The world of the Dark-Hunters is unlike anything you've every seen before. It's dark. It's gritty. It's dangerous...
And it's a whole lot of fun.
My name is Nick Gautier and this is the story of my life.
First off, get the name right. It's pronounced Go-shay not Go-tee-ay or Goat-chay (that has an extra H in it and as my mom says we're so poor we couldn't afford the extra letter). I'm not some fancy French fashion designer. I'm just a regular kid... well as regular as someone with a stripper for a mother and a career felon for a father can be.
But as my mom so often says friends are what God gives us to make up for the families we're born into. And my mother, in spite of her occupation is a lad...
Read MoreThe world of the Dark-Hunters is unlike anything you've every seen before. It's dark. It's gritty. It's dangerous...
And it's a whole lot of fun.
My name is Nick Gautier and this is the story of my life.
First off, get the name right. It's pronounced Go-shay not Go-tee-ay or Goat-chay (that has an extra H in it and as my mom says we're so poor we couldn't afford the extra letter). I'm not some fancy French fashion designer. I'm just a regular kid... well as regular as someone with a stripper for a mother and a career felon for a father can be.
But as my mom so often says friends are what God gives us to make up for the families we're born into. And my mother, in spite of her occupation is a lady and I'll fight anyone who says otherwise. Consider this your notice. You respect Cherise Gautier or I'll learn you better.
My kingdom is the French Quarter and here I reign as prince. Everyone knows me and if they're anyone, I know them. From the gallery owners, artists, restaurateurs and Voodoo priestesses to the psychics littered throughout. All are counted among my friends.
Now I'm not doing bad for a kid whose education is from the backstreets and alleys. I sweep floors in the doll store along with a few other unmentionable jobs my mom would kill me over if she knew about. I even work as a guide on the "Undead of New Orleans" tours. Everyone who visits the Quarter either takes one or runs into one of these tours passing on the street. You know them. "And on this spot something spooky happened" or some other load of bull. Heck, I make most of it up each night just to keep from being bored.
I mean really, demons? Werewolves? Gods and goddesses on the streets (other than those being portrayed on the Mardi Gras floats)? Vampires? Who believes that crap?
The only blood-suckers I ever saw were lawyers and big butt mosquitoes (if you've ever been to New Orleans, then you know about the B-52 bombers I'm talking about). Besides now that Anne Rice has moved out of town she took the lot of that with her. We're a vamp-free zone.
And then one night, I decided that even though I'd done a lot of bad things in my life, I wasn't about to shake down a couple of tourists no matter how much money they had and I didn't. So instead of beating on some innocents, the guys I hung with beat on me.
They'd have killed me, too, had it not been for this mysterious dude who came out of nowhere and struck them down so fast all I could see was a black blur. The next thing I know, I'm in the hospital getting stitched up, getting an earful from my mom over the bill, and this guy is gone.
Two nights later, I find the guy to thank him, but before I get the chance, this weird doorway opens and out steps something I'd never seen before.
The Dark-Hunter called them Daimons, but I call them scary as all get out. Soul-sucking demons, they're controlled by a ruthless goddess who has been trapped in a realm she despises. Now it's a game of cat-and-mouse between the goddess Apollymi and the Dark-Hunter Acheron.
The winner takes the world.
And I am right smack dab in the middle of this war.
Trust me being undead isn't for amateurs and it's not playtime with the paranormal. All the scary things that go bump in the night are real and you should pray you never come into contact with them in their true forms. They exist and are all around us. From the butcher and baker on St. Anne, to the little old doll maker on Royal, to the captain of my football team who happens to be a werewolf. In fact, your favorite restaurant could very well be run by an entire family of shape-shifters. And who knew the girl I had a crush on comes from a long line of people who watch over the vampire slayers?
How do I know?
No, I'm not one of the undead or the many other forms of paranormal life who live and work in the Quarter. I just work for them now.
And I love every minute of it.
