Masquerade (Vampires Realm Romance Series Book 10)

Ten years have passed since Sophis and Vivek, two vampires of the Venia bloodline, came close to death at the hands of twin hunters Aleksis and Izabella Romanov. The events of that night turned Sophis and Vivek against each other, shattering their close friendship and driving them apart.

Now, on the eve of a centenary Creator Day masquerade and at a time when things between them are dangerously close to separating them forever, they uncover a small army of vampire hunters in Saint Petersburg, led by their nemeses, Aleksis and Izabella.

With the safety of the rulers of the seven pure vampire bloodlines in their hands and their chance for vengeance hanging in the balance, can Sophis and Vivek face their past and overcome their differences? Will they realise their true feelings for each other before it’s too late or will the hunters finally claim their lives as their deadly plot to destroy the bloodlines unfolds?

W
here in the Devil’s good name had the rest of her squad gone?

It was twenty minutes past ten in the evening and Sophis had only managed to locate and relay orders to five out of her group of eight guards. If Commander Tynan discovered that she couldn’t keep her squad in line and at their posts on time, she was heading for an earful and possibly punishment. She didn’t need this right now after everything that had happened so recently and with the Creator Day masquerade less than a week away. Sophis clenched her fists, her arms trembling with the rage that pounded through her, part of it directed at herself, part at her squad and the rest at a man she couldn’t think about without grinding her teeth and wanting to growl. It would have been bad enough if it had been a normal ball, but this year was a centenary and that meant two nights of celebration and all eyes on the guards of the host bloodline.

Her bloodline.

The Venia household didn’t tolerate weakness at the best of times. With the safety of the lords, ladies, and other important members of the seven pure vampire bloodlines of Europe on the line, it was imperative that every group of guards performed their duties impeccably.

With her self-esteem already severely dented, Sophis dreaded that her team were going to be the weak link, the guards that failed should there be an attack, and it set her on edge as she walked across the immaculate lawn of the Venia mansion heading towards the main house. Her recent mistake during a routine patrol had already made her appear weak and unworthy of her position as a captain in the guard. If word reached her superiors that she couldn’t control the newest members of her squad, they would lose all faith in her. She couldn’t let that happen. She had to find the missing men and bring them into line, and she had to do it before anyone else discovered they were absent from their posts.

There was one man in particular that she didn’t want to find out—the person whose name labelled the largest part of her anger.

Vivek.

Sophis uncurled her fingers, stretching them and trying to shake away the burning fury and shame she felt from just thinking that name.

She hadn’t seen Vivek since the night she had led her team on patrol in Saint Petersburg to confirm that the Validus bloodline’s reports of increased hunter activity in the city were true. She had confirmed it all right. A vampire hunter had attacked and she had leapt into action, earning herself a poisoned arrow in the back for her impatience.

Vivek had come out of nowhere and saved her life.

Again.

Sophis paused halfway across the beautiful moonlit garden as her left shoulder blade burned with the memory of that night over a week ago. She closed her eyes and pressed her right hand to the front of her shoulder, breathing deeply and slowly to steady her rising panic.

She owed her life to Vivek twice over now. Her fingertips pulled the black material of her uniform jacket tight as she clutched her shoulder and ground her teeth. His actions that night had left her confused. He had swept in and singlehandedly dispatched her attackers and had shown such concern when he had picked her up, cradling her in his arms like a princess, and ordered his men and hers to go on ahead and warn the infirmary. The sickness from the poison had come upon her then but she had remained staring at Vivek, her mind swimming. She wasn’t a member of his squad, yet he had treated her as though she was, had shown the same amount of concern for her wellbeing as she had often seen him feel towards his men under similar circumstances.

Only he never went to their rescue.

He let them fight their own battles.

Why had he interfered with hers?

Was it just to make her feel weak, to make her look feeble in front of her squad and his, to make her appear as though she wasn’t suited to the role of their leader? To prove to that small section of the guard that he was right and she shouldn’t hold the position of captain?

Or was it something else?

Her closest friend, Ella, had told her once that people who fight all the time were secretly in love with each other.

In that brief moment in his arms, Sophis had dared to hope that the care he was taking with her and his concern weren’t only because she was injured and sick. She had wondered if Ella was right. That hope still knotted her stomach and confused her whenever she thought about it. It had been nothing more than a slip, a flash of insanity caused by the poison, a fleeting feeling that Vivek had crushed. She would do well to remember that.

Vivek had looked so cold as he had carried her back to the mansion, covered in the blood of her attackers, reeking of their grim deaths at his bare hands. He hadn’t looked at her once. His icy gaze had remained fixed ahead of him and his heavy steps had echoed in her drowsy fiery mind. She had kept her attention locked on him to stave off her muddled feelings and as a point of focus so she could battle the toxin. The cold abyss of his heart had shown in the depths of his eyes, void of emotions and any shred of care for her.

Nothing had changed that night. Not her feelings or his.

He was still the bane of her life with his sexist attitude towards her and his desire to have her thrown out of the guard. He felt nothing for her now. Those times were long past. Lost forever.

Sophis had felt that then as she did now, but it hadn’t stopped her from musing the strangest thing.

Vivek never smiled anymore.

That thought had plagued her during her recuperation and even cut through her present anger towards him.

It lingered in her heart and she had spent her long empty hours of rest thinking about how he used to be and how he was now. The contrast between past and present was as sharp as that between white and black.

