Blood of the Shayde: A Reverse Harem Romance (The Vampires' Blood Mate Book 2) Read online

  Blood of the Shayde

  A Reverse Harem Romance

  Lili Zander

  Copyright © 2019 Lili Zander.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Cover design by Kasmit Covers. http://www.kasmitcovers.com.

  Miranda made me do writing sprints. She rescued this book from the abyss of despair. I love her.

  Lee Savino beta read this book. Her suggestions made Blood of the Shayde a million times better. Of course, if you think the book sucks, that’s entirely my fault.

  Contents

  Blood of the Shayde

  1. Raven

  2. Saber

  3. Nero

  4. Raven

  5. Raven

  6. Zeke

  7. Raven

  8. Zeke

  9. Nero

  10. Raven

  11. Ragnar

  12. Nero

  13. Raven

  14. Zeke

  15. Raven

  16. Saber

  17. Zeke

  18. Raven

  19. Raven

  20. Saber

  21. Raven

  22. Raven

  23. Raven

  24. Raven

  25. Zeke

  26. Ragnar

  27. Raven

  28. Raven

  29. Zeke

  30. Raven

  31. Raven

  32. Raven

  Epilogue

  About Lili Zander

  Books by Lili Zander

  Blood of the Shayde

  The Vampires of Shayde want more than just my blood…

  One deadly human assassin sent to kill me.

  Two powerful vampire politicians, playing games with human lives.

  A gorgeous, terrifying, inscrutable prince who wants to claim me.

  Three deadly enemies. Three mortal threats.

  But I am not alone any more. I have Saber, Zeke, and Nero on my side. And together, we can do anything.

  Bring it on.

  ...This time, I’m not rolling over and playing dead. If the vampires want my blood, they can fight me for it.

  1

  Raven

  It’s time to stop sulking.

  We’ve been on board the Valiant for two days. We’re on the run—from Harek Levitan, from Prince Ragnar, from pretty much everyone in the galaxy. All because of me. Because of the disease I carry in my blood, a disease that can annihilate the vampires.

  During our escape from my home planet of Boarus 4, both Saber and Nero were shot. Nero’s wound was minor. A bullet grazed his right arm. There was a lot of blood, but thankfully, it was just a flesh wound.

  Saber’s chest injury, on the other hand, was more serious. Zeke and Nero pumped him full of blood, and for the last two days, he’s been in a healing coma in the Valiant’s small sickbay.

  As for me? I’ve been closeted inside my bedroom, trying to deal with my confused tangle of emotions.

  Here’s what I know.

  Saber, Zeke, and Nero have been protecting me from the moment we met. I believe that with every fiber of my being.

  They’re attracted to me. I’m attracted to them. Back on Boarus 4, I thought we had something. Though I should have known better than to dream, I started to imagine a future with them in it.

  Then I found out that they’d been hiding things from me. They should have told me that Harek Levitan had sent them to bring me back to Starra, the Shayde capital, but they didn’t. They withheld information from me. They treated me like a child.

  That’s not the basis of a healthy relationship. Not at all.

  Which is why I’ve been hiding in Ragnar’s luxurious bedroom.

  The prince has impeccable taste. The bed is massive, and the sheets are soft. The carpet is silver-gray. The walls are painted a soothing shade of blue that reminds me of the oceans I’ve seen in the holos. There’s even, shockingly, a window. At night, I can lie in bed and see the galaxy drift outside. It’s hypnotic.

  It almost makes me forget that I’m avoiding the three scary, terrifying, gorgeous, vampires.

  Saber’s the leader. He’s an infuriating combination of arrogance and integrity. He does the right thing automatically and instinctively, but he’s also used to being obeyed without question. Half the time, I want to smack him for being maddeningly high-handed, and the rest of the time, I want to kiss him for doing the right thing.

  Nero’s the daredevil. He’s got a wicked glint in his eyes and a grin playing about his lips, and a spirit that refuses to be crushed.

  Then there’s Zeke. Calm and competent, friendly and reassuring, but underneath his unpretentious exterior is a mind that’s as sharp as a shard of ice.

  Have I mentioned I slept with all three of them on Boarus 4? And that I really, really want to sleep with them again?

  Because I do.

  It’s not just the sex. I’ve known the three vampires for less than two weeks, but already, I miss them when they’re not around. I miss their camaraderie. Their banter. Their unfailing support.

  If you miss them, do something about it. Stop hiding in Ragnar’s bedroom. Go talk to them.

  I swing off the bed and pull a black shirt over my head. I came on board the Valiant wearing a blood-stained ball gown. It’s lying in a crumpled heap in the corner of the bedroom, and I’ve taken to raiding Ragnar’s wardrobe for clothes.

  The prince is a lot taller than me. The shirt comes to my knees. Deciding I’m dressed enough—it’s not like Saber, Zeke, and Nero haven’t seen me naked before—I open the door and head to the ship’s rec room.

