A Shade of Vampire 80 A Veil of Dark - Bella Forrest Page 0,30

of its presence, sending jolts of pain through my leg and hip.

“No. We rule these lands. Do you see the Lord and Lady Supreme here to contradict us?” The first Darkling stood his ground. I wasn’t sure whether he knew Kalon or not, but he was definitely fearless. I was itching to rip his head off, eager to put him back in his place.

The hooded man stepped forward, revealing himself. I sucked in a breath, recognizing Trev Blayne beneath a layer of black mineral dirt covering his face. That was why I hadn’t been able to register his scent. Jacinda and Jayan were definitely onto something with this stuff!

“Trev,” I murmured. The other Rimians who’d gotten up knew him, as well. I realized then that they’d all come together. Trev must’ve rallied them from somewhere, clearly aware that there would be a Darkling raid here tonight. Even in hiding, the former Rimian was keen to do his part against those who’d killed his beloved Luna Visentis.

“It took you fellas a while to show up,” Trev said, blatantly ignoring Kalon and me. I wasn’t all that miffed, but Kalon was clearly upset, his eyes shooting daggers at his friend.

The first Darkling laughed. “Look at that, boys! We just came in to collect some fresh meat for our clients. I guess we’re cashing in on that reward for Trev Blayne’s head, too!”

He was the only one genuinely excited among his peers. The others seemed hesitant, and I took it as a good sign. This was about to get messy and bloody fast, but I’d be damned if I let any of these SOBs walk out of here alive—except for the one who knew Kalon. I wanted him to talk first.

“Turns out we’re going to get some action tonight after all, Kalon,” I said, smiling.

Kalon shot me a brief glance. “I thought you were saving the fireworks for that double bed, Esme.”

“Don’t you want some Darkling spines, instead?” I asked.

“I wouldn’t mind some,” Trev chimed in, but Kalon shushed him.

“I’ll deal with you later.”

“Are we going to get this over with or keep bickering like old ladies?” I cut them off, pursing my lips. Oh, I was dying for some action, despite the physical pain. Adrenaline was already coursing through me, making my muscles twitch with excitement.

The Darklings looked at us. I could feel their hatred flaring, rippling outward like airborne poison. Taking a deep breath, I darted out of our booth and went straight for their heads, knowing that Trev and Kalon and the six other Rimians who’d gotten up would join me.

Esme

Even with a bum leg, I managed to neutralize one Darkling. Kalon and Trev moved like shadows, jumping over the tables and tackling the others. The barkeep sought cover under the bar, while the other patrons moved back, leaving room for us and Trev’s Rimians to go head to head with the Darklings.

“Esme, be careful,” Kalon said, dodging a clawed blow from the first Darkling.

I shot him a grin and went straight for the Darkling he seemed to know. Panic quickly settled into Kalon’s features as he realized what I was about to do. Another fiend landed at my feet, courtesy of Trev. The Rimians pulled the Darkling away and chopped his head off. It looked like a team effort, and they were very well organized.

It dawned on me then that, with a little bit of discipline and some Aeternae allies, Rimians and Naloreans could very well overthrow the empire if they put their heads together. That, of course, was a bit of a long shot. Most of the subjugated people were accustomed to this life, complete with both perks and disadvantages. Most of the Rimians and the Naloreans could no longer envision a world where they weren’t subjects of the Aeternae empire.

“Esme, don’t!” I heard Kalon shout as I took on “his” Darkling.

I was dealing with a kid, I quickly realized. He was fast and light on his feet, but raw and inexperienced in his movements. Chances were he’d never had to deal with someone like me before, even in my state of physical recovery.

“Hold on, I got him,” I replied, without looking at Kalon.

The Darkling’s eyes were wide and fearful, and I knew he wanted to get as far away from me as possible. He darted to the left, but I blocked him. He tried the right, and I blocked him again. Behind us, bloody mayhem unraveled. More Darklings came down, though none survived. The more minutes passed,