A Shade of Vampire 81 A Bringer of Night - Bella Forrest Page 0,73
ground.
“As soon as you get an opening, you run, Ansel,” I said, my lips stretching into a fanged grin as I squared off with Veliko. The dull pain in my thigh was nothing compared to what I’d be in for if he beat me tonight. “Find my brother and tell him what happened.”
I didn’t wait for Ansel to reply. I raised the smoke pellets in my hand and threw them against the lacquered floor. Veliko’s eyes widened in realization, but it was too late. The explosions were loud and flashy enough to temporarily blind him and the other Darklings.
Smoke swelled and filled the room, and I felt Ansel dashing past me. A second later, Kalon pulled me away. A scuffle broke out between the Darklings and the Visentis siblings.
“Get Ansel!” Petra shouted.
“We need to leave,” Kalon whispered. “Now.”
“They’re blocking the entrance,” I said.
“The windows!” he replied.
We turned around, fumbling through the smoke toward the windows. A figure emerged as Petra whistled sharply. My knees turned to jelly, ice pricking my spine as my throat tightened. I grabbed Kalon’s hand and yanked him back just as the beast revealed itself.
This was the biggest ghoul I had ever seen. He looked like something out of a nightmare. His obsidian skin was far darker than most ghouls', in some places even opaque and shiny. It was still mostly translucent, and I could see the black fiber of his muscles. His head was enormous, his fangs long enough to remind me of the Hermessi’s Shills—those mindless, murderous beasts born out of the primordial waters.
Only this creature was much worse, considering he had an iron collar around his thick neck. Some of the symbols engraved on it were familiar. “Death magic,” I whispered.
Dread washed over me, freezing my very soul.
“Enough with this nonsense!” Petra said.
A powerful wind blew through the room. Looking over my shoulder, I saw the blade of her scythe light up as she cut through the blue smoke with it. Seconds later, the air was clear. The Darklings were all dead, their heads on the floor, while Veliko was paralyzed by Petra’s scythe. The tables had turned, and Veliko was the one in trouble now.
Fortunately, Ansel was already gone. I could only hope he’d heed my request and go after my brother. We needed all the help available, since Kalon was about to fight his own family to protect me. The anger I’d felt earlier about him withholding important information was crammed to the bottom of my consciousness. What he was doing now was more than I’d ever thought he’d do for me.
But the ghoul… the ghoul was by far our biggest problem.
“Now that we have regained some order in this place,” Petra said, nodding at the creature. “Thank you, Atlas, for your promptness. I would’ve appreciated your presence before these bastards dared to threaten me, but better late than never, I suppose.”
The ghoul whimpered softly, keeping his big black eyes on Kalon and me.
“Mother, this is insane,” Kalon said. He didn’t seem surprised by the monster, which meant he’d probably known about Atlas, too.
“It’s time for you to stick with your family,” Simmon replied. “You’ve fooled around long enough, Kalon. Grow up, already. Accept your responsibility.”
“I’m not a Darkling! I will die before I join you!” Kalon shouted, a vein pulsating on his temple. “I’ve had enough of your garbage, your lies! This has to end!”
“It will end when Valaine is dead, but only for another ten thousand years.” Petra sighed. “It’s been our job since the beginning of our species, Kalon. You can never change that. All you can do is accept the truth.” She nodded at Atlas. “I had asked Veliko to hold on to Esme, but the plans have obviously changed. My ghoulish friend here will make sure Esme remains alive for as long as I wish. He’s the oldest ghoul around. The very first Reaper we ever captured and forced into becoming a ghoul. I inherited him from my uncle, who got him from his father. Atlas has been in our family since the Visentis name was etched in the annals of history.”
“Mother, don’t. Please. Don’t make me do this,” Kalon warned her. Petra wasn’t impressed.
The ghoul advanced toward us, and I knew we were in for a brutal outcome unless we got ourselves out of here. There was so much to unpack from Petra’s statements, as well, and so little time to fully digest everything she’d just said.
Kalon took my hand in his, squeezing tightly. “For