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The Squires
Originally known as shield-bearers for the Dark Hunters, we are either hand-picked or born to be their human accomplices. We are their eyes, their ears, and at times, their lifeline during the daylight hours.
Fiercely loyal, we have sworn our own oath to protect the Dark-Hunters' identities from those who would expose them. In turn, they protect and provide for us. Our network is every bit as complicated as that of the Dark-Hunters' and we have our own way of doing business.
Though we're not allowed on hunts, or to pursue the Daimons, we provide a necessary service to our employers. And, in the past, there have been special circumstances where we were allowed to cross over into their realm....
The Council
Best described as "taking care of business" this is an elite group that belongs in the deep background of the DH world. No one is sure who the members are or when, where or how The Council started. However, all the Squires fall beneath its shadowy control.
The Dark-Hunters themselves are beyond their reach (or so it's believed).
Who are they? We'd all like to know. The only advice I can give you as one Squire to another--when their email shows up in your inbox or you hear that distorted voice on the phone, pay as close attention to it as you would Artemis.
Never cross the Council.
Main branches/designation of Squires:
Blood-Rites: Squires who are called out to perform blood hunts to terminate any Squire who breaches his/her oath and endangers the Dark-Hunters or their world. They are also called in to execute a "rogue" Dark-Hunter who has turned against humans. Blood-Rites Squires are marked by a spider web-like tattoo on the hand.
Blue-Bloods: Squires who are descended from other Squires.
Dorean/Free Agents: Squires who don't serve a specific DH, but who provide a service that helps all of them. Doctors, pilots, police officers, judges, etc. fall into this category.
Echo/Barnacles: They are assigned to a specific DH and they maintain the DH's home. They often fetch for them as well. They are aids and personal assistants. They live with the Dark-Hunter and help to create an illusion that there's nothing unusual going on with the occupants of a house.
Initiates/Chips: Squires who are recruited.
Oracles: Squires who confer with the gods, especially the Fates to gather information that is helpful to the Dark-Hunters. The most prominent Oracles are the Lekti who keep the Book of Prophecy where all important events in human history are predicted. It is said even the End of the World is chronicled within its pages. They fall outside the control of the Squire Council and are led by the Delphinian (Oracle of Delphi).
Tech: Squires who are involved in research and technological fields. They are the ones who conceive and create special toys and who enable Dark-Hunters to communicate with each other.
Theto/Theti: They function like a police force within the realm of the Squires. They are also the ones sent out to deal with any civilian who finds out about the Dark-Hunters. Unlike the Blood-Rite Squires, they cannot kill anyone. They are sent in first to clean up the situation. If they are ineffective, then the Blood-Rites are called in.
**Please note that the Chronicles of Nick is a Young Adult spin-off series from the Dark-Hunter novels. If you'd like to read the ones with more adult content, they are listed under the related novels section.
The manga listed is for ages 14 and up.
**Note to Dark-Hunter fans
The Chronicles of Nick *is* Nick’s real and true past. There is a huge surprise (several actually) in the book that I don’t want to spoil, but when you read the book, everything you think is an inconsistency will make perfect sense to you. More than that, you will understand exactly why Nick is the way he is and why he continues to hate Acheron the way he does. But you have to be patient. All will be clear on May 25, 2010.
Nick’s series will run until it intersects with Night Pleasures and then Nick will have his own novel in the Dark-Hunter world.
Book one, Infinity, begins when Nick meets Kyrian.
Book two will pick up the next day after Infinity ends and will be out Feb 2011.
Remember the one promise that I try to keep in every book: Just when you think you know the truth about a character or event, you find out that things are seldom what they seem. Nick is one of those characters. There’s a lot more to our little Cajun than what you’ve seen to date. That’s why it takes 12 books to tell his story.
There are many, many secrets you’ll learn about a lot of characters, including Cherise and especially Jaden and Jared. Just hold on... you ain’t seen nothing yet :)
