Dance With the Devil by Sherrilyn Kenyon, Dark Hunter #7 (short story A Dark-Hunter Christmas #8), St. Martin's Press, December 2003, Rating: A

Even though I have all of the Dark-Hunter books I'm trying not to look at the next book until I'm done with the previous book. So, imagine my delighted surprise when I realized this book was about Zarek. I love tortured heroes and Zarek is about as tortured as they come. Made a whipping boy by his own father so that his half-brothers would remain unblemished in his human life, things didn't much improve as a Dark-Hunter. A rogue who trusted no one and wasn't overly personable he has been stuck in rural Alaska for the past 900 years. Acheron and Jess are the only two dark hunters who tolerate him, even those that post on their bulletin boards won't tolerate his presence among them. He is completely alone.

Astrid is a nymph, sister of the Fates, she is the judge sent to decide whether Zarek is guilty and should be condemned to "death" which for a Dark-Hunter is existence as a shade - still in this world but unable to participate in it. While in her human form, Astrid does not have the benefit of eye sight so as not to prejudice her against/for the person she's judging. She does not realize that Artemis has already released someone to kill Zarek until it's too late and they find themselves in hiding.

Zarek slowly but surely comes to trust Astrid, even when he discovers who she is and why she's there. We get painful glimpses into his past, both as a human and as a Dark-Hunter. The village he destroyed (the reason he was sent to Alaska), the painful memories associated with that and other things. He finds it impossible to believe anyone would want him, need him, comfort him. Kindness has never been anything anyone ever showed him, even the woman who bought him as a human and delivered him from the hell that was cleaning out cess pools betrayed him when it suited her purposes.

I enjoyed Zarek and Astrid's story. I knew all along that Zarek's story would be a potent one. The only Dark-Hunter we've met so far that I'm as intrigued by is Acheron. I imagine his story will be a whopper as well, given what we've seen and been given hints as far as his powers go. I rate Dance With the Devil an A and look forward to the next installment.

In Dance With the Devil there is a bonus short story entitled A Dark-Hunter Christmas, about 15 pages in length. A Dark-Hunter from the 1920s is visiting New Orleans, missing his late wife and his family after running into his great granddaughter. We see Simi again, Acheron's dragon that we got to know in Dance With the Devil. She's an adorable thing, but I'd hate to cross her. A sweet story about what family is and who comprises it.

©Susan Falk and phantomroses.com