A Shade of Vampire 81 A Bringer of Night - Bella Forrest Page 0,92

ability to conceal myself from the enemy. And I planned to use it as much as I could now that we were close to finding the Darklings’ top dog.

Petra, her brother, and her sons walked through the town, and no one seemed to bat an eye. I wasn’t sure what was going on, so I continued following her. Some of the people she passed gave her discreet nods. I figured they were Darklings in disguise. The others seemed oblivious, or at least they chose to look away, probably aware of who she was and determined to stay out of her business.

We reached a two-story house on the northern edge of town. The lights were on inside. A few Darklings exited through the front door, offering Petra polite nods. She sighed and smiled at her sons. “Finally, some civilization,” she quipped, her tone light despite her painful limp.

“I’ve never been here before,” Aganon muttered. “It’s a little weird.”

“That’s because this town is secretly under Darkling occupation,” Simmon explained. “I’ve visited a couple times. The locals had no choice but to accept the Darklings, and they pretend everything is fine for fear of retribution. You don’t want to know about the mass graves in the woods.”

“Well, now I know about them, thanks so much,” Aganon replied dryly.

“Laramis is ours. Hopefully, we will bring more towns under our control soon,” Petra said. “We might have to do our work in the shadows, since our people wouldn’t understand what we’re doing, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have a little haven here and there. I know I could use a break.”

“You’re awfully chipper, considering two of our brothers are out of reach,” Tudyk grumbled.

Petra ignored his remark, and as they entered the house. I followed them inside.

“Nethi, don’t!” Lumi hissed somewhere behind me. I didn’t listen, drawn too deep into the Visentis siblings’ conversation with their mother.

The reception lobby was well lit, with doors on each wall that led to different rooms. The walls were covered in flowery silk paper, and the furniture looked old but well kept, its surfaces shining under the ceiling lamps.

There was no one else here. Atlas took a seat in the corner, licking his growing hand. It looked like a leathery extension with bony fingers protruding unevenly. He wasn’t happy, his black eyes constantly surveying the room. I hid behind a cabinet before his gaze could find me. This was a clear and relatively open space, and there were no more distractions to keep his focus off me.

I had to stay hidden if I wanted to get any more intel out of these people.

“Simmon, after you rest for a bit, you should send word for the Darklings in Veliko’s command to meet us in the town square tomorrow,” Petra said. “We have a lot to discuss.”

Veliko slumped in a chair, blood still trickling from his closed mouth. He was in a lot of pain, enough to maybe even make me feel a little sorry for him—until I remembered everything he’d done. My sympathy was short-lived where Veliko was concerned. Glancing at the closed door leading outside, I knew Seeley was probably going out of his mind knowing I was in here. Lumi was likely angry with me. Rudolph, too. For a moment, I regretted coming in, but it was too late to turn back.

I had to get as much information as possible before slipping through the wall behind me. The cabinet kept me safe, as Atlas was too busy tending to his wound to carefully sniff the air and maybe catch my scent. I doubted he’d noticed me with that distraction.

“Oh, you’re wondering what I’m going to tell your people?” Petra asked Veliko, knowing full well that he couldn’t answer.

Simmon and Aganon settled at a table, joined by Moore and Tudyk as they watched Petra exact her revenge on the fallen Darkling. They seemed amused, almost eager to see what she’d do to him.

“I’m going to tell them you were useless. An incompetent fool who dreamed of things far greater than he could actually accomplish,” Petra continued. “An imbecile who thought he could outsmart and overpower me. I guarantee they will laugh at that last part.” She paused, noticing his baffled expression. “Yes, I’m referring to you in the past tense, Veliko. Because in exactly three seconds, you’ll be history.”

Veliko moaned and tried to speak, but Petra took out her scythe and beheaded him in one swift motion. His body slumped on the floor, blood spreading across the fine