there was only one place to get the Black.

I choked back a sob, the horror of it almost too much to contemplate.

Their blood, I whispered. He drained them for the drugs in their bloodstream.

Tears brimmed in my eyes. I knew Elian was struggling—getting worse with each passing night. We all knew it. But to do something like this? To slaughter nearly two dozen people—supernatural and human alike—just to get another fix? Just to chase down one more second of that elusive high that never seemed to give him what he truly needed?

My entire body recoiled in disgust, and I wanted to welcome it. The revulsion. Hatred. Some vicious, vile rage that would allow me to turn my back on the man I loved and walk away from his mess for good.

But when I looked at the fae who still held my heart in his blood-soaked hands, all I felt was a devastating heartbreak. An anguish that penetrated my very bones and filled me with a desperate need to help him. To take care of him, because clearly, he couldn’t do it himself.

I took a step toward him, but Jax placed a hand on my shoulder and leaned in close.

Careful, he said, a soft warning. He’s not himself. Not even close. Honestly, I’m not sure he’ll even recognize you at this point, but we have to try. If anyone can get through to him…

I swallowed the knot in my throat and schooled my features, nodding once. Jax was right. Whatever Elian and I were to each other now didn’t matter. We had history—a deep, intense bond that hadn’t faded no matter how messed up things had gotten. And that history had bled into our present—twisted, but nevertheless real. Nevertheless important.

I just needed to bring him back to it—to whatever bond still connected us.

Ignoring the stench of death and blood, I knelt down alone beside him, brushing his shoulder with tentative fingers. Blood soaked into the knees of my pants, chilling my skin.

Elian didn’t even acknowledge my presence. My touch.

Elian, I said softly, forcing a smile. It’s me. Sparrow. Can you hear me?

No response.

I lifted a hand to cup his face, my thumb tracing his cheekbone. The gesture felt so intimate, so familiar, it threatened to yank me straight back into the past. My heart slammed against my ribs, aching with every beat as I fought to stay in the present.

Elian, please look at me, I whispered. Please come back to us.

Haunted, silver eyes finally slid my way, locking on my gaze, then narrowing. In that moment, I felt his rage, his confusion, his shame, all of it mingling into a dangerous brew that had his muscles twitching. A warning growl vibrated in his chest, but before I could think of something to say that might calm him, he lunged for me, knocking me flat on my back and pinning me to the blood-soaked floor.

Elian, stop! I shouted, but it was no use. Fangs burst through his gums as he lowered his mouth to my throat and—

Vanished.

2

HALEY

The weight of him, the heat, the rage… all of it was gone in a blink.

I bolted upright to find Hudson—still in his winged warrior form—pinning Elian to the wall behind us, one hand around his throat. Whatever urge had sparked the attack on me, it was gone. Elian’s body was suddenly limp and pale, as if someone had turned on the spigot and drained away his life force.

His head slumped forward, and Hudson finally released the deadly grip, scooping him into his arms and carrying him back to me.

He needs clean blood, I said, getting to my feet. Elian’s eyes were closed, his breathing so shallow his chest barely moved.

Hudson met my gaze briefly, his own full of anguish. With a brief nod, he looked down at the broken man fading away in his arms.

Haley, Jax said, he fed more tonight than he’s fed in weeks.

He hasn’t though—not really. The dreamers he drank from… I closed my eyes, swallowing back the bile in my throat as the smell of all those fresh corpses rose anew, mingling with the sickly-sweet smell of the drugs. Their blood is full of Dream. It’s not enough to nourish him, Jax. It’s only going to keep amplifying the effect of the pills. We need to flush it out of his system with fresh blood. It’s the only way I can think of to reset him.

I can get him another donor, Gem said, chewing her thumbnail in an uncharacteristic show of nervousness. She was still pacing, but when Elian had lunged for me, she hadn’t moved to stop him.

Needless to say, I wasn’t exactly team Gem at the moment.

What are you saying? I asked.

There’s a place a few blocks over where humans like to hang out, and—

No. I glared at her, barely keeping my simmering rage in check. Why are you even still here, Gem? Waiting for another chance to betray your so-called friends? Or are you just following orders like a good little soldier, keeping watch over the lowly prisoners?

Her eyes hardened. She spat out a jagged bit of thumbnail and gritted her teeth. Better a soldier than a prisoner, witch.

In Midnight? I laughed. It’s cute that you believe there’s a difference. I took a step toward her, refusing to fall victim to her latest little power trip. If she’d wanted to shoot me full of magic or steel bolts from her damn crossbow, she would’ve done it by now.

Back off, Barnes. She lifted a hand, as if that would stop me, but I ignored the gesture and took a step closer, getting so far up in her business I could count her fucking eyelashes.

You know, Gem, I said, my voice low and menacing. She tried to take a step back, but I followed her, backing her up to the wall where moments earlier, Hudson had throttled Elian. Where I come from, friendship is something to be cherished. Honored. Whatever fucked-up shit you went through in this realm? Elian—Saint—he was your friend. And he believed you were his—enough to trust you with our lives.

