Ballad of Blood Read online

  Ballad of Blood

  Amy Sumida

  Copyright © 2018 Amy Sumida

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN-10: 1722848294

  ISBN-13: 978-1722848293

  Legal Notice

  This book is copyright protected. It is only for personal use. You cannot amend, distribute, sell, use, quote, or paraphrase any part of the content within this book without the consent of the author or copyright owner. Legal action will be pursued if this is breached.

  More Books by Amy Sumida

  The Godhunter Series(in order)

  Godhunter

  Of Gods and Wolves

  Oathbreaker

  Marked by Death

  Green Tea and Black Death

  A Taste for Blood

  The Tainted Web

  Series Split:

  These books can be read together or separately

  Harvest of the Gods & A Fey Harvest

  Into the Void & Out of the Darkness

  Perchance to Die

  Tracing Thunder

  Light as a Feather

  Rain or Monkeyshine

  Blood Bound

  Eye of Re

  My Soul to Take

  As the Crow Flies

  Cry Werewolf

  Pride Before a Fall

  Monsoons and Monsters

  Blessed Death

  Beyond the Godhunter

  A Darker Element

  Out of the Blue

  The Twilight Court Series

  Fairy-Struck

  Pixie-Led

  Raven-Mocking

  Here there be Dragons

  Witchbane

  Elf-Shot

  Fairy Rings and Dragon Kings

  Black-Market Magic

  Etched in Stone

  —Completed Series—

  The Spellsinger Series

  The Last Lullaby

  A Symphony of Sirens

  A Harmony of Hearts

  Primeval Prelude

  (Ballad of Blood)

  Fairy Tales

  Happily Harem After

  Vol. 1 includes:

  The Four Clever Brothers

  Beauty and the Beasts

  Pan's Promise

  Wild Wonderland

  The Little Glass Slipper

  Vol. 2 (in progress) includes:

  Codename: Goldilocks

  Twisted: Another Oz

  Other Books

  The Magic of Fabric

  Feeding the Lwas: A Vodou Cookbook

  There's a Goddess Too

  The Vampire-Werewolf Complex

  Enchantress

  Sign up for Amy's Newsletter and get a free book:

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  And dive further into the worlds of the Godhunter, Twilight Court, and Spellsinger, at Amy's website:

  AmySumida.com

  Pronunciation Guide in the back of book.

  Author's Note

  The Maya are referred to in this book, and I wanted to clarify here, for any who might not know, that the term “Maya” is the correct name for the people, culture, and items relating to them. There has been a popular misconception that “Maya” is a singular noun while “Mayas” is the plural form, and “Maya” is an adjective. Actually, “Maya” is used in all three situations; a Maya man, the Maya people, and the Maya religion. The only time “Maya” is correct is when referring to 29 out of the 32 languages spoken by the Maya. I hope this helps clear things up; I know it did for me. Yes; I had to research that to be certain.

  The Playlist:

  You can listen to it free on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/user/ashstarte/playlist/5MNQuOYvMuD0lFC4sYXZyo?si=p7lZX443TKSBCRleECeFYg

  or just look it up as “Ballad of Blood playlist by Amy Sumida”

  Songs are listed in order of reference within the book.

  “Born This Way” by Lady Gaga

  “Monsters” by Ruelle

  “Fire Woman” by The Cult

  “Widowmaker” by Night Argent

  “Unfamiliar” by The Birthday Massacre

  “Come Alive” by Rachel Taylor

  “Leaders of the Undersea World” by Odds

  “White Flag” by The Romanovs

  “Parasite” by Armors

  “Blood in the Cut” by K. Flay

  “Gods & Monsters” by Lara Del Rey

  “Doomsday Serenade” by Jill Tracy

  “Centuries” by Fall Out Boy

  Chapter One

  Moonlight skimmed the surface of the little lake; making it into a mirror. Birds cooed in the early evening, urging their mates to settle down for slumber The scent of crushed grass rose from beneath the wool blanket Banning had laid out for us, and the bite of dry, red wine added an acidic note to the air. The taste of the wine was on my lips, melding with a faint flavor of my own blood. That was what happened when you kissed your blooder boyfriend after he drank from you.

