Game of Vampires: Winterfest

Game of Vampires: Winterfest WICKED FAE GAMES: BOOK TWO DONNA BERDEL Copyright © 2023 by Mary Stone Publishing 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. Created with Vellum To my dad For encouraging me to sign up for that very first writing course. You taught me that dreams can come true, but only if you're willing to work for them. Description In an alternate realm, a race of ancient fae gather and watch as their wicked games get underway... Some people turn forty and splurge on a new haircut or dream vacation. Cassidy Wright kicks off her fourth decade on the planet by discovering that vampires exist, magic is real, and that she herself possesses an eerie ability to manipulate ice and snow. After barely escaping the carnage of Winterball, Cassidy is ready to leave Silvery Pines, Colorado—and her magical heritage—behind for good. But before she can flee, a strange tattoo with the words Winterfest Contestant appears on her and her friends’ arms. The mark brands them as competitors in an upcoming event known as Winterfest...whether they want to participate or not. But nothing in Cassidy’s life has prepared her to compete in the increasingly deadly series of games involving magic, dangerous fae creatures, and death-defying feats of courage. Games that smack of the ancient fae, who enjoy playing with humans. Cassidy soon realizes that she’s in over her head. Her friends start exhibiting bizarre behavior, and her only ally is Roman, a mysterious and alluring bartender with an agenda of his own. Cassidy must trust her instincts and tap into a power she doesn’t yet understand, or control, if she hopes to save her friends and escape the games alive. Place your bets...it’s game on! Winterfest, the second pulse-pounding installment in the Wicked Fae Games saga, plunges you deeper into a chilling world of treachery and magic. The stakes are higher, the games deadlier, and romance ignites under the most unlikely of circumstances. Brace yourself for a thrilling journey that will leave you breathless, craving the next deadly game. Contents 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 Chapter 41 Chapter 42 Chapter 43 What’s Next? Wicked Fae Games Series Acknowledgments About the Author Chapter One “…Lacy was a beloved member of the Silvery Pines community, a wonderful friend…and she made a damn good latte.” I watched as Cleo Dawes addressed the small crowd of mourners assembled in the lobby of the Green Huntress Lodge. Her last remark drew a few laughs, but from my spot near the back of the room, I could see tears shimmer in her eyes. Standing in front of the massive stone fireplace, dressed in all black and missing her usual animation, everything about her seemed subdued. The exception was the tawny hair that tumbled to her shoulders in a wild mass, as if even the death of a close friend couldn’t help tame the unruly waves. I’d already buried two people I cared about this month, and January was only halfway over. After this, the universe needed to cut me some slack for, say, the next fifty years. Cleo sniffled and hoisted her wine glass in the air. “Let’s all raise our glasses and drink to Lacy. If you’re up there listening, Lacy, we miss you more than words can say.” As she handed the mic to a man in a black suit, a male lodge employee carrying a tray of empty glasses approached on my left. His skin gave off a telltale shimmer. Without thinking, my eyes unfocused and sought the truth hiding beneath his glamour. Crimson irises replaced blue ones, and his nails elongated into sharp claws. Vampire. Goosebumps washed over my skin, while my heart swelled with sorrow and rage. If it weren’t for vampires, both Sylvie and Lacy would still be alive. I sipped my chardonnay to steady my nerves. The Green Huntress might be the picture of rustic elegance, with its wooden beams strewn across high ceilings, wrought iron chandeliers, and stone fireplace big enough to roast a cow on a spit, but no amount of luxury could wipe away the memory of the recent events that transpired here during Winterball. Ten days. That’s how long I’d spent in the picturesque mountain town. Apparently that was plenty long enough for my life to get weird. I’d ended up in Silvery Pines to pack up my aunt Sylvie’s belongings after she died. It was only after she’d passed I’d learned that my beloved aunt was actually my biological mother. Sylvie had handed me off as an infant to her sister, the woman I’d called Mama for the last four decades. As it turned out, Aunt Sylvie had been adopted too. She wasn’t even Mama’s biological sister. That part made sense, as I’d never felt the connection to my parents or most of the family that others seemed to share with their blood relatives. I really was the odd gal out, right down to my DNA. And as if all that wasn’t fuel enough for a lifetime of therapy bills, within twenty-four hours of my arrival to this picturesque mountain town, I discovered that magic was real. Silvery Pines was practically crawling with vampires and other otherworldly creatures. I traced my index finger around the wine glass’s rim. Some people turned forty and got a radical new haircut or splurged on