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  “It will,” said Russell. “So…you’re going to leave again?”

  “Don’t have much choice,” I said. “Sometime soon the Rebel Overseer is going to summon me for the final part of the deal. Until then, I want to hurt them as much as possible.”

  “Okay,” said Russell. He sighed. “It isn’t fair.”

  “No,” I said. “But we’re in the wrong life for fair, aren’t we? But I’m glad I came back. I’m…glad I told you the truth.”

  “You can tell me anything you want,” said Russell. He took a deep breath. “I know this is going to sound incredibly lame and sappy…but I’ll always be there for you if you need me. Always.”

  “Thanks,” I said. “I mean it, Russell. Thanks.”

  We ate in silence for a while more.

  “Though I suppose,” said Russell, “when I get back to school, I could write an amazing essay about what I did this summer.”

  I laughed. “Don’t you dare.”

  ###

  A few hours later, we pulled into the parking lot of the strip mall that housed Vander’s clinic, and we got out of the SUV and the van to assess the damage.

  “The repairs shouldn’t be too bad,” said Vander, looking around at the shattered windows, now covered with yellow tape. “I have a slush fund from the High Queen for expenses related to my healing work. I can pay for the repairs through that…and I can also shut down any official investigation.” He shrugged. “I suspect we don’t want too much official attention.”

  “We do not,” I said.

  Robert’s and Alexandra’s SUV had come through the fighting intact, and they began loading up. Rusk was parked in a small public lot a half-mile away, and Robert offered to drive Rusk, Jill, and Vander there. Jill was out of danger, but she would need a lot of physical therapy yet (even bloodcasting could only do so much to combat coma-related muscle entropy), and Rusk and Vander had to take her to a hospital for care until she was strong enough to look after herself.

  “It’s just as well the SUV’s intact,” said Robert, patting the vehicle. “I have to report for duty tomorrow.”

  “Yeah?” I said.

  “Duke Carothrace is going to New York with the rest of the Elven nobles to greet the High Queen on her Royal Progress through the United States,” said Robert. “There’s going to be a parade and an official review, and the Duke wants his men-at-arms with him.”

  “It is a great honor to see the High Queen,” said Rusk. “I wish I could go.”

  “Beats going to the Shadowlands, I suppose,” I said.

  “That it does. Well, Miss Moran,” said Robert, and we shook hands. “It was fun…but let’s never do that again, yeah?”

  “Amen to that,” I said, and I grinned. It wasn’t my usual mirthless rictus, either. “Unless you’re up for a quick trip to Venomhold?”

  “Don’t even joke about that,” said Robert, but he laughed.

  Alexandra hugged me. “You saved my life twice, and now you’ve saved my son’s life.”

  “Russell did that,” I said.

  “I just helped,” Russell said.

  “I saw you fight that necromancer through the camera,” said Alexandra. “It was…my God, Nadia. I’d never seen anything like that. I hope I never have to see anything like it again. But I meant what I said to you. If you ever need my help, just ask.”

  “I will,” I said. “Thank you.”

  Rusk hesitated and then shook my hand. “Thank you for looking after Jill, Miss Moran.” Jill insisted on hugging me, too, though Vander had to kind of help her to stand for it. “You didn’t have to, but you did.”

  “I know what it’s like to lose people,” I said.

  “I think we’ll see each other again,” said Vander. “I hope soon.”

  “I hope that, too,” I said. “And I hope I have a dragon pearl in hand when I do.”

  “I would like that,” said Vander. “Good luck, Miss Moran. And remember what I told you.” He hesitated. “I think you might be unique. At the very least, there are not many people like you.”

  “Know what I think?” I said.

  He raised his eyebrows.

  “I think you must make a hell of a shop teacher.”

  Vander burst out laughing at that. “I would hope so. Healing and teaching are the only two things I’ve ever been good at.”

  With that, they got into the SUV and drove off, leaving me standing on the sidewalk with Russell and Murdo.

  “He is a good teacher, isn’t he?” said Russell.

  “Yeah,” I said. “I think he might have helped me.”

  Murdo nodded. “The spells he taught you.”

  “And maybe with more than that,” I said. I looked at Russell. “I suppose we had better get you home.”

