Lord of Shadows book 2: Bloodlines Read online

  Lord of Shadows

  Bloodlines Book 2

  Jaeger Mitchells

  Contents

  Copyright

  About the Author

  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

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Epilogue

  About the Community

  Copyright

  Lord of Shadows

  Book 2:

  Bloodlines

  Copyright © 2019 by Jaeger Mitchells

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage and retrieval system without the prior written consent of the author, except in the instance of quotes for reviews.

  No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded, or distributed via the internet without the permission of the author and is a violation of the International copyright law, which subjects the violator to severe fines and imprisonment.

  This is a work of fiction. The names, characters, incidents, and places are products of the author's imagination and are not to be construed as real, except where noted and authorized.

  Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or actual events are entirely coincidental.

  Any trademarks, service marks, product names or names featured are assumed to be the property of their respective owners and are used only for reference. There is no implied endorsement if any of these terms are used.

  About the Author

  Jaeger Mitchells is finally ready to tackle the world with his Fantasy and SciFi Harem novels! After honing the art of writing for the last five years, he started publishing and conquering the scene, one novel at a time.

  He enjoys reading SciFi and Fantasy the most, listens to Trance and Metal music from where he draws inspiration for writing. He often is criticized for having MC's who don't do the right thing, like saving the princess, or... other similar stuff.

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  Jaeger Mitchells Website

  More HAREM goodness from Jaeger Mitchells

  ReDeath - Raven (Book 1)

  Lord Of Shadows - Blood Dawn (Prequel)

  Lord Of Shadows - Blood Moon (Book 1)

  Lord Of Shadows - Bloodlines (Book 2)

  Hazard Online - Oblivion (Book 1)

  Hazard Online - Revenge (Book 2)

  Bloodlines - Lilith (Book 1)

  Please consider leaving a REVIEW if you liked the novel/s on the links above.

  Or not. Either is fine.

  Chapter One

  "Will you come out already?" a loud, female voice hissed from the other side of the door. I knew who it belonged to, but right then I didn't care. Hana could go and bother someone else. After all, it wouldn't be so smart to pull me out of my meditation. Unfortunately, she didn't seem to care. "Ivan! Come out! Now!" she yelled, slamming her hands against the wooden doors.

  I opened my eyes and growled as I sat on the cold, hard floor. The first thing to greet me was the pale white light of the moon overhead spilling into my private chambers. A cold chill hung in the night, frosty yet comfortable for someone like me. The only uncomfortable thing at that moment was the ruckus from outside along with the hammering on my door.

  "What?" I snapped, ripping the door from its hinges. It shattered in a thousand pieces as I threw it against the wall peppering me and everything else with splinters and fragments of wood. She flinched but regained her composure almost immediately as she stormed at me and slammed her fists against my chest. She'd become quite powerful for her to force me to take a step back.

  "People are dying out there! Your people! Katya barely made it out earlier!"

  I stared back at her with my pitch-black eyes, teeth bared, and my claw raised. But she was right. I lowered my arm and sighed, kissed her on the lips, and turned into a dark mist before I raced past her through the corridors and main hall room, blowing out the rows of candles as I passed by them. The double doors burst open outward as my bulk slammed against them and washed over the courtyard like a flood unable to be contained.

  The sound of a raging battle and screams of the wounded and dying reverberated from beyond the walls. I stopped for a moment, still transformed into mist as I observed my surroundings. After all, it had been a week since I last exit my chamber, so I needed to see if they changed anything.

  The outer walls were finally finished, just like the masons had promised before I went into seclusion. Everything was built from a mixture of stone and iron, and all of that was reinforced by magic. So why had the idiots gone to fight outside?

  A guard approached me, holding a wicked looking bardiche in his right hand and a buckler on his left arm. The full mail he wore was a testament to how far we had come in the past year both in trade, growth, and our military capabilities.

  "Sir! We're hard-pressed by an army of clerics and a troop of magically enhanced soldiers! There's even living armor from what we could see!"

  I nodded as if I knew what the hell he was saying, but I didn't. Up until now, it had always been a couple of hundred soldiers with a ranking official or two. That's why I did the only thing reasonable enough for the given situation and floated up above the ramparts to see the status.

  Hana finally caught up with me, but instead of joining me, she jumped over the wall diving right into the frenzy of battle at the foot of the walls.