What had happened to the man she used to know, the one who had trained her and taught her to fight to the best of her abilities and, if those weren’t good enough for her, to practice until she didn’t have the strength to stand and then rest only long enough to catch her breath? Vivek had inspired her, supported her, and made her feel that if she tried hard enough she would be the best guard in the Venia household, surpassing even him. Where was the man with the brilliant smile that made his normally intense hazel eyes sparkle and the quick wit that had always brought out her own smile and made her feel so at ease around him? He was so serious now, his eyes as cold as glaciers and as hard as diamonds. His smile nowhere to be seen.

And he was cruel.

Two days ago, Sophis had returned to duty and this evening she had discovered that Vivek had filed a rather unsavoury report about the hunter attack in the city and her ability as a captain of the guard. He had cited her weakness, her leap into the fight without using her team, and other faults that she was already painfully aware of without his mentioning them to their commander. Her blood had caught fire as she had listened to Commander Tynan recite the report.

It was boiling now that she had discovered her men missing.

Sophis set her jaw, stormed across the damp grass and the golden gravel path and entered the elegant palatial mansion that was her family’s home, using the back entrance close to the ballroom. She moved swiftly along the short corridor towards the stone steps that led down into the basement. The hallway was plain and unadorned, with dull walls and cold flagstones underfoot, a poorer cousin of the bright cream corridors in the public spaces of the house, with their oil paintings and lamps, and antique wooden furniture that lent them a regal and warm air. These passages were used by guards and servants of her bloodline. No one of importance lowered themselves to walk them so there was no need for them to look remotely inviting.

The darkness clung to the hall, broken at intervals by a single lamp on the wall that cast insipid light in a small semi-circle around it, barely chasing back the gloom.

Sophis hurried down the stone steps to the basement, her heightened vision and her memory providing her with the position of each tread. The flat heels of her knee-high polished black leather riding boots were loud on the cold stone, echoing along the hall coming into view before her and marking the quick rhythm of her steps. She could have moved silently if she had wished, but she wanted everyone in the corridor ahead to know that she was coming. She wanted them to hear her anger before they managed to sense it.

She ground her teeth until her slightly extended canines cut into her gums, flooding her mouth with the sweet perfume of her own blood. The taste of it stopped her in her tracks and she drew a deep steadying breath, searching for some calm amongst the storm of her feelings so her fangs retracted.

This wasn’t just about her missing men. Vivek was getting to her again and she was playing right into his hands. He wanted her angry, wanted her to slip up and give Tynan a reason to lose his faith in her abilities as a captain. She couldn’t give Vivek the satisfaction of winning.

Regardless of what he thought about her, she was a good guard and a strong leader. She had fought for her position within the ranks and she wasn’t going to throw it all away, no matter what he did or said about her. She wouldn’t let him win. The guard was everything to her. It was her life.

Sophis strode along the dimly lit hallway, passing servants quarters and the blood store. The smell of it tainted the air, causing her stomach to twist and grumble. It had been days since her last feed. The preparations for the upcoming Creator Day masquerade had everyone rushed off their feet, especially the guards, and feeding hadn’t crossed her mind since she had returned to duty. She would have to soon or she would grow weak and would be of no use to her bloodline during the celebrations. After her duties tonight had ended, she would request permission to head into Saint Petersburg to hunt. There would be enough time before sunrise for her to locate, distract and kill a suitable male human. Strong blood would allow her to last through the celebrations without needing to feed again and would restore her strength, giving back what she needed to prove herself a worthy captain of the guard.

She would show Vivek that she was strong and capable, that what had happened was just a glitch, nothing more than a mistake, and he was wrong about her. She was worthy of her position. She would prove that.

The door for the guards’ rest room came into view along the grey corridor and she straightened her back, tipped her chin up, and quickened her pace. Noise came from the room, drifting out of the open door along with warm light. She focused her senses, trying to detect whether her men were there, slacking off and disobeying orders. None of the voices coming from the room were familiar to her. She stepped inside, sharply coming to a halt and drawing all eyes to her. Several of the men quickly rose from the dark couches and armchairs scattered around the dull windowless stone-walled room and saluted her by pressing their hand against the breast of their black mid-thigh length uniform jackets. She scanned their faces, realised that neither Vivek nor her men were present, and then nodded and turned away.

Heat coiled in her stomach, anger blazing there and slowly pouring into her veins like acid that ate away at her restraint, giving free rein to her desire to unleash her feelings on Vivek even when she knew it was wrong of her to aim all of her fury at him. It wouldn’t be the first time they had fought outside the training room. When she found him, she was going to give him a large piece of her mind and find out just why he had felt the need to emphasise everything she had done wrong that night in his report.

She passed another room where guards were relaxing between duties. Her men weren’t there either.

Where were they?

Sophis hurried along the dim corridor to the steps at the other end, took them quickly, and pushed the heavy wooden door at the top open. The brightly lit vestibule of the house greeted her, warm with its pale yellow walls and grand crystal chandelier. The servants were already decorating the double-height room. Elegant arrangements of red roses stood in huge antique vases on the black-cloth-draped side tables and the pedestals placed around the large room. Several women dressed in plain black clothing were threading garlands of roses through the banister of the mahogany staircase that curved upwards to the first floor. That area would become the guest suites for the most important attendees during the ball and her family had spared no expense to ensure their comfort. They had even moved some of the less important members of the Venia bloodline to the second floor where her room and those of other ranked guards were to free up their stately rooms for the guests. The theme of red roses and gold would run throughout the entire first floor and the rooms on the ground floor that remained open to their guests during the ball.