A Shade of Vampire 45 Read online

  A Shade of Vampire 45: A Meet of Tribes

  Bella Forrest

  Contents

  Also by Bella Forrest

  New Generation List

  1. Vita

  2. Serena

  3. Aida

  4. Jovi

  5. Phoenix

  6. Aida

  7. Vita

  8. Serena

  9. Serena

  10. Vita

  11. Phoenix

  12. Aida

  13. Serena

  14. Aida

  15. Serena

  16. Vita

  17. Phoenix

  18. Aida

  19. Phoenix

  20. Vita

  21. Serena

  22. Jovi

  23. Vita

  24. Aida

  25. Serena

  26. Phoenix

  27. Serena

  28. Serena

  29. Vita

  30. Aida

  31. Jovi

  32. Serena

  33. Vita

  34. Serena

  35. Aida

  36. Phoenix

  37. Serena

  38. Serena

  39. Serena

  40. Serena

  Novak Family Tree (You may need to turn the page to see it!)

  Read more by Bella Forrest

  Also by Bella Forrest

  THE GENDER GAME

  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 SECRET OF SPELLSHADOW MANOR

  The Secret of Spellshadow Manor (Book 1)

  The Breaker (Book 2)

  The Chain (Book 3)

  The Keep (Book 4)

  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 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

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

  Copyright © 2017 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.

  New Generation List

  Aida: daughter of Bastien and Victoria (half werewolf/half human)

  Field: biological son of River, adopted son of Benjamin (mix of Hawk and vampire-half-blood)

  Jovi: son of Bastien and Victoria (half werewolf/half human)

  Phoenix: son of Hazel and Tejus (sentry)

  Serena: daughter of Hazel and Tejus (sentry)

  Vita: daughter of Grace and Lawrence (part-fae/human)

  Vita

  “It means the last Daughter of Eritopia is about to wake up.”

  Draven’s words echoed in my head as I tried to process the information. My mind felt clouded, like someone had pressed the pause button on the flow of time.

  Phoenix had plunged a knife into his chest beneath the magnolia tree.

  The earth had swallowed him whole.

  The magnolia blossoms were swollen red, making the tree’s crown look bigger and creepily beautiful.

  And we all stood there, half of us exhausted from trying to dig Phoenix from the impossible ground, and all of us stunned at the sight of the tree.

  My heart broke for Serena, who was using her True Sight to look for Phoenix underground. Judging by her wide, glimmering eyes and gaping mouth, she saw something down there.

  “What do you mean she’s about to wake up?” I asked, trying to regain some control over my shattered senses.

  “The magnolia tree is like a lifeline. It connects the Daughter in her chrysalis state to Eritopia itself, to nature,” Draven explained. “According to little-known lore, a blood sacrifice can be made to summon a Daughter. And based on everything you’ve told me about what Phoenix did and the color of the magnolia blossoms, there is no other explanation. She’s going to wake up soon. She’s been summoned.”

  “I can see him,” Serena wheezed. “He’s down there with her.”

  “Is he okay?” I asked, my voice trembling.

  “I…I’m not sure,” Serena replied, squinting. “He’s inside a shell, curled up next to the Daughter. There are these red veins lining the inside of the shell. They pulsate with light in regular intervals, like a heartbeat. But Phoenix isn’t moving.”

  “That shell does more than just host the Daughter,” Draven said.

  “I don’t care about the stupid shell right now, Draven. I care about my brother,” Serena snapped. “I can see him. I can see his chest move! He’s alive! But I don’t know how to get to him. We need to get him out of there!”

  “It’s out of our hands now, Serena.” Draven maintained his composure.

  I tried to m
irror Draven, taking comfort in the fact that Phoenix was still alive, according to Serena. I stood unsteadily. My knees quivered, but I managed to keep myself upright. Aida joined me.

  I felt weak, my soul tattered and worn out. I took deep breaths and attempted to focus on something, anything that would keep me standing. I looked around and found Bijarki’s steely blue gaze fixed on me.

  I held it, and the view before me came into full focus.

  The incubus seemed to be a sort of anchor for my shattered concentration. I tried to clear my mind, while his silver-blue irises held me steady.

