When the G.o.ds realized that the wall between earth and h.e.l.l had been breeched and a horde of Demon Lords let loose upon earth, they sent an army to repair the damage-but no one could catch the fiends. And even if they could, the G.o.ds knew that locking them back inside h.e.l.l would merely invite another rebellion.

Something had to be done.

Though the stone barrier had fallen, the G.o.ddess of Oppression's body was still bound to the wall of h.e.l.l. And so the G.o.ds built a box-sized prison from Kadence's bones, confident that the powers she had tapped into hours before her death still resided deep in the marrow.

They were proven right. Once opened, the box drew the demons from their hiding places, holding them captive as even h.e.l.l had been unable to do.

The G.o.ds were pleased with their handiwork. If only they had not given the box to Pandora for safekeeping...but that is a story for another time.

ISBN: 978-1-4268-1754-0.

The Darkest Fire Copyright 2008 by Gena Showalter All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.

All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.

This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

and are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.

www.eHarlequin.com