A Shade of Vampire 82 A Circle of Nine - Bella Forrest Page 0,2

reach this place.”

Going over everything we had to do, along with all the risks involved, it took us a few minutes to come up with a viable plan. As soon as I spoke, however, I knew we were on the right track.

“Tristan, Valaine, you two go after Esme and Kalon,” I said. “I reckon it’d be a good idea to start your search back at the Visentis mansion, where they were last seen.”

“Since I can’t get hold of Esme at all, yes, I agree,” Tristan replied. “I’d like to bring Ansel with us, as well. Kalon is his brother, and we might need an extra pair of hands along the way.”

“Kalon is not a threat,” Valaine insisted. I wanted to believe her, but the night had passed, and we had yet to hear from Esme. I had more reason to fear for her safety than to rest assured she’d be okay with him.

“He really tried to help her,” Ansel added.

“Even so, trust has been breached,” I said. “Tristan, take Ansel with you. Amal and Amane will handle the shuttle recovery. They’re smart and fast and cunning enough to pull this off. Sofia and I will head toward the edge of the city. Surely we’ll find a decent safe spot where we can all regroup later.”

“You have enough invisibility pellets to last you a couple of days,” Amal replied. “I doubt you’ll need them all, but just to be safe…”

“We’re good.” I gave her a half-smile, though my insides were already squirming.

Minutes later, with our plans made and the invisibility magic already working its way through our bodies, we left the abandoned house and parted ways. My nerves were stretched beyond their limits, but I kept myself calm and focused. Our people needed us. I needed us.

The Darklings had already ruined too many good things. I simply couldn’t let them destroy anything or anyone else.

Nethissis

“He’s coming!” Moore said, almost out of breath as he burst through the door. He’d been out for most of the morning, running errands for Petra. The Darklings in Laramis were due to assemble in the town square soon, but she’d asked to see Timotheus first. The so-called Darkling mayor of Laramis.

I was bound with rune chains that actually held me down. I had never seen these work on a spirit before—though, to be honest, I had never seen a spirit in my circumstances before. While the novelty might’ve been eye-catching, the truth was I had gotten myself into a monumental mess. Seeley had warned me not to get too close to Petra and her family, but I hadn’t listened, convinced I could just keep myself hidden.

Unfortunately, I hadn’t taken Atlas into account. Petra’s big-ass ghoul—the very first Reaper the Darklings had turned back in the early days—was watching me like a hawk. His hand had healed, but he still sniffed and licked it once in a while. Whenever I moved, he let out a huff or a low growl, just to remind me that my fate had been sealed. That I couldn’t go anywhere, no matter how hard I tried.

Not that I’d ever let such a thought bring me down. I hadn’t gotten myself out of worse situations, but I’d been through enough not to let the endless emptiness in Atlas’s big black eyes discourage me. All I could do was think about ways of getting myself out. Most scenarios ended with me in Atlas’s stomach, but I wasn’t out of options yet.

Petra came downstairs. She and her sons had each taken a room on the upper floor of the house, while her brother Aganon had slept in one of the bedrooms on the ground level to stay relatively close to Atlas and me. She’d warned him to keep an eye out, since I was “surprisingly resourceful,” according to her.

“Marvelous!” she exclaimed, her silver hair perfectly combed into a bun so tight it seemed sculpted atop her head. She’d opted for another simple but elegant black dress, the Visentis brooch glistening proudly at the base of her neck. Checking the floor where she’d killed Veliko last night, Petra crinkled her nose. “You didn’t scrub the floor properly.”

Moore went pale, appearing almost frightened. The response seemed odd coming from her son. Petra had done and would continue to do terrible things to protect her sons, so why was Moore so… terrified of a poor cleanup job? He moved slowly as he approached the area in question.

“I… I’m sorry, Mother. I’ll fetch the mop,” he murmured, but Petra