A Shade of Vampire 80: A Veil of Dark Read online

  A Shade of Vampire 80: A Veil of Dark

  Bella Forrest

  Contents

  Also by Bella Forrest

  Problems reading?

  Family tree

  1. Esme

  2. Esme

  3. Tristan

  4. Tristan

  5. Nethissis

  6. Kelara

  7. Esme

  8. Esme

  9. Esme

  10. Esme

  11. Tristan

  12. Nethissis

  13. Kelara

  14. Tristan

  15. Lumi

  16. Sofia

  17. Esme

  18. Esme

  19. Sofia

  20. Nethissis

  21. Taeral

  22. Taeral

  23. Lumi

  24. Nethissis

  25. Nethissis

  26. Seeley

  27. Tristan

  28. Nethissis

  29. Lumi

  30. Sofia

  31. Esme

  32. Kelara

  ASOV 81: A Bringer of Night

  Read more by Bella Forrest

  Also by Bella Forrest

  DARKLIGHT

  (BRAND NEW! Paranormal romance)

  Darklight (Book 1)

  Darkthirst (Book 2)

  HARLEY MERLIN

  (Fantasy/romance/adventure)

  Harley Merlin and the Secret Coven (Book 1)

  Harley Merlin and the Mystery Twins (Book 2)

  Harley Merlin and the Stolen Magicals (Book 3)

  Harley Merlin and the First Ritual (Book 4)

  Harley Merlin and the Broken Spell (Book 5)

  Harley Merlin and the Cult of Eris (Book 6)

  Harley Merlin and the Detector Fix (Book 7)

  Harley Merlin and the Challenge of Chaos (Book 8)

  Harley Merlin and the Mortal Pact (Book 9)

  THE GENDER GAME

  (Action-adventure/romance. Completed series.)

  The Gender Game (Book 1)

  The Gender Secret (Book 2)

  The Gender Lie (Book 3)

  The Gender War (Book 4)

  The Gender Fall (Book 5)

  The Gender Plan (Book 6)

  The Gender End (Book 7)

  THE GIRL WHO DARED TO THINK

  (Action-adventure/romance. Completed series.)

  The Girl Who Dared to Think (Book 1)

  The Girl Who Dared to Stand (Book 2)

  The Girl Who Dared to Descend (Book 3)

  The Girl Who Dared to Rise (Book 4)

  The Girl Who Dared to Lead (Book 5)

  The Girl Who Dared to Endure (Book 6)

  The Girl Who Dared to Fight (Book 7)

  THE CHILD THIEF

  (Action-adventure/romance. Completed series.)

  The Child Thief (Book 1)

  Deep Shadows (Book 2)

  Thin Lines (Book 3)

  Little Lies (Book 4)

  Ghost Towns (Book 5)

  Zero Hour (Book 6)

  HOTBLOODS

  (Supernatural romance/adventure. Completed series.)

  Hotbloods (Book 1)

  Coldbloods (Book 2)

  Renegades (Book 3)

  Venturers (Book 4)

  Traitors (Book 5)

  Allies (Book 6)

  Invaders (Book 7)

  Stargazers (Book 8)

  A SHADE OF VAMPIRE SERIES

  (Supernatural romance/adventure)

  Series 1: Derek & Sofia’s story

  A Shade of Vampire (Book 1)

  A Shade of Blood (Book 2)

  A Castle of Sand (Book 3)

  A Shadow of Light (Book 4)

  A Blaze of Sun (Book 5)

  A Gate of Night (Book 6)

  A Break of Day (Book 7)

  Series 2: Rose & Caleb’s story

  A Shade of Novak (Book 8)

  A Bond of Blood (Book 9)

  A Spell of Time (Book 10)

  A Chase of Prey (Book 11)

  A Shade of Doubt (Book 12)

  A Turn of Tides (Book 13)

  A Dawn of Strength (Book 14)

  A Fall of Secrets (Book 15)

  An End of Night (Book 16)

