As Dawn Breaks Read online

  Welcome to the world of House Secrets

  This book takes place at the same time as Blood Secrets “The Sorcerer’s Touch.” There exists a parallel between that story and As Dawn Breaks, as House Secrets is a continuation of the Blood Secrets trilogy, so I have not included details Attar’s battle as that is part of the Blood Secrets storyline.

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  While the book can be read on its own, there are concepts and people in the Blood Secrets series which clarify some of the action in this story. It is recommended that you read those books first. However, I will include a brief introduction to the world, explain who is who on the introduction pages following and include a glossary of commonly used terms.

  Copyright © 2021 by Imogene Nix®

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  All people, institutions and places in this book are entirely fictional. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.

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  Paperback ISBN 978-1-922369-28-4

  Ebook ISBN 978-1-922369-27-7

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  Edited by: Hot Tree Editing

  Cover by: Dexpress Covers

  Contents

  UK/English Disclaimer

  Introduction

  Glossary of Terms

  Newsletter Signup

  Prologue

  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

  The Celtic Cupid Trilogy

  Star of Ishtar

  The Blood Bride by Imogene Nix

  Also by Imogene Nix

  About the Author

  Please note:

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  The UK and USA share the English language, but there are many words that are spelled differently. Some words have extra letters in the British spelling, such as the word cancelled. In American English, it is spelled canceled. There also words that interchange the letters c or s and sometimes z. For example, in America, you spell offense and in Britain, it is written as offence.

  These spellings are not incorrect.

  This book is written in UK English to reflect my Australian/English background.

  Introduction

  As the continuation of the Blood Secrets trilogy, some readers may come into the series, unknowing of what has gone before. This is a brief overview of The Blood Bride, The Illuminated Witch and The Sorcerer’s Touch to assist you to understand the world you are entering.

  In The Blood Bride we meet Hope, daughter of the House and Xavier, the Vampire Master of the House of Tudor. He’s old and she’s very young, returning to a divided house where her father holds the title of Yeux Secondes. Her brother, David and parents are hostile, but neither quite as much as Alexa—David’s wife.

  We learn about a secret in Hope’s blood which makes her a valuable asset and on more than one occasion the bad guys try to abduct her.

  On returning from College she meets Xavier and is fascinated, but so is he. After an attack she is taken below stairs, into the vampire accomodation for safety and one thing leads to another and Xavier and Hope fall in love.

  After an attack, Xavier is injured and she ends up feeding him and she becomes a vampire when things go a little far. She learns to stand on her own two feet and is now a formidable figure, just as we learn about the Alpha Vamp — Attar.

  In The Illuminated Witch, we first meet Celina, our witchling orphan, except she doesn’t know she’s a witch. When illness strikes her down in front of the House of Tudor office building, she meets Javed, second vampire of the house, who will soon be invested with his own nest.

  Her magic is swelling and dangerous and she needs assistance, the kind that comes with training. But along the way, there is danger.

  As with Hope, she too falls for the Master of this new house but things aren’t straight forward. She’s abducted and when Javed finds her, she’s close to death. He turns her but not before they also finds three children among the many abductees. When Celina and Javed finally reunite as Vampires, they decide they will adopt the three girls—Lucy, Rachel and Marian. Though they aren’t actually blood siblings, they’ve survived together for years and don’t want to be split up.

  In The Sorcerer’s Touch, Daniel joins Hope and Celina in making the choice to turn. He’s fallen for Mistress Vampire Cressida and is willing to give up everything for honour, duty and ultimately love.

  Cressida and Hope end up adopting orphan nestling, Samantha as their daughter after an attack on another nest.

  Together Hope and Xavier, Celina and Javed and Daniel and Cressida must fight the Alpha Vampire Attar, just as was foretold by the three women who are related to Attar, and turn up in all three books—Jemima, Daniella and Danicka.

  Glossary of Terms

  Consort The unofficial partner of a Master or Mistress

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  House The formal name for a nest - eg The House of Tudor

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  Life Partner The official partner of a Master of Mistress

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  Lycans Weres of any variety

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  Master The male head of a House

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  Mistress The female head of a House

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  Nest A formal title for a house of vampires

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  Nestling One who chooses to live within a vampire nest

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  Second The vampiric second of the Master/Mistress of a house.

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  Yeux Secondes The title bestowed on the human head of a house. Meaning ‘second eyes’ and equivalent to the Second.

  Prologue

  “Do you know anything about…?” David waved his arm, and Daniel shook his head.

