[Dullahan 01] • Shadow and Bones

**He wants to forget…**

Rhys spent centuries alone, fighting the darkness he carries within. Forced to be a servant of Death, he is a dullahan—a soul collector, one of the creatures that originated the Headless Horseman myth. The only thing he wants—and can’t have—is to die. Until a strange, naked woman with no memories comes to his life, bringing back the painful past he buried long ago.

**She needs to remember.**

Tamerah doesn’t know who she is and doesn’t remember anything, except for this: she is Rhys’s last hope. If he doesn’t accept her help, the darkness will be unleashed upon the world and humankind will be destroyed.

**Together, they fight.**

Bound to each other by unknown forces, they need to uncover her identity and her connection to his past. Unexpected attraction flares between them... an attraction that is not what it seems.

While they deal with the smartest, most annoying boss in the history of mankind and fight an army of rotten souls, their quest for the truth will lead them to an ancient evil that has been waiting for centuries to be called again.

Excerpt

Rhys crossed the garden cemetery’s gates, not caring about the noise made by the old hinges. Officially, he was the gravedigger, but he was also the cemetery’s manager and gardener. He didn’t mind the work, and the job went perfectly with his soul collector duties.

Once he closed the gates behind him, low, pained moans sounded inside the grounds. *Oh fuck. You’ve gotta be kidding me.*

After being forced to drag the teenager’s soul kicking and screaming to deliver, plus the painful memories stirred by his conversation with Sean, he hadn’t thought his night could get any worse.

*Right.* Things usually went wrong, but particularly when he got the stupid notion that no, they couldn’t get any worse. It seemed the Gods got their kicks by screwing with him.

Another whimper reached him. *Focus.*

Enhanced senses were one of the few perks of his gig, so he followed the sounds with unerring precision. The moans led him to the ancient tree that marked the center of the cemetery. There was a woman lying on the ground, under the tree.

Without a stitch of clothing on.

*What the hell?*

The woman whimpered, her eyes closed.

Rhys took a deep breath. *Don’t scare her.* He crouched beside the woman and touched her shoulder. “Hey, are you all right?”

She opened her pale gray eyes and blinked but didn’t move.

“Are you okay?” He tried to keep his voice as non-threatening as possible. “What happened to you?”

Seemingly unaware of her nudity, she looked around and sat up. Rhys straightened, putting a little distance between them, because he was acutely aware of her nakedness. She was beautiful, all pale skin and smooth curves and blond hair. He hadn’t appreciated the beauty of a feminine body since…he didn’t even know when. And he most definitely didn’t want to think about it.

Silent, the woman leaned against the tree and hugged her knees.

Rhys lost his patience. “Lady, I’m trying to be helpful here, but if you don’t talk to me, I’m going to either kick you out to fend for yourself, or call the police to take care of you.