Dear Readers,

      At long last, I’m pleased to bring you the story of Paris, keeper of the demon of Promiscuity. Yes, I finally feel like I’ve tortured him enough. After all, since the LORDS OF THE UNDERWORLD were first introduced, Paris has:

      1) Lost the only woman he was able to bed more than once

      2) Given up his chance to find her by choosing to save one of his friends instead

      3) Formed an addiction to an illicit substance

      4) Choked out any light of goodness inside himself

      5) Turned into a war/fighting machine.

      His road to happily-ever-after has been paved with blood, sweat and tears. Mostly mine. Fine. Mostly his. Whatever. Semantics. Anyway, I knew he deserved something—and someone—special. In fact, I had an idea for him and sat down to write it. Four tries later—with three hundred pages in the trash—he showed me exactly what he wanted. OK, fine (again). I finally gave in and did things his way. And you know what? He got the “special” I wanted for him.

      The characters had so much more depth than I expected, and as they interacted the puzzle pieces began to fall into place—I saw why he wanted what he wanted, and for the first time in a very long time I heard Paris laugh. (I heard this in my head, of course, but laughter is laughter.) He’d found his “mine,” and she was and is exactly what he’s needed all along.

      Will I ever stand in my characters’ way again? Well, yeah. (Hey, at least I’m honest.) But this one time, giving in proved to be the best thing I could have done.

      I hope you are as satisfied with Paris’s story as he is.

      All my best!

       Gena Showalter

      Praise for New York Times and USA Today bestselling author GENA SHOWALTER’S

      LORDS OF THE UNDERWORLD

       The Darkest Night

      “A fascinating premise, a sexy hero and non-stop action,

       The Darkest Night is Showalter at her finest, and a fabulous start to an imaginative new series.” —New York Times bestselling author Karen Marie Moning

      “Dark and tormented doesn’t begin to describe these

       cursed warriors called the Lords of the Underworld.

       Showalter has created characters desperately fighting to

       retain a semblance of humanity, which means the

       heroines are in for a rough ride. This is darkly

       satisfying and passionately thrilling stuff.”

      —RT Book Reviews, 4 stars

      “Amazing! Stupendous! Extraordinary! Gena Showalter

       has done it again. The Darkest Night is the fabulous start of an edgy, thrilling series …” —Fallen Angels reviews

      “Not to be missed … the hottest new paranormal series.”

      —Night Owl Romance

       The Darkest Kiss

      “In this new chapter the Lords of the Underworld

       engage in a deadly dance. Anya is a fascinating blend of

       spunk, arrogance and vulnerability—a perfect match

       for the tormented Lucien.”

      —RT Book Reviews, 4½ stars

      “Talk about one dark read … If there is one book you

       must read this year, pick up The Darkest Kiss … a Gena Showalter book is the best of the best.”

       —Romance Junkies

       The Darkest Pleasure

      “Showalter’s darkly dangerous Lords of the Underworld

       trilogy, with its tortured characters, comes to a very

       satisfactory conclusion … [her] compelling universe

       contains the possibility of more stories to be told.”

      —RT Book Reviews, 4 stars

      “Of all the books in this series, this is the most moving

       and compelling. The concluding chapters will simply stun

       you with the drama of them … You will not be sorry if

       you add this to your collection.”

       —Mists and Stars

       The Darkest Whisper

      “If you like your paranormal dark and passionately

       flavoured, this is the series for you.”

      —RT Book Reviews, 4 stars

       The Darkest Passion

      “Showalter gives her fans another treat, sure to satisfy!”

       —RT Book Reviews

      Throughout the years I’ve learned that family matters. I’ve been blessed with one of the most amazing families EVER. They love me, support me, and they are always there when I need them. The bond you see between the Lords, as well as the bond between the Harpy sisters? That’s what I have with my family, and I am beyond grateful. So this one is to my husband and children, my mom and dad, sisters and brothers, in-laws (who are so much more than that), nieces and nephews, and crazy aunts and uncles. I love and adore you all!

       Lords of the Underworld

      In a remote fortress in Budapest, immortal warriors—

      each more dangerously seductive than the last—are

       bound by an ancient curse none has been able to break.

      When a powerful enemy returns, they will travel the

       world in search of a sacred relic of the gods—one

      that threatens to destroy them all.

      Gena Showalter’s LORDS OF THE UNDERWORLD

       continues with

      THE DARKEST SEDUCTION

       Also available in this series

      THE DARKEST NIGHT

      THE DARKEST KISS

      THE DARKEST PLEASURE

      THE DARKEST WHISPER

      DARK BEGINNINGS

      THE DARKEST PASSION

      THE DARKEST LIE

      THE DARKEST SECRET

      THE DARKEST SURRENDER

       The Darkest Seduction

      Gena

       Showalter

       www.mirabooks.co.uk

      ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

      From family to friends, I am blessed. To Jill Monroe, Kresley Cole and PC Cast. I love you, ladies!

       I speak, and the humans tremble in fear. I speak, and my people rush to obey—and yet still they seek to destroy me. My salvation