Blood Magic (After Dark Book 7)

by Sarah Bailey

  Jamie looked around, his eyes narrowing.

  “The throne room,” Candace said. “That’s where they’ll be.”

  Dani led the way to the double doors. She pushed one of them open, walking in with slow steps. Her father sat on his throne, staring intently at Questor. There were two fae males holding Novus between them. Theo stood behind the throne along with her sisters, Belladonna, Peony and Verbena. There were several more of Questor’s men standing around him. Her father was outnumbered.

  Candace swept in, took in the scene and walked towards the throne, eyes intent on Questor. Dani took Jamie’s hand and walked further into the room.

  “What the fuck is going on?” Candace said.

  All heads turned at their approach. Questor looked confused. Her father’s eyes fell on Dani and he choked back tears.

  “Dandelion… You’re… how are you alive?”

  His eyes fell on Jamie and he stiffened. Dani didn’t move any closer to her father. Mostly because Questor’s men were in the way. He looked thunderous.

  “Let my brother go,” Dani said, ignoring her father.

  “You should be dead,” Questor replied. “And what is she doing here?”

  “Who, Candace? Didn’t you want the rightful heir to come claim her throne? Or was it just a ploy to dethrone my father?”

  Questor’s eyes narrowed. Dani felt safe with her vampire next to her. She’d explain it to her father later. Explain what she’d done. When they were safe from Questor.

  “Look, I don’t want the throne,” Candace said. “I never have. I renounce all claim and rights to the crown.”

  She looked over at Questor.

  “Now, you on the other hand have no claim to the throne whatsoever. You aren’t even of the same bloodline me or my late mother. So, what do you hope to gain by your actions?”

  Questor just laughed.

  “It has nothing to do with you. I’m here to settle a score with Mitah. Nothing else.”

  Candace put her hands up.

  “Well, I’ve said my piece.” She looked at Dani. “Unless you need me further?”

  Dani shook her head. She would sort Questor out because he deserved nothing less. He’d tried to kill her. Candace shrugged, turned on her heel and left.

  The room was silent for a long moment. Questor took a step towards Dani and Jamie.

  “Tell me, how did you survive?”

  Dani looked up at Jamie. He gave her a reassuring look. It said, ‘I’m here and I’ll protect you.’ She could do this.

  “He saved me because he loves me.”

  There was a sharp intake of breath heard from the throne, but Dani ignored it, focusing on Questor.

  “He couldn’t have known you were in danger.”

  Dani let go of Jamie’s hand and took a step forward.

  “The ways of the ancient fae are fascinating.”

  “I’m not here for a history lesson.”

  She smiled, looking over at Novus. She wanted her brother free from the grasp of the two fae males. That’s all she cared about at that moment.

  “Let me tell you a story. Once a upon a time, a fae princess fell in love with someone she shouldn’t have. Someone forbidden. When her father discovered the truth, he tried to lock her away, but her brother saved her. The princess knew in order to stay with her lover, she would have to do something drastic.”

  She took another step towards Questor. She could feel Jamie’s presence behind her. It bolstered her.

  “Even though her lover had already claimed her as his own, it wasn’t enough. So she did what any girl in love would do when those around her threatened to tear them apart. She bound herself to him. Bound in blood. Bound in magic. Forever.”

  Half the fae in the room looked disgusted, the other half shocked. Dani didn’t care either way. Questor was so focused on her, he never saw Jamie coming. The vampire was right next to him. He wrapped his hands around Questor’s head and ripped it clean off his neck. It took a moment for Questor’s headless body to collapse on the floor. Then the screaming started.

  Dani looked over at her sisters. They were all huddled together, mouths wide open. Who’d have thought they’d all be squeamish about a little blood.

  The two fae males holding her brother, dropped him and backed away. Novus almost collapsed on the floor. Dani ran towards him and caught him before he did. His eyes were wide and unfocused.

  “Shhh, Novy, it’s okay. I’ve got you.”