  Series 3: The Shade continues with a new hero…

  A Wind of Change (Book 17)

  A Trail of Echoes (Book 18)

  A Soldier of Shadows (Book 19)

  A Hero of Realms (Book 20)

  A Vial of Life (Book 21)

  A Fork of Paths (Book 22)

  A Flight of Souls (Book 23)

  A Bridge of Stars (Book 24)

  Series 4: A Clan of Novaks

  A Clan of Novaks (Book 25)

  A World of New (Book 26)

  A Web of Lies (Book 27)

  A Touch of Truth (Book 28)

  An Hour of Need (Book 29)

  A Game of Risk (Book 30)

  A Twist of Fates (Book 31)

  A Day of Glory (Book 32)

  Series 5: A Dawn of Guardians

  A Dawn of Guardians (Book 33)

  A Sword of Chance (Book 34)

  A Race of Trials (Book 35)

  A King of Shadow (Book 36)

  An Empire of Stones (Book 37)

  A Power of Old (Book 38)

  A Rip of Realms (Book 39)

  A Throne of Fire (Book 40)

  A Tide of War (Book 41)

  Series 6: A Gift of Three

  A Gift of Three (Book 42)

  A House of Mysteries (Book 43)

  A Tangle of Hearts (Book 44)

  A Meet of Tribes (Book 45)

  A Ride of Peril (Book 46)

  A Passage of Threats (Book 47)

  A Tip of Balance (Book 48)

  A Shield of Glass (Book 49)

  A Clash of Storms (Book 50)

  Series 7: A Call of Vampires

  A Call of Vampires (Book 51)

  A Valley of Darkness (Book 52)

  A Hunt of Fiends (Book 53)

  A Den of Tricks (Book 54)

  A City of Lies (Book 55)

  A League of Exiles (Book 56)

  A Charge of Allies (Book 57)

  A Snare of Vengeance (Book 58)

  A Battle of Souls (Book 59)

  Series 8: A Voyage of Founders

  A Voyage of Founders (Book 60)

  A Land of Perfects (Book 61)

  A Citadel of Captives (Book 62)

  A Jungle of Rogues (Book 63)

  A Camp of Savages (Book 64)

  A Plague of Deceit (Book 65)

  An Edge of Malice (Book 66)

  A Dome of Blood (Book 67)

  A Purge of Nature (Book 68)

  Season 9: A Birth of Fire

  A Birth of Fire (Book 69)

  A Breed of Elements (Book 70)

  A Sacrifice of Flames (Book 71)

  A Conspiracy of Realms (Book 72)

  A Search for Death (Book 73)

  A Piece of Scythe (Book 74)

  A Blade of Thieron (Book 75)

  A Phantom of Truth (Book 76)

  A Fate of Time (Book 77)

  Season 10: An Origin of Vampires

  An Origin of Vampires (Book 78)

  A Game of Death (Book 79)

  A Veil of Dark (Book 80)

  A Bringer of Night (Book 81)

  A SHADE OF DRAGON TRILOGY

  A Shade of Dragon 1

  A Shade of Dragon 2

  A Shade of Dragon 3

  A SHADE OF KIEV TRILOGY

  A Shade of Kiev 1

  A Shade of Kiev 2

  A Shade of Kiev 3

  A LOVE THAT ENDURES TRILOGY

  (Contemporary romance)

  A Love that Endures

  A Love that Endures 2

&n
bsp; A Love that Endures 3

  THE SECRET OF SPELLSHADOW MANOR

  (Supernatural/Magic YA. Completed series)

  The Secret of Spellshadow Manor (Book 1)

  The Breaker (Book 2)

  The Chain (Book 3)

  The Keep (Book 4)

  The Test (Book 5)

  The Spell (Book 6)

  BEAUTIFUL MONSTER DUOLOGY

  (Supernatural romance)

  Beautiful Monster 1

  Beautiful Monster 2

  DETECTIVE ERIN BOND

  (Adult thriller/mystery)

