Beneath the Mask

By Mychael Black

Lance Shaw has secured an interview with the leader of the Inferi Brotherhood, a group of vampires that broke off from the Romanorum in the 13th century. Triarius is petite but possesses a personality that far exceeds anyone Lance has ever known. Triarius isn't beautiful by any means, and the silver mask he wears over half his scarred face attests to the brutality of his world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Arian Derwydd Books, LLC
• Release date: Nov 11, 2022
• ISBN: 9781955467445

Mychael Black

Alter ego of Katherine Cook, Mychael focuses on gay erotic romance stories in many genres. She lives in the eastern US with her family.

Book preview

Legends of the Romanorum, Book 3

Lance Shaw has achieved the impossible: secured an interview with the enigmatic and reclusive leader of the Inferi Brotherhood, a splinter group of vampires that broke off from the Romanorum in the 13th century. When he meets Triarius, he's instantly intrigued. The vampire is petite but possesses a personality that far exceeds anyone Lance has ever known. Triarius isn't beautiful by any means, and the silver mask he wears over half his scarred face attests to the brutality of his world. But just when Lance thinks he's done, Triarius changes the game. Abducted and dragged deep beneath the Snowdonia Mountains in Wales, Lance discovers an entire world no one has ever seen, and, in time, he discovers the true man behind the silver mask.

(This title was previously published but has been revised.)

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This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale, or organizations is entirely coincidental.

Arian Derwydd Books, LLC

https://arianderwyddbooks.com/

Beneath the Mask

Copyright © 2022 by Mychael Black

ISBN: 978-1-955467-44-5

All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission.

Chapter One

Thank you for meeting me like this.

My pleasure.

I flipped open my notebook to a fresh page and tried to ignore the slight shakiness in my hand as I clicked my pen. I'm just going to jot down some initial notes. If anything is wrong, please feel free to correct me. There was no answer, but when I glanced up, I saw the shadowed figure nod. I fixed my gaze back onto my paper. Triarius… Any last name?

No.

I continued. Born in Rome in 12 BC, turned in 7 AD. I paused. You're… over two thousand years old?

I am.

I stifled a sigh. Maybe this was a mistake. When Jeff gave me this lead, I had high hopes of a great interview -- the pinnacle of my career. Yes, vampires were quite well-known to exist, and some even held ranks within the human government, but aside from a few instances, getting into their circle was next to impossible. And that was just the Romanorum. This… was the Brotherhood. I twirled my pen in my fingers, wondering just how to start this. I've been interviewing vampires for nearly fifteen years. Why was this one so different?

Is there something wrong, Mr. Shaw?

No! I shook my head. No, no. I cleared my throat. I asked you here to fulfill an opportunity -- for us both. A chance for me to, quite honestly, get the story of the century: the history of the Inferi Brotherhood. And a chance for you to dispel the rumors of… well… less than pleasant acts said to occur within the Brotherhood.

And what if the rumors are true?

I swallowed compulsively, my mouth and throat suddenly dry. True? He stood and I watched him walk over to the window. Moonlight shone through the glass around his body. He was shorter than I'd expected, for some reason, and of slighter build. I'd thought one of the most feared men in the world would be much larger in stature.

Size matters little when compared to the mind, Mr. Shaw, he said without turning. He clasped his hands behind his back, shoulders straight and squared. On a lesser man, the position might have been seen as bravado; on him, it seemed natural. I created the Brotherhood because I no longer felt the Romanorum served its purpose.

What if Diocourides were to find out? He would-

Dio knows we exist, Mr. Shaw. The Romanorum knows. At this point, I would daresay the entire world knows. The fact remains, however, that they cannot find the worst of us. And by that, I mean those of us who actively kill humans.

Fuck. I was in over my head. What was I thinking? Here I was, in some nondescript ghost town in the middle of nowhere England, with a man -- a creature -- who could easily kill me. And no one would ever know. Curiosity, however, is a strong influence.

I know the Brotherhood is underground -- both figuratively and literally, and no, I won't ask where. I am curious, though, as to why the Romanorum can't find you. Can't every vampire -- even a rogue -- trace his or her blood back to the sire?

Not all of us are rogues, he said. It is true that I myself am, by Romanorum standards, but you forget that the oldest of us did not take the formulas required to make that distinction. It is by name alone that I am known for who I am, not by any taint to my aura or soul.

So… there are those who are not rogues within the Brotherhood?

Yes. The Brotherhood is not based on killing humans. We are gods, Mr. Shaw. Descended from gods, created by them. Human are cattle, put upon this earth for us to use as we see fit.

The Romanorum would have something to say about that, I said quietly.

You are not writing. Is my tale that uninteresting?

I blinked down at the paper. A large stain spread out from where the tip of my pen rested, but there were no words. What was I supposed to say, how was I going to write any of this into a news story? I stared at the blotch of ink and wondered why I'd even asked for this meeting.

Perhaps you were curious, more for your own sake than that of your readers.

"You can read