Prince of Blood (a sparks of fire novel)

By Asper Reynolds

"I kissed you because I am selfish. I kissed you because my executioner was coming, and I wanted to greet death with the taste of you on my lips. I touched you in that room because of the agony I felt the moment I realized you didn't believe yourself capable of pleasure. I sat with you night after night because the sound of your beating hear

• Language: English
• Publisher: Asper Reynolds
• Release date: May 4, 2024
• ISBN: 9798869232090

Book preview

CONTENT WARNING

Vampires, fantasy violence, being eaten by monsters, torture, suicidal ideations, sexual content, swearing, being drugged, death of an important character, child loss, and loss of partner, mentions of sexual abuse and rape, depictions of PTSD triggers and responses, flashbacks with body memories, demons and hell, grief.  

For Eric

Thank you for always choosing me.

Pronunciation Guide 

Darcelia = Dar- seel -ya

Eirgor = Air-gore

Gormonom = Gore-mahn-ohm

Mathion= Math-ee-on

Andros = And-roe-s

Corramiel = Core- ah- meal

Lorai= Lore-eye

Kolaih= Coal-eye

Cadahm= Kay-dom

Treilah= Tray-la (or Tre = Tray)

Anishia = Ann-ee-sha

Prologue

398 years ago

Once in a land rich with magic…

Corramiel!

Hush Hector. Listen to the story and feed.

The small vampire nestles back into his mother’s lap and suckles blood from her upper arm while she strokes his thick black hair. It’s soft and sticks out in all directions, giving him the appearance of a gosling to his parents and his older siblings. His brother, Raphael, is eighty-seven years older than he is. He calls him Honker instead of Hector. He ruffles the downy hair on Hector’s head when he does it too. It annoys the five-year-old immortal to no end.

 His mother’s voice is low and soothing as he listens to the words he’s heard a thousand times.

"In this land of magic, the keepers of light and the keepers of darkness lived side by side. Together, they watched over and protected all the creatures who lived there. The giants, the wraiths, the mighty dragons and rocs, and the humans.

All were under their care, and they lived in balance and harmony."

The young vampire let go of his mother’s arm and bounces on her lap. But to the south, a vicious god slowly made his way toward the mountains that sheltered that magical land, he recites.

Alright then, his mother sighs, If you will not settle down and feed now, don’t come crying later when you grow thirsty. 

I’m not thirsty, he insists stubbornly. But I still want to hear the rest of the story.

You know it all by heart, baby. 

I’m not a baby. He crosses his arms and puffs out his chest, mimicking the stern stance his sire always takes when scolding one of his young. 

You will always be my baby, she corrects him, Until the stars fall from the heavens, and you have seen a thousand years or more I will still call you my baby. 

I will be a warrior like Kar, Mama. You can’t call me a baby then. Finish the story…please.

Koliah, the god of the spark, consumed all in their path, she says, and he settles against her contentedly. They needed no army, not when they commanded all the forces of nature, taking control of human villages and destroying every lycan pack they came across.

As they approached the mountains surrounding our lands the keepers of the dark, the Orc, and the many Elven keepers of light stood shoulder to shoulder to keep him from crossing over, but Koliah brought the mountain they stood upon down upon them, crushing their army and burying them alive. A dam was ruptured in the land shift, flooding the space that was left behind creating the lake—

The lake of light and darkness! Hector interrupts.

Yes, a grave for our ancestors. Sacred and powerful. They left their sparks below its waters. Light and dark, life and death. The orcs and the elves.

Now tell about the demon Mama! Hector begs, and Grandsire Malec!

Not now, littlest one. I must help our Malec prepare for his coronation. Your brother needs me. Don’t tell the new king I said this, but he is still my baby as well.

Chapter 1

Darcy stood motionless; her eyes fixed on the sky. Against the orange sunset, two dragons danced. 

She had been watching them from the front porch for ten minutes, maybe more. They were a few miles away. A part of her worried they might come closer, but a bigger part of her was mesmerized by the way they circled and dived and soared back into the air. They weren’t fighting, rather they seemed to be showing off for one another. She’d never seen anything more beautiful.

She should have been bringing in the firewood Bex asked for, but she thought her first time seeing dragons was a good enough excuse to tarry. 

Darcy? Hector’s soft voice behind her made her jump.   

I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you, he said.

It’s alright.

After everything she had been through in her life, most recently with Mathion, she didn’t like men coming up behind her. It embarrassed her when anyone noticed her reaction.

