Join the team on their quest for the truth and discover the secrets that lie beyond our world.

Dive into the electrifying world of the Darkness Bound series, where our intrepid and quirky team must navigate the thin line between life and death in their quest for answers. With each installment, the stakes get higher, the danger more intense, and the consequences more dire. Filled with paranormal creatures, magic, and danger lurking at every turn, this urban fantasy series will keep you on the edge of your seat.

 

Cole Anderson

Leon Franklin

Character images generated with Canva AI

Darkness Bound 1: Fractured Legacy

Kaylyn Anderson’s fascination with abandoned places and dark creatures kindled her work as a paranormal investigator. But when dreams begin to distort reality, she begins to doubt her own sanity, and pulls away from everyone she trusts.

But when the opportunity arises to investigate Teague Hotel–a long-abandoned landmark that has always struck her curiosity–Kaylyn jumps at the chance to redeem herself. But this is no ordinary investigation; lurking within the walls of the hotel lies a mysterious dark entity that has emerged after decades of captivity.

Finding herself the target of the dark entity, Kaylyn must battle her own doubts and learn to rely on those around her to uncover the secrets hidden within the hotel before it’s too late.

Forced Proximity, Destined to Be Together, Dark secret, Haunted house, Multiple POV, New to town, Only one bed, Slow-burn romance, Femme Fatales, Damsels in Distress, Audiobooks, Dark, Free Reads, Magic, Paranormal, Suspense, Urban Fantasy, Afraid to commit, Damaged Lead, Protector

To a varying extent, all books in this series contain dark occult content and foul language. For more information on potentially sensitive topics, see the list below.

This book contains scenes that may depict, mention, or discuss: anxiety, blood, death, fire, hallucinations, hospitalization.

Check with your local library...

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Darkness Bound 2: Beyond the Divide

Kaylyn Anderson had a knack for finding the unseen, from forgotten places to the hidden creatures that lurk in the shadows.

When a local family falls under threat of an unseen force, she and the team find themselves racing against time to uncover the truth. As they dive headfirst into a new investigation, Kaylyn discovers that her own enigmatic connection to the other side might be their only way out – but can the team trust her premonitions?

But communication from beyond the divide isn’t always what it seems, leaving them ensnarled in a web of mystery and confusion as they try to decipher which threats are real and which are simply unanswered pleas for attention.

Forced Proximity, Destined to Be Together, Dark secret, Haunted house, Multiple POV, New to town, Slow-burn romance, Femme Fatales, Dark, Magic, Paranormal, Suspense, Urban Fantasy, Afraid to commit, Damaged Lead, Protector

To a varying extent, all books in this series contain dark occult content and foul language. For more information on potentially sensitive topics, see the list below.

This book contains scenes that may depict, mention, or discuss: anxiety, blood, death, fire, hallucinations, hospitalization.

Check with your local library...

Available to libraries through:

Darkness Bound 3: Grave Absolution

Kaylyn Anderson has a supernatural gift, allowing her to perceive what others cannot. But when a mysterious force begins to consume Chatham, Kaylyn’s extraordinary gift becomes her greatest weakness in the fight against evil.

A malevolent force is draining men of their life force and leaving behind nothing but corpses. As the body count continues to rise in Chatham, Kaylyn senses the dark and twisted energy spreading through the town, and seeping into her own consciousness.

As the darkness intensifies within her own soul, the vengeful entity locks onto one of Kaylyn’s teammates. Can Kaylyn and the team save Chatham, and their friend, from being consumed by the sinister entity?

Or will Kaylyn be consumed by the darkness herself?

Characters

Kaylyn Anderson

Employer: AICIL; Chatham, Ohio HQ

Education: BA History, Chatham University

Car: Red ’68 Chevelle

Personality: ENTP 

Guilty Pleasure: dessert before dinner

Favorite Musician: Rammstein

Drink of Choice: Bodhi, coffee or anything with alcohol

Do you wear makeup?

I’d rather not. Tinted sunscreen is as far as my makeup talents go.

How do you feel about your name?

I guess I like it. Not like I ever put much thought into it, it’s just… there.

What three words would others probably use to describe you?