  Her magic seeped out of her and washed over Novus. His wounds healed and he was able to stand on his own again.

  “Dani,” he whispered.

  He enveloped her in a tight hug.

  “You’re alive. I can’t believe you’re alive.”

  “Guards, seize them,” Mitah’s voice boomed out.

  Out of the wings, the guards stormed into the room and rounded up all of those loyal to Questor. Jamie stood with the fae’s head in his hand, his eyes intent on the king.

  “Dandelion.”

  Dani let go of Novus and turned to her father. His eyes were bright with unshed tears. She walked over to Jamie and put her hand on his arm.

  “I told you I’d bring you his head,” he said.

  “Thank you. He was starting to irritate me with his whiney voice.”

  He dropped Questor’s head and took her hand. Together, they walked towards her father and stopped a few feet away from the throne.

  “Father, I’d like you to meet Jamie. I know this isn’t what you wanted for me, but I love him. And you can’t do anything to change it.”

  Her father bowed his head for a moment. When he raised it, he levelled his gaze on Jamie.

  “I must thank you for saving my daughter’s life.”

  “I’ve always protected her,” Jamie replied. “And I will continue to do so until she fades from this earth.”

  Mitah sighed and steepled his fingers.

  “Dandelion, how did you manage to contact Cadmi?”

  She wondered why her father had changed the subject. It wasn’t as though he’d ever approve of this match between her and Jamie, but she didn’t expect him to just ignore it.

  “It’s a long story, but I went to Hell, saw her and Lucifer and brought her back. I asked her to help me stop this escalating into war like it did in the US. Even if Questor’s real motive was to dethrone you and take it himself, Candace still needed to renounce the throne so no one else tries anything. It sent a message to our people. I did this for you.”

  Her father reached out his hand to her. She left Jamie’s side and took it. He nodded slowly at her, his eyes wide as if he was seeing his daughter for the first time.

  “You are so strong, Dandelion. I’m sorry I kept you locked away for so long. It was wrong of me.”

  She smiled, patting his hand with her other one.

  “I forgive you.”

  “Why did you have to go to such lengths? You could’ve come to me.”

  She shook her head. He wouldn’t have understood her and Jamie if she had.

  “I couldn’t. You do remember how you reacted when you found out I’d been seeing him, right?”

  He gave her a sad smile.

  “Yes… I’m sorry for that. I should’ve listened to you.”

  “I know you might never approve, Father, but please understand. Please let me go so I can live my own life.”

  Mitah looked down at her hand.

  “Your mother would’ve scolded me for the way I’ve treated you.”

  His eyes met hers again.

  “Go. Be happy, my child. You deserve that much after everything you’ve done for our people.”

  She fell to her knees and enveloped her father. Tears pricked at her eyes.

  “Thank you,” she whispered.

  “I hope he treats you well.”

  “He does.”

  She pulled away, getting to her feet and giving her father a nod. He waved her away. Dani ignored her siblings. She couldn’t care less about her sisters or Theo
. The only one she’d ever been close to was Novus and he had always understood.

  She took Jamie’s hand and they walked out of the throne room together. Once they were outside, Dani created a portal and they stepped through back into Jamie’s flat. She wrapped her arms around him, resting her head against his chest.

  “I love you,” she whispered.

  “I love you too.”

  Pulling away, she looked up into Jamie’s slate grey eyes.

  “So… Would you be okay with me staying here… permanently?”

  He grinned, cupping her face with both hands.

  “Is there a fairy tale where the vampire gets his princess at the end?”

  She rolled her eyes.

  “Jamie…”

  “Bring your stuff over during the day,” he replied, kissing her nose.

  “Why? Did you have something in mind for the rest of the night?”

  He looked her over with a glint in his eyes.

  “Mmm, yes.” He leant down, brushing his mouth against her ear. “Get naked and get in the shower… I plan to make you come several times before the sun rises.”

