We made it!

Twenty days of Darkborn, Wildwalkers, bonus stories, a Runemarked read-along, games, giveaways, behind-the-scenes peeks, questionable survival decisions, and a whole lot of time spent in Röthgard.

This was a fun way for me to share the world I've been stewing in for the past year with you. I hope you enjoyed it!

Thank you to everyone who joined in, whether you participated every day, popped in when something caught your attention, or quietly followed along from the shadows. I hope you had as much fun returning to this world as I did sharing more of it with you.

And congratulations to our giveaway winner (announced in Discord)!

The event may be ending, but thankfully we don't have very long to wait for what comes next.

Soulbound releases October 20.

*Early for immediate download in my bookshop: HERE

*Amazon HERE

Thank you for hanging out and don't be a stranger! I'll see you back in Röthgard. 🖤

“My fucking soulmate?”
Ten years of starving. 
One very inconvenient soul bond. 
And a princess who is increasingly done with his bullshit.

AND this is your LAST CALL to enter the Darkborn giveaway!
Entries close tonight, so if you haven’t chosen your Darkborn + Wildwalker survival team yet, head to the giveaway post and get your entry in.

Tomorrow I’ll announce the winner as we officially close out 20 Days of Darkborn.

In the meantime, here are some of my favorite quotes for your amusement...

You know them well enough by now. Time to judge them. 😏

Tell me your picks for the Darkborn MOST LIKELY TO...
Sylas, Thorne, Arless, or Lucian?

And yes, you have to answer the last one too. I don't make the rules.

Drop your verdicts below. 👇

We gave Sylas and Evangeline the spotlight a few days ago.
Now it's Thorne and Imara's turn. 🔥

If Sylas and Evangeline are a slow burn built on longing and restraint, these two are built on mutual irritation, stubbornness, and an alarming amount of sexual tension.

Or, as I've started calling them:
Loathing to lovers.

Here's another sneak peek from Soulbound...

****

Imara's eyes enliven as she lifts her shield in her other hand and holds it against her body. "The first one to yield loses."
I nod in agreement, and we take a defensive stance. The women form a ring around us, their excitement contagious and buzzing in the air.
Imara's muscles tighten with readiness, and she strikes first. Fast. Brutal. No hesitation. I block, and she's already moving again. We trade blows, my hammer clashing with her sword. She feints left, striking right. I dodge, counter, and she deflects. Her footwork is flawless, her hits precise. She parries and spins, advances, and dodges my next swing. If she were fighting a human, there's no doubt in my mind that she'd have won already.
We strike harder, move faster, but I'm still holding back. My tempered Darkborn speed versus her skill and determination.
She flinches when my hammer grazes her side, and I chide myself for such a close call. But as her shieldmaidens cheer and her sword nicks my throat, I almost falter in surprise. She's making me work for it, I'll give her that much, though I'd expect nothing less.
Sweat drips down her temple. Blood beads on my neck. Mud splatters our clothes. But we don't stop, and every time our weapons meet, the air between us crackles. The Darkborn in me is getting dangerously restless, and I need to end this.
When I see an opening, I use my speed to step inside Imara's guard and disarm her with a twist of my wrist. Her sword flies from her grip, but she doesn't stop. Imara uses the momentum, drops low, and knocks my legs out from under me with her shield, and I go down hard, hammer still in hand.
A raucous cheer resounds, and with one foot on my hammer wrist, Imara straddles me with the other. Leaning in, she presses a dagger to my throat. "Do you yield, Darkborn?" Her voice is breathless, but her eyes burn with excitement. Bearberries, sage, and her arousal fill my senses, and after dropping my hammer, I grip her hips. My runes burn beneath my skin, and a sound I've never heard before tears out of my chest.
Imara goes still above me. The dagger doesn't move, but neither does she.
Somewhere behind us, the cheering dies.
I yearn to flip her beneath me and take her right here as the Darkborn surges through me. Every instinct I have wants to taste her. Now.
She blinks at me.
Gripping her hips tighter, I lift her off me instead and set her on her feet. "I've got work to do." Panting for breath, I shove my war hammer into my backstrap.
"Thorne?" Her voice snags on my name as she takes a step toward me.
I grab my fur cloak. "I have to go." And with that, I make my way through the parting warriors toward the stable, desperate for distance.
The shield commander may not feel it, but the soul bond is a lodestone in my chest, pulling me toward her. Toward danger. I have already burned once—alchemy fire took my mortal life, and left me hollow and remade.
I will not survive that kind of loss again.
So, I run.

