A Shade of Vampire 15: A Fall of Secrets Read Free

ogres.
    I frowned at the ogre in mock disdain. I shook my head. “You should consider the possibility that she might like you for more than just your cooking.”
    He let out a deep sigh that rumbled through his chest and made the flab around his stomach shake. He shook his head, then turned his gaze toward the sea.
    I didn’t want to make the ogre any more uncomfortable than I had already, so I looped my arm through Caleb’s and said, “Well, I will see you around, Brett.”
    “Bye, Princess Rose,” Brett mumbled, still avoiding eye contact as he began trundling back toward the direction of his cave.
    Caleb and I spent the rest of the hour exploring the parts of the island that had been most affected by the dragons’ flames. Like the Port, most other places had been restored. After we were done touring the island, we headed back to my parents’ apartment. We ascended in the elevator and, arriving on the veranda, I let us in through the front door. This time, my parents were both seated at the dining table in the kitchen. They both looked up as we entered.
    “Rose!” My mother beckoned me over.
    Caleb and I took seats around the dining table. “You two must have been tired,” I said. “We came by earlier.”
    My father let out a yawn.
    “I guess the dragons left already?” I asked.
    “Oh, yes,” my father replied, rubbing his face in his hands. “They left some hours ago.”
    “When will they return?” Caleb asked.
    “They didn’t specify,” my father replied. “I don’t imagine they will be away long though. They are fetching their prince and about fifty other dragons.”
    “And what about their accommodations?” I asked.
    “The witches are working on them now. We are converting the storage chambers into apartments for the dragons. They said they like high ceilings and the rooms we had built for humans simply won’t do,” my mother said. “We’re holding a memorial ceremony for our fallen in an hour. I’m going to take a quick shower.” She stood up and headed out of the room.
    I reached across the table and gripped my father’s forearm. “Thank you for saving Caleb.”
    My father nodded, glancing briefly at Caleb.
    The three of us didn’t exchange many more words until my mother reappeared from her shower dressed in a long black robe. I looked down at my own clothes, then at Caleb’s. We ought to change into something more subdued too. I took Caleb’s hand and walked with him toward my bedroom. I didn’t have any long black dresses like my mother’s, so instead I pulled out a smart black shirt and pants, followed by a long black cardigan. I slipped into them quickly before leaving the room again and entering Ben’s bedroom with Caleb. I searched through my brother’s closet until I found a black outfit for Caleb as well. He changed quickly and we returned to the living room. My father had also changed into black clothes.
    We all left the apartment together and headed towards the Sanctuary. People—humans, vampires, witches and werewolves alike—were already gathering in the clearing outside of the witches’ temple. Since we had no bodies to bury, we held a similar ceremony to the one we’d tried to hold for my own grandfather and those we’d mistakenly thought we’d lost.
    Corrine was standing in the center of the courtyard, arranging row upon row of burning candles. More and more people were arriving by the moment. We all took a candle and returned to our spots around the courtyard. Once the area was filled to capacity, Corrine floated the remaining candles higher in the sky until they were all hovering above our heads.
    One by one, the relatives of our fallen stepped up by the fountain and spoke eulogies. My eyes glossed over as I stared into the flickering flame of my candle. I should have been grateful that we hadn’t lost more of our people. After all, every single one of us should have burnt to the ground last night. But all I felt was sadness and remorse.
    However, as