A Shade of Vampire 82 A Circle of Nine - Bella Forrest Page 0,34

you can do, instead of underestimating me. You’re all to stay here and assist Timotheus. This little witch bitch is cunning, and she’ll stop at nothing to get herself out of here.”

I scoffed, glancing at Atlas. “I guess that means she doesn’t trust you as much as you thought.”

“See? That’s what I mean. That mouth of hers is quite something,” Petra replied dryly. “I know the four of you, alongside Timotheus and Atlas, will be able to keep the girl here. Should you fail, I will make you all suffer, blood relations notwithstanding. Have I made myself clear?”

The boys nodded, while Timotheus looked away, stifling a smirk. He seemed to enjoy watching the Visentis men trapped on such tight leashes. Atlas, on the other hand, remained unfazed. He purred softly when Petra put on a long velvet cloak and walked to the door.

She stopped to look our way. “Don’t worry, dear Atlas. I’ll be back in a jiff. You won’t even know I’m gone.”

As soon as the door closed behind her, I felt the air clear. It was as if they could all breathe again. Petra was quite the presence, I had to admit, if she was able to inspire such terror in her own sons and brother.

No one said anything for a while. Timotheus stopped by the bar and produced several glasses, along with a pitcher of fresh blood, which he laid out on the counter.

“Come on, boys. Let’s have a drink,” he said, annoyingly jovial.

Simmon, Aganon, Tudyk, and Moore hopped up on the bar stools, and Timotheus served each of them a glass. They sat there in silence, sipping their blood and looking at each other. No one seemed happy about this situation—except, perhaps, for Timotheus. After all, Petra was off to meet with the Master of Darkness and discuss his proposal to bring the Darklings out into the light for the first time since the faction’s establishment. He was getting everything he wanted.

The boys, on the other hand, were stuck on guard duty. For me. A ghost.

“You guys really drew the short stick, huh?” I chuckled. Atlas didn’t seem to mind me talking, though he did keep both beady eyes on me, perpetually sending shivers down my ghostly spine.

“Pay her no mind,” Timotheus muttered. “She’s out of options, so she’s trying to get into your heads.”

“To what end?” I asked. “Their heads are empty and useless.”

That earned me their undivided attention. I didn’t have an angle yet, but I knew if I got on their nerves, they’d slip up somehow. I doubted I’d be able to do much with Atlas practically glued to me, but if I got the Visentis boys distracted, maybe they would at least spill some more information. Seeley was still out there. I could almost feel him, though I couldn’t quite see him anymore—Atlas had positioned himself between me and the window, likely on purpose. Maybe he was still planning to get me out of here. If that were to happen, I needed the boys off their game.

“I mean, out of all of you Visentis fellas, Kalon is the only one who’s actually worth something,” I added, sprinkling salt over their wounded egos.

It got me a dry chuckle from Simmon. “Don’t be ridiculous. He’s a traitor to our cause. A stain on our family name.”

“Were it up to us, he’d be dead by now,” Aganon added.

“Is that what you think, as well?” I asked, looking at Tudyk and Moore. The boys didn’t answer, but their expressions betrayed them. They weren’t sure, and Simmon noticed.

“Mother loves all her sons. We have to accept that,” he said firmly. “That doesn’t mean Kalon doesn’t deserve a long and painful death for everything he’s done.”

“Wow, jealous much?” I giggled. For some reason, Atlas was seriously staring at me—with more attention than ever, I realized. It was as if he was waiting for me to say or do something. To what end, I wasn’t sure… but it was definitely creepy.

“Jealous of whom?” Simmon replied. “Kalon? For what? I’m a Darkling. I serve the Master of Darkness and the Aeternae. He’s running and hiding like the coward he is. It’s all he’s ever been good at.”

“Well, that and fighting,” I said. “I hear he’s pretty good at kicking ass, regardless of the species.”

The shadow of a smile fluttered across Moore’s face. Oh yeah, he knew what I was talking about. Six years old and well ahead of his age, Moore had already fought his brother twice in the Blood