Life has never been so insane for Private Investigator Nikki James: a teenager is missing; a madman is kidnapping the wealthy; she''s got a vampire to contend with; and her partner and best friend, Jake, is in the hospital dying. And just when it seems like nothing else could possibly go wrong for her, Michael Kelly returns. The last thing Michael needs is a confrontation with Nikki - especially when his control over his bloodlust is still so tenuous. But when a kidnapper steps up his agenda to murder, they are suddenly forced into a partnership. Soon Michael discovers the biggest danger may not be from his need to ''taste'' Nikki, but from his desire to make her a permanent part of his life - a life that is sure to get her killed. Nikki is determined to make Michael see that life apart is worse than death. But before she can make him see the light, a spectre from Michael''s past rises that could destroy any hope she has of a future with him.
BEYOND THE SHADOWS Private Investigator Nikki James grew up on the tough streets of Lyndhurst and believes there’s nothing left to surprise her. But all that changes the night she follows a rich man’s daughter into the shadows and finds herself caught in a war between two very different men. One is a madman, intent on destruction. The other has his own heart of darkness. For three hundred years, Michael Kelly has existed in life’s shadows, gradually learning to control his vampire cravings. He is convinced that no one can breach his formidable barriers—until he meets Nikki. With her powerful psychic abilities, Nikki swiftly invades both his mind and his heart. Nikki knows how dangerous love can be . . . but if she wants to survive, she must place her trust in this man who could easily destroy her. For only together can they overcome the evil threatening to destroy them both. Includes an excerpt of the next novel in Keri Arthur’s Nikki and Michael series, Hearts in Darkness
Private Investigator Nikki James is in San Francisco at the request of her business partner and best friend, Jake. His friend's wife is missing, and he is determined to find her. The authorities believe the kidnapping is the work of a sick mind - Nikki knows it is something much worse. Vampires. Michael Kelly has returned from a vampire hunting exhibition in his homeland and wants to relax. When he discovers Nikki's gone to San Francisco he has no choice but to follow - not only to keep her safe from the vampire gang, but because he fears the psychic talents she's beginning to develop. As the body count begins to rise, so too does the danger. Soon Nikki becomes a target but she has no intention of obeying Michael's demands that she leave. She's tired of playing it safe and wants him to realise it's all or nothing...
Nikki James is just an ordinary, risk-taking, psychically inclined private eye until she hooks up with Michael Kelly. Now she is something more: one of the few, the chosen, the magic-wielding undercover operatives of the Damask Circle, an organization protecting humanity from a rising tide of evil. She wants nothing more than to pass the Circle’s strict entry exams so she can get on with the business of planning her wedding to Michael. But she quickly realizes that buying a wedding dress is the least of her worries. One hundred years ago, Michael Kelly hunted down and killed the sorcerer responsible for murdering his lover. Now the brother of that man is out for revenge, and he intends to destroy all that Michael holds dear in the process. When Michael is kidnapped, the trail leads Nikki to a dusty ghost town surrounded by a potent magical barrier, leaving her to battle a madman alone with only her wits, strength, and the one psychic gift she cannot fully control. And to make matters even worse, Michael no longer seems to remember who she is.