Table of Contents
To my agent, Michael Bourret, for believing in Vladand mefrom the very beginning, and for continuing to believe.
And to the Minion Horde, for being the most fangtastic bunch of outcasts on the planet. Without you, Vlad would not be.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
An enormous amount of thanks should go to my incredible editors, Liz Waniewski and Maureen Sullivan, for their brilliance and immeasurable amount of patience. Big, well-deserved thanks to Team Vlad at Penguin Young Readers: Don Weisberg, Lauri Hornik, Felicia Frazier, Scottie Bow-ditch, Erin Dempsey, Jennifer Haller, Andrew Harwell, Shanta Newlin, Christian Fuenfhausen, Emily Romero, Courtney Wood, Allison Verost, Rosanne Lauer, Jason Henry, and many more Im sure Im forgetting to name here.
Thanks to my sister, Dawn Vanniman, for keeping my sanity (relatively) intact and for being there whenever I need her. And a big shout-out to MTB, who truly get it.
Paul, Jacob, and Alexandria, I could not have written and published an entire series without your unfailing support. Nor could I continue to write, and continue to feel happy, safe, and loved without the Brewer Clan behind me every step of the way. Youve helped me reach The End. And this is only the beginning.
PROLOGUE
A BRIEF DETOUR
DABLOS FLESH had almost completely healed from his blistering battle with the sun a year and a half before, but his hand ... his hand was gone for good. He was eternally scarred and the honor of his name forever stained, all because of a teenage boy by the name of Vladimir Tod.
Now DAblo dropped to his knees and shook his head, his wide eyes locked on the man before him, his voice trembling slightly. But... why? Ive done nothing wrong!
The man standing before DAblo remained silent. His features were draped with shadows, as if even the lights cast by the office lamps were afraid to touch him.
The air was thick, full of a warning that DAblo could not deny. And even though the office window was open and a slight breeze was ruffling the curtains, the air felt heavy, stale, stagnant, old. It was difficult to breathe in.
Ive... DAblo began his thought, but then closed his mouth again, fearing the repercussions his words might bring.
He looked at the manthe familiar face, features he knew all too welland held his hands up in a pleading gesture. Or more exactly, his only hand ... and the stump that had been left behind after Vlad had taken that hand with the Lucis.
But his pleading would not be enough to stop what was coming.
Suddenly, the Shadow Man leaped across the room, knocking DAblo onto the floor. With his fangs bared, the Shadow Man thrust his hand forward. The tips of his fingers pierced DAblos flesh. DAblo howled and thrashed in torment, gnashing his teeth, struggling to get free. The man pushed hard, forcing his hand deeper inside DAblos chest. With a bitter purse of his lips, he whispered into DAblos ear, I have put this off for far too long. You have served your purpose.
He gripped DAblos still beating heart and pulled, freeing the organ from his chest. Standing, the man squeezed until what he had held was no more than a mushy pulp. The light left DAblos eyes.
He was dead.
The door opened and a second man entered. The man in shadows stood and shook DAblos blood from his hand. Remove the head and burn the body. I want to make sure he stays dead.
AN UNEXPECTED REUNION
DAD?
The word trembled, perhaps even more than Vlads lips were trembling as he spoke it aloud. He searched the mans eyes, scrutinized his laugh lines, dared to seek out some flaw that would show him that the man standing in front of him was anyone but his father.
But there was no flaw to be found. It was Tomas. Or maybe his twin. Not that he had had a twin. Even if he did, the odds of him and his twin brother both becoming vampires were astronomical. And the man standing before him was definitely a vampire. Vlad could smell it on him.
It smelled like blood. And wisdom. And youth. All rolled together.
There was nothing else like it in the world.
Vlads vision blurred with tears, his heart filling with impossible doubt. This couldnt be his father. His father was dead. He knew. Hed seen the charred corpse, smelled death in the room. Tomas Tod was dead.
And standing right in front of him.
Doubtfully, almost angrily, he croaked, Dad?
Tomas nodded, his mouth shrugging, sorrow and pain and loss lurking in his eyes. When he spoke, it removed only a portion of Vlads doubt. Yes, son.
Vlad turned at the shuffling noise behind him. Joss, bleeding, broken, was scrambling for the stake, struggling to stand.
For a moment, Vlad had all but forgotten him, had all but forgotten that he was about to kill Joss. His friend. His betrayer.
Joss stumbled, collapsing on the ground. Vlad flicked his eyes between Joss and his father, but remained motionless, in complete, captured awe of the man before him.
Are you ... Vlad gulped, the taste of Dorians blood still on his tongue, the memory of Dorians madness still racing through his thoughts. Dorian had been brilliant, but insane. Had Vlad inherited some of that insanity by drinking his blood? Had his worst fears been realized? Hed known that doing as Dorian had asked and drinking from him would be a terrible risk, but hed done it anyway. Otis had drank from Dorians son, Adrian, and now had telekinetic powers, so its not like the warning of bizarre consequences hadnt been there in front of him the entire time. And yet, he went through with it. Just before Dorian died, Vlad had drank his blood. And maybe now he was crazy. Maybe now there was no going back at all.
He took a deep breath and forced the words from his lips, already knowing that the answer to his question was no. It had to be. Because he was like Dorian now. He was crazy. Completely, utterly insane. Not to mention hallucinating. Are you real?
The vision of his father merely smiled. Tomas stood in silencea memory, something looming over Vlads every thought, every nightmare, every action. His father. His dead father.
Here. Now.
Vlad closed his eyes briefly, haunted by the memory of the fire that took his parents, wondering if it was to be his punishment to see visions of his father now. Growing more and more certain that feeding from Dorian had poisoned his mind, Vlad sighed and opened his eyes again.
The man that looked like his father, his crazy vision, whatever it was ... was gone.
Only he and Joss and Dorians corpse remained in the clearing.
Vlad spun around, searching the surrounding area, but saw no one. Not even so much as a broken twig, indicating movement. His heart sank. Crazy or not, it had been nice to see his fathers smiling face again.
Then there was a noise. Vlad whipped around to see Henry racing into the clearing, his face ghostly pale. Vlad! Are you okay? I had this horrible feeling. Like ... like you needed me.
And Vlad did need him. Hed just beaten Joss within an inch of his life, and had just witnessed the impossible. He may have just made the biggest mistake everdrinking from a madmanand right now, the only person in the world he felt he could count on was his drudge. His best friend. Henry ... everything is so messed up.
