Between the Devil and the Sea

Between the Devil and the SeaChani Lynn Feener ALSO BY CHANI LYNN FEENER*For a list of YA books by this author, please check her website. All of the books listed below are Adult.Bad Things Play HereGods of Mist and MayhemA Bright Celestial SeaA Sea of Endless LightA Whisper in the Dark TrilogyYou Will Never KnowDon’t Breathe a WordAbandoned ThingsBetween the Devil and the SeaChani Lynn FeenerThis is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author's imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Between the Devil and the SeaCopyright @ 2023 by Chani Lynn Feener.All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form without written permission from the author. Front Cover design by @the.ravens.touch .Printed in the United States of America.First edition—2023 Author’s NoteDear Reader,Even if you’ve read one of my books before please do not skip this note. As some of the triggers couldn’t be included on the book’s main listing, I wanted to take the time to include them here.This book is a lot darker than any of my other books. Neither of the characters are what can be considered great people, Shade has seriously bad mental health which he hides from the world, and Apollo is…well. If you’re looking for a hero, a knight in shining armor, or an ending where the villain becomes the superhero, this isn’t the book for you. That being said, it does have a HEA.Apollo is not morally gray, he’s black all the way. He’s willing to do whatever he wants to get what he wants. He’s possessive and manipulative and if you’ve read the blurb you already know, a serial killer.I want to just get out of the way that I do not condone anything that takes place in this book in real life. This book is purely fiction. These characters aren’t real and this takes place on a made up planet in a made up galaxy. If you or anyone you know is ever in a toxic relationship, please seek help. You deserve better. And if you ever meet an Apollo, run.Now onto the triggers. If you aren’t easily triggered or you want to avoid any spoilers, feel free to skip the rest of this note.If tried to note down all of the ones I can think of, but please keep in mind that I may have missed one or two. Your mental health is important, if any of these don’t sound appealing or may put you at risk, please skip this book. I have other MM books that don’t fall under the dark category that may be better suitable for you.Most, but possibly not all, notable triggers include: Non con, dub con, knife play, choking, rejection from family, serious self-loathing and low self-esteem from one of the main characters, murder, torture (not shown on page), mention of child abuse (both sexually and otherwise, never shown on page and only briefly mentioned), mention of child death (never shown on page), kidnapping, stalking, conditioning of the main character, Stockholm syndrome, sadism, masochism (pain, not humiliation), and very graphic sex scenes. Seriously. There are more sex scenes in this book than any of my others. Physical intimacy plays a big role in binding the two main characters together. While it’s not just about sex for them in the end, sex is used as a tool by Apollo. Finally, lube is only sometimes used. I understand that’s a big one for some people. Please keep in mind, while they look basically the same as humans, these are aliens, and while I don’t go into great detail about anatomy in this one, I like to think they aren’t exactly built the same as humans. In my contemporary works lube always plays a very big role, but this isn’t contemporary, and also…one of the main characters has an attraction to pain anyway.Again, this book does have a HEA. It features two people who, by the end, decide to put their relationship above everything else, including the bad things that may or may not have transpired between them. This relationship is messy, twisted, and in many ways, wrong. To reiterate, I in no way, shape, or form condone anything mentioned above in real life. This is purely fiction.This book is intended for a mature adult audience only.Remember, your mental health and well-being is more important than reading this book. Always put yourself first and be responsible for your own triggers. You’re worth it and you matter.BlurbWhat happens when a devil claims a demon?Detective Shadow Yor hates his life.He spends all of his time, day after day, struggling against the demons in his head that tell him he’s a worthless, unlovable person. This doesn’t change when he’s sent on a new assignment with his partner to solve a series of murders. He’s good at his job and will find whoever did it, there’s no doubt there. The only question is whether or not he’ll be able to keep himself together during, or if his empathic abilities will finally be the death of him.Apollo Orobas is bored.He’s bored of his secret nighttime proclivities and bored of playing the part of charming neighborhood do-gooder. Apollo isn’t good, never has been, but just when he’s starting to think life holds no interest, Shadow Yor stumbles into his sights. It doesn’t take long for him to figure out the detective is also hiding his true self, and suddenly coaxing Shade’s monster out into the light is all Apollo can think of. As obsession sinks its claws in, he decides it’s time for a new game, one Shade is going to play with him. Whether he likes it or not.Kidnapped and forced to endure whatever twisted plans Apollo has in store, Shade struggles to hold onto his idea of right and wrong, but the more he tries to resist, the more those lines start to blur. What chance does a