Dark Desire
Encyclopedia
Dark Desire is the second book in Christine Feehan
’s Dark Series. It takes place roughly 25 years after the events in Dark Prince
.
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. The next day, when she asks who he is, Jacques is stunned. He always knew she was his lifemate
then recites the ritual words, binding them for all time. 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, how a vampire delivered him to the human killers. Before they can discover who the vampire 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, 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 vampire. This means that it was Rand who delivered his own son and Jacques to the men to be tortured. Gregori is selected to hunt Rand, but Rand attacks Jacques, who is forced to destroy him.
2000 Awards Romance Books and Readers
Christine Feehan
Christine Feehan is an American romance-paranormal writer. She has published more than 26 novels, including five series, and numerous novellas since 1999.-Biography:...
’s Dark Series. It takes place roughly 25 years after the events in Dark Prince
Dark Prince
Dark Prince is a paranormal/suspense novel written by American author Christine Feehan. Published in 1999, it is the first book in her Dark Series, which to date has 20 titles.-Plot summary:...
.
Plot summary
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 go 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, the vampire who betrayed him to the society, and of the woman who will save him.Shea O’Halloran is a brilliant American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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
Pregnancy
Pregnancy refers to the fertilization and development of one or more offspring, known as a fetus or embryo, in a woman's uterus. In a pregnancy, there can be multiple gestations, as in the case of twins or triplets...
. She believes that his wife Noelle discovered his infidelity
Infidelity
In many intimate relationships in many cultures there is usually an express or implied expectation of exclusivity, especially in sexual matters. Infidelity most commonly refers to a breach of the expectation of sexual exclusivity.Infidelity can occur in relation to physical intimacy and/or...
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
Carpathian Mountains
The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians are a range of mountains forming an arc roughly long across Central and Eastern Europe, making them the second-longest mountain range in Europe...
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
Blood
Blood is a specialized bodily fluid in animals that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells....
. 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. The next day, when she asks who he is, Jacques is stunned. He always knew she was his lifemate
Lifemate
In the Dark Series by Christine Feehan, Lifemate is the term used to describe spouses of the Carpathians . However, the bond between lifemates is much stronger and different than that of humans. A male loses his ability to feel emotions after reaching the age of 200. Those emotions can only be...
then recites the ritual words, binding them for all time. 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
Carpathians (race)
Carpathians are a fictional race of people in the fictional universe of the Dark Series, a group of books by Christine Feehan. Carpathians survive by drinking the blood of humans, but unlike vampires, they do not kill their human prey...
, 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
Psychic
A psychic is a person who professes an ability to perceive information hidden from the normal senses through extrasensory perception , or is said by others to have such abilities. It is also used to describe theatrical performers who use techniques such as prestidigitation, cold reading, and hot...
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
Extinction
In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
; 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, how a vampire delivered him to the human killers. Before they can discover who the vampire 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, 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 vampire. This means that it was Rand who delivered his own son and Jacques to the men to be tortured. Gregori is selected to hunt Rand, but Rand attacks Jacques, who is forced to destroy him.
Awards and nominations
1999 All About Romance Readers Awards- Finalist for Most Tortured Hero
- Nominee for Best Other Paranormal Romance
2000 Awards Romance Books and Readers
- 3rd Place Fantasy