A Shade of Vampire 49 Read online

  A Shade of Vampire 49: A Shield of Glass

  Bella Forrest

  Contents

  Also by Bella Forrest

  New Generation List

  1. Aida

  2. Phoenix

  3. Field

  4. Aida

  5. Vita

  6. Serena

  7. Vita

  8. Vita

  9. Aida

  10. Serena

  11. Vita

  12. Jovi

  13. Jovi

  14. Aida

  15. Vita

  16. Jovi

  17. Serena

  18. Aida

  19. Phoenix

  20. Serena

  21. Serena

  22. Vita

  23. Serena

  24. Serena

  25. Aida

  26. Serena

  27. Phoenix

  28. Aida

  29. Serena

  30. Serena

  31. Serena

  32. Vita

  33. Aida

  34. Vita

  35. Vita

  36. Serena

  37. Aida

  38. Aida

  39. Serena

  Read more by Bella Forrest

  Also by Bella Forrest

  THE GIRL WHO DARED TO THINK (New!)

  The Girl Who Dared to Think (Book 1)

  The Girl Who Dared to Stand (Book 2)

  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)

  THE SECRET OF SPELLSHADOW MANOR

  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)

  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 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 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)

  Aida

  My feet barely touched the ground as I jumped over twisted tree roots and ditches. Field ran by my side, while Phoenix, Anjani, Aura, Almandine, and Eva were close behind us. We only stopped for two minutes every other mile, to catch our breath and make sure we were following the same path that Serena and Draven had used to reach Stonewall.

  The six mutated shifters left from our scuffle with Azazel’s fiends kept up as well, maintaining a distance of several feet and growling at any other shifters that caught our scent and made a move toward us. They kept their original form, with pale, hairless and nearly translucent skin as they ran on all fours, their violet eyes darting around and their sharp fangs ready to tear through the hostiles’ flesh.

  “I never thought I’d say this,” I gasped, “but I am so thankful for these shifters right now.”

  “How many arrows do we have?” Field asked, looking over his shoulder.

  “Not many,” Anjani replied, clutching the crossbow in one hand while the near-empty quiver hung loosely from her leather belt.

  We ran for at least an hour before another wave of Destroyers caught up with us. I heard their hissing from a mile away, cutting through the night sky as they descended upon us atop their winged horses.

  I glanced at Phoenix, and he nodded my way as he loaded an arrow on his crossbow, ready to shoot. His expression seemed carved into stone, his brows drawn together in a permanent frown and a muscle twitching in his jaw. I couldn’t even begin to imagine how he must have felt after losing the Daughter. The bond they shared was so deep and intense, and it hurt me to see him like this.

  The mutated shifters got closer as we increased our speed, while the Destroyers neared from behind.

  “Okay, let’s show these snakes what we’re made of,” I shouted, and drew my sword, relentless
in my sprint.

  I heard grunting as swords and long knives were drawn from their scabbards behind me, while the flying horses’ neighs sent shivers down my spine. I looked ahead and realized the forest was about to open into a meadow.

  “This open space won’t do us any good,” Field said as we passed the last row of trees and our feet touched the tall grass. His eyes darted ahead as he pointed at a large white rock poking out of another stretch of forest several hundred feet away, its trees tall and dark and offering plenty of shelter from the beasts. “Let’s split up across the meadow and meet at the white rock!”

  We all nodded as we continued our run across the wide field. I saw Phoenix and Anjani keep a straight line, while the young succubi and Eva scattered to the right. Field and I moved to the left as the Destroyers began their descent.

  “Where are you running, little mice?” Goren’s voice pierced the air.

  My blood froze as I looked up and saw the massive Destroyer grinning at me, his spear raised and ready to strike.

  “I’ll draw them out,” Field shouted, increasing his speed. “Keep running, Aida. I’ll meet you at the rock!”

  “Field, no!” I screamed after him as his wings burst out and he took flight, the hatchet he’d snatched from the mansion weighing heavy in his right hand.

  I was horrified at the thought of losing him but couldn’t do anything to stop him from putting his life at such risk. Arrows flicked past, missing my legs by inches. There was no time to worry about anyone other than myself at this point. I only caught a glimpse of Field flying and a throng of Destroyers breaking from their group to follow him across the indigo sky.

  They were shooting smaller projectiles at me, probably because they wanted to catch me alive, which also meant there was no poison on the arrow tips, either. I ran even faster, my inner-wolf unwilling to disappoint me. I had a minor advantage as an Oracle because they had to capture rather than kill me, so I decided to take advantage of it. One of the mutated shifters kept up with me, moving ahead by ten feet. More arrows came down as we both dodged them left and right. They tried to get the shifter with a poisoned spear but the creature moved fast and caught it, then threw it back to me. I caught it by its slim, wooden stem as I looked into the creature’s glowing violet eyes. It shook its body and shifted into a flying horse, slowing down until I reached it.

  It hit me then what it wanted me to do. As the shadows grew darker above me, I knew I had no choice. I set my reluctance aside and jumped onto the shifter’s back. The creature took off, its wings flapping frenetically as it brought me higher. I sheathed my sword and turned the spear’s poisonous tip toward the Destroyers, while the shifter made a turn. The movement gave me the angle I needed to throw the spear, managing to pierce through a beast’s shoulder and take him down. He wailed as he fell off his winged horse and I managed to grab his shield before it got out of my reach.

  Goren smirked as he launched an arrow at me. My shifter-horse helped me dodge the hit, and my hand instinctively reached up and caught the long and slim projectile mid-flight, wiping Goren’s grin off his disgusting face. I threw the arrow with a growl and watched it puncture another Destroyer’s eye. I only had a split second to enjoy Goren’s rage reddening his face before I drew my sword and the shifter darted away toward the white rock, my hand gripping its long white mane.

