（外文电子版资料）Ashley, Amanda - A Darker Dream.docVIP

A DARKER DREAM Amanda Ashley (Madeline Baker) HEART OF DARKNESS In the darkness of the full moon, his spirit has wandered for centuries, lost and alone, never sharing the light of a new day, always in the midnight hours he has walked. Darkness claims his troubled soul, the past haunts his waking hours; Then, like a glimmer of sunlight, she came to claim him, touching places long dead, reviving hope, promising love. If only he dared believe, if only he dared reach out, and take that which he needs. Within the sadness, the emptiness, if just for tonight, her warm hand and gentle ways could dispel the endless night. Could love break this darkness he lives in? Believe, my Lord Rayven, only believe and love, happiness, and peace will find you. Mary Lou Von Meter Part One Prologue He had always loved the night. His favorite pastimes—drinking, gambling, the pursuit of a beautiful woman—were best accomplished in the hours of darkness. The best times of his life had been spent in dimly lit saloons and smoky gambling dens, or in lush candlelit bedrooms. But that had been long ago. Only now did he fully understand what he had lost when the light had been taken from him. Because she was like the sunlight—bright, warm, beautiful. And, like the sun, she could never be his. Chapter One I hide in the shadows and lust for the light For I am Vampyre forever imprisoned by the night. Millbrae Valley, 1843 Rayven sat back in his chair, trying unsuccessfully to mask his disgust as he watched Vincent McLeod attempt to auction off the eldest of his five daughters. Head down, hands limp at her sides, the girl stood mute, like a beast bound for slaughter. Her hair, a dull dirty blond, tumbled over her shoulders, hiding her face as effectively as the shapeless gray dress hid the body beneath. “See here, Rayven,” Montroy complained. “Can’t we have a little more light?” Rayven shook his head. The room was dark, and he liked it that way—dark wood paneled the walls, a dark green carpet c