  The conversation comes to a stop. All three vampires turn to stare at me.

  Awkward.

  “Hi.” I flash them a tentative smile. Saber’s out of the sickbay. He’s stretched out on the couch, reading something. There are dark circles under his eyes, and he’s lost some weight, but otherwise, he looks fine. Who am I kidding? He looks hot. His strong jaw is covered with stubble, and when he sees me, a slow smile spreads across his face.

  A thrill of pure hot lust shoots through my body.

  “I didn’t know you were up,” I tell him. Ugh. Not setting the world on fire with my conversational skills. “Should you be out of bed?”

  He makes room for me on the couch. “There’s nothing wrong with me. Zeke and Nero worry like old women.”

  Nero rolls his eyes. “You nearly died,” he points out. “We’ve almost exhausted the ship’s supply of blood.” He grins, the dimple on his chin flashing into view and sending a shiver of desire down my spine. “But sure, you’re okay.”

  Saber laughs out loud. I sit down next to him, my heart hammering in my chest. They’re powerful vampires. Apex predators, each of them. Strong, muscled, and deadly.

  And I’m human. Prey. Food. I don’t understand why they’re attracted to me.

  I swallow my nerves. “Are we still headed to Merin?”

  “Yes,” Zeke replies. His gaze meets mine, and the intensity in his dark brown eyes makes me catch my breath. “We need to lay low for a while. For that, we need fake identiti
es. You can buy anything on Merin for the right price.”

  He’s talking about the plan, and instead of paying attention, I’m picturing Zeke stripping me naked, laying me out on a bed, and devouring me with those dark eyes. I’m fantasizing about Saber eating me out, his stubble rasping against my skin. About Nero squeezing my breasts, making me pant with need, laughing when I beg for more…

  The three vampires go very still. Saber’s nostrils flare.

  Shit. Can they smell my arousal? “Why do we need fake identities?” I ask, trying to distract them—and myself—before we give in to temptation and do something we might regret.

  Saber gives me a long look. For a second, I wonder if he’s going to call me out on my obvious desire, but to my relief—or is it disappointment?—he lets it go. “Harek Levitan hasn’t put a warrant out for our arrests. That can only mean one thing. He’s sending an assassin after us.”

  That jolts me back to reality. This is my life now. People send assassins after me. I feel special.

  “Then there’s Ragnar,” Nero grins. The thought of assassins clearly doesn’t bother him. “We stole his ship. He’s going to want it back.”

  “Will he kill us?”I wipe my damp palms on my t-shirt, and Zeke’s eyes snap to my bare thighs, his gaze hungry.

  I squirm in my seat, clenching my thighs together as my insides flutter with anticipation. I have to physically restrain myself from reaching for them. Spirit, what is wrong with me?

  “If he has to, yes,” Saber replies. “He might not enjoy it, but he’ll do what it takes to protect Astrid.” He takes a deep breath. “Ragnar is not a fool. Once he finds out about the virus, he’ll put together a team of scientists to work on a cure. He’ll need your blood. Once we’re safely hidden, we can send him what he needs.”

  Saber and Ragnar’s relationship confuses me. They seem to have gone through training together, and on the surface, they appear to be friends. But there’s an undercurrent there, one I don’t fully understand.

  Nero winks. I fight the urge to lick his dimple, and his smile broadens. I’m convinced that he knows exactly how much I want him right now. “Then we’ll find a hospital that’s capable of doing a full-body blood transfusion,” he says. “And voila.” His face turns serious. “You’re a target only because you’re a carrier of Levitan’s twisted disease. If you’re not a carrier any longer, the General has no need to hunt you.”

  So that’s the plan.

  Step 1: Get to Merin and get fake ID.

  Step 2: Send my blood to Ragnar so his scientists can make a cure.

  Step 3: Do a transfusion to eradicate this disease from my blood.

  Step 4: Try not to die.

  Sounds simple, right? Sure. If you ignore two things. We are being hunted. And—no pressure at all—if we fail, every vampire in the galaxy could die.

  Including the three vampires in this room.

  I saw Olaf Vander die of the blood disease. It was painful. Awful. His death still haunts my dreams. I hated Vander. If the same thing were to happen to Saber, Zeke, or Nero…

  I grit my teeth. We will not fail. We cannot. I will not let it happen.

  Saber clears his throat. “We should talk about what happened on Boarus 4.”

  Yes! We do need to talk. Hell, what we really need to do is have one big screaming match where we all yell at each other. Let it all out. I can kick and screech about how Saber should have told me who they work for, and why they were really on my planet, and they can retort by telling me I’m a fool of the worst kind for listening to Zimmer and almost getting all of us killed.

  Once we clear the air, we can move on to having amazing makeup sex.

  I push down that thought for the moment. “About what?”

  “I need to apologize. To you, Raven, but also to Zeke and Nero.” His gaze is steady. “Sleeping with you changed things. I owed you the truth about our mission, but I chose not to come clean. Worse, I convinced Nero and Zeke to do the same thing. I deeply regret that.”