  He didn’t have to say anything. He didn’t even have to move. All I needed was his gaze attached to mine, and I found that I could again form a coherent thought and step away from the verge of collapse.

  Serena

  Hansa’s groans at the sight of her dead sisters still rang in my ears. I could still see the succubus nurse ending the misery of the last scout, before the Destroyers’ poison forced her to die a more painful death.

  Despite all that, I’d returned to the mansion with a smile tugging at the corner of my mouth, still tasting Draven’s lips on mine after our kiss, and still seeing snippets of life through his eyes from our mind-meld.

  Now, however, all of that felt like a thousand years ago as I probed the ground under the magnolia tree with my True Sight and watched my brother. My stomach twisted in knots, and my eyes burned from all the tears I’d shed. My hands hurt from the shovel I’d used to try to dig him out. The earth didn’t want to let go of him.

  He lay inside a shell of a most peculiar pearlescent pink, crossed by red veins that thickened and glowed, as if the Daughter drew some kind of energy from the magnolia tree through its roots. Phoenix was curled up in a fetal position. His chest rose slowly with each breath. He was still alive.

  Whatever he’s doing down there can be fixed. I can get him back.

  I was transfixed by the scene, because, if not dead, Phoenix seemed to be sleeping next to the last Daughter of Eritopia. Her hand rested on his chest, and her skin was so pale it was almost white. Her long, flowing hair was a violent reddish pink.

  “Draven,” I said, “these red veins from the shell, they seem to converge into her back. I’m guessing she’s being fed through the spine?”

  Everyone else was silent around us. I couldn’t look at anyone. All I could do was focus on my brother and not let him out of my True Sight. My heart thumped in my chest. Adrenaline still rushed through me.

  The frustration with not being able to do more ate away at me and gnawed at my heart. Anger bubbled up.

  “The shell is her egg. It’s how the Daughters come to life. I reckon the veins are like feeding tubes for her, connecting her directly to Eritopia. Is she moving?” Draven asked.

  “No. She seems to be asleep. Same with Phoenix. What do we do?” I asked, forcing my voice to stay even.

  “Digging obviously doesn’t work,” Field interjected. “Do we wait?”

  “Wait for what?” My tone was sharper than I’d intended.

  There was no answer, and I felt the last ounces of patience seeping out of my body. Exhaustion seeped through my legs and arms, and my eyelids felt heavy. I blinked hard. I needed Phoenix up here with me. I needed my brother back.

  “I don’t think we can do anything other than wait,” came Draven’s reply.

  I shook my head, unwilling to accept that as an option.

  “We have to figure something out. Don’t you have some Druid magic for this? You can travel between stars. Can’t you get my brother back?”

  “It doesn’t work like that, Serena,” he replied. “I’m sorry. She’s keeping him there for a reason. On the bright side, he is still alive after jamming a knife into his chest. Maybe she’s healing him inside that shell. Maybe they’re best left alone until the Daughter wakes up.”

  “And when will that be?” My voice trembled as I looked at Draven.

  He lowered his head. He seemed to sense that I was on edge and didn’t want to push me further.

  To be honest, any answer would have been a wrong answer—unless it involved pulling my brother out of the ground right then and there.

  I took a deep breath and refocused on Phoenix. The moment of silence seemed to stretch forever as I watched him inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale…

  The deep red veins snapped from their organic link to the magnolia tree’s roots. The egg started to move upward.

  I froze.

  The dark brown earth was pushing the egg to the surface.

  I took a few steps back and shook my head, snapping out of my True Sight. “Something’s happening,” I said.

  The earth rumbled beneath us.

  The grass trembled. Chunks of dirt sprayed up as the Daughter’s egg rose out of the ground.

  Aida and Vita gasped.

  “What the hell?!” Jovi yelped.

  The red veins were still connected to the ground, as if drawing the last remnants of energy from the dirt. They pulsed with a pinkish light. The shell shimmered in the sun and reflected the blue sky from its smooth surface.

  My brother’s inside.

  “What’s happening?” Draven asked.

  “The egg. It rose up from the ground. It’s here,” Bijarki replied, his voice husky and low.

  My instincts kicked in. My mind focused solely on getting Phoenix out of there.

  “Nobody touch—”

  I swung the shovel from my side with all my might and smashed the egg with one blow.

