A bit of a Nomad herself, K.A. Finn has wandered around Ireland and the UK for decades before settling back in Ireland with her husband and kids (two and four legged).

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Reviving Davyn (Blackjacks)

  Coming next

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  EPILOGUE

  Visit K.A. Finn online:

  www.kafinn.com

  (trailers, excerpts, artwork, playlists etc)

  Facebook: kafinnauthor

  Instagram: kafinnauthor

  Twitter @K_A_Finn

  Also by K.A. Finn

  Nomad Series (Space Opera)

  Ares

  Nemesis

  Perses

  Chaos

  Mania

  Cronus

  Talos (TBA)

  Blackjacks Series (Paranormal Romance)

  Breaking Phoenix

  Reviving Davyn

  Defying Shep (2023)

  Unraveling Fallon (TBA)

  Broken Chords (Rockstar Romance)

  Broken Rock (Tate)

  Fractured Rock (Gregg)

  Split Rock (Tate – 2023)

  Crushed Rock (Luke – TBA)

  Shattered Rock (Dillon – TBA)

  Copyright © 2022 by Karyn Finnegan.

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotation in a book review or critical articles

  All characters and events in this publication, other than those clearly in the public domain, are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental

  Cover design by Deranged Doctor Design

  www.derangeddoctordesign.com

  Published by Cooper Publishing

  www.cooperbookservices.com

  Edited by Desert Mystic Literary Editing

  www.desertmysticliteraryediting.com

  ISBN: 978-1-914177-23-1

  Coming next

  To Davyn

  I hope you can forgive me one day

  1

  Thea closes her bedroom door and leans against it as she catches her breath. Her black sleeveless tank top is soaked in sweat and clinging to her skin. Every muscle is on fire, every joint aching. The large gash on her arm stings like crazy under the bandage.

  She needs a shower but the thought of walking across her room doesn’t appeal to her. After a few minutes the sweat on her skin begins to chill so she pushes off the door and shuffles across the vast room to the en-suite. Thea turns on the light and peels off her damp clothes as she waits for the water to heat up.

  Seven long weeks have passed since she was kidnapped by the True Order and held in that terrifying underground lab. Since she was rescued she’s been on her best behaviour. The True Order are still hot on the Blackjack’s heels and the last thing she is going to do is put herself in their sights again.

  Fallon had taken the task of training Thea twice a day, six days a week. The compound is safe. There is so much security, she doubts a fly would get through the defences without alerting someone. But it’s outside the compound that she’s vulnerable. As one of the few humans in the house, she’s adamant she won’t be the weak link. It doesn’t matter how many bruises she gets, how many cuts or knocks. Every single one helps make her less of a hindrance to the team.

  Fallon is an incredible teacher and doesn’t hold back, and Thea loves every minute of it. She had thrown herself in to her training, eager for any distraction from everything else going on around her.

  Things between herself and Court hadn’t improved much over the last few weeks. They were still getting used to their new relationship after living a lie for so many years. Accepting that Court is a vampire was hard enough, but finding out that he is actually her father and not her brother, completely turned her world upside down and forever changed their relationship.

  In addition to the whole being her father thing, he is still trying to come to grips with his amnesia. Finding traces of his DNA in the Order’s lab only added to his confusion. He doesn’t remember being there, but the evidence suggests he must have spent quite a lot of time there. That information added another level to the nightmares she’s been plagued with since she got back. If she let herself think about him spending time down there, being hurt, having his DNA altered so he could be used as a food source, she would break.

  As if all that wasn’t hard enough to deal with, the loss of one of the Blackjacks throws things to a whole new level. She steps into the shower, eager to hide her guilty tears under the running water.

  Davyn was the Black33jack who killed one of the vampires holding her and brought her to safety in the tunnels. He saved her only to be captured himself. The last image she saw was the feral vampires pulling him to the ground and dragging him along the corridor.

  The Blackjacks had searched but, apart from a pool of blood and his gun, they hadn’t found him. Davyn had saved her life but paid for her freedom with his own. She’d only needed saving because she had broken the rules and gone out without a Blackjack to watch her and keep her safe. It’s all her fault.

  She angrily shakes her head, hitting her fist against the wall. She’ll never forgive herself. Never. Thinking back on the whole situation, she knows she acted like a spoiled brat. She’d desperately wanted to know what it would feel like to have a vampire feed from her. After a lot of persuading, Davyn had reluctantly agreed.

  Her anger turns to something else, something that sends a shiver through her. Having Davyn feed from her was the single most intense experience of her life so far. But then her father found out and the two vampires had fought. She knows why Court was upset, but the whole thing was blown out of proportion and she’d made things so much worse by running away.

  She knew there were people looking for Court. She knew the team was doing everything they could to protect her and Court. But that didn’t stop her from stealing his car and leaving the safety of the compound.

