The Cardinal Code: Absolution (The Cardinal Code, #2)by Avery Sterling
April 17th 2026
Genres: New Adult, Paranormal, Romance
The Cardinal Code: Absolution continues the dark, seductive saga of the Cardinales—an elite society of vampires whose influence shapes governments, history, and the hidden world beneath human civilization.
Paislee Sullivan never wanted power. She only wanted Michael. But loving a man born into a secret dynasty of blood and control means standing in the shadow of everything he represents.
When Michael Chamberlain is summoned to London, he’s pulled into a political struggle rooted in ancient bloodlines and forbidden truths. As old laws are challenged and long-buried secrets begin to surface, Paislee finds herself no longer at the edge of his world—but at its center.
The deeper she is drawn into Cardinales society, the more dangerous her presence becomes. To some, she is leverage. To others, a threat. To Michael, she is the only thing that has ever mattered.
Bound by love and hunted by forces determined to preserve the Order’s control, they must confront a truth the Dominium has spent centuries suppressing.
Because some bloodlines were never meant to merge.
And loving each other may cost them everything.
EXCERPT:
Paislee leaned her head on Michael’s shoulder.
“You didn’t look surprised by that envelope.”
“Because I wasn’t.”
“What is it?”
“An invitation,” he said, lacing his fingers through hers and brushing her knuckles with his lips.
Her head lifted. “An invitation for what?”
“To Etxe Bakarra.”
“What’s that?”
“A celebration they hold every year—but barely understand. It was hand-delivered. Required my signature. Which means I must attend or face consequences.”
She studied the envelope, running her fingers over its embossed seal. “It’s beautiful. What is Etxe Bakarra?”
“A celebration of unity. Of peace.”
“Are you required to attend every year?”
“No.”
“Then why now?”
“Because the harvest moon aligns with the autumn equinox. It’s incredibly rare.”
She blinked. “Harvest moon, autumn equinox . . . the Order sounds mystical.”
He chuckled. “It’s their favorite bedtime story.”
As the car hummed down the avenue, she turned the envelope over in her hands.
“You didn’t even open it.”
“I know what it says.”
“I’ll open it, then.”
Her eyes skimmed the elegant script inside. Then she paused. “Michael . . . why is my name on it?”
He went still.
“Right under yours. It says the invitation extends to ‘Michael Chamberlain and companion, Paislee Sullivan.’”
He reached over and took the invitation from her hands. His easy charm shuttered, replaced by something darker. Calculating.
Michael stared out the window for a long moment.
“They want to see you,” he said quietly.
Paislee frowned. “Why?”
“I don’t know.”
A pause hung between them.
She rested her head against his shoulder, listening to the steady thud of his heart beneath the fine weave of his jacket. He didn’t speak again, but he didn’t have to. She could feel it in the way he held her hand tighter than before—the silent promise tucked into his touch.
Whatever this celebration meant, whatever game the Order was playing, she was now a part of it.
Paislee leaned her head on Michael’s shoulder.
“You didn’t look surprised by that envelope.”
“Because I wasn’t.”
“What is it?”
“An invitation,” he said, lacing his fingers through hers and brushing her knuckles with his lips.
Her head lifted. “An invitation for what?”
“To Etxe Bakarra.”
“What’s that?”
“A celebration they hold every year—but barely understand. It was hand-delivered. Required my signature. Which means I must attend or face consequences.”
She studied the envelope, running her fingers over its embossed seal. “It’s beautiful. What is Etxe Bakarra?”
“A celebration of unity. Of peace.”
“Are you required to attend every year?”
“No.”
“Then why now?”
“Because the harvest moon aligns with the autumn equinox. It’s incredibly rare.”
She blinked. “Harvest moon, autumn equinox . . . the Order sounds mystical.”
He chuckled. “It’s their favorite bedtime story.”
As the car hummed down the avenue, she turned the envelope over in her hands.
“You didn’t even open it.”
“I know what it says.”
“I’ll open it, then.”
Her eyes skimmed the elegant script inside. Then she paused. “Michael . . . why is my name on it?”
He went still.
“Right under yours. It says the invitation extends to ‘Michael Chamberlain and companion, Paislee Sullivan.’”
He reached over and took the invitation from her hands. His easy charm shuttered, replaced by something darker. Calculating.
Michael stared out the window for a long moment.
“They want to see you,” he said quietly.
Paislee frowned. “Why?”
“I don’t know.”
A pause hung between them.
She rested her head against his shoulder, listening to the steady thud of his heart beneath the fine weave of his jacket. He didn’t speak again, but he didn’t have to. She could feel it in the way he held her hand tighter than before—the silent promise tucked into his touch.
Whatever this celebration meant, whatever game the Order was playing, she was now a part of it.
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Avery Sterling's love for the romance genre began in her teen years when she picked up her first novel. She was captivated by the sweeping scale of emotions brought about by the words. The experience catapulted her towards learning the art of wielding a breathtaking adventure, with a love that felt authentic. Wanting to inspire people with her own thoughts and words, she finished her first novel at sixteen. It was a step towards understanding the essence of what she wished to create.
Most of her youth was spent traveling, searching out the romance and beauty in her everchanging world. From the waves that crashed against the rocky shores of Downeast, Maine, to the warm breezes of the Caribbean, she discovered that love was universal, apparent in its grandest and simplest of forms. Her goal is to write novels an audience can relate to, one that conveys the truth and nature of love… with all that steamy romance.
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