Stubborn, infuriating, abrasive… Beyond that, I really don’t want to know.

What is your greatest fear? 

Heights.
You want me to dig deeper? I mean heights are pretty fucking high on the list.
Crickets are also creepy.
I investigate paranormal shit, it’s not like a ton of things give me the heebie jeebies.
Okay, fine, fuck… I guess I have a slight fear of rejection, which is odd because I push people away and burn bridges like a pyromaniac on crack, but I don’t like people seeing the real me behind all the sass and bravado. If they did see that and still rejected me… moving on to the next question.

How do you deal with pain?

I don’t and that’s 99.9% of my problem. I just pretend it doesn’t exist until I explode on the next innocent bystander… or my boss. These days, it’s usually my boss, but that’s what he gets for being an arrogant–never mind, let’s not talk about Jonah.

What do you think of your family?

Ah yes, let’s now drop the family bomb on Kaylyn. It’s complicated. Don’t get me wrong, I love my family. Cole is my best friend, and I’m lucky she puts up with me. My parents have always been supportive and amazingly they put up with all my shit as well. But then there’s that secret they’ve kept my entire life and I’m really not ready to address that.

Who are your other friends?

For fuck’s sake… are you trying to make me seek therapy? Like I said Cole is my best friend. Then there’s Leon, he trained me when I started at Aicil, and he’s generally a solid guy.
That’s it. That’s all I’ve got.

Do you have any pets?

Frank, he’s a red corn snake and I enjoy going home after a long day and chilling out with him. I guess that’s friend number 3.

How would you feel after a one-night stand?

Right, like that’s a hypothetical question here… I don’t know. What am I supposed to say? Sometimes it’s good and what’s not to enjoy about a no-strings-attached hook up? Sometimes it’s not so good and I prefer to simply not look back.
Although… it all does seem to come back and bite me in the ass in one way or another. Usually it’s a former hookup showing up in an inopportune place or time.

Has anyone ever broken your heart?

No.
That’s not my answer, just me refusing to answer, so fuck right on off with that one. We already covered this dealing with pain bit.

What smells remind you of home/your childhood?

Banana pudding! We used to fix it for every family get together. Cole and I would layer the cookies, bananas and pudding, but them Mom would ruin it by adding meringue.

Are you a leader, follower, or lone wolf?

Take a wild guess. I think I’m getting better at the teamwork aspect, but could you imagine me in charge? Talk about asking for catastrophe.

Do you tend to argue with people, or try to avoid conflict?

Haven’t you met me? I couldn’t avoid conflict if I were the only person on a deserted island on Jupiter. Actually, I think I’d find even more conflict in that situation because then I’d only have myself to argue with and the only person I disagree with more than Jonah is myself.

What is your job?

Are you even cleared to know about this? Ah well, it’s not like you’ll believe me any other way. I work for the Aicil Foundation, and generally speaking, I research the history of Chatham, Oh–the weird, occult, hearing screaming in the forest when there’s really no one there kind of history. Then, I figure out why, or if, it’s still happening and we try to put a stop to it.
I talked my sister into joining up with me, which has its ups and downs, but obviously I need someone to temper my lack of tact on a regular basis.

Are you organized or disorganized?

I prefer the term organized chaos, if that gives you any idea.

What is your morning routine?

Bashing the snooze button at least a dozen times, until I realize I’m going to be late and then downing multiple cups of coffee to get my brain working with some semblance of efficiency.

What religion do you follow?

You would think that someone in my line of work would follow some religion, right? Typically supernatural things are given religious meanings. It has become a way of rationalizing things that have no explanation.
Do I believe in demons? Yes, but not in a religious sense. They’re dark entities, fed by dark energy and emotions–neither of which require belief in a metaphysical god or religious structure. Energy is the core component, and that’s something that, although we may not scientifically understand all of the manifestations it can create, we know it to be the basis of all existence.
While I’m not a believer in the ideas of a single or group of entities that rule over us and request or demand our worship, I understand religion as another form of energy manipulation. Belief systems can be used to create a focal point of energy, which is why religious artifacts tend to be the most powerful.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Dude, I don’t know where I see myself in five days. I mean I could make up a bullshit answer… I see myself making a difference in the world or some shit. I just don’t like creating these elaborate visions or plans. Expectation is the shortest road to disappointment. As long as I’m still alive, relatively happy, Frank is still hanging around, Cole is happy and my family is safe, what difference does anything else really make?

