 |
 First edition cover | |
| Author | Christine Feehan |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Dark Series |
| Genre | |
| Publisher | Love Spell |
Publication date | 1999 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 369 (US paperback) |
| Preceded by | Dark Prince |
| Followed by | Dark Gold |
Dark Desire is the second novel in Christine Feehan's Dark Series. It takes place roughly 25 years after the events in Dark Prince (1999).
The book begins with Jacques Dubrinsky, younger brother to Mikhail, being tortured and buried alive by members of the same fanatical group that attacked Raven and killed his sister some 25 years earlier in Dark Prince. As time goes on he loses much of his memory (perhaps even his sanity), the only thing he has a clear memory of is of the faces of his human tormentors, and the fact that he was betrayed by someone close to him.
Shea O’Halloran is a brilliant American surgeon and researcher trying to find the cure for a rare blood disorder. Her pursuit of a cure is personal; she also suffers from the disease, and she fears that one day it will kill her. She occasionally has to have blood transfusions in order to survive. It is only after her mother Maggie commits suicide that she learns that she has inherited this disorder from her father. In her diary, her mother writes of having an affair with a man named Rand. She writes that he takes her blood when they make love. Unfortunately he's a married man whose wife recently gave birth to a son and disappears before Maggie can tell him of her pregnancy. She believes that his wife Noelle discovered his infidelity and murdered him.
The loss of Shea's father devastates Maggie, and she retreats from the world, even her own child. Shea suffers a stark and painful childhood. Maggie commits suicide when Shea turns 18.
This disorder is not her only difference. No human medicine works on her; she can hear and feel the thoughts of others. When she touches a patient, she instantly knows what is wrong with him/her. Because of this, she's tracked by the same vampire hunting society that has imprisoned Jacques, believing she too is a vampire. They even show her pictures of seven others that they have caught and murdered. No matter where she goes, they always track her down.
One day Shea is racked by horrendous pain and visions of a man being tortured. For years she dreams of this man. After the society finds her again, she goes to the Carpathian Mountains to do further research on her disorder. She feels that since there are many legends of vampires in the region that this may be the epicenter of the disease.
When she goes for a walk, she's compelled to go to a spot deep in the forest. She finds a cellar where a man has been tortured and buried alive with a stake driven through his body. Suddenly he awakens and attacks her, twice feeding on her blood. She has a compulsion to help him, despite his violent assault. She takes him to her home and treats his wounds.
After he takes her blood for the third time, she becomes violently ill. He tells her that she doesn't have a disease, but that they are a different race of people who need blood to survive. Shea refuses to believe this at first. Then she realizes that she doesn't have normal human bodily functions. She soon realizes that this is the truth and that her father was a being just like Jacques.
After a few days, Shea has to leave Jacques to get more blood from the blood bank. She is spotted by another Carpathian, Byron, who realizes by her smell that she's been in contact with Jacques. He immediately informs Mikhail.
When they arrive, they see Shea apparently torturing Jacques; Mikhail attacks her thinking she is deranged. This triggers Jacques’ protective instincts and he tries to kill them. Mikhail calls Gregori, their race's most powerful healer, who convinces Jacques to allow them to heal him.
The next evening, Shea and Jacques tell her life story. Shea was (before being converted by Jacques) half-human, half-Carpathian, something that was considered impossible. They also think that her birth confirms that a psychic human woman who is a lifemate to a Carpathian is capable of giving birth to female children. This is vitally important because their people are on the verge of extinction; no female has been born in more than 500 years. They inform her that her father is not dead, and it was Noelle who was murdered. They also tell her that her half-brother was also killed by the society.
Jacques also relates what happened to him, that he was betrayed and delivered to human killers. Before they can discover who the betrayer might be, Byron is taken. Raven is able to connect with him and determine that he is in a dark and dank room. Shea realizes that he is being housed in the same place the humans buried Jacques seven years earlier.
While the men go to the cellar to rescue him, the women stay behind. Shea is almost immediately uneasy, but Raven senses no threat. Suddenly, the humans attack the women, shooting the pregnant Raven. Luckily Shea and Gregori are able to save Raven and her child. The attack is puzzling because no one but Shea felt any threat. There is only one explanation for this; her father, Rand, is the one who betrayed Jacques and is a vampire. Gregori is selected to hunt Rand, but Rand attacks Jacques, who is forced to destroy him.
1999 All About Romance Readers Awards
2000 Awards Romance Books and Readers
"Becoming" is the season finale of the WB Television Network's second season of the drama television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, consisting of the twenty-first and twenty-second episodes. The episode was split into two parts which were broadcast separately; "Part 1" first aired on May 12, 1998 and "Part 2" first aired on May 19, 1998. Both episodes were written and directed by series creator Joss Whedon.