  They came after me, but my faux flying horse was a little bit faster. I spotted Field as he took a couple of Destroyers down with ample and heavy hits, his hatchet slicing through their flesh. The beasts fell off their horses, blood spraying from their deep wounds.

  He looked at me, his eyebrows lifted in genuine surprise.

  “What, you thought you were the only one who could fly around here?” I quipped with a wink and a grin.

  “White rock!” he shot back, trying not to smile as he dodged a couple of poisoned spears.

  My shifter neighed and began a series of evasive maneuvers as several Destroyers came at me. Goren barked some orders at them from behind, and I glanced over my shoulder to see him going after Phoenix.

  “Not on my watch!” I muttered, and drew my sword, pulling on the shifter’s mane as it turned mid-flight.

  We charged the Destroyers, shooting through them, my long blade out. I went for their heads at full speed, and sliced one off while the others scrambled to turn their flying horses and come after me again. My shifter was remarkably agile, and we flew in a tight loop and charged the beasts again.

  My sword shot out and cut halfway through a torso. Blood sprayed as the beast fell off its horse and the others tried to reach out and capture me, failing miserably as my shifter suddenly dropped several feet and flew away. They were clearly under orders not to kill me, since I was an Oracle and thus extremely valuable to Azazel.

  That gave me an unprecedented advantage in close combat, too, it seemed. I could be lethal in my strikes. They couldn’t.

  Phoenix

  One of the shifters came with me in its original form as I took my straight line across the meadow. I was a fast runner, but the Destroyers approaching from behind were pretty adept at keeping up. I noticed Aida’s shifter companion morph into a flying horse, and watched as she cut through the sky and sliced through a cluster of Destroyers.

  I looked at my purple-eyed companion with some frustration. It ran next to me, pale and skinny, occasionally glancing at the beasts chasing us.

  “A little help?” I called to it sarcastically.

  It actually worked; the shifter nodded and turned into a flying horse. I didn’t hesitate, jumping onto its back and grasping its thick white mane as we took off. My sword was out as we ascended and took a tight turn, heading straight for the Destroyers.

  Goren had gotten in front of that pack, baring his fangs at me, his tongue flicking as he pulled out a massive metal club.

  “You’re coming back to Luceria with me, little Oracle!” he snarled.

  Two of his Destroyers flew ahead, eager to capture me. My shifter jerked downward as I sliced through one with a wide swing and immediately stabbed the other in the neck. They both fell off their horses, wailing and hissing as they hit the ground below.

  “Who the hell are you calling ‘little’?” I shot back, kicking my heels into the shifter’s ribs.

  It neighed as it flew directly at Goren, its eyes flaring violet. The lieutenant Destroyer was visibly infuriated and thirsting to get a piece of me, but my shifter caught him by surprise as it tore into his horse’s throat.

  The poisoned animal twitched and flailed as it fell, no longer able to sustain its flight. It dragged Goren with it, as the Destroyer left behind a string of curse words aimed at me. I managed to grab his shield before he dropped, mounting it on my arm.

  “Sticks and stones, you ugly snake—thanks for the shield, though!” I shouted after him.

  There was so much anger in me, its effect on my senses was incredible. I could see the remaining Destroyers come at me almost in slow motion. I blocked several arrows with my newly acquired shield before my shifter decided to charge them.

  As if feeling my grief and my need to slice as many of these monsters as I could, my pretend horse flew right into the cluster as I swung my sword left and right and cut through two of them, then went back in for another round. They weren’t allowed to kill us Oracles, and that gave me a fantastic upper hand.

  I was going straight for their heads, while all they were allowed to do was take my freedom. And after the Daughters had taken Viola from me, I wasn’t willing to let anything else slip through my fingers.

  My shifter was a phenomenal companion, the result of the Daughter’s well-intended but much too powerful intervention in order to stop it and the rest of its pack from hurting one of our own. My stomach churned at the thought of the price my sweet Viola had to pay for me to be able to do all of this.

  Make the most of it and get her back, I thought to myself as we left the last two Destroyers behind and shot through the night sky toward the white rock.
r />   Field

  I’d thought my wings gave me a unique advantage against the Destroyers, until I saw Aida, Phoenix, and Anjani use shifters in the form of flying horses to cause considerable damage. I darted through the sky, keeping several of the beasts busy and hot on my tail, occasionally glancing down to see the other three shifters successfully escort Aura, Almandine, and Eva into the next forest patch—but not before ripping out some Destroyer throats.

  Goren was heavily injured in his fall, and we were left with ten Destroyers, four of which were focused on me. I flew in a tight circle and hit them from the side in a fast, twisting motion, swinging my hatchet in the process.

  The heavy blade cut through meat and bone, rendering two of them useless and sending them plummeting toward the ground. I grabbed a shield off one of the horses left flying on its own, then headed toward the white rock.

  I gradually descended with two Destroyers still after me, while more were chasing after the others. I dodged poisoned spears as I went for a low flight through the forest.

  It was safer to run through the woods than fly above an open field. My feet touched the hard ground, and I moved between the trees, my wings retracted beneath my shoulder blades. I moved fast, constantly changing my direction by a few degrees, but always heading toward the white rock.

  I glanced to my right and saw Aida running, followed closely by her shifter. A couple of yards farther away were Phoenix, Anjani and their unlikely companions, while Aura, Almandine, and Eva were ahead with the other three shifters.