Smile In The Dark: Book II of the Hand of God series

What if vampires were part of a war between Heaven and Hell being fought on Earth? How would The Church react and whom would they send to deal with these demonic Creatures of The Night? Critically acclaimed author Mark Allyn Stewart returns to the Hand of God Series with this sequel to Against This Vast Army. David and Sharon have settled into their roles as New York’s protectors, but would they be able to protect anyone from a new generation of vampire that is immune to the vampire’s curse? One of the monsters now holds the key to destroying the vampire’s weaknesses forever, making the only advantages the hunters have against the creatures of the night useless. Can David stop this vampire from completing the unholy ritual in time or will the curse be removed forever, allowing any vampire to move freely, unafraid of sunlight, silver or even the cross . . .

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A loud crash sounded behind them and Sharon and Kevin jumped up, turning to see a man, a priest by the looks of him, come crashing through the glass of the front window. Another man leapt in behind him, snarling at the startled patrons, who suddenly jumped out of booths and away from tables. Despite the heat a chill crept over Sharon when she saw the look in the man s eyes as he snarled at her. Behind it all, streaming in through the broken window were golden shafts of daylight, the first of the new day. They gently touched the man s back and shoulders and Sharon could see that he was starting to smoke. Dropping to one knee, Sharon scrambled for the spare gun she kept strapped to her leg. It was loaded with silver bullets and she kept it with her at all times, even when she was on duty, for just such an occasion as this. Kevin had already drawn his weapon and was shouting at the snarling man. Sharon raised her gun and inched forward, trying to get to the priest who lay among the broken glass, moaning softly. She could see blood pooling on the floor from somewhere. Suddenly the vampire leapt for the priest and Kevin opened fire on him. Kevin knew nothing of vampires, though, and Sharon was sure he didn t even recognize this one for what he was. Bullets would do little damage to the supernatural monster. It was up to Sharon to stop him. She turned from the fallen priest and leveled her gun at the vampire. He was fast and she had only a split second to aim and then it was all or nothing. She pulled the trigger and kept pulling it, trying to track the thing and land one in the vampire s heart. He flew through the air toward the priest, arms forward, ready to tear his victim apart as bullets exploded across his shoulders and chest. With a sinking feeling Sharon knew she wouldn t be able to hit the thing s heart in time. She stopped firing and jumped forward, not thinking, her shoulder slamming into the vampire s gut. They tumbled over together, her move doing little to stop the force of his leap but redirecting it enough to keep him on her and away from the priest. They went down awkwardly, Sharon not having enough time to brace for the impact or to get her balance as they went spinning, falling over each other. They came to a stop sprawled on the floor, the broken glass crunching underneath them. The vampire raised his fist over his head, ready to pound Sharon into the floor when Kevin suddenly tackled him from the side. The vampire slid out of Kevin s grip and went sliding across the floor, coming up lightning fast. Sharon worked her way up, coughing, at first not realizing why. Then she saw the smoke hanging in the room and as they all looked on the vampire spread his arms, a smile cracking his face. He began to cackle wildly as his body erupted in white-hot flame, the sunlight now fully covering the diner. The vampire did not scream, did not howl in pain, only burned and then was gone, the black mist rising from the ashes.

About the Author

Mark Allyn Stewart has a degree in film from Webster University in St. Louis but what he really always wanted to do is write. He splits his time between St. Louis, Missouri and Mayfair, Washington. His first novel is Against This Vast Army: Book I of the Hand of God series. This is his second novel.

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