Realm of Night (Mina Murray Book 3)

by L. D. Goffigan

  REALM OF NIGHT

  BOOK THREE OF THE MINA MURRAY SERIES

  L.D. GOFFIGAN

  CONTENTS

  Realm of Night

  1. Blood Plague

  2. Destruction

  3. Rage and Bloodlust

  4. Rosalind

  5. The Trap

  6. Warning

  7. Berlin

  8. Pale Shadow

  9. Nightfall

  10. Dance of Pain

  11. Bloodlines

  12. The Order

  13. Dark Places

  14. Emma

  15. Blood of Monsters

  16. The Promise

  17. The Night Masquerade

  18. Prey

  19. My Queen

  20. Hunter

  21. Family

  22. Inferno

  23. Transylvania

  24. Fear

  25. The Choice

  26. Humanity

  27. Possibility

  Prequel Short Story Collection

  A Message from the Author

  About the Author

  Also by L.D. Goffigan

  REALM OF NIGHT

  Mina and her allies have destroyed Vlad Draculesti, but the human world is still in danger from his vampire allies. From Berlin to Paris, major European cities have begun to fall to their followers. To spare humanity from the grip of looming darkness, Mina must defeat one of the most powerful vampires in the world...

  A thrilling retelling of a classic tale, REALM OF NIGHT is the third book of the Mina Murray series.

  Copyright © 2017 by L.D. Goffigan

  All rights reserved.

  This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the express written permission of the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously.

  Cover Design by Kerry Hynds

  Created with Vellum

  “The bright day is done, and we are for the dark.”

  — William Shakespeare

  1

  BLOOD PLAGUE

  I stepped out onto the terrace, breathing in the damp night air. Darkness hovered over the surrounding countryside like a heavy and ominous cloud; even the distant trees appeared menacing. The dark had never bothered me before, but after the events of the past few weeks, it now seemed foreboding.

  Sensing a presence behind me, my body instinctively tensed, my hand reaching for the handle of my ever-present kukri knife, which was stuffed securely into my bodice. I whirled, but it was only Abraham Van Helsing, an apologetic smile tugging at the corners of his generous mouth.

  “I seem to always frighten you, my heart,” he said.

  I relaxed, returning his smile. He was referring to an incident weeks ago, when he had stealthily followed me through the streets of London’s East End to warn me of the looming vampire threat in the city.

  Abe approached, leaning down to press a loving kiss to my lips before enfolding me in his arms. I rested my head on his chest, expelling an anxious sigh.

  “I fear I will always be on edge,” I whispered. I still had nightmares about my confrontation with Vlad and Ilona Draculesti, the creatures who had abducted my former fiancé, Jonathan Harker. The violent encounter had nearly left me dead.

  “I understand,” Abe said, his voice soft with compassion. “But that will not always be the case.”

  Before I could respond, heated voices rose from inside the house.

  “They are still bickering,” he said, with an irritated glance at the back door. “I do not blame you for needing to step out.”

  Our small group of allies had been gathered at my late father’s country home for a week now; where to go next had become a topic of much debate. Vlad Draculesti had come close to unleashing his army of newborn vampires on London. We had successfully killed him and his sister, Ilona, the last members of the Draculesti family. But in the weeks that followed, vampire attacks all over Europe had continued. We’d discovered there were other vampire leaders who remained—Aurel Skala and Elizabeth Bathory, who had legions of their own followers. As long as Skala and Bathory were alive, the vampire threat against the human world remained.

  “We need to make a decision—and soon,” I said, with a worried frown. The morning newspaper had mentioned two outbreaks of a strange illness in multiple cities—Warsaw, Bucharest, Sofia, and Prague. The article referred to it as a ‘blood plague’, but we knew what was truly happening. Vampires were attacking and transforming humans—likely at the behest of Skala and Bathory.

  “I agree,” Abe replied. He turned, leading me back to the house. “Come back inside…you should not be out here alone. It is not safe,” he added, glancing at the surrounding countryside with unease.

  “I’m only steps away from the door,” I protested.

  “You came close to drawing your weapon just now,” Abe pointed out, closing the door behind us as we entered the back hall. “Please—do not fight me on this. Vlad still has loyal followers out there…they will want revenge on the human woman who killed him.”

  I fell silent as we made our way down the hallway towards the drawing room; he was right about Vlad’s followers. Abe drew me close to his side, and a surge of both love and desire flowed through me at his proximity. Abe and I had been lovers years ago, but after my father’s tragic death, we parted ways. After I became engaged to Jonathan, I thought I’d never see him again. It was only during our journey to Transylvania that I realized my love for Abe had never dissipated. Though I’d loved Jonathan, my feelings for Abe had been a constant magnetic pull back towards him. Jonathan had sensed the depth of my feelings for Abe and ended our engagement. Abe and I had only tentatively begun a new relationship, but it seemed as if no time had passed at all, and we were still those same lovers from years ago.