Jonah Troyer

Employer: AICIL; Chatham, Ohio HQ

Education: MA Philosophy

Car: Silver Aston Martin Vantage

Personality: ENTJ

Guilty Pleasure: breakfast for dinner

Favorite Season: Autumn

Drink of Choice: Redbreast

Do you have any nickname?

Oh, I’m sure others have assigned me all manner of nicknames. It seems Kaylyn is particularly fond of Sir Ass.

Are you a glass-half-full or a glass-half-empty type of person?

I don’t necessarily expect the best or worst in any situation. Every challenge in life is a mixture of both

What happens if someone criticizes your work?

Depends on who it is and whether their criticism is worth my energy. Of course, I try to handle the exchange diplomatically, and it if the criticism has weight, I’ll reassess and apply their suggestions.

What is your current relationship with your parents?

I was always close to my parents. They weren’t what they refer to as “helicopter parents” or anything like that. Rather they fostered a sense of trust and responsibility in letting me find my own path—that was very import to my mother in particular. She passed away, but my father and I are still quite close, and I still think of him as my closest confidant.

Do you make friends easily?

I don’t believe anyone really makes friends easily. Friendship is a test of time, that requires trust, understanding, and dedication. One can certainly acquire acquaintances easily and I do enjoy socializing with new people, but the number of those people I would count as true friends is few.

Do you believe in love at first sight?

I believe that some people can feel an instant draw toward another person’s energy. What’s that saying about finding someone who’s demons play well with your own? Something like that.
We naturally sense those who have energy we are drawn to, and sometimes that evolves into a strong and lasting relationship. Whether I’d call that love at first sight… I don’t think so.

Have you ever been in love?

I was. She apparently wasn’t. Maybe I really wasn’t either…. Would it have been so easy to put my career above all else otherwise?

How would you describe your childhood?

Where can I even begin? I was born in Minnesota, but we traveled quite a lot mainly due to Dad’s work for Aicil. Mom’s family was from Waterford, Ireland, so I spent a good bit of time there as well.
The traveling wasn’t really the interesting bit when you grow up in a family with strong ties to the paranormal. A lot of people would refer to the things Mom could do as magic, but she wasn’t really fond of that term. She was sensitive to things the rest of us could go our entire lives without noticing, and she used her connection and knowledge of those elements to manipulate energy into things like protective barriers and talismans.
Although Dad didn’t share her talents, her definitely shared her curiosity, and has spent his career chasing down the “unknown” in his own way.

Do you keep your promises?

Breaking a promise is the fastest way to lose someone’s trust, so I strive to be a man of my word.

What is your most treasured possession?

My mother’s necklace. It’s one of two she created for herself and my father for protection.

What is your morning routine?

I usually wake up pretty early, have a quick workout of some sort: push-ups, jumping jacks… something to get the blood flowing. Then, shower, and maybe catch up on some news while I have breakfast and enjoy a cup of coffee.
That is, of course, unless I have unexpected company show up in the middle of the night, or a case to work on, or… let’s just say my ideal morning routine is not necessarily routine.

What is your password?

Please.

Are you superstitious?

Do I view myself as superstitious? No, however I suppose if you’d like to go by the dictionary definition “believing in the supernatural” I would be in that category.
I believe there are many things, seen and unseen, that we have yet to explain. And many things people generally aren’t ready or willing to see or understand—those things are easily chalked up to superstition.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

If you had asked me that question a year ago, I would have confidently said that I would be settled down with my family and firmly established my career within Aicil. But my former fiance is now engaged to someone else, carrying his child, and her entire affair put me on the outs with her father–a prominent Aicil leader and, at the time, my boss because he believed I helped them cover the entire thing up.
Now my credibility is on the line, I’ve been reassigned to an office with… well, let’s just say an interesting team of investigators, and I have no idea where the next five years might take me. I am sure it’ll be quite interesting, though.