Dust To Dust

“Mystery, sex, paranormal events. What’s not to love?”

—Kirkus on The Death Dealer

“[A] sinister tale sure to appeal to fans across multiple genre lines.”

—Publishers Weekly on The Death Dealer

“Heather Graham will keep you in suspense until the very end.”

—Literary Times

“[A] solid trilogy opener…Ghostly sightings, capable detective work and fascinating characters blend to make a satisfying chiller.”

—Publishers Weekly on Deadly Night

“Nerve-racking in the extreme, solidly plotted and peppered with welcome hints of black humor. And the ending’s all readers could hope for.”

—Romantic Times BOOKreviews on The Last Noel

“There are good reasons for Graham’s steady standing as a bestselling author. The paranormal elements are integral to the unrelentingly suspenseful plot, the characters are likable, the romance convincing, and, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Graham’s atmospheric depiction of a lost city is especially poignant.”

—Booklist on Ghost Walk

“Graham peoples her novel with genuine, endearing characters.”

—Publishers Weekly on The Séance

“An incredible storyteller.”

—Los Angeles Daily News

The Prophecy: Book One

For Amber Smyser, Valerie Querns, Mike LeClaire,

Cozmo Johnson, Jonathan Wenstrup, Christine Adolf and Jennifer Stratford— and, very specially, Scott and Josh Perry. You all make L.A. a very special place!

Dear Reader,

Beginning a new mini-series called The Prophecy, Dust to Dust is a stand alone book and the first in a series that will eventually entail four novels, each separate, though all with a specific goal. Included in these stories are characters from past books, characters who are part of The Alliance and who will have new roles throughout the series.

So in case anyone wants to learn more about those characters, here is a list of who they are, in what book they were featured and under what name that book was published, the real me or the pseudonym me—Shannon Drake!

Best,

Heather

Beneath a Blood Red Moon, Shannon Drake, 1999

featuring Maggie Montgomery and Sean Canady

When Darkness Falls, Shannon Drake, 2000

featuring Lucian DeVeau and Jade MacGregor

Deep Midnight, Shannon Drake, 2001

featuring Jordan Riley and Ragnor Wulfsson

Realm of Shadows, Shannon Drake, 2002

featuring Tara Mason and Brent Malone

The Awakening, Shannon Drake, 2003

featuring Megan and Finn O’Casey

Dead by Dusk, Shannon Drake, 2005

featuring Stephanie Cahill and Grant Peterson

Kiss of Darkness, Heather Graham, 2006

featuring Bryan McAllister and Jessica Fraser

Blood Red, Heather Graham, 2007

featuring Lauren Crow and Mark Davidson

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Epilogue

I Became

There wasn’t anything really wrong with me from the start. I was just your average Joe. They might not have hired me for the cover of GQ, but I wasn’t a bad-looking guy. (Sadly, in all this, my looks haven’t changed. I haven’t acquired a rippling six-pack or anything.) I have a nice-enough face. My features are a little too classic for some. I’ve been told I would make a great cavalier, that I kind of look like King Charles. Not the Second—the one who had dozens of women and probably just as many illegitimate kids. No, I look more like Charles the First—the one who favored the divine right of kings and lost his regal head. Anyway, the point of all this is that I’m no muscle-bound hunk. I’m not a rail, but I am more wiry than built-up, and I usually depend a lot more on speed and agility than the size of my biceps. Kind of a lean, mean, fighting machine—fonder of argument and debate than bashing in a face.

I did—and still do, despite the changes—like life. No, that’s not entirely true. I like it even more now. I’ve become more aware than ever of the delicacy of every single minute of human existence.

Before, I simply liked the flow of life. People, places, things—especially art. Luckily, I made a good-enough living. At the age of thirty, I’d managed to sock away enough to buy my own graphics-and-design shop. I was confident about my future, and did well enough as a son, friend and lover. I’d had a few flings, one serious, which lasted three years, several that went on for months, but…she wasn’t out there. The right woman for me just never turned up.

Maybe there was a reason.

Anyway, on the night I Became, I was in Los Angeles. I was there with Zach Whalen and Emory Smith.

Zach is a muscle-bound hunk. Six-four, a good inch and a half over me, and a solid—and I do mean solid—two-hundred-forty pounds. Zach is of Danish descent. He’d fit right in with a Viking raiding party. And he’s a good guy. Looks like he should be in a wrestling ring, which he is sometimes. But the love of his life is music. He manages a karaoke club, and in his spare time, he’s a bass guitarist with the Luckless Three.