  Hand in hand, we entered the drawing room. Anara stood opposite Jack Seward, glaring at him, while Szabina hovered between them as an intermediary. My half-brother, Gabriel, leaned against the unlit fireplace, warily rubbing his temples. Gabriel looked up, his features softening with relief at the sight of me.

  There had been several other vampires in our group, including Nikolaus and Kudret, who had served as my temporary bodyguards during my recovery. Szabina had sent them away to seek out more vampire allies who could help us defeat the remaining vampire leaders. They wanted to find members of the Order of the Dragon, an alliance of vampires and humans who once worked together to maintain order amongst vampires. The Order had largely been disbanded, but we hoped to find any surviving members who were willing to join us.

  “Mina—thank Christ,” Seward said, as soon as I stepped inside the room. “Do you not think it’s worthwhile to at least warn the police in other cities that a bloody vampire invasion may occur? I was able to warn Scotland Yard—in a way. The police could at least help—“

  “Human fear never serves any purpose,” Anara interrupted. “Humans cannot take on powerful vampires. Vampires are far stronger—“

  “I’m aware that vampires are stronger than humans—you don't need to keep reminding me,” Seward said, between clenched teeth. “Us mere humans also have the right to protect ourselves.”

  “What about a compromise?” I interjected. “Seward can warn the police to be on the lookout for suspicious persons. We all know they wouldn’t believe him if he even said the word ‘vampire.’ And we can keep seeking more vampire allies. It does not need to be one over the other. Are we in agreement?”

 
; Seward and Anara grudgingly fell silent, continuing to glare at each other, but the others nodded.

  “That is what the rest of us tried to suggest,” Szabina said. Along with Gabriel, Szabina had become the peacemaker of our group. She looked relieved to have the conflict resolved. “Let us cease our discussions for the night. The humans need to rest.”

  Everyone obliged her and began to disperse. Gabriel approached me with a disapproving frown.

  “You should have told one of us you were planning to step out. It is not safe for you to be alone.”

  “Gabriel— “ I began, with a renewed rush of irritation. But I stopped myself when I saw the genuine worry in his eyes. I had slowly come to care for my half-brother. Unbeknownst to me, my mother had entrusted him with my safety before she died, and he took the task quite seriously. “I’m sorry. I just needed some air. I wouldn’t have gone far.”

  The tension in Gabriel’s body dissipated; he’d expected me to argue with him.

  “I don’t mean to be cross with you, Mina. I just worry.”

  “I know,” I said, reaching out to squeeze his hand. “I will try my best not to give you cause. But I cannot make any promises.”

  He smiled at my jest, bidding me goodnight before he left the drawing room with the others.

  Together, Abe and I made our way upstairs. He walked me to my guest room, where he kissed me chastely before heading off to his own room. I watched him go with longing. Abe and I had yet to consummate our rekindled relationship. We had been too preoccupied with preparing our next move against the remaining vampire leaders; our desire for each other had not gone beyond a few passionate kisses.

  Now, as I watched him head to his room, a memory from long ago of our bodies amorously entwined filled my mind. But I willed away my erotic thoughts as I changed into my nightdress. Abe was preoccupied by our upcoming journey, and I needed to sleep. My nightmares made it difficult for me to sleep throughout the night; fatigue had caught up to me.

  Yet sleep remained elusive. I finally crawled out of bed, padding over to the corner desk, where I’d left one of my father’s journals. This journal had been missing from my home in London. I’d found it tucked away in a box in the attic not long after we’d arrived here. It contained just what I’d suspected: Father’s detailed observations and theories about vampires. He must have moved it here before his final journey to Transylvania to keep it away from me.

  Had I found the journal before his death or even weeks ago, I would have found the details shocking. But it contained what we now already knew; evidence of the existence of vampires from multiple eyewitnesses, and Father’s theories about the vampire threat on the human world.

  There was one part of the journal I’d not yet read. In the back was a letter, carefully tucked away in the back pages. Father must have known that I’d one day discover the journal, as it was addressed to me. I’d been reluctant to read it, for fear of the grief that might arise from his words.

  I expelled a breath, removing the letter from the back pages. I moved over to the window, using the illumination from the moonlight that filtered in to read.

  My dearest Mina,

  If you have found this letter, it means you are now very aware of vampires. I am sorry to have kept so much from you; you must understand how much I fear for you, how much I desire to protect you. I would urge you not to pursue this dangerous matter any further, but I know you well. You are likely on your way to Transylvania as you read this now. If you must go, take Abraham with you. He will keep you safe. Make use of your self-defense training; this is why I insisted on you taking those lessons. Use the knowledge you have obtained from this journal wisely.

