Dreams in the Dark Playlist
Music is an important muse when it comes to my writing. A
song can inspire a scene, a chapter, or even a book. Here are the top ten songs
that inspired Dreams in the Dark.
1.
In the
Night by The Weeknd: And I know that she’s capable of anything, it’s
riveting But when you wake up she’s always gone, gone, gone
2.
Nothing
Ever Hurt Like You by James Morrison: I was naïve and wide-eyed, but you
made me see That you don’t get to taste the honey Without the sting of the bee
Oh yes, you stung me good, oh yeah you dug in deep But I’ll take it, I’ll take
it, I’ll take it ‘Til I’m down on my knees.
3.
The One
That Got Away by The Civil Wars: I never meant to get us in the deep I
never meant for this to mean a thing Oh, I wish you were the one Wish you were
the one that got away
4.
Stiches
by Shawn Mendes: Just like a moth drawn to a flame Oh you lured me in I
couldn’t sense the pain Your bitter heart cold to the touch Now I’m gonna reap
what I sew I left seeing red on my own
5.
Locked
Away by R. City: If I got locked away And we lost it all today Tell me
honesty, would you still love me the same? If I showed you my flaws If I
couldn’t be strong Tell me honestly, would you still love me the same?
6.
Not Gonna
Die by Skillet: This is how it feels when you take your life back This is
how it feels when you finally fight back When life pushes me I push harder What
doesn’t kill me makes me stronger
7.
What Have
You Done by Within Temptation: Would you mind if I hurt you? Understand
that I need to Wish that I had other choices Than to harm the one I love What
have you done now? I know I’d better stop trying You know that there’s no
denying I won’t show mercy on you now
8.
Circus
for a Psycho by Skillet: You think you’re gonna hurt me Get ready to get
dirty You created this beast inside Pull the noose tighter And lift a little
higher Because you’re killing me slow I ain’t ready to die.
9.
Unsteady
by X Ambassadors: Mother, I know That you’re tired of being alone Dad, I
know you’re trying To fight when you feel like flying But if you love me, don’t
let go
10.
Thinking
Out Loud by Ed Sheeran: I’m thinking ‘bout how people fall in love in
mysterious ways Maybe it’s all part of a plan I’ll just keep making the same
mistakes Hoping that you’ll understand
Dreams in the Dark
Dark Dreams
Book 2
K. Margaret
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Date of Publication: August 4, 2016
ISBN: 978-1534924017
Number of pages: 197 (paperback)
Word Count: 81063
Cover Artist: Ariel LeAnn
Book Description:
Whispers abound in Gehenna, Zeus knows the empusae is alive and he wants her dead. A war is coming, and a war is exactly what Empusa’s been training her pets for.
Deep down, Empusa only wants one thing—the demise of those who banished her to Hell, and she will stop at nothing to escape and exact her revenge. Traveling the Dream Realm, she spends countless hours searching for her ticket out, and she’s finally found him.
Krael Connolly, the Crown Prince of Gehenna, spends his days researching demons, particularly the elusive empusae, and his nights being visited by his Emmy in his dreams. As the Demon of Vengeance, he fights a battle with his inner demon every day, but his humanity continues to win out…although, the demon of his dreams is testing that control.
He endlessly fights against the dark, while she fights against the light. She calls to his demon as he struggles to bring out her humanity. She lives for chaos, blood and destruction, but he makes her experience something she'd never experienced before—emotions.
But ultimately, what will Empusa do?
Whatever hell she wants.
Excerpt:
Screams of
torture and cries of agony surrounded Empusa. From her vantage point high atop
a rock formation, inside her property line in the middle of Gehenna, the
demoness looked out over the vast wasteland and liked what she saw. As far as
the eye could see, numerous battles were taking place. Battles for food and
power, and all of them to the death. The dark sky above shifted between varying
shades of black, with a slight tint of red creating an eerie sight. The red
grew thicker and darker by the minute, signaling the death of the demons below.
As each one fell, the ground sought nourishment, inhaling the fallen’s essence
and leaving behind a red mist. The sight comforted Empusa like a baby’s blanket
would. She was raised on death and mayhem, became its lover until nothing was
left of her soul but a darkened void that sought only one thing: the demise of
those who banished her to the depths of Hell in the first place.
Another
anguished cry split the air, causing a slow, devious smile to spread across the
demoness’s blood red lips. By the gods, she loved the sound. The agonizing,
helpless pleas of those of the damned who wouldn’t last another hour. Usually,
Empusa forced such sounds from her fellow imprisoned demons, but she could be
satisfied with someone else playing her a lullaby tonight.
Lowering herself
against the hard, cold stone, Empusa stretched out on her back, one hand
dangling over the edge into nothingness. She closed her eyes and allowed sleep
to pull her into the Dream Realm.
Well over a
century ago, Empusa had seduced the nightmare demon, Epiales, and stolen his
powers, allowing her free reign over the realm. She could control it,
manipulate it, and use it toward her advantage. For countless hours, she used
it to search for the one who could free her from her prison. A prison her bitch
of a mother tossed her into millennium ago when she was no more than a child.
Gehenna, the
Demon Hell Realm, had been her home for so long, her childhood on Mt. Olympus
became all but a distant memory. The sweet, loving child of her past got buried
so deep, she no longer admitted to ever being such a creature. Living and
surviving among the worst of the worst of the demon species, Empusa learned to
become more than a survivor. She’d become the one demon all others feared, a
force to be reckoned with. Not only did every being within the confines of
Gehenna fear her, but they all wanted her. She’d become a legend amongst their
kind. Living in a realm where once imprisoned you stayed for eternity, Empusa
set her sights on the one thing no one before her ever accomplished. Escape.
The cries
echoing through the night vanished the deeper into sleep she went. Soon she
found herself standing in the center of a long, white hallway. Doors of the
same nondescript color lined up on either side of her as far as the eye could
see. She stood there for a moment, deciding on which direction she wanted to
go. Epiales must seriously miss the power to control such a place. How lonely
it must be to not be able to escape the prison he currently resided in. Not
that Empusa cared of the hell she placed upon him. He’d possessed a power she
needed, so she stole it. Out of all her weapons, it was possibly her favorite
in the endless battle she fought.
The toe of her
thigh-high black boot tapped with impatience against the white marble floor.
The one man she wanted to be available to her wasn’t. Empusa didn’t know what
time it was on the realm he resided in, but she didn’t care. She specifically
came for him. The need to see him, to touch him, to taste him left her off
kilter most of the day. Empusa did not appreciate the feeling. She didn’t like
not having control over every aspect of her life. This particular male caused her
to do the unexpected, like seek him out. The audacity of him not to be where
she wanted him to be, when she wanted him to be there, grated on her nerves.
Her heart kicked
in her chest as, one by one, each door around her vanished until only one
remained. For a moment she thought she miscalculated and Krael would be
available. Her body betrayed her with the mere thought, causing her heart to
slam in her chest, but she knew right away it wasn’t Krael. The feeling in her
chest changed, making it feel as if her heart plummeted to her feet signaling a
disappointment she didn’t want or need. A snarl passed her lips and the urge to
kill something invaded her thoughts. How dare he make her feel things? It was a
good thing no one was around to witness her behavior. If there had been, she
would have killed them. No way would she allow anyone to think of her as weak.
About the Author:
K. Margaret is a paranormal romance author living in Georgia. Her love for words, storytelling, and mythology started as a teenager and continues to grow. When she isn’t sucking down pots of coffee and writing, or hanging out with her teenage daughter, she can usually be found in front of her TV watching football, her other obsession.
