A Shade of Vampire 56 Read online

  Table of Contents

  Also by Bella Forrest

  Problems reading?

  New Generation List

  Family tree

  Harper

  Scarlett

  Avril

  Caia

  Hansa

  Fiona

  Patrik

  Jax

  Draven

  Read more by Bella Forrest

  A Shade of Vampire 56: A League of Exiles

  Bella Forrest

  Contents

  Also by Bella Forrest

  Problems reading?

  New Generation List

  Family tree

  1. Harper

  2. Scarlett

  3. Avril

  4. Caia

  5. Harper

  6. Hansa

  7. Fiona

  8. Harper

  9. Fiona

  10. Harper

  11. Avril

  12. Scarlett

  13. Patrik

  14. Scarlett

  15. Avril

  16. Harper

  17. Hansa

  18. Harper

  19. Caia

  20. Harper

  21. Harper

  22. Fiona

  23. Harper

  24. Avril

  25. Scarlett

  26. Avril

  27. Avril

  28. Scarlett

  29. Harper

  30. Harper

  31. Fiona

  32. Harper

  33. Jax

  34. Harper

  35. Caia

  36. Fiona

  37. Draven

  Read more by Bella Forrest

  Also by Bella Forrest

  HOTBLOODS

  Hotbloods (Book 1)

  Coldbloods (Book 2)

  Renegades (Book 3)

  Venturers (Book 4)

  THE GIRL WHO DARED TO THINK

  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 GENDER GAME

  (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)

  A SHADE OF VAMPIRE SERIES

  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 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

  (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

  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.

  Problems reading?

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  New Generation List

  Avril (vampire): adopted daughter of Lucas and biological daughter of Marion.

  Blaze (fire dragon): son of fire dragons Heath and Athena.

  Caia (part fae/human): daughter of Grace and Lawrence.

  Fiona (vampire): daughter of Benedict (son of Rose and Caleb) and Yelena.

  Harper (sentry/vampire): daughter of Hazel and Tejus.

  Scarlett (vampire): daughter of Jeramiah (son of Lucas Novak) and Pippa (daughter of Cameron Hendry).

  Family tree

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

  Harper

  Despite the constant pushback from a planet whose dominant species wanted us in chains, and eventually dead, we’d actually made some progress.
After we found that Darius of House Xunn was still alive, and actively engaged in an intricately designed plan to subdue us and bring more of our people to Neraka for the sole purpose of feeding on their souls, it sufficed to say that we had our hands full.

  The rest of our team had barely escaped from Azure Heights with a mind-bent Blaze and horrific truths. The Four Lords, aided by the majority of their own people, had been conspiring with the daemons to bring more “soul food” to Neraka. The Imen population was dwindling, and they were bound to die out. From what Amund, Eristhena, and Ledda—the elders of the Imen village where we’d camped for the night—said, the Exiled Maras and daemons’ plan to breed Imen for blood and soul consumption didn’t work out too well.

  Worst of all, the Druid delegation could still be on Neraka, after thousands of years—or at least some of its surviving members. The swamp witch was still alive, held captive and forced to spill her magic secrets. The daemons and Exiled Maras had managed to build a detailed plot, a theater play of sorts, complete with magic tricks and mind-bent Imen, to convince us that the Exiled Maras had truly started a new, better life here. They hadn’t. Not only were they still draining the blood of innocent supernaturals, they’d upgraded to consuming their souls, too.

  Despite this stark painting of life on Neraka, there was still hope. We still had allies on the Imen’s side, as well as some Exiled Maras, and even daemons who didn’t want this kind of existence, and didn’t want their world to thrive on the backs and the suffering of others.

  Arrah, the only Iman girl we knew to be resistant to the Maras’ mind-bending ability, had helped my team get out of Azure Heights. Cadmus had turned on his people, just as Caspian had done. Even more surprising was Zane, one of the seven daemon princes, the son of the king himself—he’d helped us out of Shaytan’s palace, and he’d also assisted Avril and the others in escaping from the Maras, who had finally revealed their sickening and despicable nature.

  The planet was cloaked in some kind of magic that restricted our ability to communicate with GASP and Calliope via Telluris. If we could get to the swamp witch, we could put an end to that. The moment we could reach out to Draven and our families again, it would be over for these Nerakian overlords. At least we knew what we had to do, although we had a complicated road ahead.

  Both daemons and Exiled Maras were out to get us, and we lacked strength in numbers. We were, however, much smarter and more resourceful than they’d given us credit for—and I sure as hell wasn’t going to give up as easily as they thought. Besides, I had a score to settle with these exiled bastards, for the blood oath they’d put Caspian under, and for destroying his family. He couldn’t reveal the swamp witch’s location without setting himself on fire, but Caspian was on our side, and desperate to restore order and peace on Neraka.

  Most importantly, he’d become one of the most significant people in my life over a surprisingly short period of time. My heart fluttered whenever we got close, and, given the hunger with which he’d kissed me, the feeling was mutual. I’d come to Neraka to kick some ass and solve a mystery, and wound up falling for a royal-blooded Mara.

  After we caught up with the rest of our team, we managed to get some sleep in the small teepees that the Imen had prepared for us. I didn’t want to leave Caspian alone in that cage, where the elders were still keeping him, but Jax and Hansa convinced me that I needed to get some rest, and that Caspian would probably be released in the morning. The Imen were simply traumatized by the Exiled Maras—I figured it would take some time for them to accept that not all of the Maras were evil and bloodthirsty.