  Zeke shifts in his seat. “We all screwed up. Not just you.”

  Saber shakes his head. “No. I was your superior officer. The error in judgment was mine alone.” He puts his hand over mine. It’s the first time he’s touched me since we left Boarus 4, and it feels good. It takes all my will-power to keep from leaning into him. “We’ve disobeyed Levitan’s direct orders and stolen Ragnar’s ship.” A faint smile touches his eyes. “We’re now effectively outlaws. I’m not your superior officer anymore. If, at any time, you think I’m screwing up, feel free to point it out.”

  That’ll be interesting. “You want us to tell you when you’re wrong.” I do a terrible job of keeping the skepticism out of my voice. “And you’ll listen?”

  “Depending on what it is, I’ll try.” He fixes me with a stern look. “I’m never going to be okay with you throwing yourself into danger. You nearly got yourself killed. If you run off again without telling us, I will lock you up myself to keep you safe.”

  Ah, there’s that familiar arrogance. “You can try,” I tell him, though I know my words are mostly bravado. Saber could overpower me with one hand tied behind his back. “You’ll fail.”

  “Cut it out, both of you,” Zeke orders. “Raven, Saber’s doing a piss-poor job of telling you that we were terrified for your safety. We’re not going to restrict your movements, of course.” He gives Saber a pointed glare. “As much as we want to. But in the interests of self-preservation, please don’t run off again.”

  Zeke, the peace-maker. I have no idea why that’s so hot. And he’s right. It had been a stupid decision to see Ma Kaila. I’d almost died. Saber and Nero had got hurt. I’m not going to do it again.

  “I’ll be good,” I promise.

  Saber gives me a half-smile. “And I’ll keep my high-handedness in check. Deal?”

  Gotta give it to Saber. He might be arrogant, but at least he’s self-aware. “Deal.” I take a deep breath and broach something that’s been nagging at me. “On Boarus 4, you said you were in love with a human woman.” Who was she? What was so special about her? What does she have that I don’t? “You said Levitan took her from you.”

  An unidentifiable emotion crosses his face. “Marya Revit. It was a long time ago.” He doesn’t want to talk about this. “I was nineteen. Marya was, even then, an assassin. She’d been hand-picked when she was a child, rescued from the war-torn carcass of Idlib. She was… damaged.” His lips twist in a wry smile. “As you’ve figured out, I love to charge to the rescue.”

  I feel queasy. Though I brought up the topic, I’m not sure I want to hear this. It might have been a long time ago, but this woman is still important to Saber. I can hear it in his voice, and I’m not equipped to deal with the jealousy that rips through me.

  “I thought what we were doing to her was wrong. I was convinced that she deserved better.” His expression is distant. “I was so naïve back then. In the end, Marya chose the man who gave her destructive tendencies full rein.”

  “Harek Levitan.”

  He nods. “She disappeared a week before we were to be blood-bonded. For months, I thought she was dead. I looked everywhere for answers. Then I got a note. Marya decided I smothered her.” He straightens his shoulders. “She’s ruthless, she’s lethal, and she’s fiercely loyal to Harek Levitan. She’s his personal assassin now. She hides in the shadows and does his dirty work.”

  “What is a blood bond?”

  “At its heart, it is a promise of protection,” he replies. “I slice a vein open in my neck, and you drink from me, and I drink from you, and we are bound for the rest of our lives. When we speak, we speak with one voice. When you call for aid, I must answer. I am responsible for your safety, your security, and your happiness.”

  Wow. “That’s a serious commitment.”

  “I was nineteen. I wanted to make a dramatic gesture.”

  “Are you still in love with her?” There must be a deep vein of masochism in me, because why else would I ask that question?
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  He opens his mouth to answer, but his reply is cut off by the sound of warning klaxons. A screen pops into view in front of Zeke. “We’re under attack. Zaddyth pirates. Hiram Gratvar’s crew.”

  A switch flips in the three vampires. Rage blooms in Nero’s eyes. Zeke locks his jaw. Saber’s expression turns cold. Before my eyes, they transform into terrifying, deadly, lethal predators.

  I shiver at the palpable sense of menace radiating from them. “Who are they?” I whisper.

  Saber’s voice is hard. “Slavers. The same crew that abducted Nero’s mother. Let’s deal with them.”

  2

  Saber

  Anxiety flays me.

  I might tell Zeke and Nero that I’m not their superior officer anymore, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to worry about them. I recruited them into the Imperial Army. I’m always going to be responsible for them.

  We’d found Nero’s mother on Brome, a small, hot, dusty planet in the South-Western quadrant of the Empire. She’d been in stocks in the main public square in Maiden, the Brome capital, a punishment for disobeying an order from her master. Every day, when the sun beat down mercilessly at noon, they took her from the stocks, gave her a cupful of warm water, and whipped her back. Then, bloody and raw, they put her back in the stocks, and left, only to return the next day.