House of Dark Shadows is a 1970 American feature-length horror film directed by Dan Curtis, based on his Dark Shadows television series. In this film expansion, vampire Barnabas Collins searches for a cure for vampirism so he can marry a woman who resembles his long-lost fiancée Josette.
"Disharmony" is episode 17 of season 2 in the television show Angel.
Night World is a series of ten young adult fantasy novels by American author L. J. Smith. The series presents a story in which vampires, witches, werewolves, and shape-shifters live among humans without their knowledge. These supernatural races make up a secret society known as the Night World, which enforces two fundamental laws to prevent discovery: 1) Never allow humans to gain knowledge of the Night World's existence and, 2) Never fall in love with a human.
Dark Prince is a paranormal romance written by American author Christine Feehan. Published in 1999, it is the first book in her Dark Series, which to date has 33 titles.
Dark Magic is the fourth book in Christine Feehan's Dark Series. It takes place within a few months of the events in Dark Gold. It was published in July 2000.
Eric Northman is a fictional character in The Southern Vampire Mysteries, a series of thirteen books written by New York Times bestselling author Charlaine Harris. He is a vampire, slightly over one thousand years old, and is first introduced in the first novel, Dead Until Dark and appears in all subsequent novels. Since the book series is told from the first person perspective of Sookie Stackhouse, what readers perceive of his character is influenced by what Sookie comprehends. HBO's television series True Blood is based on this book series and the character of Eric Northman is portrayed somewhat differently. A list of True Blood characters has a detailed description of Eric's character from the TV show.
Blood Ties is a 1991 television film directed by Jim McBride and starring Harley Venton, Patrick Bauchau, Jason London, and Michelle Johnson. It is a story about a modern vampire family who hail from Carpathia. The family try to assimilate into American life in Long Beach, California, but their lives are upset when a sinister group of hunters kill a member of their extended kin and threaten to come after them.
Blue Bloods is a series of vampire novels by Melissa de la Cruz. The series is set in Manhattan, New York. The complete series comprises seven books: Blue Bloods, Masquerade, Revelations, The Van Alen Legacy, Misguided Angel, Lost in Time, and Gates of Paradise. The author also wrote two companion novels, Keys to the Repository and Bloody Valentine, along with two spin-off series, Wolf Pact and Witches of East End. Blue Bloods: A Graphic Novel was published on January 15, 2013, also the publication date of the final novel in the series.
The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod is a 5 book young adult series by Heather Brewer. The first three books sold over 200,000 copies. There was also a prequel series, The Slayer Chronicles.
Jessica Hamby is a fictional character in the True Blood series, portrayed by Deborah Ann Woll. In the series, which chronicles the life of human waitress Sookie Stackhouse and her friends after vampires make themselves known to humans, Jessica is a newly turned vampire who must learn to deal with her vampiric abilities, weaknesses, and altered lifestyle.
Evernight is a series of five vampire-based romantic fantasy novels by The New York Times bestselling American author Claudia Gray. It tells the story of Bianca Olivier, a 16-year-old half-vampire girl born to two vampires, who is forced to attend Evernight Academy, a private boarding school for vampires. She was enrolled in order to fulfill her destiny to become a full vampire, even though she feels she doesn't belong there. Bianca then meets and falls in love with a human named Lucas Ross, who also feels he isn't the Evernight type, but their love becomes forbidden by their families and friends when the truth of each other's nature comes to light. Not only is it revealed that Bianca is a vampire, but it is also revealed that Lucas is a member of the ancient vampire hunting group Black Cross.
"Blood Brothers" is the 20th episode of the first season of The CW television series, The Vampire Diaries and the 20th episode of the series overall. It originally aired on April 29, 2010. The episode was written by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec and directed by Liz Friedlander.
Dark Celebration is a paranormal/suspense novel written by American author Christine Feehan. Published in 2006, it is the 17th book in her Dark Series. and is unique among the other books in the series, offering glimpses of life from previous characters from the series as well as introducing new characters.
"Fifty Shades of Grayson" is the tenth episode of the fifth season of the American series The Vampire Diaries and the series' 99th episode overall. "Fifty Shades of Grayson" was originally aired on December 12, 2013, on The CW. The episode was written by Caroline Dries and directed by Kellie Cyrus.
"Man on Fire" is the 19th episode of the fifth season of the American series The Vampire Diaries and the series' 108th episode overall. "Man on Fire" was originally aired on April 24, 2014, on The CW. The episode was written by Melinda Hsu Taylor and Matthew D'Ambrosio and directed by Michael Allowitz.
