A Shade of Vampire 66: An Edge of Malice Read online

  A Shade of Vampire 66: An Edge of Malice

  Bella Forrest

  Contents

  Also by Bella Forrest

  Problems reading?

  New Generation List

  Family tree

  1. Rose

  2. Dmitri

  3. Elonora

  4. Harper

  5. Sofia

  6. Douma

  7. Derek

  8. Elonora

  9. Elonora

  10. Dmitri

  11. Kailani

  12. Kailani

  13. Vesta

  14. Ben

  15. Ben

  16. Elonora

  17. Elonora

  18. Ridan

  19. Elonora

  20. Rose

  21. Rose

  22. Vesta

  23. Ben

  24. Vesta

  25. Elonora

  26. Ridan

  27. Douma

  28. Ben

  29. Elonora

  30. Sofia

  31. Sofia

  32. Rose

  33. Elonora

  34. Rose

  35. Derek

  Read more by Bella Forrest

  Also by Bella Forrest

  HARLEY MERLIN

  (New fantasy/romance/supernatural 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)

  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.)

  The Child Thief (Book 1)

  Deep Shadows (Book 2)

  Thin Lines (Book 3)

  Little Lies (Book 4)

  Ghost Towns (Book 5)

  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)

  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 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

  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 she’ll send you an email reminder as soon as her next book is out. Tap here to sign up: www.forrestbooks.com

  Copyright © 2018 by Bella Forrest

  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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  New Generation List

  Dmitri (son of Victoria and Bastien – half human and half werewolf)

  Elonora “Lenny” (daughter of Ash and Ruby – vampire-sentry)

  Varga (son of Ash and Ruby – vampire-sentry)

  Kailani “Kale” (daughter of Brock and Arwen / granddaughter of Corrine and Ibrahim – witch)

  Hunter (Sofia’s adoptive brother / adopted son of Aiden and Kailyn – werewolf)

  Vesta (daughter of Idris and Rayna – water fae)

  Family tree

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

  Rose

  We’d come a long way since our first day on Strava.

  From the sporadic and violent encounters with rogue Faulties and devoted Perfects that had nearly killed us, we’d managed to forge a fragile but crucial alliance with some of them. Specifically, we had a handful of Draenir, another handful of rogue Faulties, and one Perfect on our side, while Douma was M.I.A. The Draenir were thought to be extinct, but thanks to Rakkhan, they’d survived in isolation. They could easily qualify as a critically endangered species, given their low numbers, and they were once again in danger of complete annihilation, since Ta’Zan would’ve most certainly been told about them by now.

  I could see the confidence on each of our crew’s faces. We were making progress, despite the multiple hiccups and setbacks. Elonora, Kailani and their team had successfully disabled Ta’Zan’s comms-blocking towers, and they’d also destroyed his flight plans by infiltrating the colosseum and blowing up his ships. They’d deleted the blueprints and kidnapped the five Faulty engineers involved, too, for good measure.

  Ben’s group had come back with Herakles and his merry band of rogue Faulties, all of them eager to fight by our side and stick it to the creature that had created, then abandoned them. It had taken a while for the rogue Faulties to understand that there was no room for them in this “magical” new world of Ta’Zan’s, but, from there on, their hearts were quick to change. Abandonment led to anger, then the thirst for revenge and the desire for freedom. Easy pickings for our cause, to say the least.

  Draven and Serena had led a productive collection mission throughout multiple Draenir bunkers, returning with two large containers filled with medical supplies, food rations, pulverizer weapons and pellets, and a bunch of devices we could later use in a new, stable base camp. They’d left them back by the blue rock meeting point, with the intention of later going back for them. They’d gotten no answer from me and my team, given the Perfects’ hounding, thus hiding the stuff by the blue rock had made more sense. Once we were at least partially safe, we could retrieve those resources. Taeral and Kailani teleported themselves and a couple Faulties to fetch the all-terrain carts. Twenty minutes later, they were all back on the winter isle, supplies included. Thank goodness.

  My parents and the rest of GASP’s founders, along with hundreds of fleet survivors, were still prisoners in Ta’Zan’s diamond dome, but we’d established a communication link, through an earpiece and through Jax, Hansa, Jovi, Anjani, and Heath’s Telluris connections, in case of emergency. It would take at least another week for Ta’Zan to rebuild his starships and to restore the blocking towers—time which we were going to take advantage of, to the fullest.

  Granted, our incursions into enemy territory had not been without consequences. We’d lost Douma in our escape from Merinos—Cassiel had snatched her. After catching up with our diamond dome people, I learned that Ta’Zan had taken my mother away from the other prisoners, sending Dad into a frenzy that resulted in him being shocked into unconsciousness again. I didn’t know what Ta’Zan’s plans were, as far as my mother was concerned, but I couldn’t think of anything good.

