Rebel Vampires (The Royale Vampire Heirs Book 1) Read online

  Table of Contents

  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

  Epilogue

  Other Series by Ginna Moran

  About Ginna Moran

  Rebel Vampires

  THE ROYALE VAMPIRE HEIRS, BOOK ONE

  by

  GINNA MORAN

  Copyright © 2019 by Ginna Moran

  All Rights Reserved.

  All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  ISBN 978-1-942073-33-8 (soft cover)

  This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  Cover design by Silver Starlight Designs

  Cover images copyright Depositphotos

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  9663 Santa Monica Blvd Suite 1158

  Beverly Hills, CA 90210, USA

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  www.GinnaMoran.com

  To those who love a good morning wakeup call. This is for you. ;)

  Chapter 1

  Blood Source

  “THAT’S A SHIT-TON OF BLOOD, Gwen,” my brother Kyler whispers, clutching his silver stake tighter.

  I wish he would put the thing away and trust me to take care of him. If any vampire in this hellish city sees him with it, they’ll know we’re not from around here and that we broke the law by sneaking in from the far side through an old drain.

  But Kyler would never go unarmed, and guns are too loud to risk right now. Because the stake belonged to our dad, he thinks it somehow gives him the strength of all the Blood Rebels who held it before him. Such a crock. He’s too old to believe in that shit. He’s never even used the damn thing. All it does is remind me that Dad died trying to punch out a vampire’s heart. And failed.

  Kyler waves the stake at the floor again. “There’s more. Damn.”

  From the look of the mess, the blood belongs to a person who didn’t even put up a fight. And why would they? Most humans grow up thinking it’s best to comply with a vampire’s fangs. To fight back means to die. Chances are, the vampire who attacked this human plans to hold onto them. From what my blood source told me, private donors cost too much for the normal shadow dweller. One of the ruling covens wouldn’t resort to risking getting caught taking from the general donor population pool.

  Unlucky for this vampire, he’s about to get caught by me.

  How do I know it’s a dude? I’ve encountered a female vampire once. One time. I only know of a couple of human women too. Three to be exact. The male population in the Donor Life Corp territory is huge. I don’t know by how much, but my dad used to suspect at least by five times. My blood source says ten. But I can’t be sure if the vampire who currently gives me his blood tells the truth. The last one lied. A lot.

  I touch my finger to the sticky spot of red fluid. “It’s fresh.” Training my eyes to the floor, I follow the streak of blood with my gaze to the back of the dark warehouse. “They’re still here. Look.”

  Kyler follows my finger with his eyes, readying his stake. It sparkles in the soft light trickling in through the broken window, a sign that this isn’t a vampire hideout. If it were, the glass would be tinted and shatter-proof to protect the blood drinkers from the sun and their blessed sunlight sensitivity. This place belongs to humans, probably ones in desperate need of help to get out of this damn city. And that’s what we plan to do.

  A shadow moves next to me, seemingly materializing out of thin air. “Smells like more than one human. Possibly four or five.”

  Swinging my arm out, I clock my blood source in the sternum just hard enough to make him wince. He snatches my hand and drags me to him before I can attempt to punch him again for surprising me.

  “Calm down, my dhampir. It’s just me,” Laredo says, engulfing me in an annoying hug to restrain me to him. He risks pressing my head into his shoulder, knowing that if he pisses me off enough, I’ll bite. Hard. He won’t survive trying to bite me back. “And you two need to shut up. Someone will hear you.”

  “All of you shut the hell up,” Grayson, my eldest brother says from a dozen feet behind us. He narrows his gaze on me in my blood source’s arms, baring his teeth through his unkempt beard. “Put Gwen down and never call her that again, asshole. It’s dangerous. You know she doesn’t like that shit.”

  Laredo softly chuckles. “She does if I—”

  I widen my mouth on his shoulder and bite but not hard enough to break his skin. “Don’t put words in my mouth. He’s right, Laredo.”

  Mostly because if the world knew that I was born half-human, half-vampire, I’d be caged. I carry some traits of vampirism, but I’m a genetic anomaly. I look human and eat solid food. I can go out into the sun. I rarely get sick. But I drink blood. Vampire blood. Some suspect my birth was a gift to humanity, turning someone who should be prey into a predator to fight back against the vampires who control us. If only I wasn’t alone.

  My ancestor, Gwyneth Gallagher, caught the Blood Hunger Plague while pregnant during the vampire uprising. She died, unable to handle the transition, but her son was born a carrier of the dhampir mutation—his immunity strengthened by the plague. It wasn’t until my birth that my family discovered the truth of our lineage—that the symptoms show themselves in some females. If my great-great-grandfather hadn’t escaped the division of humans and taken refuge among Blood Rebels, humans and vampires against the uprising, I’d already be dead. So, yeah. My fucking luck.

  Laredo slides his hand into my hair, slightly bending his neck to tease me. “Mmmhmm. Keep telling yourself that—”

  A guttural cry sounds from behind a cracked door, cutting off Laredo’s words before he says something that’ll have my eldest brother, who is my formal protector guardian, attempting to gut him. I could be fifty and my brothers would still treat me like a kid because I’m the youngest.