****

Yeah.
That's going well. 😏 These two are everything in Soulbound. Just you wait and see...

🔥 THORNE + IMARA
⚔️ Darkborn Defender + Shield Commander
🖤 Loathing to lovers
🔥 A soul bond - what???!!!???
⚔️ Two people who would much rather fight than talk about their feelings

You don't want to wait for October 20th, the finished ebook is available EARLY exclusively from my bookshop with instant download.
👉 READ SOULBOUND EARLY https://harleyblackwell.com/products/soulbound-the-darkborn-2-early-release-copy

Today we're giving some love to one of the unsung heroes of the Darkborn world. Brunhild.

She may not be Darkborn, carry a legendary weapon, or have the magic of the gods running through her veins... But she will scold an immortal warrior without a second thought.

Brunhild has been there through it all. She helped bring Thorne back when the Darkborn nearly consumed him, helped foster trust between the North and the Darkborn, raised Evangeline, and has spent years keeping a household full of immortal warriors in line.

Frankly, surviving them might be her greatest accomplishment. So today is for the Hearth Mother. 

TODAY'S QUESTION: Every found family needs someone who holds everyone together.

Who is that character for you in the Darkborn series?

Personally, I could argue it's Sylas or Ari or Burnhild.

But who is it for you? What is their moment that stands out to you.

Calling all Darkborn readers!!!

Soulbound releases October 20, and my initial ARC Team is full BUT I've opened another round to join!
If you've read Bloodborn and would like to read Soulbound before release in exchange for an honest review, you can now request a review copy through Booksprout. And yes, things in Röthgard are about to get way more...complicated.

🐺 Sylas and Evangeline's slow burn finally ignites
🔥 Thorne and Imara take loathing to lovers to a whole new level
🏹 More Ari, Lucian, and the rest of the Darkborn
🐺 The Wildwalkers enter the fight
⚔️ And the war for Röthgard is only getting started

And the war against the rotting evil consuming Röthgard is only the TIP of the iceberg. ARC copies are completely free. Reviews are always honest and can be whatever length is comfortable to you. I just ask that you request a copy if you genuinely intend to read and review the book. I've limited the spots on this one since we're getting close to release day.

👉 JOIN THE SOULBOUND ARC TEAM https://booksprout.co/reviewer/review-copy/view/322751/soulbound

And for everyone who would rather skip the ARC process and simply keep reading...

🔥 Soulbound ebook is available EARLY exclusively from my bookshop, with instant download for ebooks and print, immediately in your inbox.

👉 READ SOULBOUND NOW https://harleyblackwell.com/products/soulbound-the-darkborn-2-early-release-copy

We’ve talked about the Wildwalkers.
You’ve met their beasts.

Today’s 20 Days of Darkborn goody is a sneak peek from Soulbound, featuring Arless and Kael, the Barrow Wolf.

And because Ari is Ari, simply seeing a Wildwalker isn’t enough.
She wants to fight one.

