The Shadow’s Prey (The Demon Hunters #3)

Get to know all the heroes, villains, and charismatic animal personalities in The Shadow’s Prey.

For Falan DuLoc, a gifted teenage supernatural investigator in 1920s San Francisco, banishing demons is just another day on the job. But when a violent ghost begins terrorizing a local boarding house, Falan and his clairvoyant partner, Cassi, realize they’ve stumbled upon a new and unprecedented evil. For the first time in history, the dead are walking the city streets, their spectral forms a grim omen of a much greater threat.

A soul-devouring entity called the Shadow is awakening, tearing through the veil between worlds and preying on the city’s lost souls. As Falan and his mentors, Byron and Raven, dig deeper, they uncover a harrowing conspiracy tied to a string of unsolved murders and a mysterious demoness from Falan’s own tragic past. The Shadow’s power is growing, and it needs only one more gifted soul to complete its ritual and consume the world in eternal darkness.

With time running out, the Shadow has chosen its final victim, and it’s someone Falan has sworn to protect. Now, he must confront an ancient evil that feeds on fear and a personal demon that feeds on his soul. In a final, desperate battle for San Francisco, Falan will learn that some wars are fought not just with power, but with sacrifice.

CHARACTERS:

The Heroes

 

The Heroic Animal Companions

 

The Villains

Download the Character Compendium

Included Tropes

Supernatural Investigator: A character whose profession involves investigating and combating supernatural phenomena. Falan DuLoc is explicitly introduced as a “supernatural investigator” who takes on cases involving evil spirits. Byron Hayes is also a former investigator turned Council leader, and Cassi Wu assists.

The Sidekick: A loyal companion who supports the protagonist, often with complementary skills. Cassi Wu serves as Falan’s friend and partner, possessing unique abilities like reading auras and predicting the future, which are crucial to their investigations.

The Mentor: An older, wiser, and more experienced character who guides and trains the younger protagonist. Byron Hayes acts as a mentor figure to Falan and Cassi, having more experience with the supernatural and now leading a Council dedicated to protecting San Francisco.

Secret World: A hidden reality where supernatural beings and events exist alongside the mundane world, unknown to the general public. Demons, ghosts, and ley lines operate within San Francisco, but most citizens remain oblivious to their presence and the threats they pose.

Divine Touch/Power Nullifier: A character possessing an inherent power that can directly harm, dispel, or negate supernatural entities. Falan has an innate ability to banish or cause pain to demons with a mere touch, a manifestation of his “divine authority.”

Unexpected Threat: The initial adversary turns out to be something different or more dangerous than first perceived. The “evil spirit” at Mrs. Proust’s boardinghouse is initially assumed to be a demon, but Cassi and Falan soon discover it’s a powerful, physical-manifesting ghost.

Haunted House: A location imbued with a malevolent spiritual presence, often tied to past tragedies. Mrs. Proust’s boardinghouse is the site of the first investigation, described as reeking of death, causing nightmares, and being haunted by the ghost of a former resident and murderer.

The Chosen One: A character destined for greatness, possessing unique abilities or a crucial role in a larger conflict. Falan is implied to be a Chosen One due to his “divine authority” and his role in wielding the powerful sword, destined to fight major evils. Raven also exhibits unique phoenix-like powers.

Prophetic/Mystic Abilities: Characters with the power to perceive or predict future events, sense auras, or communicate with spirits. Cassi Wu possesses a “natural knack for reading auras and predicting the future,” providing crucial warnings and insights throughout the story.

The Big Bad: The primary antagonist, often a powerful and overarching evil force. The Shadow is introduced as the ultimate evil, a primordial darkness that seeks to consume souls and manifest fully in the world.

Supernatural Injury/Infection: A wound or illness caused by a supernatural entity, often with unique and dangerous properties. Falan suffers a demon bite on his wrist that causes black veins and green pus, indicating a demonic infection that needs a specific ritual to heal.

Animal Companion (Loyal): A pet or animal that serves as a faithful friend and often possesses supernatural senses or abilities. Gamr, Falan’s mutt, is fiercely loyal, can sniff out trouble, and even fights alongside the heroes, showing heightened awareness of supernatural threats.

Trophy Killer: A murderer who collects mementos from their victims as a form of morbid satisfaction. Nathaniel Hellebore, the ghost, collected personal items (like a Boy Scout Badge, a locket, a ring, a lock of hair) from his victims, keeping them in a tin box.

Ghostly Messenger/Harbinger: A spirit who appears to warn the living of an impending danger. Daisy Goodwin, the ghost of a drowned girl, appears to Byron and Falan to warn them about the impending arrival and dangers of the Shadow.