  She needed space, time away to think without all the alpha male vampire stuff clouding everything. But all she did was walk into a trap which resulted in Nix being captured along with her.

  Court had gone to rescue Nix while Davyn was sent to save her. She’ll never forget the moment he burst into the room she was being held in, and killed the vampire guarding her. He’d taken down anyone in his way as he led her to freedom. The tears flow freely when she pictures him smiling at her as she got to safety. But he wasn’t so lucky. She watched helplessly as he’d been dragged away from her and never seen again.

  The loss of Davyn had hit every single member of the group. They’d had so much loss, so much pain to deal with over the last few years. First they lose Court, only to have him come back to them three years later, then Davyn disappears. She can see the effect of the trauma on the group. Each had been hit in a different way - Nix especially. Their leader had reluctantly given the order to leave him behind, just like she had all those years ago with Court. She’s just grateful that Nix and Court had found each other again and were helping each other through their individual heartache.

  She turns off the shower and towel dries her hair before padding across the lush carpet to the wardrobe. Opening the double doors she ignores her clothes and reaches for the last hangar on the left. She pulls the black jacket down and buries her face in the leather. Thea closes her eyes and gets lost Davyn’s scent. He had given her his jacket after he saved her from the lab, and she had neglected to hand it over to Nix. She knows it’s just a jacket, but she can’t bring herself to let it go. It’s all she has left of him.

  She has to believe he’s still alive. There’s no other choice for her. Her father came back to Nix after three years. There’s nothing to say Davyn isn’t alive and well. But if he was, surely he’d come back. From what she can make out, the Blackjacks are all he has. If he could come home, he would. The thoughts had gone round and round her head continuously since he disappeared. As much as she desperately needs to believe he’s okay, deep down she fears he isn’t. Something is stopping him from coming back to them. Back to her.

  She hangs the jacket back in her wardrobe and sits on the end of her bed. The guilt is threatening to swallow her but she can’t escape it. Shep has barely spoken to her since they got back. He blames her for what happened. He told her in great detail how he blames her. She knows the others p robably feel the same although they are too polite to say it to her face.

  Shep is right though. She is responsible for someone she cares about being taken. Maybe if Shep knew how she felt about Davyn he’d back off a little. Maybe it wouldn’t make a difference. Davyn had caught her attention the first moment she saw him. His impressive body covered in black leather, and his green eyes glowing when he had burst into Court’s apartment. He was spectacular and she was instantly attracted to him. It made no sense. He’s a vampire and she’s human, but she was drawn to him. Not that he made it easy.

  He’s standoffish, abrupt, downright rude at times, but she could see something deep inside that she desperately wanted to get close to. They hadn’t kissed, barely touched each other, but she’d never felt this level of attraction before.

  Thea scrubs a hand over her face and grabs a pair of leggings and a baggy sweatshirt from the wardrobe. After getting dressed, she slips his jacket on, and drops onto the comfortable couch. She takes the TV remote from the cushion beside her and flicks through the channels.

  Brooding and over-thinking everything she’s done wrong isn’t going to help her or Davyn. Hopefully she can lose herself in a random reality show until it’s time to fall asleep. Just one night without the nightmares would be great.

  DAVYN SPITS OUT A MOUTHFUL of blood and wipes his mouth on his sweat-soaked arm. He pushes to his feet and faces his attacker. The male smiles at him, his large fangs tipped with blood - Davyn’s blood. The bastard got in a lucky bite, but it won’t happen again. His opponent dances on the balls of his feet, hopping around on the dirt ground like it’s on fire. He rolls his neck and crooks a finger in Davyn’s direction.

  ‘I’m waiting pretty boy.’ He waves a knife at Davyn. It’s already stained with his blood, but adrenaline is masking the pain from the large slice running down his left arm. He underestimated this asshole. It won’t happen again.

  Davyn knew this guy was an idiot, but his pathetic taunting solidifies his opinion. He’s going to enjoy taking him down. The other vampire lashes out with his fist, but his hot-footed dancing puts him way off the mark. He tries again, and again, tiring with each badly planned swipe.

  Davyn bides his time, waiting for the idiot to get close enough, then plants his own fist straight into the cocky vampire’s face. He feels the satisfying crack of bones breaking as he smashes the guys nose and hopefully a cheekbone or two.

  While the guy nurses his bloody face, Davyn swipes his leg out, knocking him to the ground. Blood is now flowing freely from the hole in his face but Davyn is far from caring. He stomps on his opponent’s leg, shattering his knee and putting an end to any chances of this guy getting out of here alive.

  Davyn leaves him writhing on the ground, his curses muffled under his hands as he cradles what’s left of his face. Davyn stumbles over to the large knife lying a few feet from the idiot. He picks it up and turns the blade in his hand.