___

We reach the shelf of stone, where the mountain opens into a jagged stretch of solid ground. Thorne, Sylas, Lucian, and I spent many days up here when we first turned, separating ourselves from the lure of heartbeats in Rockhavn.
"It's been a while since I came up here," I tell Kael and take in the broken agate jutting from the snow like shattered bones.
He peers over the cliff, what lies below lost to storm and shadow.
"Scared yet?" I ask.
He lifts his brow. "I admit, if you do mean to kill me, this would be the place."
My grin widens as I tug my fitted vest down and flex my hands. Snowflakes land in my lashes and I blink them away, drawing both of my short blades. "I only mean to see what Lucian's new vessel, and Loki's champion, is made of." I can't help the acidic tinge in my tone.
Kael's dark eyes brighten with a realization of some kind. "I see." He unsheathes his sword from his back.
"Sylas and Lucian know you well," I explain. "I thought, after today, I might know you better, too."
He discards his cloak with a nod, though I barely give him time to breathe before I strike.
Kael moves faster than I expect, twisting out of reach as one of my blades slices the air. He doesn't have Lucian's bulk or Thorne's brutal mass. He is something wilder, and he moves like his wolf even in human skin.
I keep my full power reined in, but I admit I am not gentle when I attack again, harder this time. He blocks, then ducks beneath my second blade. He rolls as I spin around and comes up in a crouch with his sword aimed at me. It slashes toward my thigh, but I twist away, feeling his sword score the leather.
My nostrils flare, and I drive him back over uneven stone, forcing him toward the ravine. Kael's not stronger than I am, but he reads the terrain like his wolf is ingrained in him, the way the Darkborn is ingrained in me.
I feint left, then slam my shoulder into his chest. He skids back, his boots carving through the snow, and for the first time, breath bursts from him.
"Show me," I tell him, and it sounds like an impatient command. "Show me what you really are."
Even the wind seems to draw back as everything falls silent. Kael watches me for a long moment, and then he drops his sword to the ground with a muffled thud. "As you wish, Warden." With the ease and swiftness of a man who has done this a hundred times, he undresses. And I admit, I admire his chiseled form. He is lean—built for speed and endurance rather than brute force, and every muscle is earned rather than gifted, unlike the Darkborn. Scarification marks his forearms, torso, and chest, pale brands cutting through tanned skin. A serpentine dragon climbs up his ribs. Remnants of his life and his village long since burned to ash, that Sylas told us about, I presume.
The instant his clothes are off, his bones begin to break. He makes no sounds of pain as his legs buckle beneath him and his fingers claw against the frozen stone.
I have watched the Darkborn tear through battlefields with blood on their fangs and blue fire in their eyes. I've watched people be burned alive, seen throats and spines torn from flesh, and lived through the turmoil of Hel's remaking. But I have never seen this.
Kael's shoulders wrench wider, and his spine lengthens with a crack that should make him scream, but he makes no sound. Fur ripples over his body, bone-white with a dark line down his spine, and his eyes burn luminous green. The air fills with the familiar scent of otherness. Of gods' magic.
The barrow wolf rises from the snow, almost as large as a war horse, and his head lowers, eyes leveled on me.
"That's a proper wolf," I breathe out. For the first time since my transformation, my grip tightens with a smidgen of apprehension, and it's thrilling.
The barrow wolf circles me, his breath steaming in the bitter cold, and then he lunges.

____

Of course that's Ari's reaction. 😂

🐺 THE BARROW WOLF
Wildwalker: Kael
Created by: Loki
Bone-pale fur. Luminous green eyes in battle. Nearly the size of a war horse.
And apparently an excellent sparring partner for one slightly unhinged Darkborn Warden.

🔥 QUESTION: If you could shift into one of the four Wildwalkers, which would you choose?
🐺 Barrow Wolf
🐻 War Bear
🐈‍⬛ Shadow Saber
🐦‍⬛ Storm Raven

Soulbound releases October 20, but if you're ready to keep reading, the ebook is available EARLY in my bookshop right now.

👉 READ SOULBOUND EARLY https://harleyblackwell.com/products/soulbound-the-darkborn-2-early-release-copy

**I had no idea I was so behind. I thought I had scheduled these to post while I was out of town. Apologies! I'll pick up where we left off. 

_______

For the first half of 20 Days of Darkborn, we've spent a lot of time looking backward.

We went back to the beginning with Runemarked. We met the Wildwalkers. We dug into bonus POVs, lore, characters, and some of the pieces that built this world.

Today, we're looking forward.

Because Soulbound releases October 20.

And if you thought Sylas was struggling to control himself around Evangeline in Bloodborn...
Well.
He's not doing any better. 😈
Here’s your first taste of Soulbound.

