A Shade of Vampire 78: An Origin of Vampires Read online

  A Shade of Vampire 78: An Origin of Vampires

  Bella Forrest

  Contents

  Also by Bella Forrest

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  Family tree

  Prologue: Derek

  1. Sofia

  2. Esme

  3. Nethissis

  4. Seeley

  5. Kelara

  6. Derek

  7. Esme

  8. Tristan

  9. Derek

  10. Esme

  11. Sofia

  12. Tristan

  13. Esme

  14. Esme

  15. Tristan

  16. Seeley

  17. Tristan

  18. Kelara

  19. Esme

  20. Esme

  21. Tristan

  22. Esme

  23. Esme

  24. Esme

  25. Tristan

  26. Seeley

  27. Sofia

  28. Tristan

  29. Esme

  30. Nethissis

  31. Esme

  32. Nethissis

  33. Derek

  Ready for the next part of the journey?

  Read more by Bella Forrest

  Also by Bella Forrest

  HARLEY MERLIN

  (Fantasy/romance/adventure series)

  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)

  Finch Merlin and the Fount of Youth (Book 10)

  HOTBLOODS

  (Supernatural romance. 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)

  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)

  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)

  A SHADE OF VAMPIRE SERIES

  (Supernatural romance)

  Season 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)

  Season 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)

  Season 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)

  Season 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)

  Season 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)

  Season 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)

  Season 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)

  Season 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 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

  (New contemporary romance)

  A Love that Endures

  A Love that Endures 2

  A Love that Endures 3

  THE SECRET OF SPELLSHADOW MANOR

&
nbsp; (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 she’ll send you an email reminder as soon as her next book is out. 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

  Prologue: Derek

  Our lives had changed upon learning about the day-walking protein’s origins. Two months had passed since Amal and Amane had pulled Sofia and me aside to tell us about their discovery. They’d managed to use the protein from my blood in a fused tracking and interplanetary spell, which, in turn, had led them to a solar system in the Earthly Dimension, not that far from our home. We’d called it Trexus, with three planets known to be inhabited.

  We’d spent the last few fortnights studying Trexus-2 in particular, which had been identified as the protein’s origin. The modified telescopes had not been enough to give us a detailed image of the planet. A peculiar haze surrounding the planets made it difficult for our lenses to zoom in, but we’d gathered enough data to get a general idea. The images we’d collected had revealed cities on Trexus-1, the closest to the giant sun of that galaxy, as well as Trexus-2 and 3. We’d recognized the structures of advanced civilizations, wondering whether they were in contact with one another, and whether they were aware of other worlds just on the other side of the Milky Way galaxy.

  How ironic, I’d thought, that the answer to my day-walking wishes was hidden so close to Earth. We didn’t have sufficient magic and technology available to see past that haze and get more information about Trexus-2, so our only other choice had been to organize an exploratory mission.

  The Faulty twins had both assured me that they needed the original protein, from the original carriers, in order to replicate and synthesize it into a cure that would make all vampires into day-walkers. That was the epitome of a dream come true for Sofia and me, not to mention the rest of The Shade. They’d all yearned to be in the sun again without burning to a crisp.

  We had no idea what sort of creatures lived on Trexus-2, but we knew we couldn’t let that get in our way. We’d been to hell and back more than once over the past few decades. Visiting a previously unknown civilization was an interesting challenge, at best. I’d been out of the game for months now, focusing mostly on local work—much like most of the senior officers in GASP. The Hermessi ritual had drained us all of both physical and mental energy.

  The end of the world had been averted, once more, but it had cost us. The pain it had caused would take time to heal. Sofia and I were still reeling from having lost a good chunk of our family during the ritual. We’d gotten Ben, Grace, Caia, Vita, Lucas, and Kailyn back, but still… their simultaneous deaths, no matter how short, had taken their toll.

  The Supernatural Dimension and the In-Between were still recovering, as well. The Hermessi’s existence had thrown billions of people across the two dimensions for one heck of a loop. Fortunately for all of us, time had a way of healing us, even when we didn’t think it was possible.

  Death and the Reapers had gone back to their affairs, away from the eyes of the living. The Spirit Bender was dead, and the natural order had been restored across the universe. With Brendel gone and the ritual forever stopped, the Hermessi had slipped back into their roles as elementals, dedicated solely to growth and life. They were not guardians, they were not gods, and they certainly weren’t fit to decide whether entire species deserved to live or die. Everything had begun to make sense again, now that peace and prosperity had returned to the lands.

