by Lili Zander
She waits for me to straighten. “Walk.”
I shake my head.
She swings at me again. This time, I’m prepared. I pivot to my right. I bring my arm up at the same time, and I stab the needle into her neck, plunging my tainted blood into the assassin.
“What the…?” she swears. For a split-second, she has no idea what just happened, and then she touches her neck and feels the syringe.
Her face pales.
“You’re not stupid,” I tell her, forcing myself to ignore the pain in my ribs. “You know what I just did. My blood is in your veins now. Harek Levitan’s virus is making its way through your system. It won’t harm you, as you well know. Humans are immune to it.” I give her a vicious smile. “But it will make you one hell of a target.”
She looks shocked.
“It’s time for you to recalculate your options. Time for you to figure out who you can really trust. Yes, you can take me to Starra. But how long would it be before Levitan found out that you carry the virus, and what do you think he’ll do to you once he knows?” I cock my head to one side and regard her. “Do you think he’ll let somebody with as much talent as you walk free with that virus in your blood? Or do you think he’ll lock you in a cage?”
She stares at me for a really long time. Then her face contorts in a snarl of rage. She punches the button for the ramp, spins on her heel, and sprints to the exit. Soldiers appear at the foot of the ramp to stop her, but she knives her way through them, her blade moving in a blur, and then she's gone.
For the moment, it’s over.
32
Raven
Nehal and Stefan want to shoulder all the blame for the incident. I refuse to let them. “It’s my fault,” I tell Ragnar firmly. “I’m the one that insisted on being alone. If you’re going to punish anyone, punish me.”
Needless to say, that does not go down well.
There’s yelling. Lots of it. Underneath, there’s overwhelming relief. We’re all here. We’re all alive. Gerra Clay is dead. Marya Revit is not an immediate threat. When Saber finally calms down, he even agrees that I did a good job defending myself.
In the background, my promise to Ragnar lingers. I do my best not to think of it.
Later that night, Ragnar disappears on some mysterious errand. The rest of us stay in the Valiant and raid the bar. We drink slenti and make love, and it is so good. We’ve been through hell together, and we’ve come out the other side, and if that isn’t worth celebration, then I don’t know what is.
Nero and Zeke fall asleep, but I can’t drift off. Saber’s awake too. “Are you concerned?” I ask him quietly. “She’s walking around with a virus that can cause genocide. Do you think she’ll use it? Is that why you can’t sleep?”
“I can’t sleep because we almost lost you,” he says severely. “Never wander off on your own again.”
Ouch. Poor guy. At least he’s not threatening to lock me up somewhere. “Yes, Saber.”
He puts his arm around my waist. “I don’t know what she’ll do,” he says. “Maybe she’ll go on a killing spree. Or maybe the virus will let her disappear.”
“I’ll be okay never seeing your crazy ex-girlfriend again,” I tell him frankly.
He brushes a kiss over my temple. “You won’t be the only one.”
Three days later, we touch down once again in Merin, and I finally find myself alone with the prince.
I’m still nervous. Ragnar still intimidates me. But I understand him a little better. I understand what it must be to be him. The constant pressure he’s under. The crushing responsibility he bears. He carries the weight of the entire Empire on his shoulders, and he bears the burden without complaint because he loves his sister and will protect her at all costs.
“Come here,” Ragnar says.
I cross the room on shaky feet.
“I almost forgot to show you this.” He hands me his screen. “Hayden, one of my hackers, worked on tracing the children in the Ruby Rose. She was able to find their families. Watch.”
A ship touches down on the screen. There’s a crowd of people waiting just outside the hanger. On their faces, I can see hope mingled with resignation.
I recognize this look. These are people desperately trying not to hope, because they know that more often than not, their dreams will get crushed.
Then the ramp extends down, and the children slowly emerge, and when they take in the waiting crowd, joy fills their faces.
“Mama,” one little girl shouts, barreling straight into the arms of a waiting woman.
Tears roll down my cheeks. “Their families were alive?”
“Yes.” He brushes a teardrop away with his thumb. “They were. Everyone is home again. Happy endings all around.”
My heart beats faster at his nearness. “Thank you, Ragnar.”
He gives me a small smile. “There’s no need to thank me, Raven. Anyone would have done the same thing.”
I somehow doubt that.
I swallow back my nerves and confront the topic I’ve been avoiding. “You killed Gerra. It's only fair that I keep my end of the bargain.”
He surveys me, his expression inscrutable. Then he shakes his head and takes a half-step back. “I didn’t kill her,” he murmurs. “You did.”
“That’s a technicality.”
He spreads his hands. “I’m not going to make you honor that agreement, Raven. There's no pressure. You don't have to sleep with me because I did the right thing. I don't need to be rewarded for cleaning up a mess I should have dealt with many years ago.”
I don’t understand.
“If you sleep with me,” he continues, his voice gentler. “I want it to be because you want to. Not because you're holding up your end of the deal.”