  Dusk had fallen only an hour ago, but we had been out on the empty golf course for much longer than that. Banning had shut his country club down for a week; to give his blooders—aka vampires—some time off after they'd helped us protect the Primeval Forest of Tír na nÓg from Norse Giants—long story. Twenty-six Blooders had died in the battle, and not only did the survivors need some time to relax, but they also needed it to mourn. The only bright side was the fact that Banning's blooders had been able to feed from several types of immortals in the days leading up to the battle and had become much stronger for it; even gaining the ability to walk in sunlight again.

  Banning himself had drunk from Torin, Declan, Gage, and me. He had previously taken blood only from me, and that had given him the ability to withstand sunlight. But after drinking from two shining ones and a griffin, Banning was now ten times stronger, which meant that our whole romantic quintet was ten times stronger. Today, that strength had manifested in our lovemaking.

  We had luxuriated in the warm sunshine and each other for hours; one of Banning's favorite pastimes now—the basking in sunshine, not the lovemaking. He's a man; I think it goes without saying that sex has always been a favorite way for him to while away the time. When Ban had neared completion, he bit me and sent us both over ecstasy's edge. We had shouted freely together—our cries echoing across the lake—but it didn't matter. No one would disturb us.

  Or so I'd thought.

  As we laid there naked, wrapped around each other contentedly, one of Banning's blooders came running up. At least it was a woman; Banning would have blown a blooder gasket if some guy had gotten a look at my goods.

  “Gheara, I'm so sorry,” Megan said as she kept her eyes averted. “I wouldn't bother you if it wasn't important.”

  “What's happened?” Banning asked as he sat up and gathered our clothes.

  “There's a visitor here from Romania,” Megan said. “From your father,” she added just in case we didn't make the connection.”

  “We'll be right there,” Banning said crisply.

  Megan started to run away, but Banning called after her.

  “Has he hurt anyone?”

  “Not yet, Gheara,” she said. Then added, “But we aren't that easy to hurt anymore. Not by another blooder anyway.”

  She hurried back to the club as Banning hopped into his jeans. He pulled his T-shirt on and smoothed his straight, shoulder-length, blond hair back into a ponytail. Unfortunately, I was too distracted to appreciate the view.

  “Great.” I sighed. “I knew this was too good to be true.”

  “What?” Banning's green eyes caught the light from a nearby lamppost as he shifted his stare to me.

  It made him appear sinister for a second. No, not sinister; cold. He looked like someone whos
e magic and might had made callous; a man too powerful to be able to sympathize with those weaker than himself. What a weird thing to think—that wasn't Banning at all—but the impression had been strong.

  I brushed aside the sense of dread it had given me and chided myself for being superstitious. I was a member of the Beneath (the supernatural community of Earth); I knew better than to be afraid of things like a pair of eyes reflecting the light. Contrarily, the reason I wasn't afraid was that I knew for a fact that there were monsters lurking in the dark, and I also knew how to kill them.

  “This peace,” I finally said to Banning. “No one trying to murder our loved ones or us. I knew it wouldn't last forever.”

  “Nothing lasts forever,” Banning said softly before he kissed my cheek. “But sometimes that's a good thing.”

  Banning and I had been lovers in the past; as in a past life—mine, not his. I had been killed, but he had lived. Then I was reborn as a spellsinger. Every day brought more memories of the love we'd shared, and it had been epic; enough to pull us back together in my new life. But Banning was right; this time around was so much better. And if we could conquer death, his father was nothing

  I took his hand confidently, and we hurried up to the Crouching Lion's main clubhouse. The lights were on inside, but I didn't see anyone through the windows. We went through the back entrance and then made our way to the main room; where the reason for the absent blooders was revealed. The entire Gura was in one room; staring at one guy. But all the attention swiveled to Banning and me as we walked in.

