A Shade of Kiev (A Shade of Vampire #8)(22)
Author: Bella Forrest

I had no desire to meet anybody. But, realizing that I was in need of blood, I nodded and followed him out of the tunnels. He led me to the top of a high grassy hill nearby where a bonfire had been lit. A crowd of vampires and werewolves—none of whom I recognized—sat around it, drinking and talking.

Brett grabbed a jug of blood from near the fire and poured some into a clay cup. I sniffed it. This was neither fish nor snake blood. It was that of some kind of four-legged mammal—perhaps one of the deer I’d seen earlier. It was still unsatisfying compared to human blood, but its flavor was at least less revolting to me than the former two.

I sat in the shadows, away from the group, and drank from my cup. My eyes glazed over as the bonfire’s flames licked the warm night air. My mind drifted back to thoughts of Mona. I started racking my brain for ideas as to what my first move should be, trying to form a strategy. My first hurdle would be meeting her face to face. If she rarely came out of her lake house, I would have to swim across the lake just to stand in front of her.

Lost in my thoughts and speculations, I didn’t notice a slim figure approach the clearing. It was only after several minutes that I looked up and saw the witch standing on the other side of the bonfire. A blond vampire was by her side—the same one who’d first approached me on the beach back at The Tavern. I realized my first opportunity had come sooner than I had expected.

I smirked.

This might just be an easy win…

Chapter 22: Mona

It was that time of night when I needed fresh water.

After the short boat ride to the mainland, I began my walk through the werewolves’ residential area toward the other side of the forest. I passed the armory along the way—a small chamber underground where we kept all of the valuable tools and weapons that we had acquired throughout the years, mainly through plundering other pirates at sea.

After about an hour, I arrived at the small hole in the ground. Attaching my bucket to a rope, I lowered it into the well, trying to make as little noise as possible. As I pulled it back up, sudden laughter sounded out in the distance, coming from the direction of the nearby hill. I looked up to see the flickering of a fire.

The light breeze carried a delicious smell toward me. I salivated. Momentarily distracted, I lost my grip on the rope and the bucket clattered to the bottom of the well.

A few seconds later, a gruff voice called out.

“Hey!”

I didn’t need to see though the dark to know that it was Brett. An imposing figure stood up and walked down the hill toward me. His face broke out into a big smile.

“Mona! I’m just cooking something up there. You hungry?”

I was famished. It would be at least an hour before I’d have a meal of my own ready. The smell of hot food was almost too much to bear. Despite my better judgment, I nodded.

I followed him up the hill, but on reaching the top immediately regretted my decision. A dozen vampires sat in the circle around the fire, and there were also some werewolves who had not yet gone to bed.

Worried about spotting a certain red-eyed vampire, I averted my eyes to the ground and followed Brett around the circle, trying to hide behind him. I sat down on the grass next to the ogre. He reached into the fire and pulled out a colorful skewer of roasted sea plants. I would have bitten into them instantly had they not been piping hot.

“Well, I’m off to bed now,” Brett muttered, standing up.

“Oh?”

Now that Brett’s large form had moved, I was in full view of the group.

“Yeah. I’m sorry, Mona. I’m exhausted. I’ll see you around…”

The ogre plodded away. I turned my back on the crowd to face the ocean. But it seemed that I hadn’t escaped attention.

I felt a tap on my shoulder.

On turning around, I groaned.

Giles.

The blond vampire towered over me, one hand hidden behind his back. Apart from Kiev, he was our newest vampire recruit. He’d been with us for over five months, but it seemed that he still hadn’t learned his lesson when it came to badgering me.

“How are you, Mona?” I smelt the rum on his breath as soon as he opened his mouth. “I’ve missed you.”

I ignored him and stood up.

“I’ve b-brought you something.” He withdrew a shiny conch shell from behind his back. “Do you like it? I found it myself.”

His grey eyes were bloodshot and rolled in their sockets. I’d never seen him so drunk. His presence unnerved me. I turned to walk away, still without saying a word, but his hand reached out and latched onto my arm.

“Don’t you like it?”

Normally, his advances were irritating, or awkward at best. But this night was different. I scoured the crowd more closely for the first time, hoping I might see Matteo or Saira sitting there. That was when I caught sight of red eyes glinting at me from the shadows.

I looked back at Giles.

“Let go, Giles,” I hissed.

With my free hand, I reached for the dagger I kept strapped to my belt. But, dropping the shell, he caught that hand too. Despite him being intoxicated, it frightened me how fast his reflexes were.

“And if I don’t leave you alone?” he whispered, a grin forming on his lips.

The vampire’s grip tightened. When I looked around again, everyone seemed too busy merrymaking to notice my predicament. Except Kiev, who sat alone. He held my gaze with his dark crimson eyes.

Then he stood up, and in what felt like less than two seconds, he had reached us. He placed a hand on Giles’ shoulder and—to my shock—said in a low menacing voice, “Don’t touch her.”

Giles swiveled his neck around, blinking at Kiev.

“And who are you? Her uncle?” He chuckled.

Kiev’s glare didn’t let up. He caught both of Giles’ forearms and gripped them. Kiev’s arm muscles bulged from the force he was applying to Giles, who was now wincing.

“Let go,” Kiev said, his voice steady. “The lady doesn’t want to be touched.”

Giles looked indignant. I thought he was about to fight back. He stood staring at Kiev for several moments. But then he took a step back and, scowling, resumed his seat by the fire.

I looked up at Kiev, unable to hide my surprise.

“Why?” I whispered.

Wordlessly, he walked over to a plate in front of the fire, bent down and returned with another skewer of sea vegetables. I looked at the one I had been eating, now squashed on the ground, and took it from him, still eyeing him suspiciously as I bit in.

“Why what?” He crossed his arms over his chest, looking down at me.