Books in the Shadows of the Sun series

Mara the Huntress resides in the sunny little town of Archangel, California, the location of the Gate of the Underworld-a fact unknown to the general populace. Most people don''t even know that vampires exist. As Huntress, Mara does know, and it is her job to kill those that dare venture forth to the Upperworld to prey on the humans living there. She is well-suited to this purpose, gifted with skills and talents far surpassing those of ordinary mortals. Though some vampires manage to evade her, she has so far managed to prevent the unleashing of a full-scale infestation. She has been at this job for a good portion of her not-quite twenty years, and it seems she has everything in hand. Then one day she gets a chill of foreboding, a feeling that things are about to change...For she stands in the way of the master vampire''s plan for world domination, and, he fears, may be a key player in the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy foretelling his destruction. One dark night he sends the mighty Prince (his second in command) to put an end to this Huntress, this bane of vampires, once and for all. Mara confidently goes out to face him, but finds she has met her match at last. Just as all hope seems lost, this powerful vampire turns from the "dark side" to become Mara''s ally in the battle against his own kind.

Charon, master vampire, has known of an ancient prophecy foretelling the coming of a "nemesis" to destroy him and his kind on some future date. One of royal blood and-perhaps-half-human and half-vampire. His attempts throughout the ages to thwart the prophecy have failed. His senses tell him that the birth of his destroyer is imminent! He must act now, while it is a mere child, and vulnerable. He commands his horde to kidnap the baby and bring it back to him.  With great difficulty his plan is carried out. A great battle ensues; the child is snatched. Those that survive the perilous mission straggle back to the master''s lair. Only then is it discovered that the baby has been mysteriously lost.The child falls into the hands of a humble couple living in the woods, who raise him as their own, in obscurity, preserved from danger until the time comes for him to fulfil his destiny. They name him Jude, unaware of his unusual heritage, though as he grows, he displays certain "oddities." They are protective of the child and teach him to hide these oddities from a world unforgiving of anything different. He himself does not know what it all means, nor does he understand the recurring nightmares and "episodes" that seem so real. More frightening is the "phantom" that haunts the surrounding forest and seems fixated on him.As Jude enters his teen years, he tries to piece together the puzzle of his life. Will a mysterious monk-who unexpectedly and fortuitously appears on the scene-help him sort it out?