Redemption Arc (Villain/Ghost): A character who begins as an antagonist or morally ambiguous but eventually finds a path to goodness or peace.

The Sword of Power: A magical or divinely imbued weapon with extraordinary abilities, often tied to a specific hero. Falan wields a divine sword, capable of dissipating demons and emitting powerful light, which is crucial in combating both Moloch in the past and the Shadow in the present.

Ley Lines: Invisible lines of spiritual or mystical energy that crisscross the earth, often connecting significant places and influencing supernatural activity. The appearance and movement of ghosts and the Shadow are directly linked to these lines, which are described as natural points of mystic energy.

Race Against Time: The protagonists must complete a task or reach a goal before a critical deadline or catastrophic event occurs. The heroes are constantly racing against the Shadow’s full manifestation, needing to act quickly to gather the sword, exorcise districts, and rescue Cassi.

Mythopoeia (Pagan God): The creation of a new mythology or the reinterpretation of existing myths within the story’s universe. Byron theorizes the Shadow is a primordial darkness, a “pagan god” that was believed into existence by ancient civilizations and gains power through fear and worship.

Forbidden Love/Societal Obstacle: A romantic relationship facing significant external opposition, often from family or societal norms. Byron and Raven’s desire to marry is complicated by the disapproval of the Council members and, posthumously, Raven’s grandfather, Archbishop Rossi.

Protect the Innocent/Vulnerable: A core motivation for heroes, focusing on safeguarding those who cannot defend themselves from harm. Falan is fiercely protective of Cassi. His primary mission becomes her safety.

Taken to Another Dimension/Spirit World: A character is forcibly transported to a different plane of existence, often the realm of the dead or spirits. Raven is pulled into the Netherworld (the “in-between”) during the chaos of her wedding, where she encounters lost souls and other supernatural entities.

Similar Novels

Frank Peretti – This Present Darkness / Piercing the Darkness: Christian supernatural thrillers with clear good vs. evil, spiritual warfare, angels and demons in a secret world, and emphasis on faith.

Cassandra Clare – The Mortal Instruments series: Urban fantasy featuring Shadowhunters (supernatural investigators), a hidden world, powerful magical artifacts (like the sword), ancient demonic threats, and character-driven conflicts.

Jim Butcher – The Dresden Files series: Urban fantasy about a wizard detective in modern Chicago, dealing with a secret world of diverse mythological and supernatural beings, often involving ancient evils and personal sacrifices.

Kelley Armstrong – Women of the Otherworld series: Explores a hidden society of supernatural beings (witches, werewolves, etc.) confronting various threats, often with themes of power, family, and identity within a secret world.

Jemisin – The City We Became (The Great Cities series): While more literary urban fantasy, it features personified cities (mythopoeia), ancient entities, chosen protectors, and a struggle against a cosmic horror, with a strong sense of place.

Prominent Themes

Good vs. Evil: The fundamental conflict between divine forces (heroes, divine light) and malevolent entities (demons, the Shadow, corrupted spirits).

The Power of Belief: How collective belief can create and sustain powerful entities like the Shadow, and how disbelief can dismantle them.

Redemption and Forgiveness: The possibility of even deeply corrupted beings finding a path to atonement, contrasted with those who refuse it.

Grief, Loss, and Trauma: The lasting impact of death and past suffering on characters like Byron (lost wife), Falan (lost mother), and Raven (abusive grandfather, lost mother).

Family and Found Family: The strong bonds among Falan, Cassi, Byron, and Raven, who form a supportive “found family” that contrasts with strained or lost biological family ties.

Identity and Self-Discovery: Characters grappling with who they are, their heritage (Raven’s phoenix nature), and their purpose (Falan as a champion, Makaria’s true warrior queen self).

Sacrifice and Selflessness: Characters making profound personal sacrifices for the greater good, such as Raven giving her phoenix feathers to revive souls.

The Nature of Power: Exploration of different forms of power: divine authority, ancient magic (ley lines), the sword, and the destructive power of despair and hatred.

The Past Haunting the Present: The direct influence of historical events, past murders, and deceased individuals on current events and character motivations.

The Hidden Supernatural World: The constant presence of a secret reality of demons, ghosts, and mystical forces operating just beneath the surface of everyday life.

Courage and Recklessness: The fine line between bravery and impulsiveness, particularly evident in Falan’s character, and its consequences.

Hope vs. Despair: The ongoing struggle to maintain hope in the face of overwhelming evil that feeds on negative emotions, and the devastating effects of succumbing to despair.