Time slowed. Spinning, I slashed the shovel in a wide arc. A bullet ricocheted off the metal, causing a spark. David pulled himself up to shoot again, but I lunged forward, swinging like Babe Ruth. The metal hit David’s skull with a sickening thud. He collapsed in a heap.
He wouldn’t stay down long. I grabbed the gun from his limp hand and aimed it at his chest.
I was about to pull the trigger when his eyes crept open. “Sabina.”
He lay on the ground, covered in blood and dirt. The goose egg on his forehead was already losing its mass. Knowledge of the inevitable filled his gaze. I paused, watching him.
At one time, I’d looked up to this male, counted him as a friend. And now he’d betrayed everything I held sacred by selling out to the enemy. I hated him for his treachery. I hated the Dominae for choosing me as executioner. But most of all, I hated myself for what I was about to do.
He raised a hand toward me—imploring me to listen. My insides felt coated in acid as I watched him struggle to sit up.
“Don’t trust—”
His final words were lost in the gun’s blast. David’s body exploded into flames, caused by the metaphysical friction of his soul leaving his flesh.
My whole body spasmed. The heat from the fire couldn’t stop the shaking in my limbs. Collapsing to the dirt, I wiped a quivering hand down my face.
The gun felt like a branding iron in my hand. I dropped it, but my hand still throbbed. A moment later, I changed my mind and picked it up again. Pulling out the clip, I removed one of the bullets. Holding one up for inspection, I wondered what David felt when the casing exploded and a dose of the toxic juice robbed him of his immortality.
I glanced over at the smoldering pile that was once my friend. Had he suffered? Or did death bring instant relief from the burdens of immortality? Or had I just damned his soul to a worse fate? I shook myself. His work here was done. Mine wasn’t.
My shirt was caked with smears of soot, dirt, and drying blood—David’s blood mixed with mine. I sucked in a lungful of air, hoping to ease the tightness in my chest.
The fire had died, leaving a charred, smoking mass of ash and bone. Great, I thought, now I have to dig another grave.
I used the shovel to pull myself up. A blur of white flew through the clearing. The owl called out again before flying over the trees. I stilled, wondering if I was hearing things. It called again and this time I was sure it screeched, “Sabina.”
Maybe the smoke and fatigue were playing tricks on me. Maybe it had really said my name. I wasn’t sure, but I didn’t have time to worry about that. I had a body to bury.
As I dug in, my eyes started to sting. I tried to convince myself it was merely a reaction to the smoke, but a voice in my head whispered “guilt.” With ruthless determination, I shoved my conscience down, compressing it into a tiny knot and shoving it into a dark corner of myself. Maybe later I’d pull it out and examine it. Or maybe not.
Good assassins dispose of problems without remorse. Even if the problem was a friend.
BY KRISTEN PAINTER
House of Comarré
Blood Rights
Flesh and Blood
Bad Blood
Out for Blood
Last Blood
Forbidden Blood (e-only novella)
PRAISE FOR HOUSE OF COMARRÉ
“Prophecy, curses, and devilish machination combine for a spellbinding debut of dark romance and pulse-pounding adventure.”
—LIBRARY JOURNAL (Starred Review)
“Gripping, gritty, and imaginative. If you love dangerous males, kick-ass females, and unexpected twists, this is the series for you! Kristen Painter’s engaging voice, smart writing, and bold, explosive plot blew me away. Prepare to lose some sleep!”
—LARISSA IONE, New York Times bestselling author
“Kristen Painter brings a sultry new voice to the vampire genre, one that beckons with quiet passion and intrigue.”
—L.A. BANKS, New York Times bestselling author
“Painter scores with this one. Passion and murder, vampires and courtesans—original and un-put-downable. Do yourself a favor and read this one.”
—PATRICIA BRIGGS, New York Times bestselling author
“Kristen Painter’s Blood Rights is dark and rich with layer after delicious layer. This spellbinding series will have you begging for more!”
—GENA SHOWALTER, New York Times bestselling author
“The romance is tense and fresh… I highly recommend this if you enjoy fantasy and want an original take on vampires.”
—USA Today’s Happy Ever After on Blood Rights
“Exciting and interesting!”
—RT Book Reviews on Bad Blood
Glossary
Anathema: a noble vampire who has been cast out of noble society for some reason
Aurelian: the comarré historian
Castus Sanguis: the fallen angels from which the othernatural races descended
Comarré/comar: a human hybrid species especially bred to serve the blood needs of the noble vampire race
Dominus: the ruling head of a noble vampire family
Elder: the second in command to a Dominus
Fae: a race of othernatural beings descended from fallen angels and nature
Fringe vampires: a race of lesser vampires descended from the cursed Judas Iscariot
Kine: a vampire term for humans, archaic
Libertas: the ritual in which a comarré can fight for his or her independence. Ends in death of comarré or patron
Navitas: the ritual in which a vampire can be resired by another, to change family lines or turn fringe noble
Noble vampires: a powerful race of vampires descended from fallen angels
Nothos: hellhounds
Patronus/patron: a noble vampire who purchases a comarré’s blood rights
Remnant: a hybrid of different species of fae and/or varcolai
Sacre: the ceremonial sword of the comarré
Signum: the inlaid gold tattoos or marks put into comarrés’ skin to purify their blood
Vampling: a newly turned or young vampire
Varcolai: a race of shifters descended from fallen angels and animals
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright © 2013 by Kristen Painter
Excerpt from Red-Headed Stepchild copyright © 2009 by Jaye Wells
All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher constitute unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
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First e-book edition: July 2013
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ISBN 978-0-316-23544-0
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