  Lights, Camera, GONE

  Write, Edit, KILL

  For an updated list of Bella’s books, please visit her website: www.bellaforrest.net

  Join Bella’s VIP email list and be the first to know when her new books release. Tap here to sign up: www.forrestbooks.com

  Copyright © 2019

  Nightlight Press

  Cover design inspired by Sarah Hansen, Okay Creations LLC

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

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  Family tree

  If you’d like to check out the Novaks’ family tree, visit: www.forrestbooks.com/tree

  Esme

  The blade of a Reaper was the last thing I’d expected to cut me. The unthinkable had come to pass. Two days later, I was less sluggish, but still in bed. I had, however, promised myself that I would get up and not let a third day go by. My wounds were healing slowly, but the bleeding had stopped. With no artifice to help speed up the recovery process, I felt more human than ever.

  “We brought fresh blood,” Sofia declared as she walked into the study room, joined by Derek. She held up a crystal pitcher filled with a dark red liquid that made me want to lick my lips. It looked delicious, and I hadn’t fed since yesterday. My injuries were hurling me between states of no appetite whatsoever and ravenous hunger.

  “I could use some of that,” I replied, pushing myself into a seated position.

  Amal and Amane had skipped breakfast, focused on splicing blood molecules from the Aeternae. Judging by their rushed movements and inability to participate in any conversation longer than five minutes, I could tell that they were onto something. That day-walking protein would be upon us, soon enough. The twins smiled faintly at Sofia and Derek before shifting their focus back to the microscopes and petri dishes.

  “How are you feeling?” Derek asked, walking over to my bedside.

  “Better than yesterday.” I sighed. Sofia poured me a glass of blood, which I practically inhaled. Motioning for another serving, I asked the single most burning question I had awoken with this morning. “Have they caught Zoltan Shatal yet?”

  Derek shook his head. “He’s left the city, for sure. Chances are he and his cohorts have gotten far from this side of the continent. There is absolutely no trace of them whatsoever, but we haven’t given up hope.”

  “Hell no,” Tristan interjected as he came into the study room. “Glad to see you’re up and likely eager to get out of bed!”

  My brother knew me so well. It was probably written all over my face. “Yeah, I’d like to get crackin’. I could help with all this.”

  “You need as much rest as possible,” Amal cut in, without looking away from her microscope lenses. Amane handed her a small glass slide, on which she’d dripped a little bit of blood.

  “But I’m okay. I need to move,” I protested.

  Amane looked at me, while Amal put the glass slide under the microscope, setting the one she’d been studying aside. “A Reaper’s blade is no joking matter, Esme. It cut deep, too. If you move too fast, too soon, your stitches will pop, and you’ll bleed yourself into unconsciousness,” Amane said.

  “Give yourself a few more hours,” Tristan advised me. “I’m working with Valaine and Corbin on finding Zoltan and the Darklings. Rest assured, we’re going to get that son of a bitch, sooner or later.”

  Grumbling, I leaned back into the fluffed-up pillows, now sated from two full glasses of fresh Rimian blood. I could feel it surging through me, expanding and stretching my senses. I could feel every molecule of oxygen in the air. Every thread in the soft sheets brushing against the tips of my fingers. I thought I’d lost my appetite after losing Nethissis, but a single near-death experience had been enough to remind me that I still had so much to enjoy in this life. Drinking this stuff was on that list. There was something truly remarkable about Rimian and Nalorean blood. It made what we vampires drank from animals truly and irrevocably bland.

  “I still can’t wrap my head around the whole Reaper thing,” I muttered. “What… How did Zoltan get his grubby hands on a scythe? What the hell were they doing down there in the palace basement?”

  Sofia shrugged. “Danika and Acheron are simply stunned by this discovery. They seem genuine in their befuddlement, to be honest.”

