The Shadows of the Dawn: A Blood and Moon novella by Alex Vale

Author:Alex Vale [Vale, Alex]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2024-07-19T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER EIGHT

Asher

There were definitely some things Asher was worried about regarding Moss’s Change. Sure, newborns in general were a handful, but Asher and Nikola hadn’t technically been newborns when they’d Converted to both Moon and Blood. But Moss was as green as grass. Would they take more to Blood nature, being violent and insatiable, or more like a newbie Moon, which Asher had absolutely zero experience with?

Well, at least for the time being, Moss was out like a light, their body still adjusting. Nikola cradled them as they hurried down the road, their slight build making them appear childlike compared to Nikola’s bulk.

Per Katsuki’s orders, they were headed toward the nearest house with the intentions of breaking and entering. It was the best any of them could do to escape the approaching sunrise. There was one glaring upside to Moss’s Change: They could still travel relatively quickly on foot without a human dragging them down.

“Please, let me carry them,” Liam blurted, jogging up to Nikola’s elbow. Nikola’s red eye flashed, protectiveness surging through him. Asher cocked his head to the side. Okay, so that was... interesting.

Wait. Oh, Christ. Nikola had Changed Moss, so now there was going to be a sort of bond between the two, most likely taking from their Moon sides. Asher didn’t feel insecurity or jealousy, but he was apprehensive. If Nikola felt obligated to guide Moss through their newborn days, that meant both he and Asher would have to stick around this clusterfuck of a coven even longer.

Best to worry about that later. Currently, there was an antsy Blood Follower bouncing from foot to foot, brimming with energy from the humans he’d just finished slaughtering.

“Might as well make himself useful,” Asher intoned. “Happy Blood happy house and all that.” Last thing they needed was another feral mental breakdown.

Nikola hesitated, grinding his teeth. He relented, passing Moss’s unconscious form to Liam’s waiting arms. The newborn Blood Follower started to say to Asher, “Thank—”

“I wasn’t doing it for you,” Asher sneered, shutting down the conversation. It ended pretty much any conversation until their footfalls crunched the gravel of a driveway leading to a quaint farmhouse in the distance.

As they drew closer, evidence of the Midwest shone through. Wind-damaged shutters, baby blue paint, the cornfields themselves. It had a wooden front porch with a couple of bicycles, one with training wheels and the other without, and a red pickup truck that just screamed AMERICA, complete with a stars and stripes bumper sticker. Whoever lived inside would’ve never guessed that a caravan of vampires traveling from Chicago was coming to crash here.

“Alright, Kat,” Asher said. “What’s the plan?”

Katsuki looked at Trish. “You and I will do a little test, yes? First, let’s listen closely and figure out how many there are. After that, we will cast an illusion over the building that should easily hold well after we leave. Considering the stakes, I’ll help you secure it, if need be, but you’ll be taking the lead.”

Asher and Nikola got the hint that they’d be staying on the sidelines.

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