Introduction: The Awakening (Alliance Vampires #5) The tree-lined streets and mystical shops of Salem, Massachusetts resonate with a seductive and brutal history. New Orleans musician Megan O’Casey has returned to the home of her ancestors to perform , with her husband Finn, in a weeklong series of concerts, culminating on All Hallow’s Eve…and to renew her connection with the past. But from the moment they arrive in Salem, Finn seems different—sensual beyond belief one moment; cold and ruthless the next. The locals—even Megan’s relatives—regard him strangely, with a distrust bordering on hatred. Megan must soon face the fact that something powerful is rising, a malevolence that may have already claimed Finn for its own… As the full moon approaches, Megan senses that she, too, is in great danger. Sinister forces seem to be bringing her closer to darkness in a centuries–old ritual that music cannot tame…and time cannot conquer…...