  David clamped his arm on his shoulder and squeezed. He knew he was pale, but the reality of the situation impinged.

  Hope had glanced at him, smiled tremulously, but didn’t approach.

  “Are you okay?” Daniel’s question swam through David’s brain.

  He cleared his throat, considered the man before him. “I don’t… I’m resigning my commission and plan to seek a place in a new house.” The words erupted from him, but once out, David relaxed.

  Daniel frowned. “Today?”

  He shook his head. “No. When the mess with Attar is done. I’ve hung in only because… It was Hope who kept me together once I came to terms with what had been done. I treated her badly and so did my parents, and I feel dirty because I believed everything I was told. Now it’s hard to stay after…” David shrugged.

  “But if Hope forgives you, surely the situation can be resolved?”

  “No, Daniel. Everyone knows what I did. What we did. How we took her—Alexa’s—side and left Hope to suffer the consequences of the lies. It just… it doesn’t feel right, you know? She’s built something good and true. I can’t muddy it any longer than necessary. She needs to rebuild her life free of that taint.”

  Daniel frowned. “If you need to move, you would be more than welcome with me. I can talk to Javed…” br />
  “No. But thank you.” David shook his head. “When it’s done… Once Attar is defeated, I’m thinking of going somewhere else.”

  Sucking in a deep breath, he stepped back around Daniel and wandered to the other side of the room.

  Several Months Later

  David looked down at his hands. Instead of the neatly manicured nails he’d always sported, ragged edges betrayed the rage he’d held at bay over the last several months.

  Now this. The parchment paper in his grip crackled, and he released the hold slightly, forcing himself to read the front page.

  Referring to the decree made in this cause… the marriage between the aforementioned Plaintiff and Defendant be dissolved unless sufficient cause be shown to the court…

  He wasn’t unhappy with the outcome. Neither was he ecstatic. It wasn’t the way he’d planned for his life to proceed.

  Alexa had lied to him. Made a dupe of him. There’d been no child, and she’d blinded him to truths he should have noted. The betrayal ran deep. She’d colluded with his father, alienated his mother, and damaged the relationship he had with his sister.

  The situation felt untenable, really.

  But still… The life he’d planned to make was over. Deleted with the stroke of a pen by a Family Court judge.

  Slumping back into his chair, David surveyed the room. It was new, pale-coloured walls in a strange boxlike building, yet there was a charm to it. The kind he hadn’t ever felt in the old-world manor where he’d grown to adulthood.

  He sighed.

  Dawn had passed some three hours before, and while he, along with his master, Javed, had agreed the house didn’t require an external office set-up at this point, it felt odd to be ordering a coffee and still wearing the lounging pants he’d tugged on after showering at nine in the morning.

  The phone buzzed and broke the internal ruminations that occupied his mind.

  He answered with a curt “David.”

  “Sir, we have an officer of the law here. They say it’s important they speak with you. Something to do with a situation with the vampires.”

  “Fine. Give me a moment, then send him in.”

  “Her, sir.”

  He blinked. “Of course.”

  Letting go of the button, he rose from his chair, straightened his clothing—the teachings of his mother still held tight—before lowering himself into the chair, preparing for whatever came to pass.

  The door opened, and a slim, dark-haired woman entered the room. She wasn’t tall, and her features were regular. Her hair, tied into a neat and tidy braid, was dark brown, though her eyes were a golden green colour.

  The impressive creases, carefully aligned in her uniform, and the shine of her shoes told him she was either a new officer or one of those committed to her job. He had a feeling it was the second option.

  “David Jardin?”

  He inclined his head, and the woman stood, facing him.

  Discomfort flowed. In his world, you asked women to sit; they were coddled and kept at home until they married. This woman might look soft, but he noted a spark of something in her eyes and the ramrod straightness of her spine. This was no meek and biddable woman here. It was perverse, but he didn’t offer the seat.

  “You wanted to talk to me about the vampire attacks?”

  She blinked. “Uh, yes. I wanted to make some further enquiries. My name’s Officer Fernly, from the Liaison Division, and I need to check some facts to determine—”

  His brow furrowed as he concentrated on what had taken place the evening before. He’d found a briefing paper on his desk when he’d entered that morning.

  “Oh yes,” he interrupted. Something about this woman put him on guard.

  She flipped open the tiny notepad she carried. “We have reports of a man attacked by what he believes was a vampire. He escaped, but it terrified him. He’s lost a lot of blood and may very well require assistance coming to terms with the attack.”

  “And what do you want me to do for you today, Officer Fernly?”

