A Shade of Vampire 81 A Bringer of Night - Bella Forrest Page 0,12

dinner.”

“So, what, you just hunt and drink animal blood?” Kalon wasn’t ready to let it go. It had to do with his entire upbringing. After all, he’d been taught that the Aeternae had to feed on Rimian or Nalorean blood; otherwise, they’d be vulnerable and open themselves up to bloody rebellions. His entire world pretty much hinged on how he procured his food.

“It’s how we keep the children and the animals safe,” Pavlos said. “We hunt tigers and bears. The occasional wolf. Plenty of deer. We rarely have to deal with predators in these parts, but it’s why we’ve built our village from steel stone.”

“In case of a herd or a pack attack from whatever creatures might be bold enough to take us on, we shutter ourselves in,” Kalla added. “The steel stone is almost impenetrable, and our weapons keep the animals at bay.”

“Hence the watchtower,” I concluded. “You can see the threats coming.”

“We may not be as sharp as you are,” Ember said to Kalon, “but we can still hunt and listen and smell things.”

“Let us rest here for the night.” I gave Kalla a reassuring smile. “And we’ll be on our way as soon as the sun rises in the morning. I’d love to learn more about your village, your people, your way of life…”

Kalla seemed surprised. Perhaps even a little flattered. “You would?”

“Esme is a studious scholar of cultures from all over. She comes from a faraway land,” Kalon said, giving me a wink.

“You’re from Rimia? Or Nalore?” Ember asked me. “You look more like an Aeternae than a Rimian or a Nalorean.”

“Neither. I’m a vampire from Earth,” I said. “Like Kalon said… a faraway land.”

Kalla laughed, throwing her head back. “Now I’m the one who’s intrigued. By all means, spend the night here. Ember and Pavlos will make sure you have rooms ready at the inn, including one for your… brother, is he?” She narrowed her eyes at Ansel, who was stiff and frozen and unable to even blink at this point.

“Yes. I’m afraid I’ve brought a family matter with us, though it was not my intention,” Kalon replied. “Thank you, Kalla, for your hospitality. It is much appreciated.”

“There is only one rule here, on which I insist,” the chief said. “You shall not drink any blood from us. We have hunters coming in later with fresh blood. It’s deer mating season, so there’s a herd gathering not far from here. You’ll like it.”

“If you break the rule, we might have to kill you.” Ember sneered at Kalon.

“Fine by me,” I replied. “I’m used to animal blood, anyway. We rarely drink from people where I’m from.”

“Oh, now you choose to take the high ground?” Kalon snorted a chuckle. “You had a very good opinion of Rimian and Nalorean blood when we served it to you.”

“Hey, man, I’m trying to leave a good impression here,” I retorted. It made the others laugh, so I turned my focus back to Kalla. “Rest assured, your people are all safe. Kalon and his brother might not be accustomed to drinking animal blood, but they will obey your house rules, with no protest whatsoever.”

“Then you are welcome here,” Kalla said, bowing.

The sun would set soon. Though we couldn’t see it because of the reddish haze, I recognized the dramatic change of colors overhead. Deep reds and purples streaked across the sky as the forest darkened around the Pearl Clearing, and the air grew colder.

We were better off spending the night here. I needed a few more hours of this quiet wilderness before we headed back into the hustle and bustle of the imperial city. Before I found the courage to confront Kalon about his lies. Before I set myself on a path to… something else, though I wasn’t sure what that would be.

Or whether I’d come out of it intact. All I could do was prepare for a night in the middle of Nightmare Forest, surrounded by people who’d learned to coexist without feeding on each other. Visio continued to surprise me.

Sofia

When Amal and Amane called us into the study room, I knew they were onto something. It was a gut feeling more than anything else, but my innards had never steered me wrong before, so I went with it. As Derek and I walked down the main hallway, my attention was occasionally diverted to the décor.

The sumptuousness of gilded details and elegant porcelain vases overflowing with crimson and orange and lemon-yellow blossoms was meant to distract from the social and