  My dreams weighed heavily on me throughout the night, and I found myself constantly running from red-eyed daemons and sneering Maras. I felt a presence near me, at some point, and immediately opened my eyes—I wasn’t sure if I’d dreamed it. Caspian was sitting next to me with his legs crossed, and his black hair tousled over his forehead. The faint light of dawn was visible through the teepee’s front slit. It was still very early, but Caspian had been freed.

  I sat up, and gazed at him for a while. He didn’t say anything, either, but his smiling jade eyes told me everything I needed to know.

  “I see they finally let you out,” I breathed.

  “They’re just scared. I don’t blame them,” Caspian replied with a soft shrug.

  A couple of moments went by in heavy silence. Last night’s urgency had worn off, and we were now sitting in front of each other with only a few inches, and the resurfacing memory of our kiss, between us. I didn’t know what to do with that. It was as if my courage had flown out of the teepee sometime during the night.

  “So, what now?” I asked, feeling my heart pump faster as his gaze dropped to my lips.

  “I don’t know. I guess… good morning?” he replied, slowly inching closer.

  “Yeah, we could start with that, I suppose,” I murmured.

  “I’ve got the perfect follow-up, though,” he said, then pulled me in for a kiss.

  His lips were soft and warm, and I welcomed the taste of him. We were both hungry for each other. He wrapped his arms around me and held me tight as he deepened the kiss. With no iron bars between us, I could finally feel his body against mine, and it was truly an experience that ignited my inner-sentry. His aura turned gold as he trailed soft little kisses along my jawline, then found the side of my neck.

  His hot breath raised my temperature, making my spine tingle. I raked my fingers through his hair, prompting him to look up. Losing myself in his jade gaze, I brushed my thumb over his lower lip as he struggled to recover his breath.

  “I’m afraid you’re going to be the end of me, Harper,” he whispered, then took me for another spin, kissing me deeply. His tongue tasted mine, and I found it difficult to control myself when he devoured me like that.

  “Well, then, you’re free to run, now,” I chuckled, my lips pressed against his. He laughed lightly, then dropped a kiss on my forehead and gently laid us both down on the soft blankets. He held me close, his fingers tracing the curve of my waist.

  “Why would I ever want to leave your side?” Caspian replied, then sighed. “When all I’ve been trying to do was to get closer to you.”

  “I don’t know how to handle this, Caspian,” I said, my brow furrowed. “I’ve never been with anyone. I mean, dating and stuff. It’s not my forte, I guess. So, I… I have no idea how this is supposed to work.”

  “Do you think I know?” Caspian smiled. “I’m as baffled by this as you are, Harper. But I know I’m not letting you out of my sight again. I’m constantly drifting toward you, and it’s time I stopped avoiding the inevitable.”

  “What’s that, exactly?”

  “The fact that you’ve become a central part of my existence, and I don’t mind it one bit.”

  He floored me with that statement. His aura glowed gold, and he rolled us over. He pinned me down with his massive frame, while his hands found mine and slowly raised my arms over my head. I was putty in his hands, my pulse racing. Our hearts thudded in wonderful unison. He then guided my arms around his neck. His thigh slipped between my legs, and his fingers traveled down my arms, his thumbs brushing against my sides. He kissed me again, this time with fierce hunger, and I parted my lips, welcoming him in.

  I was getting lightheaded, and I had no intention of coming down from this little flicker of bliss anytime soon. Caspian’s hands slipped under my lower back, his fingers digging into my skin through my suit’s layer of leather. I moaned against his lips, and he responded with a low growl as he gently bit and suckled at my lower lip.

  “And I’m also genuinely terrified of you,” he whispered.

  “Now you tell me?” I replied, and we both burst into laughter. He pulled himself back up into a seated position, and I joined him, with my arms still locked around his neck.

  “You do. I can barely control myself when I’m with you,” he said, his index finger tracing the contour of my cheekbone.

  I let out a heavy sigh. “You’re not th
e only one with that problem.”

  “But you’re the only one who can read my emotions. While I have no idea what you’re thinking.”

  My cheeks caught fire, my lips still tingling from his kiss. “That might change once… once we… you know.”

  “Once we what?” he asked, cocking his head to the side. There was a twinkle of amusement in his eyes. My temperature was rising, which was both delightful and unnatural—further testament to his impact on me, both physically and emotionally.

  “You know. Once we… I mean, you know what I mean. It’s just…”

  “Once we make love?” he replied, raising an eyebrow.

  And boom, there goes my heart.

  “I was going to say ‘once we get intimate’, but yeah,” I stammered. He narrowed his eyes at me, not buying it for a second.

  “Were you, really?” He smirked.

  My shoulders dropped, and I admitted defeat. “Okay, no. I just… Man, this is hard to talk about.”

  “You mean to tell me that once we take this to the next level, I’ll be able to read your feelings the same way you read mine?” Caspian asked, going back to the full statement and sparing me another minute of awkwardness.

  “Theoretically speaking, you’d become a sentry, like me,” I replied. “A Mara sentry, to be precise. But only theoretically. It didn’t really work with a Druid, for example. A Mara may be different…”

  He nodded slowly, processing that information. “Sounds fun. We should try it.”

  I blinked several times, not sure I’d heard him right. “Wha—What?”