  “Yeah,” he said. “It was good to see you, Nadia. I…”

  My phone started buzzing.

  I blinked and pulled it out, and my heart sank when I recognized the number.

  “Shit,” I said.

  “Connor,” said Murdo, his voice hardening.

  “Yeah,” I said. There was only one reason Nicholas would contact me.

  It was time for the third theft.

  And once I had accomplished that (assuming I didn’t get killed in the process), then either I was going to kill Nicholas, or he was going to kill me.

  Well, at least he wouldn’t have Lorenz to back him up.

  I took a deep breath, accepted the call, and lifted the phone to my ear.

  “Hello, Nicholas,” I said.

  “Hello, Katrina,” said Nicholas in his deep, amused voice. “I’m sorry, that’s wrong, isn’t it?”

  “What, did you forget my name already?” I said.

  “Not at all. I was simply mistaken. Hello, Nadia Moran.”

  I didn’t say anything, my heartbeat thundering in my ears.

  “You see,” said Nicholas. “I just received a most interesting and very detailed email from Victor Lorenz.”

  Dread flooded through me.

  “My God,” said Nicholas. “Nadia Moran, speechless. I never thought to experience that. Tell me, how did you kill Lorenz?”

  Then all at once, I understood, and rage mixed with the dread.

  It was one last spiteful little trick of Lorenz’s. Before he had gone into the Ducal Mall, he had set up an email with a time-release delay, just in case he was killed. No doubt he had been certain that he would be victorious. But just in case he wasn’t, just in case something had gone wrong, the email would go to Nicholas with all the details. Lorenz would have canceled the time-release email once I was dead…but I was alive, and he was not.

  And with Lorenz’s final revenge, Nicholas now knew who I really was.

  He probably knew everything.

  “Lorenz committed suicide,” I said, my voice cold as ice.

  “Did he, now?” said Nicholas. He still sounded amused, damn him. “That seems quite unlike him.”

  “He tried to come after me,” I said. “Counts as suicide in my book.”

  “Or he tried to come after your brother?” said Nicholas. The dread and rage within me intensified. Lorenz had been dangerous, but Nicholas made him look like a puppy by comparison. “I always wondered what you really cared about, Kat. I suppose I ought to be grateful to Lorenz. Granted, he defied my orders, and I would have had to shoot him for it, had you not taken care of that little detail.” The satisfaction in his voice made me want to curse. “But I always wondered what you actually care about…and now I know.”

  “Spare me the bullshit,” I said. “What do you want?”

  “You know perfectly well what I want,” said Nicholas. “It’s time to fulfill the final phase of the Forerunner’s bargain with your patron…Lord Morvilind, I believe. We have another theft to plan, Nadia. Oh, and do bring your brother with you. I am rather looking forward to meeting him.”

  THE END

  Thank you for reading CLOAK GAMES: BLOOD CAST!

  Nadia's next adventure will be CLOAK GAMES:
LAST JUDGE, coming in spring 2018.

  If you liked the book, please consider leaving a review at your ebook site of choice. To receive immediate notification of new releases, sign up for my newsletter, or watch for news on my Facebook page.

  Author's Note

  Thank you for reading CLOAK GAMES: BLOOD CAST!

  There are two books left to go in the CLOAK GAMES series. Book #10, CLOAK GAMES: LAST JUDGE, should be out in late spring 2018.

  The eleventh and final book of the series should come out in summer 2018.

  Other books by the author

  The Demonsouled Saga

  MAZAEL CRAVENLOCK is a wandering knight, fearless in battle and masterful with a sword.

  Yet he has a dark secret. He is Demonsouled, the son of the ancient and cruel Old Demon, and his tainted blood grants him superhuman strength and speed. Yet with the power comes terrible, inhuman rage, and Mazael must struggle to keep the fury from devouring him.

  But he dare not turn aside from the strength of his blood, for he will need it to face terrible foes.

  The priests of the San-keth plot and scheme in the shadows, pulling lords and kingdoms upon their strings. The serpent priests desire to overthrow the realms of men and enslave humanity. Unless Mazael stops them, they shall force all nations to bow before the serpent god.

