A Shade of Vampire 82 A Circle of Nine - Bella Forrest Page 0,35

Arena. He knew exactly what I was talking about.

“Wouldn’t you agree, Moore?” I asked, further stirring the pot.

“He’s not half bad,” the kid murmured.

Simmon smacked him over the head. “What did Mother tell you?! You’re letting her get into your head!”

Atlas huffed softly, slumping against the wall. He was almost relaxed, his attention now fully focused on the Visentis siblings and uncle. Timotheus seemed equally enticed by the dialogue. It was as if we were all watching a train wreck that was about to happen, in slow motion. If I kept at it, I could easily get the boys to fight each other. All I had to do was mention Kalon’s greatness enough times to make Simmon snap.

His was the shortest fuse.

With Petra out, I assumed Lumi and Sidyan would at least be following her, sticking to the original mission. I wasn’t sure about Seeley or the ghouls, but a sense of abandonment did come over me. It wasn’t right for them to waste time trying to get me out of here when they’d been tasked with finding this Master of Darkness. I’d become an impediment, and I didn’t want anyone to get in trouble over me.

At the same time, I couldn’t stop myself from feeling sad and utterly lonely. Tormenting the Visentis boys was literally the only thing that sparked any kind of interest for me.

“Snap all you want,” I said. “The truth is undeniable. Your mother would never have spent thousands of years trying to make you join the Darklings. She wouldn’t have bothered like she did with Kalon.”

Aganon sneered. “Look where that got her.”

“Nevertheless, it proves she has more faith in Kalon than she does in you,” I replied. “You’re all so… malleable. So easy to manipulate. Easy pickings, really. Not Kalon. He was able to get to Ansel, too. I think… oh my, I think that’s why you’re all so mad at your eldest brother! He’s right about the Darklings. About your mission. This is your whole world, and if Kalon proves it’s all wrong, you all will have nothing else to live for.”

Timotheus smiled, shaking his head slowly as he poured himself another drink. “You’re truly exquisite. I see now why Zoltan had such a hard time getting you out of the picture.”

“As is painfully obvious, I’m still here. Zoltan isn’t.”

“That’s right. You’re not to be played with. I get it,” he replied. “I appreciate it. Unfortunately, Nethissis, this truly is the end of the line for you. No one can save you now. But I’ll give credit where it’s due. You’ve had a great run. One for the history books.”

I didn’t like his words. I didn’t like his attitude. And I certainly didn’t like the look on his face. That smugness. The self-assurance. It reeked of so much trouble. Maybe he was right. Maybe this was the proverbial end of the line for me.

Looking at Atlas, I realized there was a pretty high chance I might end up in his belly. Well, be that as it may, I am not going down without a fight. Not now, not ever.

Seeley

As soon as Petra left the house again—this time for an ampler journey, it seemed—I knew it would cause a dent in our plan. Fortunately, Sidyan was quick to react. He pulled Lumi aside and spoke to her for about a minute while the rest of us waited beneath a gnarly old tree with branches so long and heavy with leaves they bent into the ground.

“Maya, come here,” Sidyan called out. “Stop staring at the First Tenners like they’re going to eat you.”

The little ghoul obediently joined him and Lumi. Like Rudolph and the others, she was terrified of the new arrivals. These were more Reapers than she’d ever had to deal with before. I felt a little sorry for the poor creature, but we had important work to do.

“Okay. Petra is headed out of town this time, and we need to have eyes on her. Lumi, Maya, and I will go after her,” Sidyan said, walking back toward us. “The rest of you stay here and do what you have to do.”

“And if we need help, we’ll reach out,” Lumi added before I could open my mouth to suggest it. “The three of us have to continue with the original mission; otherwise, Death will definitely destroy us. I doubt the Word would step in to save my ass for that one.”

Kelara smiled, her gaze fixed on Petra as she shrank in the distance, the road