  Down below, my mixed forces of humans empowered by my own blood and all kinds of supernaturals fought against clerics, living armor and light imbued knights. The guard hadn't lied, I agreed. Many times until now, some of the soldiers had tried to run from battle, but they'd learned it the hard way not to very quickly. Never turn your back on an enemy, especially when deserting.

  The enemy army was quite small but diverse. I could feel it was somewhat different than the one from last month. They were no joke from what I managed to see in the few seconds I floated above the battlefield. More than one cleric dispelled darkness, which wasn't good at all.

  Hana fought on the right flank accompanied by a company of swords- and pikemen. A row of archers stood far behind taking potshots at the enemy. Werewolves, shifters, even a couple weaker vampires fought at her side sliding in between the enemy carving them up. The battle was far from even at a four to one ratio in favor of the attackers.

  Katya held the middle ground, casting ice bolts and a hailstorm at the enemy in the back. Two witches helped her keep up the pressure by pouring their own magical power into her. A much larger troop of mixed breeds held the front line, consistin
g mostly of werewolves, and a big one at that. Boris.

  I narrowed my eyes as if it would serve to help me see better, but that was quite a stupid proposition. I could see up to a mile in the dark as if it was right before me.

  Boris jumped backward, howled, and then charged the enemy formation. With each swipe of his gigantic claws, enemies dropped as if he'd been slashing through empty air. I grinned, glad that he stayed after all and hadn't upped and gone.

  Finally, I looked to the left where a mixed group of supernaturals led by the ArcLich Selene put the hurt on them. The sound of her battle-cries, along with those of the dying, brought me pure joy and happiness beyond measure. What was more, she had all but destroyed the enemies' right flank and was pushing them hard. Just a little more and it would fold in on itself. Thousands of living, and a couple of hundred dead. Perfect.

  "Rise!" I growled. "Rise, children of the night! Rise children of the dead! Rise!"

  Shadows enveloped the land, crawling up from the forest, from the town, and from everyone still standing. A chill ran up my spine from the sheer beauty and presence of my closest allies, the shadows.

  I put up my right hand to the sky and chanted something unfamiliar to me, but a spell I knew by heart. Or preferably something Dracul knew by heart.

  A gigantic black ball appeared in the sky blocking the moon's rays from hitting on the valley. It almost fell alive as tendrils moved in all directions where it floated.

  Yes, I could feel it. I could feel the power I had over the shadows. They told me everything, my shadows, my servants, and my lovers.

  "Do not falter!" a loud, female voice shouted from below. I looked down to put a face with the voice, only to see the woman sitting atop a majestically looking snow-white mare with broad shoulders, flanks, and hips. Its crest moved by the tune of the cool night breeze. I could feel the fear coming from the mare. A mere animal knew what it was facing, but those idiots who kept coming at us didn't. No, they would never learn.

  Our eyes met for a brief instant. Her tall and defined physique stood out along with the animal she sat on. What she was missing in hair was made up for in tattoos, or runes as they liked to call it, atop her bald head. The leather armor embracing her body was imbued with magic and radiated life in its most basic form. She held a long, coiled whip in her hand, almost as white as the mare's skin. It ended in a sharp, spear-like tip that looked pretty nasty.

  "Whatever," I whispered. "It's not like you'll have any idea what's coming for you." I wasn't so sure if the woman could back up that bravado from moments ago, but would see so soon enough.

  "What the hell are you waiting for, Ivan? I can't keep this up much longer!" Katya's voice echoed in my head. I again looked down at her. She looked up at me as if feeling my eyes on her back, before snapping her head back around and cast another wave of icicles at the enemy. So feisty. What was up with all of them today? So annoying.

  "Clerics!" I roared. "Prepare to die for trespassing on my territory!"

  A good number of the zealots stopped fighting and looked up at me, while the rest continued fighting. They radiated a strange magical property, one unfamiliar to me until now.

  Vatacan was famous for their white and black robes that were adorned with red thread and blessed by holy white magic. They increased the wearer's power. It was an advantage we couldn't get over, not yet at least. I needed a witch strong enough to cast lasting runes or spells that would make my people permanently stronger, and not just for seven days. But that was on the to-do list for another time.

  Arrows and bolts of light struck the barrier of darkness surrounding me. The attacks were far too weak and mostly bounced off harmlessly. The attackers knew as much, but they still came and tried to beat me into submission. They still had to try and take what was mine. No, they would die this time, and I wouldn't settle for anything less than that. There was no way to reform zealots, they were just that, zealots. Loyal and fanatical to their cause until the end.