>>>

With a grunt, I move to block another one of Erik's strikes, but it's a fake-out. I stumble, he tries to catch me, and when I hit the ground, the impact and Erik's body drive the air from my lungs. He clambers to his feet, spewing apologies, but for a heartbeat, I'm stunned. My palms sting, flat against the stone to push myself up, when a roar splits the morning air.
My spine tingles at the sound, and one moment, the Wolf is a shadow in the staging area, but the next, he slams Erik against the weapons rack. His massive hand locks around Erik's throat, and his fangs are out, glinting in the early light. His eyes—gods, his dark eyes burn like coals.
"You." He barely sounds human, and the entire yard goes silent. Warriors freeze mid-swing. Even the wind seems to hold its breath.
Erik's eyes are wide with shock. He raises his hands but doesn't fight back.
"Gen . . . eral—" Erik chokes out, his voice strained. "I didn't—"
The Wolf's grip tightens, and the wooden rack groans as he shoves Erik harder against it. "You hurt her."  ....    I rub my hands over my arms, suddenly chilled as my fury wanes. "I overstepped yesterday, going to a place so sacred to you. I understand that now, but I didn't know what it was." I meet him stare for stare, hating the knot in my throat. "But still, I have never felt as deplorable and unwanted here as you made me feel yesterday and every moment since. Like I am a curse—"
"You are a curse!" It sounds like a confession torn from his throat and feels like a hook tearing through my chest.
"I see." I take a step back and avert my gaze, unable to stomach his resentment any longer. If he only knew what my family suffered to protect this curse I seem to be, he would know how true that sentiment really is. Or perhaps he already does.
"No, you don't see," he growls, moving closer.
"I assure you. I do." I reach for my discarded sword on the ground to put it away, desperate to find somewhere to hide where I can lick my wounds in private.
"If you knew the demons I battle when I am near you, Your Highness, you would wish to be far away from this place."
"We all have demons," I whisper, afraid to look at him.
"What I feel in your presence is . . . dangerous." He says the word as if it's being ripped from the bowels of the underworld, but dangerous or not, I feel calmness in his presence.
"Perhaps," I admit softly and slowly turn to him, "but I have lived here for years, and somehow, I have never felt safer."
The Wolf swallows, his eyes searching my face. Terrifying, he may be, but his gaze carries an eternity of heartache that I only wish to soothe. It makes no sense.
"You shouldn't," he says.
"Feel safe?" I shrug, unable to help it. "Well, I do."
The Darkborn general steps closer. "Even if I told you your scent burrows under my skin, rousing my darkness? That sensing your presence on the floor above mine drives me to madness?"
His chambers are below mine? I feel lightheaded at the thought.
"Your arousal . . ." His head tilts the barest amount, and the look on his face is almost predatory as his gaze rakes over me.
"M-my what?" My cheeks might as well catch flame.
"It wasn't for the boy."

>>>

Sylas has spent years fighting the hunger inside him.
Unfortunately for him, Evangeline is done making that easy.

SOULBOUND | THE DARKBORN BOOK TWO
🔥 Official release: October 20
🐺 Sylas + Evangeline
⚔️ Thorne + Imara
🖤 Soul bonds, dangerous magic, immortal warriors, and a war that's only getting started

🩸 DON’T WANT TO WAIT UNTIL OCTOBER 20?
Soulbound is available EARLY exclusively from my bookshop. Buy your ebook directly from me and you can download it immediately and start reading today.
Otherwise, preorder now and Soulbound will arrive on Amazon October 20.

👉 READ SOULBOUND EARLY:  https://harleyblackwell.com/products/soulbound-the-darkborn-2-early-release-copy

Question for my Bloodborn readers:
At the end of Bloodborn, how long did you really think Sylas's self-control was going to last? 😂

Today’s 20 Days of Darkborn goody is a good one. 👀

When I originally wrote Runemarked, there were scenes told through Arless and Lucian’s POVs that ultimately didn’t make it into the final version of the book.

But I kept them.

And today, you get them. 🖤

These bonus stories take you back inside some of Runemarked’s biggest moments, including the wedding, the fire, and what happens afterward, except this time, you’ll experience them through Ari and Lucian’s eyes.

🏹 ARLESS BONUS POV https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xs5YGv4bk8mJsLMFTxg5QZftkcPhSdWA/view?usp=sharing

🛡️ LUCIAN BONUS POV https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RuPbUCqI3aPK5M4rS2JhyxLSEUQiVnPA/view?usp=sharing

⚠️ SPOILER WARNING: These are meant to be read after finishing Runemarked. If you’re participating in our read-along and haven’t reached the end yet, save these for tomorrow!

If you’ve already read Runemarked, dive in.

And when you’re done, let me know...

What new layers do Ari and Lucian add to what you already know about the Darkborn, the world, their friends, etc.? 👀

Happy reading! 🖤