She pointed to the sky, and Hector’s face lit up when he spotted the dragons. 

It’s a mating dance, he said. They mate in the fall, and lay eggs in the winter. It seems these two are starting a few weeks early.

How long do the eggs take to hatch? she asked.

A year. With luck, they’ll be parents by the next winter solstice.

She watched them dance for another moment with him before asking, Sorry, did you need something?

No, I wanted to let you know, Anishia heard from Cadahm. Treilah made it to Capital City safely for Mathion’s funeral. In a few weeks, once she’s out of mourning, she’ll be Lady Garnett.

Mourning for Mathion. Darcy had to suppress a snort. She was glad she wasn’t the one who had to go through that charade. The world had become a better place the moment Treilah ended his life.

The dragons dived suddenly towards one another and into a dazzling free fall. Darcy forgot to breathe watching them. They pulled up sharply, their powerful wings pulling them upward again with stunning agility. 

After a moment, she glanced sideways toward Hector to see his reaction. He seemed just as entranced as she was by the performance. 

Do you think she can save the other apprentices? Darcy asked after a moment. 

Carefully keeping to the shade under the eaves of the porch, Hector sat on the steps, and she took a seat next to him. He kept his eyes on the sky, continuing to watch the dragons as he answered. 

It is not just a matter of saving the apprentices. If she and Cadahm don’t put an end to the council once and for all, they will simply find new lives to take. 

Darcy chewed her bottom lip. Then why haven’t we all returned to Lorai? I feel like we should be helping them somehow. 

The rest of you will be returning soon. Cadahm explained their plan to me. They intend to use the sensationalism surrounding Mathion’s death and Treilah’s supposed kidnapping to their advantage. Cadahm will explain how everyone can help with that when it’s time, but for now, they need eyes and ears in the city. I have work to do here, finding allies; as many as I can. While I do this, Treilah will gather inside information and look for opportunities, to warn the apprentices and turn them against their masters.

Butterflies fluttered in Darcy’s stomach. She knew Treilah had wanted to save the apprentices, but this…all of this seemed to be leading towards something so much bigger than anything she’d expected. She’d told Treilah the last day she’d seen her, that she was ready to make some trouble for the empire. . .Well, it seemed she would have her chance.    

Are we starting a war? she asked, unsure what she wanted the answer to be.

What did you think we were doing? Sitting with our thumbs up our asses? Bex’s voice startled her. She crossed her muscled arms and stared down at Darcy, narrowing her golden eyes.

Where’s my firewood? 

Hector pointed up to the sky, Would you care to take a break and watch the dragons with us for a moment, Bex? 

The rest of us actually have to work to eat, she answered. 

Would you rather eat in the woods? Hector asked. You could hunt with me tonight.

He hunted the woods himself for most of their food. The woods between the bunker and Capital City were over-hunted and sparse, but game was still plentiful here and Hector made certain they were all well fed. Occasionally Page and Lowe went with their bows, but as skilled as they were, they couldn’t match the vampire’s predator senses, his speed or his teeth. Bex, in her lycan form, was the only one here who could hunt as well as he could, maybe better.

Bex shrugged. I’ll have left over venison and boiled vegetables with everyone else. We already have plenty of meat. I’m not in the mood to break every bone in my body tonight. 

Darcy repressed a shudder, remembering the pain Bex endured with each transformation. A pain that she would never have to suffer if she’d chosen to bind herself to her pack and the mages who controlled them. She’d chosen her freedom over everything else. It was one reason why, in spite of her attitude and her questionable manners, Darcy couldn’t help liking her. She looked up to Bex even though she knew the lycan probably considered her more of an annoyance than anything else.

None of us will eat anything if Darcy doesn’t get moving and bring in the wood, Bex added.

Darcy checked to make sure the hems of her pants were rolled up before stepping off the porch, cringing at the dampness that immediately soaked through the side of her shoe. The house shoes she had worn since the night she and Treilah had left Mathion’s apartment were falling apart by the time she finished crossing the mountains into Corramiel. She held them together with strips of cloth now.

She needed clothes as well. Besides the impractical satin vampire gown she wore the night the lycans attacked the bunker looking for Treilah, all she had to wear were items loaned to her by Page and Lowe, the only people in the house who were remotely close to her size. She managed by rolling all the hems and tying the pants on with a belt. Everyone else had clothes of their own already stored here for emergencies. She looked and felt ridiculous every day.

