A Shade of Vampire 65: A Plague of Deceit Read online

  A Shade of Vampire 65: A Plague of Deceit

  Bella Forrest

  Contents

  Also by Bella Forrest

  Problems reading?

  New Generation List

  Family tree

  1. Derek

  2. Sofia

  3. Derek

  4. Elonora

  5. Kailani

  6. Elonora

  7. Rose

  8. Elonora

  9. Harper

  10. Harper

  11. Elonora

  12. Ridan

  13. Rose

  14. Elonora

  15. Elonora

  16. Dmitri

  17. Ridan

  18. Vesta

  19. Elonora

  20. Kailani

  21. Draven

  22. Rose

  23. Kailani

  24. Elonora

  25. Kailani

  26. Varga

  27. Elonora

  28. Elonora

  29. Kailani

  30. Hunter

  31. Draven

  32. Elonora

  33. Kailani

  34. Elonora

  35. Rose

  36. Derek

  Read more by Bella Forrest

  Also by Bella Forrest

  HARLEY MERLIN

  (Brand 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)

  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)

  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)

  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

  Derek

  We’d trusted the wrong person to help us.

  Amal had betrayed us. She’d kept Ta’Zan in the loop about what we were up to. The Faulties’ rebellion was a failure from the very beginning. Yet, Ta’Zan had let them go through with it. He’d allowed the diversion to continue, and he’d encouraged Amal to get us out of the diamond dome, to guide us through the colosseum, and to get us within reach of an actual escape… only to crush it all with his presence and his incredibly annoying calm demeanor.

  But there was a silver lining to all this. The Faulties had planned for failure and betrayal, too. Isda had gotten Varga out another way, keeping him separate from our group from the moment we’d left our… enclosure.

  Varga was out. We were back in the diamond dome. We had no idea whether Araquiel, Abaddon, and their crew had gotten their claws on our kids yet—and we still worried about Abaddon losing his temper and getting all murderous, like he’d done before. I didn’t know how many times they’d be able to evade him. On top of it all, Ta’Zan had finally sent his new, greater and stronger upgraded Perfect, Cassiel, to tail Varga, assuming that the young vampire-sentry prince would lead him to Ben and Rose’s group.

  But at least one of us had made it beyond the diamond walls of the colosseum. Varga had a better chance out there than in here with a shock collar around his neck.

  “I wonder what happened to Isda, Monos, and the others,” Sofia said, resting her head on my shoulder.

  We’d settled on the glassy floor, right next to Lucas’s bed. Marion was with him, keeping an eye on his wounds. Cassiel had done a quick but painful number on him, but the long and deep cuts on his chest were already healing.

  “They’re probably getting punished,” I replied. “They rebelled. Ta’Zan would be seen as weak if he didn’t retaliate somehow.”

  “They were trying to help us,” Sofia sighed.

  “No, they were trying to help themselves, to remove Ta’Zan from his rule by getting us out and giving us a fair fighting chance,” Claudia interjected. “The Faulties aren’t stupid. They knew what they were signing up for.”

  “That doesn’t stop me from feeling sorry for them,” Sofia said, and I instinctively put my arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. I couldn’t get enough of the soothing sensation that her presence gave me, especially in these circumstances.

  “I didn’t say you shouldn’t feel sorry for them,” Claudia replied, rubbing her face with her palms. “It’s just… we’ve got our own to worry about, too. Varga is out there.”

  “Ah, you’re worried about your grandson.” Lucas scoffed, then pushed himself into a seated position, while Marion watched him like a hawk. “I get that, Claudia, I totally do. But we can’t not spare a thought for the complete strangers who trust us to save them.”

  Corrine exhaled, shaking her head. “You know, I did try to teleport out of there,” she muttered. “When we bumped into Ta’Zan. They’re blocking my ability somehow.”

  Kailyn gave her a brief nod. “Yeah, Isda mentioned something about it, at some point. They’re using the same stuff on Kailani’s crew to stop them from zapping out of there.”

  “And still, our kids keep slipping away.” I chuckled. “Dammit, we’ve raised them well.”

  Suddenly, all eyes were on me, not only from our founders’ crew, but also from the other prisoners. I couldn’t help but smile. For the first time in days, I could see the glimmer of hope refusing to dim, despite the circumstances.

  “You’re in a good mood,” Xavier said, raising an eyebrow. “Not sure you’ve noticed, but we’re back in the friggin’ diamond dome with shock collars around our necks.”