  And it wouldn’t be the first time Grayson stabbed my blood source. Just last week, Grayson caught me sucking on Laredo’s neck after Laredo wound me up enough to bite him instead of drinking his blood from a glass. Grayson shanked him with a fork in the side. Talk about overprotective.

  If Laredo were any other vampire, Grayson would be dead. Grayson wouldn’t have even been allowed to touch him. But Laredo knows the rules. He’s my blood source, and as long as he helps assure I get the blood I need, he’ll reap the benefits—mostly an unlimited blood supply from my six brothers. Never from me.

  Laredo also thinks he might wear me down one of these days. He can fantasize all he wants but that shit isn’t happening and not only because my brothers would stake him. I couldn’t trust myself not to get caught up in his charm. He’s hot. Muscular. And delicious as hell, way better
than my last blood source. That son of a bitch got staked a few years ago on my eighteenth birthday when he assumed he could try to bite me. It was the moment that changed everything—the reason my dad died. He was my first vampire kill. It was then that my brothers knew I was ready to face the world outside the bunker we’ve lived in all my life, far away from any vampire regions.

  Another cry sounds out, and I grimace, turning to Laredo. “That sounds like a kid.”

  “Shit, Gwen. Come on.”

  My brothers don’t even have a chance to stop us before Laredo dashes us forward at an inhumanly fast pace to the back of the warehouse. If Grayson didn’t want to risk ruining our surprise attack, he’d be swearing up a storm that we’re taking the lead.

  Laredo sets me on my feet and thrusts open the door. A snarl sounds through the air. Laredo disappears, his motions too fast for me to focus on. Something crashes to my right, and I finally catch sight of my blood source shoving a disgusting blood and dirt covered shadow dweller into the wall.

  “Gwen, behind you!” Laredo calls.

  Instead of spinning, I uppercut a swing straight in front of me, sucker punching the shadow dweller in the chin as he tries to trick me, thinking I’ll listen to my blood source. As his head jerks back, I knee him in the stomach, sending him sprawling to the floor.

  Saying the opposite of what he wants me to do has been Laredo’s thing for months. What started out as me being stubborn toward his suggested fighting methods turned into a pretty effective way to catch these quick suckers off guard.

  Laredo closes the space to the shadow dweller, but the jerk dodges past him and disappears, choosing to flee over fighting. If it were just me, he’d continue to try to get to me, but with Laredo, he’s choosing self-preservation.

  Too bad for him my brothers lay in wait.

  An ear-piercing shriek sounds through the air, and I watch the shadow dweller at the door spin Grayson off him. Kyler attacks next, going after the vampire from behind. But he doesn’t get within a foot of him. The shadow dweller gnashes his sharp fangs, making Kyler hesitate long enough to escape.

  Gunshots pop, and I startle. “Damn it, Declan! What did we say? No fucking guns!”

  But it’s too late.

  My middle brother chose to risk the noise to shoot at the shadow dweller. Now, we’ll surely get all the vampires in the area rushing toward us, attracted to the sound of the fight.

  A loud siren rings through the air, and Laredo bends forward, experiencing the ear-shattering noise far worse than any of us. I dash toward him instead of my brothers to help him cover his ears. The noise suddenly snaps off, and a few figures appear in the doorway. Silver eyes flash from the two front figures.

  Laredo growls. “We have to go.”

  “But my bro—”

  The world spins around me as Laredo lifts me off my feet and relocates me too fast to orient myself to the shift in our surroundings. Shouts call out for him to stop, but it only pushes him harder, faster. My sudden fear instincts ignite—the icy dread that tells me when a vampire draws near, stalking us—washing down my back.

  “Gwen, listen to me,” Laredo whispers, keeping his mouth near my ear. “We’re being followed. I don’t know the city well enough to evade the authorities. They’re fast and outnumber me.”

  I dig my nails into his back. “I’m not afraid to fight. We can do it.”

  He sucks in a few deep breaths, slowing down to turn into an alley. Pressing my back into the wall, he cages me in. “No. You can’t fight. You fight, and they’ll kill you.”

  I tilt my head up to search Laredo’s dark gaze. His eyes flash silver, poking at my very nature. “Then I’ll die. My brothers—”

  “They’d want you to live, Gwen.”

  Soft footsteps sound out, and Laredo squishes me harder into the wall like he could push me through and into the building to hide us.

  “I’ll die anyway. You know I will. I can’t just pretend to be a donor. I need blood to survive.” I cup his face, my chest heaving with gasps so hard that it thumps against his. “Please, fight with me.”

  Laredo presses his chin into my shoulder, keeping his voice nearly inaudible. “Tell them you’re a minor, Gwen. I kidnapped you.”

  “No,” I say. “I’m not letting them take me.”

  “Gwen.” He growls my name, his fingers digging deeper into my sides.

  A bright spotlight shines across the mouth of the alley, though I don’t hear any voices. I don’t see any shadow dwellers either.