You don’t know what you’re talking about, witch.

"The fact that you so carelessly pitched that friendship into the trash for a shot at your own glory tells me everything I need to know."

Haley, Jax warned from behind me, his hand curling over my shoulder.

But I wasn’t done yet. Not even close.

"You take a good look at him, Gem. A good look at the man who trusted you, because that’s what your so-called friendship got him. And if you think we need your help saving him now, then you must be hopped up on the Black too, because bitch? You are fucking hallucinating. So do us all a favor and stop pretending like you give a shit whether he lives or dies, because whatever happens to him tonight? That’s on you. All of it."

Gem lifted her crossbow. Shoved it right into my sternum. Keep pushing me, witch.

Tough talk, but she wasn’t going to shoot me. Not tonight, anyway. The thing wasn’t even loaded.

Leave, I demanded. "Run back to your master and give him the full report. Unless you’re volunteering to donate blood tonight, in which case… I thumbed over my shoulder toward Elian, still lying limp in Hudson’s arms. By all means, Gem. Offer up the vein. Prove my ass wrong. Show us what a good friend you really are."

Something dark and broken flashed behind her eyes, but before I could even guess at her thoughts, she lowered the crossbow, turned, and stalked right out of the warehouse.

She hadn’t even looked at Elian once.

Fucking coward.

Angel, Jax said softly, and I turned to face him, blowing out a pent-up breath as he tucked a lock of blood-matted hair behind my ears. I understand why you don’t want Gem to drag in some poor human to feed him. But why does it have to be you? Why does it always have to be you?

I glanced back at Elian. He was still breathing—barely—but his eyes had fallen closed, his mouth hanging slack. He was trembling again, his body twitching even as Hudson tried to hold him steady.

I had no idea whether he was reacting to the drugs in his system, the tainted blood, the trauma of what he’d done, or something else entirely. I just knew that we were his only chance right now.

That I was his chance.

Because he’s drowning, Jax. He’s fucking drowning. And no matter what he’s done, no matter what he deserves, no matter what it might cost me in the end, I can’t just stand by and watch him suffer. Not when I’m holding a possible lifeline. Cupping his face, I said softly, You wouldn’t have called me here if you wanted me to sit on the sidelines.

You’re right. I wouldn’t have. Jax touched his forehead to mine and gripped my arms. But now that you’re actually standing here covered in all this blood, I just… His warm sigh ghosted across my mouth, fingers tightening possessively. If he hurts you, Haley, I’ll—

He won’t. I pulled back so I could look into his face again. He wasn’t wearing the eye patch—I hadn’t seen it since that night in the bathtub—and looking at him now, I finally felt like I was seeing the real Jax. The man behind the demon, the person he was at his very core.

And that person wanted to end Elian’s suffering as much as I did.

You and Hudson will make sure I’m safe, I continued. "We just… we have to try, Jax. I don’t care how badly he’s fucked up or how many second chances he’s already burned through. It’s like you said the other night—when you call someone your family, when you choose them? It’s not just for the easy stuff. So yeah, this is me, choosing to stay. Choosing Elian even when he’s at his absolute rock-bottom worst."

He held my gaze for another long beat, then finally drew me close once more, pressing a lingering kiss to my forehead.

Okay, angel, he whispered. Do what you need to do. I’ve got your back.

With Jax’s blessing, I finally turned my attention back to Elian.

A quick slice of my dagger across my fingertip, a few drops of blood squeezed into his mouth, and I held my breath, pulse quickening as I waited for a response.

Any response.

After what felt like an eternity, those silver eyes slowly blinked open, and Elian licked his lips, getting his first taste of fresh, untainted blood.

He stiffened in Hudson’s arms as another growl tore through his chest, his fangs descending violently. He thrashed against the hold, but my gargoyle kept him steady, Jax standing close with a hawthorn stake at the ready, just in case.

Lacing my fingers through Elian’s tangled hair, I pressed my other wrist to his mouth.

And then, stroking his hair, I began to sing. Soft, completely off-key, but clear and true. A song to remind him that he wasn’t alone, no matter how deeply he’d fallen into that gaping hole. A song to bring him back to us. A song to let him know I still loved him as my family, even if I couldn’t love him as my mate.

His growl turned into a desperate moan, his eyes filling with anguish as he gave in to the temptation of my blood. Unlike all the other times I’d offered the vein, he didn’t fight me tonight. Those razor-sharp fangs sank deep into my flesh, his mouth latching on and sucking, sucking, sucking until the room spun before my eyes and my muscles quaked, until heat spread from the bite throughout my entire body, until my

Reviews for Blood and Madness

[Xiomy Santiago · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed that we got a lot more backstory from many characters, but it was humorous how they had no time to spare but yeah let's f*** for a while. The cliffhanger at the end makes me reach for the final book and I've already made it three books in so on to the finally. I will say there were unexpected bloody, savaging scenes like Hudson was not expecting what he did. Also, content warning for substance abuse and the dependency on it.