Royal Blood – Kings and Queens

By Jennifer Leach

In Veil of Shadows, the clock is ticking and Charlotte remains missing. James, a newly awakened force of chaos, stalks the human realm freely, leaving devastation in his wake. The fragile truce between the Seekers Association and the vampire race teeters on the edge of collapse, while humans find themselves increasingly preyed upon.

Nicholas is caught in a soul-wrenching dilemma: he must navigate the labyrinth of his emotions to save Charlotte while fulfilling his obligations to his family. Joining forces with the enigmatic Council and allies Vicky and Carl, Nicholas marshals every ounce of his power and resources to restore peace to both supernatural and human worlds. Yet a dark force, lurking in the shadows, threatens to undo everything they’ve fought for.

The mysterious escape of James looms large, raising unsettling questions. How did he infiltrate the Rinaldi home undetected? But most crucial of all – where is Charlotte, and is she still alive?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Jan 5, 2024
• ISBN: 9781398453456

Jennifer Leach

Jennifer was born and raised in Leeds and has always had the urge to write books but just never had the time or the chance. At the age of twenty-seven, while suffering from a chest infection, she took the opportunity to write her first book Royal Blood – The Knights.

Book preview

About the Author

Jennifer was born and raised in Leeds and has always had the urge to write books but just never had the time or the chance. At the age of twenty-seven, while suffering from a chest infection, she took the opportunity to write her first book Royal Blood – The Knights.

Dedication

To L J Smith, my favourite author. Thank you for being such an amazing writer. Truly an inspiration to me and others.

Copyright Information ©

Jennifer Leach 2024

The right of Jennifer Leach to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

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

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

ISBN 9781398453449 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781398453456 (ePub e-book)

www.austinmacauley.co.uk

First Published 2024

Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd®

1 Canada Square

Canary Wharf

London

E14 5AA

Acknowledgement

A massive thank you to Austin Macauley Publishers for giving me the opportunity to publish my work and making a long-time dream come true.

Prologue

Felix Burgoyne marched through the empty halls of the house with his hands behind his back. Large paintings hung on each of the walls of his last lord and lady. His stomping feet echoed throughout the house. Walking up the marble stairs, he was immediately drawn to the room where talking and giggles could be heard. With two knocks, he opened the gold and white painted double doors.

Stepping into a brightly decorated room where all the furniture and walls were also painted white and gold. Felix’s eyesight was immediately drawn to a small group of pretty young women gathered on the four-poster bed. All of them wearing fine silk nightgowns. At the sight of Felix, they all immediately stopped giggling.

Felix’s clover green eyes dilated. In each of their hands, crystal glasses filled with thick, red liquid swirled temptingly; the blood made him salivate.

Felix, Mina Cross said with a delighted smile as she sat up from the bed. Her curly red hair falling over her shoulders. You’ve finally returned! I was getting worried. Care to join us?

Felix returned the smile and walked closer towards the bed, he took the hand that Mina held out and kissed it. My lady, he said. I’ve just returned from the errand you sent me on.

Oh, yes, Mina replied with an arched eyebrow, laying back against her pillow.

I regret to inform you that the Davenport girl is still missing, Felix replied, putting his hands behind his back again.

Oh, dear, Mina replied with a creased brow as she shifted herself from the bed, the other ladies moving to the side as she did so. She picked up her silk pink robe from the floor. That is terrible! How is everyone handling it?

Mixed emotions, I’m afraid. Some believe it is best to abandon the search. And some believe they must continue.

Mina’s lips pursed as she listened intently, but then they curled into a smile. Her emerald green eyes turned into snake-like slits. Perfect. Everything is going according to plan.

Chapter One

"The chief says we carry on! That means we carry on!" Captain Miranda Panelli shouted as she slammed a fist onto the mahogany table. Miranda was a plump, olive-skinned woman with chestnut brown hair and eyes to match. As usual, she was wearing the seekers’ uniform, a black jumper, long black coat, stab vest and black boots.

Ben Aldridge, a young dark-haired man, had his head in his hands with exhaustion. He was also wearing the same uniform as Miranda. With a sigh, Ben looked up at the seething woman standing in front of him on the opposite side of the table. Miranda, he begged. "Try and see sense. Charlotte has been missing for a month and we are no closer to finding her. We’ve searched everywhere."

Not everywhere! Charlotte is somewhere, we’re just not looking in the right places dammit!

Our teams are exhausted! Ben snapped. We’ve spent more time looking for Charlotte than dealing with the deaths of innocent people!

Charlotte is the daughter of –

I know! Ben shouted back, also slamming a fist into the table as he stood abruptly from his chair. Angrily, he met her glare. I know God dammit!

The four captains of the seeker association sat at the dining table along with the four lords and ladies in the Rinaldi home. The dining room was a white-painted room with a long mahogany dining table and chairs. Mahogany and glass cabinets lined the walls; each containing silver-framed photographs. Elise and William sat at the end of the table, listening to both sides intently. The debate had gone on for hours, and Carl Davenport still hadn’t come down. The seat opposite William and Elise remained empty.

Miranda looked at Captain John Thorn, a middle-aged, grey-haired man with a moustache, and Captain David Dawson, almost a grey-haired man, for help. Guys?

John and David exchanged a concerned look, then eventually, John looked at Miranda sympathetically. I believe we should keep looking, but we should also consider, maybe, cutting the teams in half.

No! Miranda snapped with a scowl. Out of the question!

Now, come on Miranda, be fair, David responded calmly. We still need to focus on looking out for others too.

But, we—

We were all friends with Matthew and Rachel too. But if they were here now, they wouldn’t lose sight of what’s important.

Miranda opened her mouth to speak but found she couldn’t utter a word. Closing her mouth, she looked at Ben. It does have the ring of fairness to it, Ben said firmly.

Miranda licked her lips, closed her eyes and slumped back into her chair feeling defeated. All eyes were on her. Miranda massaged her forehead for a moment as she thought about the options. Ben also took his seat back next to John and watched her carefully. Miranda looked at Lord Blake, Lady Blake, Lord DeLuca, Lady DeLuca, Lord McKnight, Lady McKnight, Lord Sharp, Lady Sharp and lastly, the king and queen. My lords and ladies? What are your thoughts?

All their eyes hesitantly looked to William, who was