Darklight 2: Darkthirst
Page 53
“We want to know everything,” my mother insisted.
“The good and the bad,” my father said, insistent even as his eyes filled with grief. He obviously had seen what his brother had done but was still lacking some important details surrounding how, why, and when.
Zach and I shared a charged look.
“None of it is a good dinner topic for tonight,” I admitted apologetically. “It’ll be hard to understand the whole situation without going back to the beginning.”
We would have to explain everything and also ask my parents for as much information as they could reasonably give us.
“Definitely. We’d also like to know certain things… like about those dark energy weapons,” Zach said, as if sensing my thoughts. “The X-75s.”
I tried to sound convincing. “All of it is crucial for developing our next steps.”
The serious mood grabbed everyone. Gina stood nearby wringing the tea towel between her hands and looking a little awkward until both my parents hugged her, and my mother planted a kiss on her cheek. It struck me that Gina and Zach both looked healthier than ever after cleaning themselves up after our harrowing adventure—excluding Zach’s limp, of course.
Without warning, my parents’ expressions tensed, and their eyes locked on something over my shoulder. Dorian had hung back, probably realizing it wasn’t the moment to present himself. Though I had warned my parents about the situation, it was probably still weird for them to walk into their home and find a vampire. They’d fought vampires for decades. For their daughter to bring one home when she’d never brought a man home before must be… interesting for them.
I cleared my throat and took control of the situation. The information exchange would have to wait. I wanted Dorian to feel as welcome as he could.
I smiled at my parents. “The tough stuff can wait. This is a family welcome home dinner,” I said sincerely. “And there’s someone I want you to meet. A vampire named Dorian Clave. I care about him a lot.”
Dorian took a wary step forward. Skepticism lingered on my parents’ faces. My father frowned, and my mother’s sharp blue eyes analyzed Dorian’s clothes, which looked markedly odd in our modern home.
They didn’t trust him right now… but they could learn.
“I know you’ll all get along once you get to know each other,” I pressed. “We share a lot of the same values around honor, integrity, and doing what’s right.”
“Absolutely. Dorian is a stand-up man—uh, vampire. He’s one of the most upstanding people we’ve ever met,” Zach chimed in, fumbling horribly in his haste to help.
“Dorian helped us out many times,” Gina said, nodding.
I held my breath. I wanted them to like him as much as I did. Reaching back, I grabbed Dorian’s hand despite the pain that flared inside me. It was getting easier and easier to hide. I smiled at him. He smiled back. I pulled him forward to present him officially to my parents. As my friend and partner.
He laced his fingers with mine.
We would do this together, like everything else.
Ready for the next part of the journey?
Dear Reader,
Thank you for reading Darkthirst. I hope you enjoyed it!
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I’m excited to announce that Book 3 of the series, Darkworld, releases November 30th, 2019!
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Bella x
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Read more by Bella Forrest
DARKLIGHT
Darklight (Book 1)
Darkthirst (Book 2)
Darkworld (Book 3)
HARLEY MERLIN
(Fantasy/romance/adventure)
Harley Merlin and the Secret Coven (Book 1)
Harley Merlin and the Mystery Twins (Book 2)
Harley Merlin and the Stolen Magicals (Book 3)
Harley Merlin and the First Ritual (Book 4)
Harley Merlin and the Broken Spell (Book 5)
Harley Merlin and the Cult of Eris (Book 6)
Harley Merlin and the Detector Fix (Book 7)
Harley Merlin and the Challenge of Chaos (Book 8)
Harley Merlin and the Mortal Pact (Book 9)
Finch Merlin and the Fount of Youth (Book 10)
Finch Merlin and the Lost Map (Book 11)
Finch Merlin and the Djinn’s Curse (Book 12)
Finch Merlin and the Locked Gateway (Book 13)
THE GENDER GAME
(Action-adventure/romance. Completed series.)
The Gender Game (Book 1)
The Gender Secret (Book 2)
The Gender Lie (Book 3)
The Gender War (Book 4)
The Gender Fall (Book 5)
The Gender Plan (Book 6)
The Gender End (Book 7)
THE GIRL WHO DARED TO THINK
(Action-adventure/romance. Completed series.)
