Remy Pendergast and his royal vampire companions face an enemy that is terrifyingly close to home in book two of Rin Chupeco’s queer, bloody Gothic epic fantasy series for fans of Samantha Shannon’s The Priory of the Orange Tree and the adult animated series Castlevania . Remy Pendergast, vampire hunter, and his unexpected companions, royal vampires Lord Zidan Malekh and Lady Xiaodan Song, are on the road through the kingdom of Aluria again after a hard-won first battle against the formidable Night Empress, who threatens to undo a fragile peace between humans and vampires. Xiaodan is severely injured and has lost her powers to vanquish the enemy’s new superbreed of vampire, but if the trio can make it to Fata Morgana, the seat of Malehk’s court—dubbed “the Court of Wanderers”—there is hope of nursing her back to health and restoring them. Enroute to the Third Court, Remy crosses paths with his father, the arrogant, oftentimes cruel Lord of Valenbonne. He also begins to suffer strange dreams of the Night Empress, whom he has long suspected to be Ligaya Pendergast, his own mother. As his family history unfolds during these episodes, which are too realistic to be coincidence, he realizes that she is no ordinary vampire—and that he may end up having to choose between the respective legacies of his parents. Posing as Malek and Xiaodan’s human familiar, Remy contends with Aluria’s intimidating vampire courts and a series of gruesome murders with their help—and more, as the three navigate their relationship. But those feelings and even their extraordinary collective strength will be put to the test as each of them unleashes new powers in combat at what may be the ultimate cost. “Lush writing, sexy vampires and thrilling battles? Sign me up! This dark, bloody novel is deliciously fun!” —Sangu Mandanna, author of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches “Bursting with thrilling battles, vampire court politics, romantic tension, and witty, irreverent dialogue, Silver Under Nightfall is an enthralling read . . . An adventure not to be missed.” —Elisa A. Bonnin, author of Dauntless and Stolen City "Sharp, thrilling, and action-packed, with a hell of a bite." —K.S. Villoso, author of The Wolf of Oren-Yaro Rin Chupeco is a nonbinary Chinese Filipino writer born and raised in the Philippines. They are the author of Silver Under Nightfall and several speculative young adult series, including The Bone Witch , The Girl from the Well , The Never-Tilting World , and Wicked as You Wish . Formerly a graphic designer and technical writer, they now write fiction full time and live with their partner and two children in Manila. They can be found on Instagram at @RinChupeco. Chapter 1: Regret 1 REGRET Remy complained, of course. Of the bad roads and of the storms that came upon them without warning, the winds stronger than they were accustomed to, even within rain-drenched Aluria. Of the way the carriage jerked them about at intervals, the way the vampire horses yanked their coach along at a dizzying pace, eschewing comfort for speed. Variations of Malekh, slow the fuck down, you’re jolting Xiaodan out of her bloody seat frequently left his mouth, his language growing more colorful and more desperate as the days went by. Malekh said nothing, and the more he said shit-all, the more Remy whined to make up for the silence. The vampire lord never rose to his bait. On the rare occasions he remained inside the carriage with them, he merely folded his arms across his chest, leaned back with his eyes closed, and pretended Remy wasn’t there. For the better part of the journey, he stayed on the driver’s perch outside where his helhests, undeterred by the rain and the fog, raced on down the path. It had been four days since they’d first set out from Elouve, and Remy still didn’t know where the hell they were; Peanut and Cookie could run from one end of Aluria to the other in a week if their masters wanted them to. On at least three occasions now, Malekh had halted the carriage inside some forest, uttered a terse stay here to him, and was off to Light-knows-where for a couple of hours. No badgering could convince him to tell Remy where he’d been, once he returned. Malekh hadn’t stopped at any villages or towns to rest, choosing to keep vigil outside the carriage at night while Remy managed a few hours’ sleep within. And despite all his whining about seeing to her comfort, Xiaodan slept through it all anyway, never once waking to join in Remy’s grievances. Her head was currently in his lap. The rest of her was stretched out on his right, short enough that the soles of her feet were settled comfortably against the side of the carriage door. Her eyelids fluttered every now and then, and he hoped that she was dreaming of something better than where they were. Her heartbeats sounded loud to his ears, irregular as always. She’d fallen asleep almost as soon as they’d left Elouve, and nothing could rouse her.