  The strangest and most surprising thing, however, was the involvement of the Hermessi. The natural elements had responded to Bogdana more than once. Ben and Vesta had chimed in on the last one, just as Cassiel and his army of five hundred Perfects were chasing down my people back on Merinos. I’d already relocated our group to another island. The earth had opened up and swallowed them whole, spitting them out right in front of us. What a strange thing to see—nature responding in ways that were sometimes impossible to describe.

  We’d found temporary shelter on this winter island, but we knew it wouldn’t last long. It was too cold and too far away from our main objective—the diamond dome. And, with the recent developments, we were in dire need of an action plan.

  I sat with Ben by the fire, its warmth softening my muscles and soothing my frayed nerves. Most of our recently enlarged crew was settled nearby, none of them fans of the blistering cold beyond the tall ice crystals that sheltered us. Some of our youngsters were outside, either exploring the snowy ridges or simply brooding. Dmitri, in particular, was taking Douma’s abduction quite hard.

  “So, at least we’ve got the comms back on,” Ben muttered, using his palms to gently amplify the fire so it could give more warmth. “We can talk to Dad and the GASP team, as well as Calliope.”

  “Yeah, we’re no longer isolated,” I replied. “At least for a few days, until Ta’Zan gets the blockers back on.”

  “I’m hoping he won’t get the chance to do that.” Ben sighed, then shook his head in dismay. “I still can’t believe that Bogdana didn’t tell us about her connection to him. It’s pretty friggin’ big!”

  “I know. Being his surrogate mother gives her an extraordinary advantage,” I said. “No matter how cold and calculating Ta’Zan is, he will definitely want to meet the creature who made his existence possible.”

  Ben shook his hands, then stuffed them in his pockets. I couldn’t help but frown, and he noticed my concern, giving me a half-smile in return.

  “Just shaky fingers, that’s all. I’m putting in a little bit more work to maintain the fire in this cold. It takes a toll on my extremities, I guess,” he said. “So, speaking of unpleasant tolls, what do we do with Kale? She lost control with the Word back by the colosseum. Four Draenir died in the process.”

  “And the Perfects, too. Permanently, for that matter. I admit, I’m equal parts intrigued and horrified by the incident,” I said. “I don’t know what to do with her. She’s essential to our mission, but she might become a liability if she doesn’t get that Word connection under control. I’m hoping that Lumi will help her. I’ll speak to the swamp witch about it. Under more peaceful circumstances, Kale would’ve had the time and space to carry on her apprenticeship without such issues. But we all have to adjust.”

  “Douma’s gone, too,” Ben added. “Gosh, it feels like we’ve taken two steps forward, then three steps back.”

  “No. We’ve made progress, but I think it’s too soon for us to claim a victory of any kind, that’s all,” I replied. “We’re not moving backward at all, Ben. It’s just that it’s a lot more complicated than we expected it to be. And the Perfects are insanely powerful, too. We do most of our work trying to avoid conflict with them altogether. Everything is harder when you’re working against the clock and the Perfects.”

  We didn’t say much else for another minute or so, simply watching the Draenir huddle closer together on the other side of the fire, in an attempt to keep each other warm. The wind howled outside, and it could easily bite into one’s skin without covers—which we lacked. There were only a couple dozen blankets being shared between small groups of people, all of them recovered from the strongholds.

  Elonora was dozing off in Nevis’s arms in a corner. The Dhaxanian was different than most of us. He handled subzero temperatures with no problem whatsoever. In fact, he thrived in them. Technically speaking, he cared very little for the increased warmth. As vampires, Elonora and I withstood the frosts, too, but we had physical limits of endurance, while the Dhaxanians didn’t.
We welcomed the extra heat, and so did the others in our group.

  Hunter was on his own. Kailani was outside, most likely alone and contemplating the colosseum incident. Judging by the look on Hunter’s face, he, too, was worried about her. Hell, we were all concerned, not so much for our safety, but for hers. Kailani was a big part of our family, even though there wasn’t an actual blood tie to the Novaks. We looked out for our own, even if it meant protecting them from themselves.

  My stomach was tied up in knots as I tried to avoid considering any kind of worst-case scenario, as far as our beloved young witch was concerned. Instead, I focused on the new and puzzling element in our Stravian adventure.

  “I don’t understand Cassiel’s game, though,” I murmured. “Ta’Zan designed him as a superior Perfect. Stronger and faster, not to mention even more intelligent. He helped Elonora’s crew, but then he came after you all with an entire army. I must be missing something.”

  “Hm. Not necessarily. From what I understand, he’s incredibly self-aware and strategic. Maybe he’s testing the waters now. Trying a little bit of treason by helping us, to then switch back to his loyal, original self. Perhaps we can pull him to our side, eventually,” Ben replied.

  “I’m thinking he is just playing a more elaborate hunting game. He got Elonora’s team to think he was their friend so they would lead him to the bigger catch. He is clever. He was able to analyze how we work together. He saw what our weapons could do, too, which is more than what Araquiel and his clique ever learned.”