  If I am not with you now…please know how much I love you. Though you and Abraham have tried to hide it from me, I know that you love each other deeply. This brings me great comfort, the knowledge that you and Abraham shall have each other if I am gone.

  I fear dark times are ahead. I would urge you to focus on the light in the darkness, on the one thing that makes humanity worth fighting for: love.

  Love always,

  Your father

  Reading the letter was like my father speaking directly to me from the grave. I pressed the letter to my chest. I will defeat the monsters for you, Father, I promised. I will end this war.

  Blinking back my tears, I placed the letter back in the journal before making my way to Abe’s room. The door was ajar, and I peered inside. Abe was wide awake, seated at a corner desk, scribbling furiously in his journal by the dim light of a gas lamp. His chestnut hair fell haphazardly over his brow, his blue eyes intense with concentration as he wrote. As I studied him, another great swell of love for him arose in my chest, followed by an immense fear. What we were about to embark upon was even more dangerous than our previous journey, when we had raced from London to rescue Jonathan. We were now setting out to kill the two most powerful vampires in Europe—perhaps in the world. We had lost many allies during our previous journey. I could not bear to lose Abe, especially now that we’d just found our way back to each other.

  Abe must have sensed my eyes on him, because he looked up, his entire face lighting up at the sight of me. His expression faltered when he saw the anxiety on my face.

  “Mina?” he asked cautiously, getting to his feet.

  “I—can’t sleep,” I said. There was no need to confess my fears about his safety; he would only issue reassurances that would do nothing to soothe my unease.

  “We are both in similar predicaments,” he said, gesturing towards the open journal. “I have been writing down everything I know about the progression of mass epidemics and ways to prevent them…but it is difficult to compare bacterial plagues with vampirism. Studying plagues is perhaps not the most efficient way of getting to sleep,” he added, with a rueful smile

  “No,” I agreed, returning his smile as I entered the room. “Perhaps we can lull each other to sleep.”

  Moments later, we both slid into his bed, Abe’s arms wrapped securely around me from behind.

  “I finally read Father’s letter,” I whispered, after a brief pause. “He knew that we loved each other.”

  “Robert was always perceptive,” Abe replied. I could hear the smile in his voice, along with a hint of grief. “I had a difficult time hiding my love for you.”

  “I was the one who couldn’t stop blushing around you,” I reminded him, smiling at the memory.

  We fell silent once more, lost in our thoughts of the past. Abe’s comforting proximity soon lulled me to sleep.

  But in my dreams, I once again saw Vlad’s face, crinkled and gnarled in death, his fangs bared as he hissed my greatest fear.

  My allies will kill everyone you love.

  2

  DESTRUCTION

  When I awoke the next morning, Abe was already gone. I could hear the deep timbre of his voice mingling with the others’ downstairs. I climbed out of bed and padded to my room, where I washed and changed into a comfortable blue afternoon dress, securing my hair in a bun before making my way down to the dining room.

  I found it empty; though three plates of muffins and fruit alongside a pot of tea had been set out on the table. I’d temporarily dismissed the household staff my father’s family employed to care for the house and its grounds, paying them extra wages on top of the ones they already earned to keep silent about our presence here. I barely knew Father’s family and didn’t care to; they’d turned their back on him when he chose to pursue a career in science rather than the family business of finance, and his death hadn’t seemed to cause them much grief. Though Father officially left the home to me in his will, his family maintained it, and they wouldn’t be happy if they knew I was using it as a temporary hideaway.

  The only staff member who remained was the cook, an elderly woman with kind eyes named Margaret, who came by several times a day to prepare our meals before leaving without a word. She’d maintained such a quiet presence that I’d barely seen her during the past week. She must
have been curious about why we were here, but asked no questions, and only gave me polite smiles whenever I caught a rare glimpse of her.

  I poured myself a cup of tea and left the dining room to approach the study, where I heard muted voices behind the closed door.

  My friends all looked up when I entered. They were standing around a large map that was spread out over the center table. Abe stepped around the table to approach, leaning down to kiss me.

  "I did not want to wake you," he murmured. “Did you sleep well?”

  “Yes,” I lied, my gaze sliding to the group. “What’s the map for?”

  “We may have a way of finding Aurel Skala,” Szabina said, as I approached the table. “I know I should have mentioned this earlier…but I had hoped to keep her out of this. A friend of mine from long ago was turned vampire by Skala. Her name is Rosalind. She lives just outside of Berlin. Skala turned her against her will, and she has hated him ever since…she wants nothing to do with him or this war. But she may be able to direct us to his location.”