  The Malrag hordes are coming, vast armies of terrible, inhuman beasts, filled with a lust for cruelty and torment. The Malrags care nothing for conquest or treasure, only slaughter. And the human realms are ripe for the harvest. Only a warrior of Mazael’s power can hope to defeat them.

  The Dominiar Order and the Justiciar Order were once noble and respected, dedicated to fighting the powers of dark magic. Now they are corrupt and cynical, and scheme only for power and glory. They will kill anyone who stands in their way.

  To defeat these foes, Mazael will need all the strength of his Demonsouled blood.

  Yet he faces a far more terrible foe.

  For centuries the Old Demon has manipulated kings and lords. Now he shall seize the power of the Demonsouled for himself, and become the a god of torment and tyranny.

  Unless Mazael can stop him.

  Read Demonsouled for free. Mazael's adventures continue in Soul of Tyrants, Soul of Serpents, Soul of Dragons, Soul of Sorcery, Soul of Skulls, and Soul of Swords, along with the short stories The Wandering Knight, The Tournament Knight, and The Dragon's Shadow. Get the first three books bundled together in Demonsouled Omnibus One.

  The Ghosts Series

  Once CAINA AMALAS was the shy daughter of a minor nobleman, content to spend her days in her father’s library.

  Then sorcery and murder and her mother’s treachery tore her life apart.

  Now she is a nightfighter of the Ghosts, an elite agent of the spies and assassins of the Emperor of Nighmar. She is a master of disguise and infiltration, of stealth and the shadows.

  And she will need all those skills to defend the Empire and stay alive.

  Corrupt lords scheme and plot in the shadows, desiring to pull down the Emperor and rule the Empire for their own profit and glory. Slave traders lurk on the fringes of the Empire, ready to seize unwary commoners and sell them into servitude in distant lands. Yet both slave traders and cruel lords must beware the Ghosts.

  The Magisterium, the Imperial brotherhood of sorcerers, believe themselves the rightful masters of the Empire. With their arcane sciences, they plan to overthrow the Empire and enslave the commoners, ruling all of mankind for their own benefit. Only the Ghosts stand in the path of their sinister plans.

  And the Moroaica, the ancient sorceress of legend and terror, waits in the shadows, preparing to launch a war upon the gods themselves. She will make the gods pay for the suffering of mankind...even if she must destroy the world to do it.

  Caina Amalas of the Ghosts opposes these mighty enemies, but the cost might be more than she can bear.

  Read Child of the Ghosts for free. Caina's adventures continue in Ghost in the Flames, Ghost in the Blood, Ghost in the Storm, Ghost in the Stone, Ghost in the Forge, Ghost in the Ashes, Ghost in the Mask, and Ghost in the Surge, along with the short stories Ghost Aria, Ghost Claws, Ghost Omens, The Fall of Kyrace, Ghost Thorns, Ghost Undying, Ghost Light, and Ghost Dagger, and the prequel novels Blade of the Ghosts and Champion of the Ghosts. Get the first three books bundled together in The Ghosts Omnibus One.

  The Ghost Exile Series

  Caina Amalas was a nightfighter of the Ghosts, the spies and assassins of the Emperor of Nighmar, and through her boldness and cunning saved the Empire and the world from sorcerous annihilation.

  But the victory cost her everything.

  Now she is exiled and alone in the city of Istarinmul, far from her home and friends. Yet a centuries-old darkness now stirs in Istarinmul, eager to devour the city and the world itself.

  And Caina is the only one that stands in its way...

  Read Ghost in the Cowl, Ghost in the Maze, Ghost in the Hunt, Ghost in the Razor, Ghost in the Inferno, Ghost in the Seal, Ghost in the Throne, Ghost in the Pact, and Ghost in the Winds along with the short stories Ghost Sword, Ghost Price, Ghost Relics, Ghost Keeper, Ghost Nails, Ghost Lock, Ghost Arts, Ghost Vigil, Ghost Mimic, and Ghost Vessel, and read the combined short stories in Exile of the Ghosts.

  The Ghost Night Series

  Caina Amalas was once a deadly Ghost nightfighter, a spy and agent of the Emperor of Nighmar. Now she only wishes to live quietly with her husband.