I stare into Ragnar’s eyes. I’ve never been surer that there’s so much more to the prince than appears on the surface. I’m attracted to him. The nerves haven’t disappeared completely, but fear isn’t the dominant emotion anymore.
“How about a meal?” I whisper. “Is the offer of dinner still open?”
He studies me for a long time, and then he smiles and holds out his hand. “I think we can make that work.”
His comm chimes. He mutters a curse under his breath and looks at the screen.
Empress Astrid's face fills the console, and she looks distraught.
“What happened?” Ragnar asks sharply.
“Harek has the virus.” Her hands are shaking. “He just came to see me. He unleashed the disease on a sparsely populated planet in the Uncharted Reaches.” Her voice wobbles. “There were two thousand, three hundred, and seventy-five vampires living on Ghani. They’re all dead.”
Ragnar grabs the table for support. He grips it so hard that his knuckles turn white. “What does he want?”
“He wants me to be bonded with him,” Astrid replies. Her voice gains steadiness. “A blood bond. Permanent and irrevocable. Once it’s done, I will become a figurehead while Harek does the real work of running the Empire. His way, of course.”
Ragnar’s expression promises murder. “How long do we have?”
“Three weeks.” Astrid takes a deep, shaky breath. “Ragnar, he will commit genocide. I cannot let him do it. If this is the only way, then it is what it is. I know my duty to my people.”
“No.” Ragnar’s voice snaps like a whip. “You are not doing this. We have three weeks. We will find a cure. We will not roll over and play dead. We will fight back.”
The two of them talk. I wander away, numb with fear. Levitan has the virus in his possession. Ivar Karling is nowhere near finding a cure. When the war comes, my vampires will be on the front lines, because that’s who they are.
And they will die.
The vampires find me in the courtyard, staring out into space. I can’t seem to stop shivering. “What’s going to happen now?” I ask through dry lips.
“We head to Starra,” Ragnar says flatly. “And we fight. We have no other choice. Astrid’s reforms will finally
create an empire that serves all its citizens. Humans and vampires. We’re not fighting for ourselves, Raven. We’re fighting for something greater. We’re fighting for the soul of the Shayde.”
But will we win? I don’t ask them that question. I’m not ready to hear the answer.
Epilogue
Marya
I walk among the corpses on Ghani.
In the chaos that is my life, there has been one constant. One person I’ve always loved. My foster father, Arun.
I kneel next to his dead body.
He suffered. His death was painful.
There will be consequences.
I know why Ghani was picked. Like I told Raven, Harek Levitan specializes in mental anguish. This demonstration might have been for Astrid, but the real target has always been me.
This is my punishment. This is the cost of my failure to retrieve Raven. This is designed to crush my spirit. There have been a thousand cruel cuts in the past, all to get me to behave. To get me to be his perfect pawn.
I know what I’m supposed to do. I’m supposed to take my punishment and go crawling back to the General and take my place at his side like a cowed dog.
I’ve done it before, after all.
This time, Harek miscalculated.
Raven Unnuk thought that along with her blood, she was giving me a death sentence. She was wrong.
Her blood buys my freedom.
Harek Levitan is about to realize something he’s forgotten. The Dagger of the Shayde can cut both ways.
Thank you for reading Blood of the Shayde!
The story concludes with Soul of the Shayde. Click here to read it.
The vampires of Shayde want more than just my blood…
We’ve reached the point of no-return.
Everywhere we look, death surrounds us.
Thousands of vampires dead. Billions more at risk.
The Empire is on the brink of a catastrophe.
And only Ragnar, Saber, Zeke, Nero, and I can stop it.
The stakes have never been higher.
But we cannot turn away.
We’re fighting for the soul of the Shayde. In this war, there can only be one victor.
Blood of the Shayde is a reverse harem paranormal vampire romance. Adult situations. Snarky heroine who likes to swear from time to time. 18+.
One-click SOUL OF THE SHAYDE now!
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About Lili Zander
Lili Zander is the sci-fi romance loving alter-ego of Tara Crescent. She lives in Toronto. She enjoys reading sci-fi and fantasy, and thinks a great romance makes every book better.
Find Lili at:
www.lilizander.com
www.facebook.com/authorlilizander
Email her at [email protected]
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Books by Lili Zander
The Dragons in Exile Series
Draekon Mate - Viola’s story
Draekon Fire - Harper’s story
Draekon Heart - Ryanna’s story
Draekon Abduction - Olivia’s story
Draekon Destiny - Felicity’s story
Daughter of Draekons - Harper’s birth story
Draekon Fever - Sofia’s story
Draekon Rogue - Bryce’s story
Draekon Holiday - A holiday story
Blood Prophecy (A Dragon Shifter Reverse Harem Romance)
Dragon’s Thief
Dragon’s Curse
Dragon’s Hope
Dragon’s Ruin
Dragon’s Treasure
or
Dragon’s Fire (the omnibus edition, containing all the Blood Prophecy episodes) and a bonus story, Dragon’s Ghost.
Suzie and the Alien