Hector offered her a smile that looked almost apologetic from his place in the shade. He had nothing to apologize for. The shadows were lengthening, but they weren’t covering enough of the yard yet to offer any real protection from the sun. 

She returned his smile with one that felt a little awkward, wishing she could spend a few more minutes with him. . .only so she could watch the dragons longer.

Chapter 2

The parlor was filled to capacity. Although the elegant cabin Hector had taken them to when they’d fled was equipped with a dining room table with chairs sitting around it, habits formed in the bunker were set in stone. Everyone sprawled around the sofas and chairs of the parlor, balancing dinner plates on their laps. The sound of their conversations ebbed and flowed in the small space, directionless. Several voices spoke at once, telling stories or jokes, commenting on things that had gone on throughout the day or complaining. Occasional bursts of contagious laughter spread through the room.

 This had become Darcy’s favorite hour of the day. It fed something inside her she’d never realized was so empty until she found herself surrounded by these outlaws. 

She found a seat on the piano bench.

 Anishia was the only one who played the aged piano. The house once belonged to Hector’s family, a vacation home of sorts, so Darcy asked once if he could play. He’d only answered he would much rather hear Anishia perform. 

Page and Lowe had been forced to leave their fiddles behind when they’d fled the bunker. She hoped the instruments had survived the explosions Page set off to buy time to escape when the lycans broke in. 

We need to decide if anyone is coming with me to Blood Rock. Hector said, interrupting the dinnertime chatter and changing the tone in the room to one of a more formal meeting.

 He stood leaning against the wall, arms crossed, his long legs crossed at the ankle.

Anishia spoke up first. I’m going back to Lorai. 

This surprised no one. Since the night they fled the bunker, Anishia had been worried sick about her stepbrother. She was furious with Cadahm for staying in Lorai instead of fleeing to the safety of Remia as he and Treilah had originally planned or joining them here in Corramiel. Anywhere but Lorai, where he was one of the most wanted criminals in the empire. 

I’ll be heading back too, Mags said. I want to get out of Corramiel before the seasons change. These bones don’t get along with the cold up here.

I think you and the twins should return with Anishia, Hector answered him. And Bex, of course. We’ll be passing through Lunt on the way, and it would be wiser for her to stay away.

 I’m alright with that. Page agreed, looking at their brother Lowe, who was playing with his dinner knife, flipping it back and forth in his hand. He shrugged in agreement.

Although the twins from Remia were identical, Darcy was starting to be able to tell them apart easier than when she first arrived. Both were lean with golden brown skin and heads of thick black curls cropped shorter on the sides and longer on top. Page had a scar that ran across their knuckles, which they told her came from a knife fight years ago. Lowe had scars too, but those were on his chest. She saw them whenever he went around with his shirt open, which he often did. Even without looking at their hands, she could tell them apart once they opened their mouths. Lowe was the more outspoken and irreverent of the two. Page was friendly and good humored, but they tended to be quieter and more thoughtful, belying their proficiency with explosives. 

So, I’m with you, Clay said to Hector, Do you think two will be enough?

This made sense to Darcy. If anyone were to go along with Hector to a diplomatic meeting, Clay was the obvious choice. He was the most educated of the group, and had the most refined manners, aside from Cadahm and Anishia, who had grown up with a strict, social climbing father. The rest of them, including herself, looked like complete roughnecks next to Clay. 

It shouldn’t be more than a conversation, Hector answered. I’ve sent word ahead, so Gryph is already expecting me. I’m not expecting a fight this time.

Who’s Gryph? Darcy asked.

A hazard to the empire, Lowe said. 

Aren’t we all? she asked, earning a laugh from Mags.

He’s a pirate captain, Hector said. He also hates the high council as much as we do. If we make a move against them, he’ll want to be a part of it.

What about Maiya and Calista? Bex asked. I hate this Hector; they’re not our allies and they never will be.  Nothing you can say will make me believe we can trust them.

That’s why I’ll be stopping in Lunt, Hector answered. I don’t trust them either, but I want to sit down with them, and see where their heads are. If we can keep the peace between us, they may choose to stand with us when the time comes, and like it or not, having mages on our side is the only chance we have to survive this. Is there anything you’d like me to pass along to them when we see them? Or to Neil?

Just this. She extended her middle finger.

Darcy listened anxiously, the odd one out. She didn’t know any of these names, or the histories behind them that everyone else seemed familiar with. 

Once you get back, we need someone to infiltrate the tower and stay with Treilah.

