BETWEEN BLOODE AND WATER
BETWEEN THE SHADOWS
MARIE HARTE
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and plot points stem from the writer’s imagination. They are fictitious and not to be interpreted as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locations or organizations is entirely coincidental.
BETWEEN BLOODE AND WATER
ISBN-13: 978-1642920680
Copyright © March 2022 by Marie Harte
No Box Books
Cover by Moonpress Design | moonpress.co
All Rights Are Reserved. None of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without express written permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations used for reviews or promotion. http://marieharte.com
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BETWEEN THE SHADOWS
Between Bloode and Stone
Between Bloode and Craft
Between Bloode and Water
Between Bloode and Wolf
Between Bloode and Death
Between Bloode and Gods
CONTENTS
The Night Bloode: A Brief Introduction
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Glossary
Also by Marie
About the Author
THE NIGHT BLOODE: A BRIEF INTRODUCTION
Varujan—patriarch (leader), strigoi tribe, known for his savagery, ability to seduce, smarts, and powerful magic, can shift into a raven; direct descendant of Ambrogio, the very first vampire
Duncan—revenant tribe, known for his power of seduction, speed, and intelligence, shifts into a raven
Orion—vrykolakas tribe, able to swim like water-folk, very strong, employs hypnosis on prey, shifts into a raven
Kraft—nachzehrer tribe, has a rage form that cannot be stopped until he tires himself out; super strong, shifts into a wolf at will
Khent—reaper tribe, with an ability to bring back the dead, arrogant and magical, shifts into an owl
Rolf—draugr tribe, steeped in magic, able to shift into a wolf, only blond vampire in existence
—
Mormo—clan magician and servant of the goddess Hecate, both human and not human, powerful
Hecate—clan patron, in charge of the rowdy bunch though they choose not to see her as anything but an inconvenience; goddess of witchcraft, death, and crossroads.
—
Bloode Empire (every vampire in existence) 80,000+ members
Vampire Tribe (vampires with defined characteristics) 1000-10,000 members
Vampire Clan (vampire families within their tribe) 6-60 members
—
Bloode—the essence of a vampire, made of (vampire) blood and magic
—
Vampire: beautiful, lethal, unfriendly, top predator
Lesser beings: everyone not a vampire, to include: humans, magir (creatures of magic who are not human,) monsters, fae, gods, and demons
CHAPTER
ONE
Sunday, January 2nd
Mercer Island, Washington
Orion had seen a lot of things in his two hundred and forty-six years of living, but the reanimated raccoon racing from the reaper while also being chased by a battle cat, two obnoxious kittens, and a wolf was an all new level of weird.
“Damn it. Get back here!” the reaper commanded.
Despite his ever-present arrogance, everyone alive and dead ignored him as they raced around the basement’s main living space, hissing and barking.
Smoky, Orion’s kitten, grinned as he passed by, the little jerk never so happy as he was while annoying Orion’s kin.
The other three vampires in the house, not counting the reaper and draugr (running around in wolf form), watched with him, as did the crazy dusk elf they’d all been forced to accept.
Truly, Orion was living in momentous times. Vampires from different tribes living together, when normally they’d have killed each other by now, had to be a first. Especially since two of the idiots had mates, which normally caused vampires to act even more territorial. For sure, the apocalypse had to be right around the corner.
Even the goddess Hecate, the owner of the large house they all lived in, agreed.
Kraft, the only vampire among them to match Orion’s strength, looked at him, grinned, and in a light German accent said, “Your demonic feline taunts the reaper yet again. I’m beginning to like him.” He paused and added with deliberate menace, “Perhaps I’ll allow him a few more months of life before I eat him.”
Orion flipped him off, which had the younger vampire laughing and making lewd comments about Orion’s lineage.
Before Orion could pound the giant bastard into the floor, a deep, melodic voice accompanied the arrival of a creature no one wanted to deal with, as evidenced by them all slinking away into the shadows. Hell, even the raccoon, battle cat, and kittens darted away.
“Where did everyone go? Oh well. You, Orion. I have a job for you.” Mormo, the freaky bastard who served the goddess they’d been unwillingly pledged to, pointed at him. Neither young nor old, Mormo had long white hair, a face with delicate features more suited to the fae than to other magir or humans, and an arrogant attitude not belonging in those not vampire.
Orion and his kin considered those not Of the Bloode to be lesser beings, and as such, he thought Mormo’s conceit misplaced.
Even if the bastard had the ability to make his bloode boil, freeze, or explode on a whim.
Orion groaned. “What do you want? I’m supposed to have off tonight.”
“Says who?” Mormo arched a brow, his red eyes glowing.
They’d all speculated on what Mormo might be but hadn’t come to a consensus. So they called him a magician, which fit well enough. Who else but a magic-user could gather six vampires from different tribes to serve a goddess none of them worshipped? Without Hecate’s power and Mormo’s magic, Orion and the others would have killed each other by now. Cursed long ago to only exist in small groups, his kind were driven to kill vampires outside their own clan.