The Darkness Beyond Read Free

a lover who only existed in the singer’s dreams. It had been a long while since he’d had more than a casual relationship with a woman. Most of the time, the best he could hope for was hooking up with someone who wanted a few nights of hot sex and no commitment. In his experience, women like that were rare enough to belong on the endangered species list.
    He popped the top on a beer and ordered his pizza, tacking a second one on to the order more out of habit than need. It used to be that he could count on friends stopping by to watch whatever sport was in season. Lately, though, his closest buddies had good reasons for sticking closer to home. Devlin had married their Handler, Dr. Laurel Young. Trahern had hooked up with the daughter of one of the Regents, and Cullen had an instant family he’d brought back from his foray into another world.
    Even the two Kalith warriors who’d become part of the inner circle of the Paladins were now paired off with human women. Hell, Larem was even going to be a father soon. No one had seen that coming.
    After hanging up the phone, D.J. wandered toward his media room. The glow of computer screens and the soft hum of hard drives always soothed him. Or at least they used to when he was still king of the cyberworld. He briefly hesitated in the doorway. If his stalker wanted to meet in a cyberbar, fine. Determined to prove his supremacy in the world of hackers, he headed for his favorite computer and prepared for battle.

Chapter 2
    R eggie’s pulse stuttered a bit. She’d been waiting for hours for the Knightwalker to make his presence known. The second he’d entered the room, she’d felt the familiar sizzle of high-octane energy that came from the hunt.
    Her fingers hovered over the keyboard. Bracing herself for a lively encounter, she watched as her newest avatar strolled up to the bar to order a drink. This model had fiery red hair, bright blue eyes, and an athletic build. She’d chosen the redhead because she was everything Reggie wasn’t—tall, voluptuous, and a guy magnet.
    Her avatar deliberately ignored the man at the other end of the counter. Granted, she couldn’t be sure it was really D.J. because the avatar wasn’t the Knightwalker’s usual one. The previous model had the overdone muscles of a bodybuilder. This one was tall, with broad shoulders, looking more realistic than his norm.
    He made no move to approach her, leaving Reggie no choice but to wander back to the table she’d staked out in the corner. That didn’t mean the Knightwalker was ignoring her though. Maybe she was imagining things, but as soon as he looked at her, she could swear the temperature in the cyberroom rose ten degrees.
    Every incarnation the Knightwalker used was hotter than the last. This one had dark brown hair that brushed his collar and dark chocolate eyes that secretly followed her every move. The two avatars had yet to actually engage; instead, they circled each other, watching for any sign of weakness. So far, those had been few and far between.
    Finally the teasing dance ended as the handsome avatar picked up his drink and headed straight toward her table, against the back wall. After setting his drink down, he straddled the chair next to hers.
    The Knightwalker’s smile sent a sweet chill of awareness through her. It was as if this encounter was taking place in real time, in a real place, instead of online.
    â€œIt’s about time we introduced ourselves, don’t you think?”
    She manipulated her cyberself carefully to look at him more directly, aiming for cool and detached. “Any particular reason?”
    He arched a brow. “Because you’re the one who’s been yanking my chain. I thought it would be nice to put a name to the talent.”
    â€œI already know who you are.” She smiled and added, “Knightwalker.”
    He actually looked disappointed. Had he really expected her to admit to