  She felt a shiver down her spine and her body tingled all over. She cocked an eyebrow when he pulled back.

  “Yes… Sir.”

  He laughed as she darted away from him towards his bathroom.

  “Two can play at that game, Princess Dandelion Farlane.”

  She stopped in the doorway, looking back at him.

  “Are you coming or do I have to start without you?”

  He ghosted to her side, picked her up and hauled her over his shoulder. She squealed all the way into the shower. He set her down, grinning.

  “I think it’s time you and I get naked.”

  Dani flipped the shower on before he had a chance to take anything off. They were drenched the next moment. She wrapped her arms around his neck.

  “Did you mean it when you said you’d be with me until I faded from this world?”

  “Of course I did. I love you… Now, be quiet so I can fuck you.”

  He captured her mouth in his.

  And Dani was quiet for the rest of the night, safe in the knowledge her and her vampire would never be apart again.

  you did, I would greatly appreciate a short review on Amazon or your favourite book website. Reviews are crucial for any author, and even just a line or two can make a huge difference.

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  Blood Magic Playlist

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  Titles by Sarah Bailey

  Dark Romance

  Corrupt Empire

  Betrayal

  Sacrifice

  Revenge

  Benson Siblings

  Provoked

  Promises

  Prohibit

  Protect

  Paranormal Romance

  After Dark

  Demon’s Destiny

  Vampire’s Kiss

  Witching Night

  Cursed Heart

  Death’s Angel

  Lucifer’s Cage

  Blood Magic

  Acknowledgements

  Thank you for reading this book. As an indie author, reviews are very important to me. I hope you consider leaving one if you enjoyed it.

  It’s been quite a journey to get to seven books in this series. I really did intend to release this one a lot earlier than this, but I’ve had a lot of crazy things happening to me over the past few months.

  Jamie and Dani’s story gave me a lot to work with. After all, who doesn’t love a forbidden romance? Well, I know I do. Putting a vampire and a fae princess together was a bit of a crazy idea, but I wanted to tell the story of what happened in the aftermath of Queen Gwilliana’s death at the hands of her daughter, Candace, particularly in the fae community. It was the perfect backdrop to prove that sometimes love really does trump everything else.

  Dani’s inner strength and her drive to not only save her people from war, but be her own woman inspired me no end. She went on this huge journey of self-discovery and really came into her own by the end of the book.

  Jamie was always going to be an interesting character for me. He’s a massive flirt, a little bit of a player and had a habit of driving Gavin mad, something I adored writing. I wanted to explore more of the vampire community and perhaps deal with the consequences of becoming undead when you had no wish to be in the first place.

  Ultimately, I hope you’ve got to see a little more of the After Dark universe and its inner workings in this book. It is my intention to carry on the series in the future so you’ll be seeing more of your favourite characters soon.

  Thank you to my bestie, Sabrina, for being my biggest support network and number one fan. You never fail to keep me on track. Whether it be championing me or threatening me with dolphins to finish my chapters (yes… stupid insider joke which I won’t explain here), you’re always there and I can’t thank you enough.

  Thank you to all my readers for supporting me. You guys are the absolute best and keep me going! Thank you to my Twitter gang and everyone in the writing community who provide no end of support. Thank you to my family for always being here for me.

  And last but not least, thank you to my long suffering husband who has to put up with me being glued to my laptop twenty four seven. I love you so much!

  About the Author

  Born and raised in Sussex, UK near the Ashdown Forest where she grew up climbing trees and building Lego towns with her younger brother. Sarah fell in love with novels when she was a teenager reading her aunt's historical regency romances. She has always loved the supernatural and exploring the darker side of romance and fantasy novels.

  Sarah currently resides in the Scottish Highlands with her husband. Music is one of her biggest inspirations and she always has something on in the background whilst writing. She is an avid gamer and is often found hogging her husband's Xbox.

  You can find more about Sarah Bailey in the following ways:

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