A Shade of Vampire 81 A Bringer of Night - Bella Forrest Page 0,48

On Aganon’s side, Kalon sat quietly. The chair next to him was mine.

“Esme. You look wonderful,” Petra said as I walked in. “I knew the dress would fit you nicely.”

“Thank you for this, by the way,” I replied, unhappy with the absence of multiple secret pockets, like the ones I’d had in other Aeternae dresses. I’d only managed to slip a few smoke bombs into the one pocket this dress had come with, along with a handful of invisibility paraphernalia. “It’s actually quite comfortable.”

Kalon’s eyes found mine, and for a moment I was breathless. He’d changed into an elegant black suit, the light gray shirt’s faint shimmer competing with the matching strands in his dark hair. His lips turned slowly into a discreet smile as he motioned for me to sit with him.

“I could easily mistake you for an Aeternae,” Aganon said, assessing me from head to toe. “I see no physical difference between our species whatsoever.”

I wanted to respond, but Petra beat me to it. “Apart from her sensitivity to light, there isn’t much of a difference. Well, if you exclude the fact that we are stronger and faster than her kind.”

“Esme could give any Aeternae a run for their money,” Kalon replied, watching me like a hawk as I moved around the table and took my seat next to him. “I wouldn’t underestimate her, if I were you.”

“Even me?” Moore asked, as cocky as a full-grown Aeternae.

“Don’t be ridiculous. I whipped your ass in the Blood Arena twice. Take the hint, grow some more, then come back and display your prowess,” Kalon cut him off. Moore didn’t seem intimidated, though, just all the more determined to prove himself.

“If I’m this good now, imagine what I’ll be like in a couple of years,” the boy said.

Tudyk sighed, staring at a pitcher of blood. “You’re already better than me, so maybe stop rubbing it in.”

Petra laughed lightly. “You’re all still my little boys, whether you’re six or five thousand years old. Perhaps leave the manly crap aside for tonight, and just be brothers.”

A strange silence took over the table, as the Visentis brothers exchanged knowing glances. I had a feeling Moore would learn the hard way that his early prowess did not make him invincible. My only hope was that it would be Kalon to teach him that lesson, and not some Aeternae psycho looking for a thrill in the Blood Arena.

“We are working on resolving our sensitivity to daylight,” I said, changing the subject as I offered Petra a warm smile. “Hopefully, I will be able to walk in the sun within the fortnight.”

“I actually spoke to Amal and Amane this morning,” she said. I already knew about their conversation but decided to keep the information to myself. I didn’t want Petra to think we were gossiping about her and the Aeternae—though that was exactly what we did whenever we had a chance. “They seemed quite enthusiastic about the project. You might be correct about the timing.”

“It’s why you people came here in the first place,” Simmon replied, looking at me. “To get something from our blood, right?”

I nodded. “There’s a protein that protects the entire body. The light sensitivity doesn’t go away, but the protein creates a sort of shield that allows us to walk in the daylight. Amal and Amane tried to replicate the protein from Derek’s blood, but it didn’t work, so we had to come to the source.”

“It’s a shame you got dragged into our mess,” Simmon muttered, lowering his gaze. He seemed ashamed by the events that had led to this moment. “I would rather you had spent time visiting and exploring Visio instead of hunting Darklings. It’s ridiculous.”

“It’s fine,” I replied. “It’s not in our nature to shy away from trouble. It may be a shame we wound up getting involved, considering we lost Nethissis in the process, but… I don’t know, I’m trying to find the silver lining here. I’ve learned more about the Aeternae from this Darkling issue than from all the dinners and palace garden walks combined.”

“When can we see Ansel?” Tudyk asked, apparently not very interested in what I had to say. He was obviously worried about his older brother. I felt sorry for him. Radicalization affected the families, too. The damage the Darklings had done to the Visentis dynasty would take a long time to overcome.

“I told you. After I’m done talking to him, you will get your chance,” Petra snapped. She was on edge, and she had