The Girl Who Dared to Think (Book 1)
The Girl Who Dared to Stand (Book 2)
The Girl Who Dared to Descend (Book 3)
The Girl Who Dared to Rise (Book 4)
The Girl Who Dared to Lead (Book 5)
The Girl Who Dared to Endure (Book 6)
The Girl Who Dared to Fight (Book 7)
THE CHILD THIEF
(Action-adventure/romance. Completed series.)
The Child Thief (Book 1)
Deep Shadows (Book 2)
Thin Lines (Book 3)
Little Lies (Book 4)
Ghost Towns (Book 5)
Zero Hour (Book 6)
HOTBLOODS
(Supernatural romance/adventure. Completed series.)
Hotbloods (Book 1)
Coldbloods (Book 2)
Renegades (Book 3)
Venturers (Book 4)
Traitors (Book 5)
Allies (Book 6)
Invaders (Book 7)
Stargazers (Book 8)
A SHADE OF VAMPIRE SERIES
(Supernatural romance/adventure)
Series 1: 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)
Series 2: 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)
Series 3: The Shade continues with a new hero…
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 Bridge of Stars (Book 24)
Series 4: A Clan of Novaks
A Clan of Novaks (Book 25)
A World of New (Book 26)
A Web of Lies (Book 27)
A Touch of Truth (Book 28)
&
nbsp; An Hour of Need (Book 29)
A Game of Risk (Book 30)
A Twist of Fates (Book 31)
A Day of Glory (Book 32)
Series 5: A Dawn of Guardians
A Dawn of Guardians (Book 33)
A Sword of Chance (Book 34)
A Race of Trials (Book 35)
A King of Shadow (Book 36)
An Empire of Stones (Book 37)
A Power of Old (Book 38)
A Rip of Realms (Book 39)
A Throne of Fire (Book 40)
A Tide of War (Book 41)
Series 6: A Gift of Three
A Gift of Three (Book 42)
A House of Mysteries (Book 43)
A Tangle of Hearts (Book 44)
A Meet of Tribes (Book 45)
A Ride of Peril (Book 46)
A Passage of Threats (Book 47)
A Tip of Balance (Book 48)
A Shield of Glass (Book 49)
A Clash of Storms (Book 50)
Series 7: A Call of Vampires
A Call of Vampires (Book 51)
A Valley of Darkness (Book 52)
A Hunt of Fiends (Book 53)
A Den of Tricks (Book 54)
A City of Lies (Book 55)
A League of Exiles (Book 56)
A Charge of Allies (Book 57)
A Snare of Vengeance (Book 58)
A Battle of Souls (Book 59)
Series 8: A Voyage of Founders
A Voyage of Founders (Book 60)
A Land of Perfects (Book 61)
A Citadel of Captives (Book 62)
A Jungle of Rogues (Book 63)
A Camp of Savages (Book 64)
A Plague of Deceit (Book 65)
An Edge of Malice (Book 66)
A Dome of Blood (Book 67)
A Purge of Nature (Book 68)
Season 9: A Birth of Fire
A Birth of Fire (Book 69)
A Breed of Elements (Book 70)
A Sacrifice of Flames (Book 71)
A Conspiracy of Realms (Book 72)
A Search for Death (Book 73)
A Piece of Scythe (Book 74)
A Blade of Thieron (Book 75)
A Phantom of Truth (Book 76)
A Fate of Time (Book 77)
Season 10: An Origin of Vampires
An Origin of Vampires (Book 78)
A Game of Death (Book 79)
A Veil of Dark (Book 80)
A Bringer of Night (Book 81)
A Circle of Nine (Book 82)
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
A LOVE THAT ENDURES TRILOGY
(Contemporary romance)
A Love that Endures
A Love that Endures 2
A Love that Endures 3
THE SECRET OF SPELLSHADOW MANOR
(Supernatural/Magic YA. Completed series)
The Secret of Spellshadow Manor (Book 1)
The Breaker (Book 2)
The Chain (Book 3)
The Keep (Book 4)
The Test (Book 5)
The Spell (Book 6)
BEAUTIFUL MONSTER DUOLOGY
(Supernatural romance)
Beautiful Monster 1
Beautiful Monster 2
DETECTIVE ERIN BOND
(Adult thriller/mystery)
Lights, Camera, GONE
Write, Edit, KILL
For an updated list of Bella’s books, please visit her website: www.bellaforrest.net
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