  He walks back over to the other vampire and without pausing, drops to one knee, driving the blade deep into the idiot’s heart. His hands fall from the mess of his face as he dies.

  Davyn gets back up and looks at the life he’s just taken. It’s not the first and unfortunately, it won’t be the last. He ignores the crazed cheer from the crowd as he takes a few steps back from the male he just killed. Guards rush into the arena with large electric cattle prods out in front, all pointing at him. He knows the routine well enough by now.

  He turns his back to them, holding his hands out to the side. He glances up at the crowd as they fix heavy chains to the shackles welded around his wrists, driving the spikes lining them into his skin. Money is still passing from the bookies to the blood thirsty punters. The well-dressed men and women, both vampire and human, excitedly talk about the match as they sip their chilled champagne and expensive wine.

  A few looks are cast in his direction, but all he can see is the greed in their eyes. They don’t care that he just killed someone in front of them. All they care about is the thrill of the bet. The sick fucks are actually enjoying themselves.

  Once secured, he’s dragged from the arena and along the dimly lit corridor back to his cell. Adrenaline keeps him upright and moving along the winding dirt track to his new home. They open the cell and quickly remove the chains before they throw him in. Davyn lands on his injured arm and dark spots dance in the corner of his vision. He rolls over and pulls his arm out from under him. Thick clumps of dirt have stuck to the blood oozing from the wide cut.

  He drags his metal bowl of water closer and slowly trickles the contents down his arm, trying to get the worst of the filth out of the cut. The last thing he needs is to lose his arm. He wipes a wet hand over his face, trying to clear some of the blood off it. His fingers brush against the hole at the edge of his eyebrow. It still feels weird without his piercings. He’d taken out the piercing from each eyebrow before his first fight. Didn’t want the fuckers he’s thrown in with tearing them from him during a fight.

  He leaves a little water in the bowl, hungrily drinking the foul tasting, cloudy liquid. It barely quenches his thirst, but it’s all he’ll get until later. He leans on his side against the wall and closes his eyes. He’s tired, hungry, and hurts everywhere.

  A guard throws a small plastic bottle of blood through the bars before disappearing back along the corridor. Now that the adrenaline has worn off, Davyn doesn’t have the energy to get up and pick up the bottle. He’s not sure he even wants it. All they’re fed down here is animal blood. He hasn’t got a clue what animal it’s from, but it’s far from fresh. If he doesn’t get some proper blood soon, he’s not going to last much longer.

  He wraps his arms around his naked chest and shivers. The cells are cut from solid rock, the walls damp and cold against his skin. What he wouldn’t give for a hot shower and his warm bed. Hell, even a change of clothes would be appreciated. He closes his eyes and tries to drown out the moans and screams around him. Not everyone is taking to this life well. While he’s not having any fun himself, he’s well used to living in a cage. After his mother died, his father had locked him in one for years. He can survive this. Doesn’t mean he wants to though.

  He never thought of the Blackjack’s compound as anything other than somewhere to sleep and train. After spending who knows how long in this hellhole, he realises he misses it. He misses the Blackjacks and the life he had with them. He’d fought and trained with them - nothing more, but even those two things had become a part of his life.

  Then Court came back... with Thea. He knows he has no right to think about her, but tell that to his brain. The second he saw her in the apartment, she was in his head and no amount of effort on his part had pushed her out. Even the fact that she’s Court’s daughter and a hundred and forty years younger than him hadn’t stopped the thoughts. And he’d tried. He really did.

  He’d tried to keep away from her, but she wouldn’t give him peace. Then he found her at his door when he was releasing his wings. Wings he’d kept hidden from the Blackjacks since he’d joined. He’s a Prime. A pure bred male, which means he has the added bonus of having wings. Just his luck to have a fucked up, seriously disfigured wing.

  The damn thing ripped his back open every time he had to release it so he’d taken to hiding in his room, blaring music and drinking himself senseless when he had to let it out. Thea had seen the whole sorry show. He’d tried to scare her off. Tried to show why others kept away from him, but she hadn’t run away. Instead she’d said she liked his Irish accent!

  A few days later, Nix had ordered him to take Thea shopping for some things, as all her belongings had been left when the Order attacked their apartment. He’d enjoyed and hated every minute of the hour-long car trip. And then she mentioned his wings and he fucked everything up by freaking out and saying some shite things to her.

  He knows she got out of the tunnels when he rescued her. Court and Nix were close enough to help her get out of the shaft. The rescue may not have gone entirely to plan, but at least he’d gotten her out. That was his main objective. He would have preferred she didn’t see him being taken away by the vampires. That wasn’t part of the plan. He’ll never forget the look on her face as she watched him being dragged to the ground. He may have been hallucinating, but he’s pretty damn sure she was crying... for him. It makes little to no sense, but he’s nearly positive she was.

 

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