  GASP had grown stronger, with agents and bases set up on Yahwen, Aledras, and Cerix, among other newly discovered worlds. Families had been reunited. Friends had been brought back together. Life had been able to continue, no longer fearing an early demise at the hands of indoctrinated Hermessi or psychotic Reapers. We’d had enough of those.

  The ghouls had vanished, too, after showing us a side of their nature we’d never seen before. I had to admit, I was intrigued. Regardless of my age and experience, I could still find myself surprised and learning new things. I’d thought I knew enough about the ghouls, but Herbert and his horde had proven me wrong.

  Sherus and Nuriya had rebuilt their lives, with Taeral by their side, and I was thankful that my fae friend had made it back among the living. It would’ve broken my heart to see him lost to the underworld, his fate snapped by the whims of Brendel. Taeral still had Thieron in his possession at all times. He’d had no contact with Death and the Reapers since he’d last seen them on Aledras, but he’d been respectful of Thieron’s purpose. He never lost sight of it, but he didn’t use it. Personally, I was still grappling with the concept that he would become a Reaper upon his death, but Taeral seemed pretty comfortable with the idea.

  Maybe Eira had played a part in that, as well. Still going strong together, the two had become quite the power couple among the fae. A Hermessi child and a Hermessi grandchild of water and fire, respectively, had captured the attention and fascination of most of the Supernatural Dimension’s fae. No one loathed the Hermessi after what happened. There was still reverence and awe toward the elementals. But they all knew to keep a certain distance. To not disturb the balance that Taeral and his crew had fought so hard to restore.

  I lay back on our treehouse terrace, where I’d set up a lounger for my late-night pondering sessions. There had been a lot of those going on recently, as the departure day for our exploratory mission drew closer. Sofia joined me, wearing a white silk bathrobe. Her legs stretched out of it, the skin pale and milky under the moonlight.

  “Penny for your thoughts?” she asked, smiling softly.

  “Where would I start? There are so many,” I replied, putting my arm around her.

  She nodded. “I know. A lot has happened since the Hermessi were defeated.”

  “Any word from Harper and Caspian?” I asked, remembering that I hadn’t seen them at our last GASP meeting in The Shade’s grand hall.

  “They moved back to Calliope, to White City,” Sofia said. “They’re taking a break from the federation for a couple of months. I get it. They’re exhausted. They need some time off, for themselves.”

  I sighed. “Fiona and Zane are in a similar situation. They’re holed up in their Infernis palace, with baby Sophia and Zane’s mother.”

  “Well, that’s understandable, honey. Their world was nearly wiped out. They had to part with their own child, hoping Sophia might live for a little while longer, in case the Hermessi completed the ritual,” Sofia said. She had a point. Taken on an individual level, the ritual had devastated a lot of people. Fiona and Zane were still recovering.

  “You know
, I’ve noticed how different our people are at coping with this kind of stuff,” I replied, remembering Taeral’s crew, in particular. “I mean, look at Riza and Herakles. How relentless they are, even after everything they went through.”

  The two had moved together to The Shade, building their own treehouse not far from ours. They were happy, thankful to have survived the nightmare and always willing to take on new missions. Amelia and Raphael, on the other hand, were more into relaxing and spending as much time together as they could—not that anyone could blame them. Their bravery and resilience had helped save us all.

  “They’re strong and young,” Sofia said. She laughed lightly. “Side note, you know Raphael has been making inquiries about proposal options, right?”

  I stifled a chuckle of my own, remembering how he’d pulled me aside after a briefing to ask whether a romantic dinner was enough, or if he’d need something more elaborate to propose to Amelia. “Well, he’s studied our culture. He’s seen the extremes that some of us are willing to go to in order to get a yes out of our significant other.”

  “I find it adorable. He thinks he’s being discreet about it, but obviously Amelia already knows he’s planning to pop the question,” Sofia added, leaning back into the lounger next to mine. “He’s so determined to make it right, when all she really wants is for him to ask her already, so she can just say yes.”

  “Varga was quite simple in his proposal to Eva, if you remember,” I said. “Shortly after breakfast, less than two months after the ritual, he was already asking her to be his wife.”

  Eva had moved to Nevertide to be with him, and Tamara visited often. The Lady of the Lamias had also gotten more involved in our GASP operations, and I, for one, welcomed her input. She’d shed much of her reserve since Eva had come back in one piece from Aledras. I remembered their engagement party as if it had been yesterday, for it was then that we’d learned about Trexus-2.