  But civil war grips the Empire, and Caina's skills are needed against the cruel sorcerers of the malevolent Umbarian Order.

  And Caina has a dangerous connection to the Umbarians.

  For Caina's mother had many deadly secrets, secrets that might yet kill Caina herself...

  Read Ghost in the Ring and Ghost in the Glass.

  The Third Soul

  RACHAELIS MORULAN is an Initiate of the Conclave, the powerful order of mighty mages. But to become a full Adept of the Conclave, she must first survive the Testing. Those who survive the Testing never speak of the trials they endured.

  Those who fail the Testing are never seen again.

  And now the Magisters of the Conclave have come to take Rachaelis to undertake the Testing. And there she shall face perils to both her body and her sanity.

  And creatures that yearn to devour her soul.

  If Rachaelis survives the Testing, she will face even more dangerous foes. The demons of the astral world watch the world of mortal men, desiring to rule it for themselves.

  And some Adepts of the Conclave are eager to help them.

  Read The Testing for free. Rachelis's trials continue in The Assassins, The Blood Shaman, The High Demon, The Burning Child, The Outlaw Adept, The Black Paladin, and The Tomb of Baligant. Read the entire series in The Third Soul Omnibus One and The Third Soul Omnibus Two.

  The Frostborn Series

  A thousand years ago, the last grandson of Arthur Pendragon led the survivors of Britain through a magical gate to a new world, a world of magic and high elves, of orcs and kobolds and stranger, darker creatures. Now the descendants of the exiles rule a mighty kingdom, peaceful and prosperous under the rule of the High King.

  But a shadow threatens to devour the kingdom.

  RIDMARK ARBAN was once a Swordbearer, a knight of renown. Now he is a branded outcast, stripped of his sword, and despised as a traitor.

  But he alone sees the danger to come. The Frostborn shall return, and unless they are stopped, they will cover all the world in ice and a neverending winter.

  CALLIANDE awakens in the darkness, her memories gone, and creatures of terrible power hunting her.

  For she alone holds the secret that can save the world…or destroy it utterly.

  The secret of the Frostborn.

  Read Frostborn: The First Quest, followed by Frostborn: The Gray Knight, Frostborn: The Eightfold Knife, Frostborn: The Undying Wizard, Frostborn: The Master Thief, Frostborn: The Iron Tower, Frostborn: The Dark Warden, Fros
tborn: The Gorgon Spirit, Frostborn: The Broken Mage, Frostborn: The World Gate, Frostborn: The High Lords, Frostborn: The False King, Frostborn: The Dwarven Prince, Frostborn: Excalibur, Frostborn: The Dragon Knight, and Frostborn: The Shadow Prison, and the prequel novels Frostborn: The Knight Quests and Frostborn: The Bone Quest along with the short stories The Orc's Tale, The Mage's Tale, The Thief's Tale, The Assassin's Tale, The Paladins's Tale, The Knight's Tale, The Soldier's Tale, and The Soldier's Tale. Read the first three books combined in Frostborn Omnibus One.

  Sevenfold Sword

  Ridmark Arban is the Shield Knight, the defender of the realm of Andomhaim.

  The realm is at peace after a long and terrible war, but dark powers threaten other lands.

  And when a mad elven wizard comes to the High King's court, Ridmark finds himself fighting not only for his own life, but for the lives of his family.

  For the quest of the Seven Swords has begun...

  Read Sevenfold Sword: Champion, Sevenfold Sword: Swordbearer, Sevenfold Sword: Warlord, and Sevenfold Sword: Necromancer, and the prequel novellas Shield Knight: Ghost Orcs, Shield Knight: Third's Tale, and Shield Knight: Calliande's Tale.

  Mask of the Demonsouled Trilogy

  MAZAEL CRAVENLOCK has prevailed over terrible foes and now rules the Grim Marches with firm justice. Yet ancient evils are stirring in the shadows, freed at last by Mazael's own hand. Unless Mazael fights with all his strength, the world will fall.

  SIGALDRA is the last holdmistress of the Jutai nation, the final defender of her people. Now the darkness comes to devour the final remnant of Sigaldra's home and family. Even Sigaldra's courage may not be enough to turn aside the darkness.