One With The Night

Companion Series - Book 5

Author: Susan Squires

Jane Blundell was infected with vampirism in her father's laboratory because of a broken vial. Her father nursed her through the turning by infecting blood and feeding it to her. Since then he has dedicated his life to finding a cure. She has dedicated her life to being the son he never had, trying her hardest to make him proud of her. She knows nothing of being a vampire and when her father's life is threatened, she figures it's time to remedy that. When Callan Kilkenny comes looking for the cure, willingly volunteering himself as the dr.'s test subject, Jane begins to feel all manner of things she's never felt before. She's both excited to explore these new sensations and afraid of what they could mean. She finds herself falling for Kilkenny, but afraid to make herself vulnerable and losing control.

Callan Kilkenny was a "Charming Irish Rogue" until he ran afoul of Asharti, a very powerful female vampire with a penchant for compulsion, sexual torture and a fondness for breaking men's spirits. She made him a vampire so that there would be no risk of him dying before she's completely broken him. Set free by her death, he is unsure if he can ever get back to who he used to be. As a vampire he can not commit suicide, his companion won't allow it, and so he wanders around trying to do small good deeds where he can to counteract the terrible things he did under Asharti's command. When he begins to hear rumors about a possible cure, he sees his chance to become human again or die trying, either would be fine by him. He knows he's in trouble the moment he meets Jane. He's been celibate since Asharti, afraid that he's become twisted by his experiences with her, but Jane tempts him to the breaking point. He plans to avoid her as much as possible, but between her father throwing them together on herb gathering outings and Jane's curiosity about vampires, he hasn't got a chance of resisting her.

The stakes become deadlier when a trio of powerful vampires, led by Elyta Zaroff, come from the vampire's ruling council. Elyta says they want to protect the dr and help him find the cure. Although suspicious, they really have no choice but to let Elyta and her crew stay on. It soon becomes clear that Elyta's motives are less than pure, both for the cure and towars Callan. When she reveals to Callan that it was she who taught Asharti everything she knew, he knows that she'll kill them all as soon as she has no further use for them. The only way to save Jane, whom he's fallen in love with, is to make a deal with the devil. One that will ensure Jane will never love him and see him in the same form of slavery that nearly broke him before. He's gladly do it for Jane, but when she finds out what's really going on she puts and end to the deal and Callan is forced to come up with a long shot plan to save them both from their protectors and the vampires who want to destroy the cure and anyone associated with it.


While this book can be read as a stand alone, you'll be much more clear on a few things if you read the other books in the series first. Both the main characters were great. I felt terrible for Callan. In previous books we've been shown the effects of Asharti's twisted games on people's minds, but Callan is the first one who though himself truly evil because of the choices she coerced him in to making. Jane occasionally gave thought to a possible future with Callan, but since he never said anything about having feelings for her she kept thinking herself a fool. Callan wouldn't let himself dream. He didn't believe there was any way that she could love a creature like him. They were both afraid to speak. Jane sometimes frustrated me earlier on with her unwillingness to step outside the role she'd set for herself. Repressing any urges and expressions that didn't fit with what she thought was proper for a scientific minded individual. Callan was more frustrating at times, but I found it hard to really blame him because of what he went through. I mean, it had only been a couple of years since Asharti's death. Anyone who survived something like that would have some major issues to work through. Hell, some they might never be able to work through. Didn't stop me from wanting to pull my hair now and then. I've read the series up to this book and plan to pick up the next two soon. I better move quick because the eighth book, Time For Eternity, is due out at the beginning of September.