A Shade of Vampire 81 A Bringer of Night - Bella Forrest Page 0,86

And if some of you are—well, wayward, let’s say—it’s my duty to bring you back onto the right path.”

“I might have a proposition for you,” Veliko said. “Since you’re so keen on saving your sons.”

“Simmon, darling?” Petra replied without even looking at them.

“Yes, Mother?”

“Cut out his tongue. He’s of no use to us talking.”

My stomach turned. I froze, and so did Seeley, Sidyan, and Lumi. Behind us, Maya and Rudolph shrank, their big black eyes wide with fear. Farther back, the rest of our ghouls were silent, watching it all unfold.

I was far enough that I couldn’t see the details, but I could still make out Veliko and Simmon’s scythe. I heard steel slicing through flesh, and Veliko screaming and mumbling and gurgling. Aganon held him while Petra continued walking with her younger sons.

I saw Atlas bend down and pick something up. I heard him chewing on Veliko’s tongue.

“Oh, wow,” I managed, thankful I was dead and unable to feel real nausea anymore.

“That was cruel,” Lumi whispered.

Sidyan exhaled sharply. “To be honest, his voice was kind of annoying.”

Aganon and Simmon dragged an unconscious Veliko. The pain had made him pass out. Whatever came next, I hoped we’d be equipped to handle it. Atlas was big and threatening enough to scare even our pack of ghouls. I wasn’t sure they’d be able to take him on, if push came to shove.

And Petra… damn, Petra was far more knowledgeable than I’d thought. More powerful, too. She was the real danger here. Not Atlas. Not Veliko. Not even her Darkling sons. No, Petra was our true enemy—at least until we got to the top of the pyramid.

What worried me the most was the idea that if Petra was this terrible, what would her Darkling boss be like? What sort of creatures were we truly up against? And could we handle them?

Tristan

We rode our Vision horses through the city under the cover of night. The streets were mostly empty, with the exception of the occasional Rimian rushing to get home or the silver guards out on patrol. The closer we got to the Visentis mansion, the more unsettled I became, as if something was terribly wrong with the universe and my sister was caught right in the middle of it.

“You look worried,” Valaine said, looking at me.

“I’ll keep looking worried until I see Esme again,” I replied. “We’ve never been apart for this long before. We’ve always been close, and we’ve been working together for as long as I can remember.”

“I’m sure she’s all right,” Valaine said, offering a warm and reassuring smile. “I told you before: as long as she’s with Kalon, Esme is safe.”

“I know. Forgive me for being an overprotective brother.”

“I wish I’d had an overprotective brother. Maybe that’s why I became so attached to Kalon as a little girl. He’s been my rock ever since.”

“I guess I could say the same thing about Esme. I was always the scholar, while she was the fighter.” I sighed, remembering better and simpler days. “Not that I couldn’t hold my own, but it gave Esme purpose to protect me, you know?”

Valaine chuckled softly. “Kalon is the same. He has seen the darker side of me so many times, yet he still comes forward as my protector. My savior. His heart’s in the right place, and so is Esme’s. Maybe that’s why they got along so well, from the very beginning.”

A shadow moved up ahead. The street lights were dim at this late hour, but I could still see him. He darted across the street, hiding behind a potted tree—one of many lining the sidewalk. He kept moving, scurrying around like a scared little mouse.

I motioned for Valaine to stop. We halted in the middle of the street, quiet as we watched him get closer. As soon as his head popped out from behind a large clay pot, I recognized some of his features. The blue eyes. The sharp nose. The black hair.

Valaine gasped. “Ansel?”

“Ansel, as in Kalon’s brother?” I replied, prepared to jump off my horse and take him down. He had no business moving freely through the city. Not after Esme and Kalon had captured him.

“I need your help!” the boy said, coming out into the light. He had his hands up in a defensive gesture, but tension had already stiffened my muscles. I was ready for a fight.

“Ansel, what are you doing here?!” Valaine asked. She didn’t get off her horse, either.

“I… Something happened back at the house,” Ansel said, drawing