  “Come on,” I say, reaching into my jacket to pull out the stake I’m willing to risk using. I don’t have a choice. If they catch up, I can’t lie docile. I can’t pray that they show me some mercy. And I fucking won’t dare bow beneath these assholes or bare my throat to them. Screw that shit. I’m a dhampir. My family raised me to fight. I will not let them down.

  “Don’t move, and we’ll spare your life,” a deep, sultry voice says, drawing my attention away from Laredo to spot the shadow of a figure staying just out of my line of sight. “Let the donor go.”

  He’s talking to Laredo.

  Laredo growls again, tightening his hold on me. Leaning closer, he brushes his lips to my jaw so that he can whisper in my ear without the douchebags hearing him. “Gwen, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I can’t risk you fighting and dying.”

  What the? The clicks of his fangs sound in my ears, and I try to shove against him. Laredo holds me tighter, pressing his body to mine. His breathing quickens, and he grazes his fangs to my neck without biting me.

  “What are you doing? You better not bite me, damn it,” I say.

  “If you die, your life would be a waste. The rebels have always been so wasteful,” he murmurs, freaking me the hell out. “You’re my dhampir. I vowed to take care of you—forever.”

  “Last chance, asshole,” the same masculine voice calls.

  “Laredo—”

  His name barely escapes my mouth before Laredo sinks his fangs into my neck, surprising the hell out of me. I grunt and push against him, a sudden burning sensation exploding from his bite.

  “Fuck, that hurts,” I murmur. “You lied to me. You said it wouldn’t.” He always swore I’d love for him to bite me. Shit head.

  Laredo pulls away, his eyes now solid silver. A drop of my blood stains his bottom lip. “Damn, you taste as amazing as I imagined. At least I can die knowing.”

  “You fucker,” I snap, smacking him across the face.

  He releases a soft laugh and then groans. “I’m sorry, Gwen. I had to. They can’t cage you now. You’ll never be a donor.”

  His words swirl through my head, sending my heart racing. I reach up and touch the aching bite mark, pulling my fingers back to stare at my blood. It’s the first time I’ve seen it, the color not unlike my brothers’. I don’t know why I was expecting it to resemble the deep crimson of a vampire’s.

  “Shit, did he just bite her?” The figure from the mouth of the alley steps closer at a human’s speed. Then another guy soon follows behind him. “Hey, let her go. If you kill her, you’ll meet your final donation. It’s against Donor Life Corp law.”

  “She’s a minor,” Laredo says, raising his voice.

  “The hell I—”

  Slapping his hand over my mouth, Laredo cuts off my argument. “I’m sorry I failed you. Be brave, my dhampir. The pain will only get worse. But when it’s over, you’ll be free. They won’t harm you.”

  Fear clenches my chest as I stare into Laredo’s eyes. He doesn’t make any sense. I push against him, trying to get him to release me, but something collides hard into his back, shoving into me. The breath knocks out of my lungs, and I can’t stop the cry from escaping my mouth. Warmth blossoms across my chest, the strong scent of Laredo’s blood tickling my nose.

  The silver dissipates from his gaze as he falls away, landing on the ground. The edges of my vision shadow. I scream out, throwing myself forward. My sudden movement catches the two vampires off guard, and I land on my blood so
urce. I press my hands to his chest, my fingers sinking deeply into the empty cavity where his heart should be.

  “You killed him!”

  Fury steals the shock and grief from me, suppressing the burning in my neck. Reaching into my jacket, I grab for my stake, coming up empty. It’s then that I realize Laredo stole it from me. He grips it tightly in his hand, even in death. I don’t get a chance to tug it free. Two strong hands lace around my sides and drag me off him.

  Cool breath tickles in my ear. “Hey. Hey, it’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you. I want to help you. What’s your name?”

  Instead of responding, I jerk my head back as hard as I can. The vampire growls and drops me to the ground. I scramble away, trying to get to my feet, but something’s wrong with me. Starbursts pepper my vision, dizziness washing over me. I slam my shoulder into the hard concrete wall of the warehouse, my fear driving me crazy as the two vampires stalk me.

  “Think he bit her with venom?” It’s the first time I hear the other guy speak. I draw my attention to him, catching sight of his silver flashing eyes under the glowing light overhead. He’s leaner than the other vampire, shorter too. That’s all I can tell. My vision blurs too much.

  “He might have,” the buff vampire says. He materializes in front of me, tilting his head to search my face. His dark eyes trail down my face and to my throat. He has the nerve to try to touch my hair to move it out of the way.

  Big fucking mistake.

  My body kicks into action, and I jerk my leg out and slam my boot between his legs as hard as I can. He drops to the ground, cupping his junk, and I twist to dash away.

  I don’t get far.

  The world spins and my back hits the wall. The buff vampire clenches his jaw, baring his fangs at me. He inhales a few deep breaths through his nose and looks ready to murder me.

  “Chill out, Bronx. You’re scaring her,” the other vampire says.

  “She kicked me in the dick, Everett,” he says, glowering at me. “I don’t care if she’s scared. She should be.”