  Still, I found myself drawn to their leader, the woman on the great white mare. She hadn't cast a single attack, and neither had the monks beside her. Did they have an ace up their sleeve? Or were they trying to stall me for some reason? After all, dawn wasn't that far out. I could feel it in the air along with the shifting currents of darkness.

  "Impale!" I ordered. Surely, there was no need for me to do so, just a mental thought was enough, but I felt better ordering the magic I used. It made me feel so much more than just a Vampyre.

  The ground beneath their feet shook slightly before turning to a tremor pointed right at the enemy front lines. Hundreds of shadows took the shapes of swords and lances slowly rising from the ground. With a snap, they impaled the enemy where they stood. Shadows rushed from beneath, forming a pool of darkness and blood, swallowing everything dead or dying, be it man, supernatural or animal.

  Most of the horses ran, but those who weren't, I used the shadows to pull them out of harm's way. After all, a horse was a commodity worth far more than Human lives. They were harder to come by, and my shadows didn't really like to eat them anyway. Human flesh tasted much best, or so I heard from Dracul.

  Corpses disappeared by the dozens as if swallowed by Chernobog herself. In truth, I still had no idea how it all worked and where they went when swallowed by my shadows, but it wasn't like I cared. The important thing was that panic set among the enemy ranks. More than a few tried to pull back, but the wall of meat and steel that stood behind them wasn't giving way.

  "Idiots," I murmured. "At least you'll have your fill, right? Dracul?"

  The voice I'd become so used to by now snickered. At least I knew that with each devoured enemy he'd become more satiated. And with that, more powers would be available to me in time.

  Streaks of bright light crashed against my shield of darkness. First dozens, then hundreds. Every single cleric that wasn't busy brawling with my own people raised their hands or crystals and released massive amounts of energy.

  My new armor was strong, but not so strong that it could sustain that sort of punishment for long. The bastards forced me to withdraw into my dark mist form. Enraged, I lunged into a group of enemies, scattering them where I struck as hundreds of shadow bats scratched and bit at the cleric's faces, necks, and exposed limbs.

  "Don't be afraid! Kill him!" a nearby high-ranking cleric yelled. I turned his way and noticed he wasn't just like the others. No, he was a big guy bristling with muscles even atop his muscles. He wielded a morning star in either hand, wicked things with long, sharp spikes.

  "So, you're to be my first target?" I asked. He didn't bother replying and instead grinned wickedly. I loved this type the most. They thought far too highly of themselves to even imagine the possibility of losing.

  I slashed my claws along the necks of two clerics who stood between us. I had no idea what he was, but it didn't matter. The two dropped dead in a heap as they flailed around clutching at the darkness that ate away at their skin.

  More attackers flooded me from the front and right, but I didn't care. It was nothing, just more flesh and blood, just more food for the thing I'd become.

  Blades of shadow appeared in my hands, thin and sharp as razors. I slashed into the horde, cutting off limbs and heads, pierced chests and stomachs. With each strike, the blades disintegrated as if they were a lit candle. Thanks to the darkness around us, they regained their appearance and power, allowing me to keep on fighting indefinitely.

  The large man charged me head-on putting his maces together before bringing them down against my chest. The shadow armor disintegrated as the spikes crushed right through, breaking the bone and piercing flesh. But I stood fast. The blow rocked me back a step and did some minor damage, but nothing more than that.

  "My turn," I hissed and bared my fangs at the man. Taken aback by the ineffectiveness of his holy weapons, he whispered something I didn't understand and attacked again. It was just enough for me to see his eyes, but they betrayed everything. He wasn't as sure anymore, though his t
raining wouldn't let him drop dead without putting up a fight. It was a good thing, or I'd be very displeased.

  Taking out a pouch from behind his back, the man produced a large, glowing crystal. With a deft movement, he threw it up and caught it with his teeth and crushed it, releasing a beam of light that struck me right in the face burning skin straight to the bone.

  "Or mine," the brute cleric grinned while bringing down the maces against my head as a follow-up. The spikes passed right through my skull and released holy magic into my body, shredding me from any darkness and layers of shadow I managed to surround me with.

  By then, I had enough. Sure, the enemy was better prepared and stronger than last time, but nothing I couldn't take care of with relative ease. Especially once I figured out what they were: duplicates. The helmets they wore shielded their faces from view, but what they couldn't shield was their taste, their unique composition on which Dracul feasted.