A Shade of Vampire 80 A Veil of Dark - Bella Forrest Page 0,54

faction’s reach. I wondered how long they would’ve been this ignorant, had it not been for us. Our crew had a knack for digging dirt up, it seemed. No wonder the Aeternae didn’t like us all that much, at this point.

“Who will be trying the serum out?” Acheron asked, occasionally glancing at his son.

“It’ll probably be me,” I said. “Derek and I have talked about this, more than once. We’re in this together. It all sort of started with us, back in The Shade, so we might as well become the point of origin for the day-walking protein cure, as well.”

“Together until the very end, or even eternity, right?” Danika replied, smiling softly as she looked at Derek and me.

My cheeks warmed when he took my hand in his, then pressed his lips against my knuckles. “We’ve overcome some truly horrible things,” he said. “Finding a cure for our sensitivity to daylight is more of a… walk in the park.”

“But we did not think it would come with any loss of life.” I sighed.

“Again, I cannot stress how deeply sorry we are,” Danika said with a pained expression. “We should’ve believed you from the very beginning, but we just couldn’t even conceive the idea that one of our own might have done something so heinous to one of yours.”

Acheron nodded slowly. “I believe we’ll be receiving some news from Corbin this morning. They should be getting close to Astoria soon.”

“Yes, well hopefully they’ll come back with Zoltan’s head,” Danika muttered. She was angry, and she didn’t hide it. This whole development had displeased her to the point where she cringed whenever Zoltan Shatal’s name popped up—a “stain on our beautiful empire,” she’d called him.

“Speaking of Darklings, Esme and Kalon stopped a village raid last night,” I said, without mentioning Ansel’s name. “The Darklings have been attacking Rimian and Nalorean settlements, taking the young ones and selling them as blood slaves.”

Danika and Acheron both paused, staring at us with a mixture of irritation and consternation. They weren’t necessarily shocked about this practice, but rather surprised that we’d come to learn about it, as well.

“We’d heard rumors before about upper-echelon Aeternae keeping blood slaves in their homes, feeding on them on a regular basis,” I added. “It’s not right, is it?”

The Lord and Lady Supreme exchanged nervous glances before shifting their focus back to us. Danika exhaled sharply, putting on a stiff smile. “To be honest, most of the dynasties do this. It’s not forbidden. Granted, it’s not exactly condoned, either, but… the blood slaves are treated well. None have died in these circumstances.”

“But they’re slaves. With no freedom or control over their bodies. No autonomy whatsoever,” I replied.

“That’s what occupation entails,” Danika reminded me, her gaze fixed on me. “Surely, you’re not attempting to interfere in the empire’s sovereignty or affairs.”

“Not at all,” Derek interjected. “But it should worry you that the Darklings are the main purveyors of blood slaves. I’m sure most of your elites would be upset to hear that they’re funding this violent faction through their feeding habits.”

Acheron scoffed. “Yes, I admit, that’s not a pleasant thought. But there isn’t much we can do about it. I cannot pass laws that forbid blood slaves. It would make too many members of the elite angry, and our dynasty needs their support in order to lead this empire.”

“Visio has only seen peace and prosperity when a Nasani occupied the throne,” Danika explained. “Showing any kind of weakness before the noble bloodlines would put us at risk.”

“So, you’ll let the Darklings continue to make a profit from these operations?” Derek asked. “Is that what you want your son to do, too, later down the line?”

Acheron shook his head. “Don’t bring Thayen into this.”

“I’m afraid I must. What sort of example will you set for him, if you allow the Darklings to mock you so openly? They’re raiding these villages because they’ve been enabled,” Derek insisted. “Whether it was with Zoltan’s help and others like him, it doesn’t matter. It’s happened under your sovereign watch, Your Grace. You have to do something about it, now that you know the facts.”

“Otherwise, the Darklings will consider you weak. They’ll become even more brazen, and Corbin’s recent purge of the gold and silver guards in the imperial city will mean nothing,” I continued, trying to drive our point home. “It’s not too late to take action against the Darklings.”

“That might end the blood slave trade, as well,” Danika said. “That will upset the elites we