Taken by Sin - By Jaci Burton

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Praise for

Jaci Burton’s

Demon Hunter Series

THE DARKEST TOUCH

“Strong characters and gripping suspense make The Darkest Touch a book you won’t want to miss.”

—Romance Reviews Today

“Gifted Burton adds more dark thrills and sexy danger to her well-paced story.”

—Romantic Times

SURVIVING DEMON’S ISLAND

“Creative, scary sexy and fast-paced. Jaci Burton delivers.”

—CHERRY ADAIR, New York Times bestselling author

“Burton has an uncanny aptitude for intertwining the human and the paranormal so seamlessly that sudden demon attacks and labyrinthine underworlds are perfectly believable. Realistic dialogue, spicy bedroom scenes and a spitfire heroine make this one to pick up and savor.”

—Publishers Weekly

“Big applause to Burton for successfully setting up a rousing and timely premise that’s a real roller-coaster ride. Not only does this book set the stage for further exciting adventures, it also delivers a great group of characters that have plenty of room for growth. Burton doesn’t skimp on the sizzling sex or romance either. This book has it all!”

—Romantic Times

“Exciting, intense. A ride you don’t want to miss. Burton has written a reality blast that will leave you breathless.”

—LORA LEIGH, USA Today bestselling author

HUNTING THE DEMON

“Burton brings the heat … Hot sex, fierce battles and an impending sequel make this title worth hunting down.”

—Publishers Weekly

“Burton is back with another intensely sexy and action-packed adventure. … Sassy, sexy, supernatural thrills!”

—Romantic Times

“Aussies, heat waves, sex scenes, and demons galore.”

—The Romance Reader

“[Jaci Burton] spins an intriguingly sexy story with the most incredible characters. … If you haven’t read anything of hers yet, I strongly suggest doing so now.”

—Fresh Fiction

Also by Jaci Burton

THE DARKEST TOUCH

HUNTING THE DEMON

SURVIVING DEMON ISLAND

To the readers who love the Demon Huner series and always await the next book in the series so eagerly—thank you so much for that. I hope this one meets your expectations.

And as always, to Charlie, for his love and patience.

Acknowledgments

To my agent, Kimberly Whalen, for her patient assistance with this book and my general hysteria.

To my editor, Shauna Summers, and to Jessica Sebor, for editorial guidance. I appreciate all you’ve done for this series.

To the Writeminded Readers Group, for my daily dose of fun and where everybody knows my name. Heh. You guys rock.

To all those who put up with me, who’ve shared my love and angst about the demon world and the writing world in general—Lara Adrian, Steph Tyler, Larissa Ione, Maya Banks, Jackie Kessler, Lauren Dane and, as always, to Angie, Mel, Shan, and Mandy

Prologue

SICILY, ITALY

Hell was chasing them.

Dalton should stay and fight—there was only one mission occupying his world right now—save Isabelle. The only way he could do that was to get her out of here, away from the demons.

Away from hell.

As he jammed the accelerator and steered the SUV full-speed away from the cemetery he caught sight of the blue lines of laser fire in his rearview mirror. They wanted to kill her. His own people. He couldn’t let that happen.

His gut clenched. He was part of the Realm of Light, demon hunters sworn to defeat the Sons of Darkness and their demon minions. He should be back there, fighting. His brothers and sisters of the Realm were right now engaged in battle with demons, and he was deserting them, running off with the woman he’d been assigned to terminate.

There was so much fucked-up about this scenario. He’d never walked away from a fight before.

But he had something more important to do. Instinct told him this was the right thing—the only thing he could do, given the circumstances.

He glanced over at Isabelle slumped over in the passenger seat. A woman he barely knew, yet he was screwing his entire future for her—okay mostly for her. Unconscious, her head resting against the window, she looked so innocent, almost angelic. Her hair fell in soft waves over her shoulders; her lips were half open as she breathed rhythmically. Her hands rested in her lap. There was no fight left in her—unlike a short while ago when she’d battled like a demon.

Because she was a demon. Half demon, anyway, and a part of the Sons of Darkness.

Dalton had been ordered to destroy her, and he couldn’t do it. Which was why he was heading away from the battle instead of standing side by side with the other hunters. He’d been told to remove Isabelle from the scene because her sister, Angelique, was there, and Lou, the Realm’s leader, didn’t want Angelique to witness Isabelle’s destruction.

Lou had ordered Dalton to take Isabelle away and kill her.

But how could he? He was responsible for much of what had happened to her. He’d