I began veering the dolphins in the opposite direction of the shoreline when a thought struck me.
Where can I actually go to hide with Braithe?
I couldn’t keep sailing the seas—we were far too vulnerable in this boat. I had to get us to land… but which land? The list of places that I could think of where I could escape alone was short enough, but with Braithe? The list became nonexistent. Who would want him on their island?
I had been in too much of a hurry to leave the witch’s castle to bring the box with me, so I had nothing to hide him in either.
But on the shore of the ogres’ kingdom… I knew that there was a gate leading back to the human realm. It led to an uninhabited tropical island, rumored to be not all that far from The Shade.
If I passed through that gate with Braithe, we could pass the rest of the day and night hidden somewhere on that small, deserted island. It felt safer than staying in the supernatural realm. I was sure that Aisha would be less likely to find us there.
Then in the morning… I wasn’t sure what we would do. What we could do. But at least we’d be safer than we were now, and I’d have a chance to clear my mind and think about what our next step should be. I still hadn’t given up hope of finding a cure. Arletta, Colin and Frederick might be lost forever, but I still had Braithe… And Hans is still in Cruor. Although Uma couldn’t help me anymore, there had to be someone else in this universe who could.
I scanned the beach more carefully. I couldn’t spot any ogres roaming it. If I hurried there now with Braithe, we could probably slip through the gate unnoticed.
My gaze roamed Braithe and then fell on the drawstring bag, filled with sedative-laced darts. I was certain that I had more than enough of the witch’s drug to keep Braithe under control. And if I came up with a new plan quickly, we might only end up being in the human realm for a day or two… I mean, what could go wrong?
* * *
What’s next? The End is near…
Dearest Shaddict,
First of all, thank you so much for accompanying me on Ben and River’s journey. It’s been a thrill to write, and now I strive to conclude it in a beautiful, enthralling and thoroughly satisfying way!
Book 23: A Flight of Souls releases February 21st, 2016.
It’s set in stone that this will be the penultimate book in Ben and River’s story, with Book 24 being the grand finale!
Tap here to pre-order A Flight of Souls now, and reserve your ticket back to The Shade!
Here’s a preview of the awesome cover (you may need to turn to the next page for it to be visible):
Thank you once again for reading and I’ll meet you again very soon, back in the world of The Shade… :)
Love,
Bella x
P.S. Join my VIP email list and I’ll send you a personal reminder as soon as I have a new book out. Visit here to sign up: www.forrestbooks.com
(You’ll also be the first to receive news about possible movies/TV show as well as other exciting projects coming up!)
P.P.S. Follow The Shade on Instagram and check out some of the beautiful graphics: @ashadeofvampire
You can also come say hi to me on Facebook: www.facebook.com/AShadeOfVampire
And Twitter: @ashadeofvampire
I do try my best to respond to everyone (even if it takes a little while), and I’d love to hear from you.
Read More by Bella Forrest!
A SHADE OF VAMPIRE SERIES
Derek & Sofia’s story:
A Shade of Vampire (Book 1)
A Shade of Blood (Book 2)
A Castle of Sand (Book 3)
A Shadow of Light (Book 4)
A Blaze of Sun (Book 5)
A Gate of Night (Book 6)
A Break of Day (Book 7)
Rose & Caleb’s story:
A Shade of Novak (Book 8)
A Bond of Blood (Book 9)
A Spell of Time (Book 10)
A Chase of Prey (Book 11)
A Shade of Doubt (Book 12)
A Turn of Tides (Book 13)
A Dawn of Strength (Book 14)
A Fall of Secrets (Book 15)
An End of Night (Book 16)
Ben & River’s story:
A Wind of Change (Book 17)
A Trail of Echoes (Book 18)
A Soldier of Shadows (Book 19)
A Hero of Realms (Book 20)
A Vial of Life (Book 21)
A Fork of Paths (Book 22)
A Flight of Souls (Book 23)
A SHADE OF DRAGON TRILOGY
A Shade of Dragon 1
A Shade of Dragon 2
A Shade of Dragon 3
A SHADE OF KIEV TRILOGY
A Shade of Kiev 1
A Shade of Kiev 2
A Shade of Kiev 3
BEAUTIFUL MONSTER DUOLOGY
Beautiful Monster 1
Beautiful Monster 2
For an updated list of my books, please visit my website: www.bellaforrest.net
Join my VIP email list and I’ll personally send you an email reminder as soon as my next book is out! Click here to sign up: www.forrestbooks.com
A Shade of Vampire 22 Page 19