  The man who had been the center of attention stood to greet us. He was slickly handsome; like a car salesman turned actor. He had close-cropped, dark hair, gray eyes that made him look blind at first glance, and skin paler than the inside of a clamshell. His elegant hands were clasped loosely before him—barely pressing into the crisp lines of his tailored suit—and his lips were set into a relaxed smile. Everything about him looked fake.

  “Prince Banning?” He asked as we approached.

  “'Gheara Banning' will do,” Banning corrected.

  “I hardly think so.” The man's lips twisted into a wry smile, and his gaze dropped down Banning's buff body in a sexually speculative manner. “You are most definitely a prince.”

  I coughed to cover my laugh.

  “And you are the Spellsinger, I presume?” the man asked; completely unruffled by my amusement.

  “Propriety dictates that you introduce yourself first,” I said primly. “And there are other spellsingers; I'm not the only one.”

  “Ah, my apologies,” he murmured with a smirk. “I am Randal Longchamp of the Suceava Gura.”

  “Longchamp?” Banning frowned. “There's a gheara named Longchamp in England.”

  “I am he,” Randal confirmed. “I abdicated to join your father's gura.”

  “Why the hell would you do that?” Banning asked with horror.

  “Because my king asked it of me,” Randal said as if it were obvious. “The Original Gura must be protected, and it was greatly depleted recently.”

  “Yeah; we know.” It was my turn to smirk.

  Randal sniffed in offense and set his indignant stare on me. “You mock the slaughter of the First Gura?”

  “Well, I participated in it, and it wasn't a slaughter,” I said. “You want to talk about a slaughter? I'll tell you about the thousands of Jotun we killed last week. Now, that”—I shifted my expression from neutral to menacing—“was a slaughter. We nearly killed their entire race; even the ones who hadn't left Utgard.”

  Randal's eyes went wide, and he looked around the room at the grim faces of Banning's gura with shock. “I haven't heard of this battle. Why did you kill Norse Giants?”

  “Because they had the nerve to attack Tír na nÓg,” Banning said. “My consort has a kingdom there now, and if you come against my woman—or her world—you come against me.”

  “And all of us,” Arnold—one of Banning's commanders—added as he crossed his arms over his chest.

  Randal started to look nervous, but he quickly masked it. “I was sent by our king to—”

  “Your king,” Banning corrected.

  “What?” Randal's eyes went even wider.

  “He's your king, not mine,” Banning said evenly. “The last time I saw my father, he tried to kill my lady. I spared his life, but he's still dead to me, and I refuse to serve a dead king.”

  “Then I suppose this invitation will also be refused.” Randal pulled an envelope out of his inner coat pocket and handed it to Banning. “But I vowed to deliver it and await your response.”

  Banning opened the envelope and slid out a beautifully calligraphed invitation to King Sorin's birthday party. He laughed and tossed the invitation into the nearest fireplace.

  “You supposed correctly,” Banning said. “Thank you for delivering it, Gheara Randal. But I don't celebrate the birthdays of the dead either.”

  Randal blinked in surprise and then bowed. “It was an honor to meet you, Gheara Banning.”

  Banning smiled at that. The man had earned enough respect with that one word to encourage further consideration.

  “May I offer you some refreshment before you leave?” Banning asked in a kinder tone. “You've come a long way for nothing.”

  “I would love to take you up on that”—Randall smiled warmly—“but not tonight. Thank you for your hospitality anyway. I need to head back to the airport; my plane leaves in two hours.”

  “Have a safe trip,” Banning said.

  “Thank you.” Randal turned toward the door and then paused. Over his shoulder, he said, “Your father is determined to make the Suceava Gura the strongest in the world... and to see you lead it.” He looked Banning in the eye. “At any cost to either of you.”