  “Well, the Exiled Maras seemed genuine, too, remember?” Derek replied, a bitter smile trying his lips. “Although, to be fair to the Lord and Lady Supreme, there is nothing linking them to Zoltan and the palace basement. There was relatively easy access to that place, from the gardens and surrounding side streets.”

  “I would retain a certain amount of skepticism as far as Danika and Acheron are concerned,” Tristan suggested. “Zoltan didn’t come across as a murderous Darkling leader, and yet here we are.”

  “We’ll be careful,” Sofia said. “Derek and I are planning on spending a bit more time with them, mainly for this purpose. We both want to see whether their behavior is genuine or faked. One can keep a charade up for only so long, after all. They’re bound to slip up if they’re being dishonest.”

  “It’ll also be a good opportunity to figure out exactly how much they know about the palace basement and those hidden access routes,” Derek added. “While we’re out, Amal and Amane will keep working on the protein. Petra will be in later today to discuss the Black Fever, too. Apparently, there have been a couple more cases among the Aeternae staff.”

  Amane frowned, taking a moment to look at us. “I thought the carrier girl, the Rimian, was isolated.”

  “She was. But she’s probably not the only one with the virus in her bloodstream,” Derek said. “Maybe do another round of tests?”

  “We just did, three days ago,” Amal replied. “This doesn’t make sense.”

  “I trust you two will handle it,” Sofia said. “Now that you’re together, our odds of stopping the Black Fever before it spreads beyond control are twice as good.”

  “I guess… We need to figure out what accelerated the cycle this time around,” Amane murmured, looking at her sister. They both wore their white hair pulled up in tight buns, their orange eyes glimmering with fear and curiosity. “We’ve managed to establish that the Black Fever might affect our vampires as well.”

  “Wait, what?” I croaked. Having spent the past couple of days mostly sleeping through my recovery, it was only natural that I had been left out of the loop on a few aspects of our mission here. “You mean to tell me we might get infected?”

  “It’s not as bad as you think,” Amal assured me. “Additional screening measures have been put in place inside the palace, with plans to go national—the blood Sofia brought you has been tested and it’s clean, so don’t worry about that. Also, we’ve watched the virus react to vampire blood under the lens. You’re wired differently than the Aeternae, even though you are susceptible. In a vampire infection, the Black Fever would cause serious discomfort and a pretty painful feverish
state, but it wouldn’t kill you. We’d have to pump you full of fresh, untainted blood in order to remove the Black Fever from your system.”

  “Could we be carriers, too?” I asked, allowing the sense of relief to soothe my stiff muscles. The worst-case scenario regarding vampires and Black Fever had somehow been avoided, thanks to our biology. But it also raised a question we’d posed before: Was there a chance that vampires were, in fact, related to the Aeternae?

  Amal shook her head. “No. It would manifest in a vampire. It wouldn’t lay dormant. Also, the Black Fever is a lot more difficult to catch for your species. An infected Aeternae would have to bite or scratch you for you to get it.”

  “So, it’s not airborne for us,” Tristan concluded, and Amal shook her head again. “Thank the stars.”

  “Regardless, you’ll have to be careful,” Amane warned us. “As you know, during its incubation period, the Black Fever barely manifests, and certainly not through any clear symptoms.”

  “Silver linings, huh?” I chuckled and immediately winced, a burning pain in my side reminding me that I was still as fragile as an egg. I hated being like this, but I had no choice. I had to tough it out and be careful.

  Tristan’s brow furrowed as he looked at me. “How’s your memory from that night? Do you remember anything more?”

  I thought about it for a moment, finding myself utterly disappointed. I exhaled sharply and gave my answer. “Not really. No. I know the ginger-haired Darkling was severely injured but not dead by the time I got slammed into the wall and cut with the scythe, but everything else after that is a major fuzz. They found her dead, right?”

  “Mm-hm. Along with the others. But there was nothing else. Just the occasional death magic runes on chains and discarded cuffs. Stuff they left behind, likely as they rushed to evacuate the basement,” Tristan replied.