In Book One, three of the main characters are introduced – our runaway child, Mysty, with the startling indigo-blue eyes; the sole heir of the world’s first trillion-dollar business empire, Daryl Blackmoor; and Vegas mob boss, Donny Capello. The main character, Mysty, a young girl at the outset, has the pivotal focus, and the scenes are split between her and the alternative world view of Daryl Blackmoor.
When Mysty’s father brutally murders her family, terrified, she runs away. She survives, very much against the odds, and in a way only made possible by something special in her genetic make-up; something she doesn’t know exists until she is faced with jumping from a third-floor window or having a bullet put in her head: her ability to jump from great heights without injury or death, is a gift that she has yet to understand. She makes it to Vegas, where she attracts the attention of mob boss Donny Capello, who rarely sleeps, never loves, and doesn’t think twice about the death of those who challenge him. His relentless pursuit of her after she saves his life results in her eventual capture, a life-changing event for them both as she is accepted into the bosom of the mob ‘family’ and he becomes her guardian. But after another serious attack on his life, and Donny’s confession that his feelings for her are more than that of her guardian now that she is blossoming into a beautiful young woman, Donny sends her away to LA for her safety, to be watched over discreetly by trusted friend Francois Laperta. But Mysty loves Donny and, devastated, the life she worked so hard to create and believe in disintegrates.In New York, Daryl Blackmoor lives in a world of plenty thanks to his father’s legacy; but it is lonely world that weighs heavy on his young shoulders, making him aloof and insensitive. A business associate of Donny Capello, he becomes fascinated with Mysty, the mystery girl Donny won’t even show him a picture of, let alone meet. But unbeknown to Daryl, Mysty now performs the magic of her death-defying jumps, in disguise, hiding in plain sight, in he and Donny’s world-famous performance venue, Cirque de Celeste. Daryl develops a new obsession: the enigma that is La Papillon de la Magie Noire. He doesn’t realise until the closing pages of the book, however, that this mesmerising performer with the indigo-blue eyes is in fact Mysty – Donny’s ‘mystery girl’. Hell-bent on finding her, he tracks her down in LA, but the meeting he engineers ends in disaster, as furious that he has followed her, and having no idea who he is, Mysty insults and shames him in front of her dance troupe when they gather for their weekly informal jam session at the local basketball courts.
Book One ends when, humiliated and frustrated, he flicks a lit cigarette into the petrol-soaked interior of his BMW – an act of revenge executed by Mysty’s protective friends - an unexpected display of defiance that does not go unnoticed by Mysty. Not realising that she has been bugged, and that Daryl is listening to
every word she says, she then roars away on her motorbike, thinking she is rid of him. But she isn’t, and Book Two sees the two brought together once more.
Not to be thwarted, Daryl Blackmoor, riding on the thrill of his brush with ‘real life’ in LA and his one and only exultant moment of rebellion – setting fire to his car – continues his pursuit of Mysty. He is desperate to get her contracted with DB Entertainments, his talent-search agency, intending to turn her into the star he believes she should be. But she consistently evades him, and he, not interested in finding out why she refuses, creates an atmosphere of animosity and confrontation between them. But Daryl proves just how ruthless he can be when it comes to getting what he wants, and despite using everything within her gifts of both flight and fight, she cannot escape him.
The magical Papillon is blackmailed out of the shadows – and into a contract with DB Entertainments – and it is now that she must confront more than the anonymity she fiercely guards: she must adapt to a life of rules, structure, and the ever-present company of Patrick O’Grady, the chief bodyguard she will develop an unbreakable bond with. Given no choice but to surrender her relative, but treasured freedom in LA, her passion for environmental issues and her law degree, Mysty must accept the true extent of her talent and its worldwide appeal. But adjustment to a life of stardom does not come without sacrifice, and the flawed nature of her relationship with Donny, despite their love for each other, comes under the spotlight, pushing the situation to breaking point. Other friendships also come under strain, as life demands she reprioritise to survive the show-biz jungle: Slick, her new biker pal, who can’t follow her into her whirlwind of fame; Raju, her online friend who still doesn’t realise the ‘butterfly-girl’ he raves about is actually Mysty; and Francois Laperta and her LA mob ‘family’, who are deemed unsuitable associates given the media spotlight about to fall on her.As much as the glamorous celebrity life isn’t what Mysty wanted, it doesn’t turn out to be the awful fate she imagined, and new possibilities arise as she lets go of her ‘old’ life. But for Daryl, the dream of having La Papillion in his life turns out to be a little more complicated than he imagined once he has the real Mysty to deal with. And when he introduces her to Dr Baden, who he has instructed to investigate her DNA, their relationship becomes positively explosive. He realises he must learn some compassion and sensitivity if he is ever to win her favour – and before their differences ruin any chance of a working relationship, or anything more.
Forced to give up her happy-ever-after with Donny, but finding her feet in the world of celebrity, Mysty eventually acknowledges the undeniable attentiveness of Blackmoor, the aloof man notoriously critical of all forms of sentiment. Gradually getting to know each other, the two find sparks begin to fly in a new kind of way as the realisation dawns that they are, perhaps, more similar than they are different. And Donny accepts he must take a step back, surrender the girl he always imagined would one day be his, knowing that it will be Daryl who steps into the void created.
Daryl does his best to woo Mysty, but after realising that jewellery and fancy dresses are not the way to her heart, he discovers that the simple pleasures of watching the Yankees on TV and sharing pizza on the Sofa of Truth works far better. Then, finally able to take her on holiday after her first world tour, she gets hurt in a freak accident – saving his life. The memory of losing his parents returns and Daryl attempts to give her up, convinced that falling in love with someone he might also lose is not a good idea. Mysty returns to LA and, he assumes, straight into the arms of Slick, who he imagines has by now taken Mysty’s precious virginity. He follows her, desperate to punch Slick’s lights out. But it is Daryl who returns to his penthouse with a black eye, and he has no idea how he will undo this new damage to their relationship.
The backdrop to these scenes are, despite wishing otherwise, Mysty’s introduction to the world of politics, and she realises that as both an asset and a pawn she’d better wise-up fast in a world that wants to possess everything she has – including her genetic make-up. The once-lost girl, who has so far captured the world’s imagination, adoration and respect, realises that with her growing fame, she has the chance to use her status for the greater good. Her days living in the shadows are gone – she has to step boldly into the light.
After an incident at a celebrity party that almost claimed her life, Mysty realises that there is no protection in fame, however, and the world of light can be just as ruthless as any she found in Vegas with Donny and those that stood by him on the dark side of the line. She must also acknowledge that her beloved mob boss is not the only man capable of making her heart race when Daryl begins to get under her skin. She has to accept there is no one better placed to protect her. Except, perhaps, herself when it becomes clear that even she doesn’t know the limits of her abilities…