That’s obviously Darcy, Lowe said. She can go back to her old job, live with Treilah in the tower, keep her ears open around the other lord’s servants and report back to the rest of us.

Darcy’s stomach dropped. She felt a slight roll of nausea, but before she could answer, Bex had already changed the subject.

We need eyes on Cadahm at all times, she said. With Treilah putting herself directly in harm’s way–I’ve seen him when it was just me he was defending. He’d destroy everything in his path for her.

I know what he did, before Bex, Hector said. He can’t do that again. We made certain of it. That part of him was sealed away. 

He breathed fire again, she snapped, crossing her arms. "For her, when Mathion threatened her. The rest will come back someday if he’s pushed hard enough. Even if it doesn’t, how do you know she can’t reach it through their bond and use it herself?"

He didn’t answer. 

What part do you mean? Clay asked. 

Darcy was torn between curiosity and the growing sense of dread at the thought of returning to the tower. 

He slaughtered my pack, Bex snarled.

Your pack? Clay asked. I thought you never joined a pack. 

I never sealed myself to them, but they were still my family by blood.

Page added carefully, He wasn’t in his right head then and he was trying to save you. 

Bex threw up her hands. Exactly! That’s my point. Cadahm’s never in his right head. He’s never completely recovered from what Mathion did to him. And now he’s got this bond messing with his mind as well. He’s an unreliable mess who can’t–

Enough Bex! Anishia cut her off. He’s done as much for this family as anyone else, proven himself again and again, and you continue to treat him like he’s nothing. 

Bex leveled a glare at Anishia. You’re right. At least he does something here.

What’s that s’posed to mean? Mags huffed. You think all the cleanin’ up after us and mendin’ our clothes and housekeepin’ Anishia does don’t make a difference? Just ‘cause she ain’t a fighter don’t mean she don’t pull her weight just the same as anyone.

He winked at Anishia with his one gray eye and Anishia straightened in her seat, drawing herself up to her full height, or lack thereof. Darcy doubted she even stood five feet tall with her pixie-like bone structure almost drowning in the long black locks that hung down to her waist. She tilted her chin up to hide her wounded pride and tried to smile back at Mags. 

Bex didn’t apologize, but she didn’t answer back either. 

We’re off topic, Hector said. 

Darcy spoke up tentatively. Perhaps Anishia should be the one to go to the tower instead of me. . .Only, well, she can burn notes. She can send word to you right away if something happens.

Page answered, That’s why she should stay with us. Treilah can already burn notes. With Anishia, we can send word back. 

Oh.

She tried not to show her disappointment. For the first time in her life, she felt free. Excited about waking up in the morning in ways she hadn’t been in years. She was learning new things, and happier with these rough people than she had ever been with her own family–a family who had all but whored her out to Mathion. The tower and the memories she’d left there would feel like a tomb now. She wasn’t ready to go back. 

Perhaps it would be wise to have a lady in our company when we travel to Blood Rock, Hector said, surprising her. 

She felt a flutter of hope. 

Why? Clay asked. It would be safer for her–

Gryph will be more susceptible to her charms than ours, Clay. 

Clay frowned. Do you really want to drag her halfway across the country? It’s rough terrain. 

I can handle myself, Darcy said quickly. 

Hector offered her a rare smile. I believe you can.

I’ll go to the tower, Anishia said. We’ve got enough contacts throughout the city. We’ll pass on information the way we always have.

I hate to point out the obvious, Bex drawled, But without the bunker we don’t have a place to stay that’s close enough to the city for any of this to work. None of the other safe houses will be of any use. They’re too far away.

Hector said, Until we know the bunker is safe, we have a few tents.

Oh, lovely. She waved her hand toward Mags and the twins. I can hardly wait to sleep in a tent with these three animals.

Says the lycan, Lowe laughed, ignoring the growl in his direction.

You’ll have a separate tent, Bex, Hector said. 

She did not look impressed by the offer. 

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After everyone else but Hector had gone to bed, Darcy sat on the front porch with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders, listening to the crickets and staring up at the moon. It didn’t surprise her when he joined her. It had become almost a ritual between them on nights when she couldn’t sleep. He would sit beside her staring into the dark, watching for dangers unseen to her human eyes.

You’re not going into the village tonight? she asked.

With no other humans close by, he had been going into the nearest village, several miles away, to find someone to feed from a few times a week. He was never gone for more than a few hours.

Not tonight. He settled down on the steps beside her.

She always thought of him as handsome, but she would never get used to the beauty that