  “Yes. But Varga is out. Our plan B worked. Ta’Zan wasn’t impossible to trick, after all. We’ve spent so much time and energy letting him get to us that we forgot one very simple truth: he’s a creature, much like us. He has weak spots, much like us. He lacks crucial strategic experience, as do his Perfects. We don’t. And it’s time we make use of that. We can beat him. I know it. I can feel it.”

  Claudia smiled, but there was sadness lingering in her eyes. “I get where you’re coming from, I do. I feel the same way. Like salvation is just around the corner. Like… we’re almost there! But, Derek, Ta’Zan just sent his most powerful hybrid yet to chase my grandson around. To capture the others… to drag them all back here.”

  “Or to kill them, if they’re too much of a nuisance,” Yuri added, his head low and a muscle twitching nervously in his jaw. “Elonora, Varga. Everyone who’s trying to help us.”

  “Yeah, we all heard him, but I doubt Ta’Zan will go through with that part of his ominous promise,” Corrine replied. “I mean, think about it. These kids have been giving him the middle finger for quite some time now. They’re good. They’re strong and relentless and sharp-witted. He’ll want to study them; he’ll want to know what makes them tick, what makes them intellectually superior to his Perfects. I think earlier he was just really pissed off, and he just wanted to make us stew in our own juices, when he said he’d have Cassiel kill our people.”

  “Are you being an optimist, or is it really what you think?” I asked, the corner of my mouth twitching.

  Corrine gave me a shrug. “It could be both.”

  “Good. We need it,” I replied.

  “You know, there’s one thing I’ve been thinking about since Ta’Zan introduced Cassiel,” Ibrahim cut in. “There has to be a limit to their intelligence, right? To their physical prowess, too. They can’t be almighty and all-powerful. I don’t think that’s physically possible. We’re all the result of nature, after all, and there’s only so much that we could unlock with gene manipulation, right?”

  “That’s a reasonable assumption to make, yes,” Vivienne replied. “What are you trying to get at?”

  “The Perfects, much like the Faulties, are limited. Even Cassiel, I think, has some automatic brakes on. So, that should give us hope. As in, there’s only so much they can do. Does that make sense?” Ibrahim asked, and we all nodded in return. “The one thing that works in their favor right now isn’t just their speed and strength, but also the fact that they can’t be killed. Not as far as we know, anyway. But the idea that they’re limited…that could be poked and prodded.”

  “So, you’re saying we should, what, exactly? Point out the Perfects’ limitations? Make them feel inferior, somehow?” I replied, slightly confused.

  “I’m saying that it could be a good way into their minds. To emphasize that Ta’Zan placed limits on them. That he fears them. Ah…” Ibrahim squirmed, then took a deep breath. “The collar is as sharp as ever.”

  The double doors opened, and an unexpected face came through.

  We all froze at the sight of her as she walked in, accompanied by other Faulties with food carts. Isda was still here, and not with the other rebellious Faulties. There was no sign of Monos anywhere, so we could definitely assume he’d been caught and possibly jailed.

  But Isda had helped Varga escape. Yet here she was, serving our food with a faint smile and a wary look in her eyes.

  Sofia
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  Derek and I were the first prisoners that Isda offered to feed, handing us blood bottles, along with water and cooked food for the non-vampires in our group. The others were quick to move around and block the Perfect guards’ view of her as she went deeper into our crowd.

  “Isda, what happened? Are you okay?” I asked, gently gripping her wrist.

  She stilled and gave us a frightened look. “I… I don’t know,” she replied, her voice trembling.

  “What about Monos and the others?” Derek whispered, concern etched into his furrowed brows. “Are they well?”

  “I don’t think so. I haven’t seen them in a few hours. Since last night, to be specific. Since the riot,” Isda said. “They were captured and imprisoned, for sure.”

  “But you’re here,” Claudia murmured. “How so?”

  “Again, I don’t know!” Isda said, visibly alarmed. “Amal had to know what I was doing. She knew I was going to help one of you go out a different route. She had detailed information about everything else we did. But, for some reason, she didn’t rat me out. I don’t know how to explain that, I swear.”

  “So, Amal knew that Varga was using a different escape route,” I muttered.

  “She must’ve. She knew a lot about our plans, including when and where we were staging the fights. One of our people told her, for sure. We had a leak in our ranks, because I remember Monos and I being specifically doubtful of her intention to help us, so we kept a lot of the details under wraps. Nevertheless, she found out, somehow. She would’ve known about my mission with Varga, too,” Isda explained.