  “It’s been suggested that it’s more than just a single attack. We haven’t been informed of such a circumstance, and if there’s a likelihood of danger to the public—”

  He raised a hand. “I’m limited on what I can divulge, Officer.” Now he indicated to a seat and watched as she slowly lowered herself to the padded cushion. The closing of her eyes and the gentle exhalation betrayed her emotional state.

  “You were on duty last night and attended this call. Yet you’re on duty this morning.”

  The woman seated opposite him glanced in his direction. “I work the hours necessary to get the job done.”

  Pompous git! He sat there looking terribly comfortable while her body twinged and ached. She’d be damned if she’d rub anything that hurt, though. She’d learned the hard and bitter lesson of never revealing a weakness over the years.

  “Liaison Division don’t work usual hours. We understand the necessity to interact with all species and the times they inhabit.” Inhaling deeply, Genny marshalled her thoughts. He might not respond so well, but there were questions that had to be asked. Answers only a nest member could give.

  His mouth flattened at her blunt explanation, and a tiny seed of victory took root. Genny ruthlessly beat it back. No benefit in taking the situation cheap. Or antagonising this Yeux Secondes. “What can you tell me about the situation, Mr Jardin?”

  “As I said, I am limited in what I may disclose. We’re concerned that there’s a vampire or vampires roaming the streets and attacking those who can’t protect themselves. They’ve attacked several humans and may pose a security risk to the greater public.”

  Fury coursed through her. Security risk? That didn’t explain the gravity of the situation as she’d discovered. Suspicion had also grown that what they’d found in the Liaison Division was merely the tip of the iceberg. “Forgive me, Mr Jardin, but I understand over one hundred have been harmed or killed in the vicinity, without including the loss of vampires. Not to mention attacks on nests internationally. The human population is terrified that they’ll be the next targets. We’re doing our best to protect them, but in order to do so, we need intelligence. The Liaison Division needs information.” On a roll, she didn’t hold her tongue. “Information you’re withholding.”

  She watched as the man opposite, darkly good-looking and lean, with a face hewn by the angels themselves, tightened. “As you would be aware, issues with vampires are controlled by the Council and its own, shall we say, police? I believe the information you’re demanding is privileged. Officer Fernly, you’ve overstepped the mark, and I’ll ask you to leave.”

  Rage filled the air. She could almost see it. Taste it. But he was right, she’d demanded something she wasn’t entitled to. Her boss would be furious if there was an official sanction lodged, so for now, the best thing she could do was withdraw regretfully.

  Even as she mentally gritted her teeth, Genny snapped her notepad shut and smiled. “Forgive me, Mr Jardin. My concern is only for the innocent.”

  His eyes flashed. “Indeed. However, I have other appointments to attend to.”

  Well aware she’d been dismissed, Genny stepped forwards, slipped a small pasteboard card onto his desk. “If you feel there’s information that would be relevant or we can assist, my details are there.”

  She left the office, aware of the burning of his gaze on her back.

  Genny had felt that before, and on more than one occasion. It had been followed with a blow or attack. She didn’t let her guard down until she was outside the house and sliding into the car.

  Garrett, her partner, peered at her. “Get what you needed?”

  Without a word, Genny turned the key. “No. Let’s head back to the station.”

  He fumed. What did some police officer nobody think she was doing demanding answers he couldn’t give? David lurched from his seat and headed for the door. Fresh air might calm some of the jitters that rode him.

  But once outside,
he was confronted by the preparations that took place around him. Vampires had been housed in secure locations as had nestlings, but some had petitioned for transfers within the nests. The al bin Habbad nest had received forty new nestlings, and while the Council had agreed that such a large number wasn’t the best decision when the nest itself was only months old, the needs of the innocent couldn’t be understated.

  A large bus filled with refugees lumbered up the driveway, and his staff of five had set up tables so they could receive them. One would arrange emergency housing in a complex the Council had closed on just yesterday. He mused at how fast the Council could make things happen.

  Like his divorce.

  The memory of the paper on his desk soured his gut.

  “Jane, has all the furniture been arranged?”

  His assistant bit her thumbnail and winced. “I’ve got most, sir. But there are still some pieces we’re trying to find from other suppliers. And there're more children than adults. We’ve got a list and are arranging fostering, but the kids’ll need counselling. We don’t have a paed-psych on the books. I’ve got Ellie making enquiries. Meanwhile, three were injured and will also need medical care. We’re going to keep them here for now. Kharisma and her team should have the skills needed.”