Vampire Court: Checkmate: Vampire Court, #11

By Ingrid Seymour

The epic conclusion to Vampire Court.

Chaos reigns in Acedrex.

Bianca and Nyro fight on opposite sides of an epic battle. She fights for revenge. He fights to free his brother. Yet, the citizens of Acedrex may pay the price.

A vampire tale like no other.

If you love fantasy with spellbinding world-building, this COMPLETE series is for you. The action, romance, and intrigue will sweep you off your feet and leave you wanting more.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ingrid Seymour
• Release date: Nov 8, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201489243

Ingrid Seymour

Ingrid Seymour is a USA Today Bestselling author. When she's not writing books, she spends her time cooking exotic recipes, hanging out with her family and working out. She writes young adult and new adult fiction in a variety of genres, including Sci-Fi, urban fantasy, romance, paranormal and horror. Her favorite outings involve a trip to the library or bookstore where she immediately gravitates toward the YA section. She's an avid reader and fangirl of many amazing books. She is a dreamer and a fighter who believes perseverance and hard work can make dreams come true. She lives in Birmingham, AL with her husband, two kids, and a cat named Ossie.

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

Bianca

Iwas swimming in darkness , trying to claw myself up to the surface.

Nyro’s cloaked figure held me down, keeping me under. His betrayal weighed me down as much as his powerful body. He had used me and now he had taken all hope of ending the curse with him.

I couldn’t stop them. The prophecy was alive, and these Vampire Courts would go on forever, making slaves out of all of us.

A sharp scent pierced through my senses, sending a lance of pain into my brain. I sat up with a jerk, swatting at the air, and glanced about. Loretta was squatting next to me, a small bottle in her hand that she withdrew and corked as I rubbed my nose.

Good, she said in her usually calm voice.

Entirely disoriented, I inspected our dimly lit surroundings and found myself in a small, unfamiliar room. A lonely candle sat on a rickety table, cobwebs strung between its legs and the two wooden chairs around it. There was nothing else but darkness and the smell of abandonment.

Where are we? I got to my feet, my robe releasing a cloud of dust.

One of the many secret rooms in this palace. Loretta ambled toward the table and sat on one of the chairs. As she did so, she pressed a hand to her lower back, wincing. She looked tired, exhausted really. Dark circles surrounded her eyes and more gray hairs seemed to have sprouted around her temples.

Slowly, my mind cleared. Last I remembered, I’d been fighting Nyro as he tried to steal the Queen’s scepter. I had fought hard, but he was so much stronger than me. He overpowered me, punched me across the face, and then...

Oh, no! I exclaimed. Loretta, I’ve failed. I tried to stop him but Nyro took the scepter. It’s gone. Panic suffused me, a strange and messy emotion that roiled in my chest and left me breathless.

Calm down, she said.

How can you ask me to calm down? He took the scepter. Maximus is going to hide it where no one will ever find it. He knows about the prophecy. I’m certain of it.

She narrowed her eyes. What makes you say that?

He tasked Nyro with stealing the scepter. All along he has been using me.

Loretta nodded slowly, looking pensive but unworried about the news I’d just shared.

I stared perplexed. She’d said that Nyro was part of the prophecy, and I believed her. Its words match us. Our lives were indeed parallels.

Did Loretta’s calm demeanor mean she’d expected him to take the scepter? If so, why hadn’t she shared this information with me? Angry questions pushed themselves to the forefront. I took a step in her direction. Noticing my movement, she snapped out of her reverie, her eyes abandoning the floor and meeting mine.

Do not worry, Bianca. The scepter is safe. What Nyro took with him was a fake.

What?

She inclined her head toward the chair, inviting me to sit. The real scepter is secure.

How do you know this? I sat, feeling baffled.

She waved her hand in the air. The knowledge was passed down to me. I know where it’s hidden.

Where? I asked, still angry. Why hadn’t she told me this? Why was she keeping so much from me?

I am not supposed to reveal its location, she said.

What do you mean you’re not supposed to reveal its location?

Not yet. She shook her head. Not until the last moment.

I pushed to the edge of my chair. What nonsense is this?

It’s not nonsense. It’s the prophecy.

Do you mean that vague piece of writing you gave to me? My anger was growing, becoming harder to contain.

There’s more to the prophecy than what you saw, she said.

I let that sink in, closely watching the righteous expression that shaped Loretta’s features. Unable to control myself, I pushed the table aside, grabbed Loretta by the neck, and shoved her against the wall.

She humphed as her back made contact, but to her credit, she didn’t cry out.

I am sick of your half-truths, I said, my face a mere inch from hers. Where is the scepter? And what are you not telling me?

She turned her face away as if my breath offended her.

I leaned on her more heavily, eliciting a moan.

I can’t tell you, she managed in a weak voice.

Baring my fangs, I hissed. Everything is a lie, isn’t it?

Taking a halting breath, Loretta shook her head. If... if you kill me, you will never know where the scepter is.

"Maybe this is the last moment, have you considered that?"

It can’t be. Not while Lovina is still alive.

I clenched my teeth, fighting the impulse to break her neck or, better yet, sink my fangs into her.

She sniffled, turning her face away and closing her eyes. She believed in her prophecy enough to expose her neck to me, enough to risk her life while she waited for a moment that might never come. Disgusted, I let her go and backed away. I was panting, trying hard to contain my anger.

Not while Lovina is still alive.

Her words echoed in my mind. Hours ago I had been standing in front of the White Palace ready to challenge the Queen, but Maximus had shown up, putting an end to my attempt. He had flown over the wall and walked unopposed to stand in front of Lovina.

I demand to see that man, Mr. Oakes, he had said.

Nyro had told the Black King about Mr. Oakes. He was the only one who could have. In his hatred toward me, he’d only managed to make things worse.

Lovina ignored Maximus’s demand and replied with an irate question. How dare you come to my palace like this? It is against the rules.

I asked for parlay and was denied, Maximus answered, his imposing figure threatening, his fierce eyes taking everyone in, but no one more than the White Queen herself.

I have nothing to talk to you about. Leave or regret it, Lovina threatened.

Maximus threw his head back and laughed, then grew serious in an instant. "That man has knowledge of Troves living in White and Black Squares. It is my right to see him."

You have no rights here, Maximus Dragoslav. Leave or face the consequences.

A cry issued from inside the palace as someone raised an alarm, yelling that an intruder had broken in. I suspected immediately who the intruder might be and realized that Maximus was only a distraction. Fearing that Nyro had come to steal the scepter, I’d left Lovina behind and rushed into the palace.

And I hadn’t been wrong, except now, Loretta had revealed that the scepter Nyro had taken was a fake. How long before Maximus realized the mistake? What would he do?

What happened out there? I asked Loretta. Between the Queen and King?

Oh, they fought, she said, rubbing her chest and shoulders, making me feel wicked for the way I’d treated her. She was an old woman, her bones fragile, her years and the responsibilities she’d carried with her weighing heavily on her.

They destroyed the garden and the south side of the palace. She sat heavily on her chair and pressed a hand to her forehead. They were like two boulders, clashing and breaking everything in their path. They hurt each other, yes, but nothing they won’t quickly heal from. It was as it must’ve been between Florea and Lucian.

Too bad they can’t kill each other, I said, gathering my wits as the anger that had assaulted me passed. It seems my task remains. I must still challenge the Queen. I pulled the hood over my head. "Lead me out