A Shade of Dragon (16 page)

Authors: Bella Forrest

Tags: #Romance, #Paranormal, #Vampires, #Science Fiction & Fantasy, #Fantasy, #Coming of Age, #Paranormal & Urban, #Sword & Sorcery, #Angels, #Demons & Devils, #Ghosts, #Psychics, #Werewolves & Shifters, #Witches & Wizards, #Teen & Young Adult

“You’ll broadcast any information you can gather together,” I finished for her.

“Even better; I’ll convince Nell to go public with it. There are certainly downsides to nobility, aren’t there? She’ll tell the truth because she believes that the truth matters. But no one will ever believe it… and her life will be ruined.” Michelle broke into a grin. “So you see, Khem and I are really the perfect companions for your journey.”

Nell “going public” worried me for a different reason than Michelle was angling at. The realm of supernaturals was fast spilling over into the human realm. Even if Nell did as Michelle claimed she would after I managed to reclaim her, knowledge of our kind was already entering public consciousness. What concerned me was the attention she’d draw to herself from third parties desperate for inside information, like those who hunted our kind. Of course, Michelle didn’t need to know this.

“Khem?” I muttered. It wasn’t a bad idea to bring others, though I hesitated to travel with too noticeable a convoy.

“Did I not mention that he was part of the package? I like him. He likes me, and I need at least one person to like me. If it can’t be you, it’ll have to be somebody.”

Losing patience, I gripped her arm and we moved through the crowd. “Let us take up a collection for some spare clothes,” I commanded her. “Remain quiet, and we will depart at nightfall for the city. Tell a soul and your word is meaningless, and I will return you to the land of Maine posthaste.”

Michelle nodded. “I’d never do that.”

I had my doubts. “Let’s get you some soup and a cot. It’ll do you well to rest.”

Epilogue: Nell

I
gazed
out the frosted window to a bleak and terrifying landscape below. The sun had risen, but I could hardly tell. The sky was opaque and milky, not unlike the pendant the black-haired man—Prince Lethe, he called himself—had torn from my throat and hurled against the wall. It had not worked since, and still lay in a pile of shards at the corner of the room.

Blowing warm air into my palms, I turned from the window. The window had an arctic draft coming off of it, and it crept over everything.

This room was extravagant and luxurious: leather-bound books, a feather down mattress, windows which dominated the northern wall. Prince Lethe and his female companion—Thalissa, I’d overheard—had stripped the sodden, freezing clothes from my body upon our arrival and forced me into some velvet gown of sky blue. It was a beautiful dress, but I felt limp and hopeless inside of it.

There was a fireplace in my room, and I tried to stay close to keep warm. This castle was frigid.

Gazing into the crackling, popping flames, I wondered where Theon was… and why on earth Michelle was with him. We’d only had that fleeting moment—he’d been surrounded by sand, but the sunlight on that sand had been bright yellow, not the icy gray sun Maine would see in January. Where were they? And why the hell were they together?

But I shook the thought from my head. I couldn’t let my old insecurities awaken at the first hint of trouble—and I had much bigger problems than Michelle’s flirtatious nature.

The door thrust open and banged into the wall; I jolted up from where I had been leaning into the fireplace.

Prince Lethe entered the room with a swagger and slammed the door behind himself.

I stared at him in terror; he stared back with mirth. I bolted to the right, and he followed my movement. I dove to the left and he was already on top of me; he swept me up against his chest and pinned his arms around me. I thrashed and kicked to no avail, any impact dampened by the petticoats of the gown.

“It’s time to talk, human girl.”

“I already told you, I don’t know anything!”

At this, he snatched my chin up and gazed into my eyes. His own were a savage gray-blue. “Oh, is that so?” A smile quirked the corner of his lip, and I thought of Michelle. She got the same look on her face when she had someone right where she wanted them. “When I’m through with you, mate of Theon, you’ll talk. Oh, you’ll talk.”

WHAT’S NEXT?

D
earest Shaddict
,

With the holidays and the new year coming up, I have
two
exciting releases for you to mark in your calendar!

1st Release:

BEN & RIVER'S STORY CONTINUED!

Ben and River's story will continue in
A Shade of Vampire 21: A Vial of Life
!

A Vial of Life
releases just in time for Christmas:
December 22nd 2015
!

Tap here to pre-order your copy now.

And here’s a preview of the awesome cover (you may need to turn to the next page for it to be visible):