  “I appreciate the warning.” Banning said with sincere sobriety. “Perhaps you should reflect on that yourself.”

  Randal pursed his lips, nodded crisply at Banning, and left.

  “Well, that was interesting,” I noted.

  “My father strengthening his gura to come after me?” Banning asked with surprise. “We already knew he was working toward that end.”

  “No; that Randal guy,” I said. “He was totally into you.”

  “He was not,” Banning huffed.

  “Oh, yeah; he wanted you,” I teased. Then I mimicked, “You are most definitely a prince.”

  The Gura chuckled.

  “He did, Gheara,” Arnold confirmed. “He was checking out the full Banning package.”

  “My father is possibly consolidating a gura of ghearas to attack us for the second time, and you people want to joke about our visitor being attracted to me?”

  I looked around the room at all the smiling faces, and then back at Banning. “Yep,” I answered for everyone.

  “May the Gods help us,” Banning groaned.

  “They probably will, if we ask nicely,” I said merrily. “Should I call Cerberus and see if he can get Freya to kick Sorin's ass for you?”

  Banning rolled his eyes and walked away.

  Chapter Two

  Miraculously enough, life went on without disruption for awhile. We forgot about the invitation and chose to ignore what Sorin was doing with his gura. Randal had given us fair warning, but honestly, we weren't worried about anything that Sorin might have planned. We knew Banning's gura was more powerful than Sorin's; no matter how many ghearas Sorin enlisted. On top of that, we knew Sorin would never hurt Banning; it would be the end of his plans to pass the Original Gura to his son. So, what was the worst that Sorin could do?

  I suppose that I shouldn't have asked that question; Sorin would inevitably show us his worst. But that was in a far-off future, and we were living for the present.

  In my present, there were more important things to worry about than a surly Sorin. I had a kingdom—a queendom, really—to set to rights and four lovers to keep happy. Two of my consorts were fairy kings and since my queendom was in Tír na nÓg (the Shining One Realm), go
ing there to check on it took care of three birds with one Elaria.

  Traveling between the realms wasn't so bad; thanks to the traveling stone Torin—one of the aforementioned fairy kings—had given me. The enchanted stone allowed a person to travel through the Veil that separated the realms. You couldn't use it to bop around a single realm, but as long as you crossed the Veil, you could go anywhere. Anywhere you've seen or had the exact coordinates to, that is; the stone needed you to focus on where you wanted to go, or it wouldn't know to take you there. And trust me; you don't want a traveling stone to get confused.

  Torin had given me many useful gifts; the first being a pair of magic-grounding bracelets that I could wear when I wanted to sing without casting a spell. Although, those were first put on me when I was briefly his prisoner. My imprisonment lasted all of one night, but I digress. The last really useful gift from Torin had been my contact charm; a piece of barite that naturally formed a rosette. On the non-rose side of the charm, the stone was tapered to a point that fit perfectly in my ear. Once in, I could use it as a cell phone; except this phone got service anywhere and could reach across any distance.

  I used the contact charm to call Torin and then Declan—the Kings of Onyx and Alexandrite, respectively—to let my guys know that I was on my way to Kyanite. They both had kingdoms to run as well, but theirs have been running smoothly for centuries and could function without them for awhile. In Kyanite, however, I recently had to execute some people and banish a whole lot more. I'm not even sure where they went. So, if your new neighbors seem strange—like really odd—they may be fairies; refugees from another realm. I'd avoid them if I were you.

  To visit me, my consorts would either have to travel through the Veil to another realm and then loop back to Kyanite, or travel on horseback to my kingdom. They'd probably go with the first option and jump over to my house in Hawaii; we used it as a landing spot between journeys a lot. Gage—my griffin boyfriend—was currently living there with me so I wouldn't be surprised if he showed up as well. Banning was staying in Kansas with his gura. We may not be worried about Sorin, but that didn't mean he was comfortable leaving his people alone during an unsettled time. Banning's gura was like family to him.