CoverArtist: Rafael Albuquerque

PART EIGHT
Cut to their core by an act of unspeakable betrayal, the team must think fast to regroup and recover – but with two of their lives hanging by a thread and a third taken captive to be sacrificed to the Beast, hope and practical solutions are in short supply. As a demon army prepares to rise from the earth on the eve of America’s bicentennial celebration, an old friend of the VMS steps in to assist and Gus gets a chance to rewrite his grim fate. In the end, their efforts will all hinge on Skinner Sweet’s final decision to either retreat and preserve what’s left of his limited life, or to face his fear of death and risk it all for Pearl and the future of humanity.

PART SIX
With the help of the Council of Firsts, Skinner’s team has learned the secret sacrifice required to obtain the Blood of Light—their only hope of stopping the Beast from destroying humanity and conquering the world. Finally within reach of the remedy, the crew sends one of its own on the grueling last leg of the mission—but a devastating betrayal and an unwelcome revelation about Skinner’s quest for immortality could sabotage the expedition.

Skinner, Pearl, Book, and the rest of the team are finally united in their mission to stop the Beast from world domination, but the missing key to their success is protected by a council of preeminent ancestral monsters with an axe to grind. These are the progenitors of some of the world’s most iconic folkloric species, and the victims of a broken American promise. Desperate for the council’s assistance, Skinner’s crew becomes a captive audience to their tale of betrayal—but the chilling insight saps all hope of recruiting their help. With only a few days to spare before terror is unleashed, the team must convince the legends that humanity is worth preserving, and that history may still bend toward redemption.

Key clues and coordinates in hand, the rogue branches of the VMS reunite for a final mission that could unlock the secret to taking down The Beast. On their journey to find answers about a pact between America’s Founding Fathers and an ancient counsel of monsters, the whole team—Skinner, Pearl, Book, Felicia, Travis, and Cal—realize they’ll need to confront their own complicated personal pasts before they have a hope of correcting world history. Back at the White House, the Gray Trader’s secret associate, Bixby, wrestles with his allegiance to evil and makes a final decision about the president’s fate.

PART THREE: BENEATH THE GREENHOUSE…

Two subterranean showdowns escalate! Thousands of miles apart, rogue American vampires and the last remnants of the VMS chase the only known leads against the Beast’s looming plans for world domination. As Skinner’s crew fight for their lives aboard the runaway Freedom Train in the Tongue-infested tunnels of the Southwest, Cal and Travis scavenge the tracks below Times Square for traces of the Beast’s terrifying challenger—but when they get too close to the monster for comfort, they’re blindsided by the mother of all unexpected twists.