A Shade of Vampire 80 A Veil of Dark - Bella Forrest Page 0,40

illegally obtained. I want you to find it.”

The first guard was shocked and stammering. “Wha… What?”

“What are you talking about?” the other asked, one hand resting on his belt-mounted scythe. He seemed to have a better grip on his emotions, but the beads of sweat bursting on his temples told me that Veliko was definitely onto something.

“Aeternae blood is illegal to drink without the high priestess’s approval,” Veliko explained to Seeley. “We might be rebels, but we do not drink from our own. That is a law as ancient as the Darklings themselves. I know there’s a network of Aeternae blood traffickers just a few miles south of Astoria. I also know that not all black guards can be loyal friends to one another, hence why I have this kind of information. One of you ratted the other out, fellas. And Rudolph here is going to prove it.”

The guards exchanged troubled glances before shifting their focus to Zoltan, who was now genuinely intrigued. “Is Veliko telling the truth?” Zoltan asked.

“Milord, no,” the first guard said. “We don’t drink Aeternae blood.”

“And we don’t fraternize much among ourselves, either,” the second replied. “We’re loyal Darklings.”

“Rudolph,” Veliko cut in. “Go on, boy. I know you understand me.”

I gave Rudolph a brief nod and an encouraging half-smile. He got up and walked toward the guards. Veliko let go of his chain, smiling as he watched the guards move closer together, clearly intimidated by the ghoul’s proximity.

“Don’t move, or he’ll tear you apart,” Veliko warned.

Rudolph sniffed around them, like a dog searching for something. Moments later, his lanky fingers slipped into the first guard’s pocket and removed a blood vial with a cork top, which he handed over to Zoltan.

“This is Aeternae blood,” the Scholar said after dipping his pinky into the dark red liquid and tasting it. “Unbelievable.”

“Milord, it’s not mine!” the first guard replied. “I swear to you, it’s not mine.”

“What is the penalty for drinking Aeternae blood among the Darklings?” Veliko asked, scratching his head and pretending not to remember.

The second guard inhaled sharply. “Death, milord.”

“You! You told them, didn’t you?” the first guard spat, reaching for his scythe.

The second guard said nothing. Veliko snapped his fingers. “Death it is, then. Rudolph?”

The ghoul gave me another glance, and I shuddered as I nodded again, for I knew what I was pushing him to do. Murder was never an easy option, but it was clearly our best path toward freedom in these circumstances.

Rudolph didn’t wait to be told twice. As if the last remnant of humanity snapped inside him, he pounced on the first guard and tore him to shreds. Blood sprayed out. Limbs fell on the ground. I shut my eyes and covered my ears to drown out as much of the horror as possible, while the second guard moved back, not wanting to end up as collateral damage.

The guard’s spirit didn’t get away, either. Veliko allowed Rudolph to eat it, too, while Seeley and I looked at each other. I needed Seeley’s approval on this, because I’d pushed Rudolph deeper down the rabbit hole in order to secure Seeley’s freedom. I felt awful, but we both appeared to agree that this needed to be done.

As Rudolph munched on the first guard’s soul, Veliko threw Zoltan a cold grin. “See? Obedient little boy. Throw him a soul now and then, maybe a slice of meat, and there you have it. A better Ignatius.”

Zoltan seemed to accept Rudolph as a replacement for the lost ghoul. It was definitely a bittersweet victory for Seeley and me, but a victory nonetheless. We were one step closer to getting the hell out of here before the Darklings did something to Seeley, too. Hope, despite being such a fickle thing, tasted sweet for the first time.

Kelara

Upon discussing this Beta element issue with Death, I felt even worse.

“It must be done, Kelara,” Death said. “Whether you like it or not, this is one of those instances where I have no choice but to allow it.”

“I’ve never taken a life before,” I replied, finding an inkling of solace in our telepathic connection despite the misery inflicted upon me by the horrible situation.

“Rest assured, Kelara, that your soul remains pure. Consider this a sacrifice,” Death said. “If you cannot bring yourself to do it, let one of my first children do it, instead. It doesn’t matter who does it, only that it’s done.”

Sighing, I allowed the conversation to vanish into the ether and turned around to face the others. The