  The shell popped open in large pieces, and the veins swiftly withered into thin black lines. The light inside faded. Phoenix and the Daughter faced one another with their eyes closed. Neither of them moved.

  “What…what did you do?” Draven’s voice was a whisper.

  My brother’s safety triggered the most primal of my senses. I ignored the Druid and fell to my knees.

  “Phoenix!” I shouted.

  I pulled the egg shells apart in order to reach him.

  Field and Jovi ran up to us and helped pull him out. They laid him on the soft grass next to me.

  I checked his pulse. He was alive.

  “Phoenix, wake up,” I said. Tears welled in my eyes.

  I had very little energy left but I wanted to use it to syphon off any pain he was feeling. I closed my eyes and reached out to the small mass of scarlet red that swirled inside his chest. My palms rested on his pectorals as I drew his pain into me.

  “What’s going on?” Draven’s voice boomed through the darkness that enveloped me and pulled me back into consciousness.

  I slumped over.

  Jovi held me upright while I processed the pain, allowing it to spread through my body. My head fell back, resting against Jovi’s shoulder.

  And then I heard the most wonderful sound—Phoenix groaning as he awoke.

  I looked at him and recognized his befuddlement. He didn’t know what had happened or what he was doing there.

  “It’s okay, Phoenix… You’ll be okay,” I said to him, my voice weak. Relief washed over me.

  Anjani and Bijarki knelt in front of the Daughter, removing the broken shell pieces from her alabaster skin. She wheezed her first breath and sat up, big violet eyes staring at us with panic and confusion.

  “The Daughter!” Bijarki exclaimed. “She’s awake!”

  The girl was petite. Her long, reddish pink hair covered most of her naked body like a layer of silk. She looked around with quick head turns until her eyes settled on Phoenix. A spark of recognition flickered over her face, and she immediately moved to wrap herself around him.

  “Somebody get me a blanket. We need to cover her up!” Anjani barked the order to no one in particular.

  Field nodded and darted inside the house to fetch covers for the Daughter. He emerged less than a minute later with a pale yellow tablecloth that he’d probably snatched from the banquet hall. Anjani tried to wrap it around the Daughter, but the girl hissed and bared her teeth at the succubus, then nuzzled her face a
gainst Phoenix’s chest, which only had a faint pink scar where I guessed he’d stabbed himself.

  Draven listened carefully, seemingly trying to ascertain what was going on. He called out to Bijarki, who moved next to him and described the scene in a rapid succession of muttered words I barely understood from my distance.

  “You shouldn’t have done that, Serena,” Draven said to me, his voice somber and reprimanding.

  I caressed Phoenix’s face with the back of my hand but pulled it away as soon as the Daughter started hissing at me. Whatever the noise was, it sounded threatening, and I had very little strength left to defend myself. Jovi supported most of my weight.

  “It’s my brother, Draven. I couldn’t help it,” I replied.

  Deep down I sensed he was right. I had rushed into it. I had given the last Daughter of Eritopia a very rude awakening, and chances were good that there would be repercussions. But as Phoenix looked at me and smiled with all the brotherly love he could muster, I knew that those repercussions could wait another day.

  Draven gripped Bijarki’s arm as he approached us. The Druid dropped down to his knees, carefully listening for something.

  The Daughter eyed us with a mix of curiosity and suspicion, the side of her face glued to Phoenix’s chest.

  I caught my brother’s gaze again and noticed a faint twinkle in his eyes.

  “Are you okay?” I asked him.

  He nodded in response.

  “Do you know what happened?” I asked.

  “Not really. Everything’s a little fuzzy,” he said, then looked down at the Daughter.

  I knew my brother well enough to recognize the expression he wore. Beneath the confusion, there was fascination, perhaps even affection, aimed at the Daughter. It only made me want to ask more questions. There was clearly something going on there that none of us could properly explain.

  “I can’t hear her heartbeat,” Draven concluded, referring to the Daughter.

  “She’s definitely alive,” Anjani remarked. She still held the tablecloth. “She’s just not very friendly right now.”

  “Maybe she doesn’t know what’s going on.” Jovi didn’t take his eyes off the Daughter.

  “Can you hear us?” Draven addressed the Daughter.

  She threw him a glance, then looked up at Phoenix.