Thrall of the Vampire King (Blood Fire Saga Book 4) by Bella Klaus (elon musk reading list .txt) 📕

At the edge of the wards, I dropped down on my knees beside Gail. “Sorry, Macavity. Things got a bit crazy and we—”

He cut me off with a plaintive yowl.

My brows furrowed. “Didn’t they treat you well in that place?”

“Mrrow!”

I narrowed my eyes, taking in Macavity’s emerald-green irises, glossy coat, and shiny new collar. Even his claws looked freshly manicured. Something in his tone of voice didn’t sound so genuine.

Valentine would never have left the cat with a demon who would mistreat him. Macavity was probably exaggerating to make me feel bad for leaving him alone for so long.

I had to change the subject before I let him work himself into a full-blown rant. “Can you see me?”

Macavity shook his head and batted at the invisible barrier.

“I thought you said he wasn’t a shifter?” asked Gail.

“He’s magical.” I placed my fingers a foot over the ground, and Macavity reached up with his front paws, placing them level with my hand. My heart tightened. His toe beans were pink and plump with a little black spot on the pad. I shook off his cuteness and pushed some power into the ward.

Nothing happened.

“What are you doing?” Gail whispered.

“Seeing if I can find a way to sneak him in,” I replied. Macavity could be my greatest ally… if only I could get him through the wards.

His green eyes widened, and he flicked his head to a point over my shoulder before darting away and galloping across the heath. I turned toward the trees closest to the house to see what had spooked the cat. The men standing beneath them were gone, replaced by a dark figure who stood as still as death.

My insides twisted into knots, and a drum rolled through my heart.

“Valentine,” I murmured.

He stalked toward me with the gait of a feline, his darkening eyes fixed on mine.

“Will you be alright?” Coral scrambled to her feet.

“He won’t hurt me,” I replied.

Coral wrapped a hand around Gail’s arm and pulled her up to stand. “If we don’t see you tomorrow—”

“See if you can get Healer Calla to do the sound healing session,” I replied, not taking my gaze off Valentine. “Keep your crystals close. They’ll continue healing you from the inside.”

They hurried across the lawn, dipping into awkward curtseys as they passed Valentine, who didn’t acknowledge their presence. My mind rolled back to what Coral had said about him being Kresnik’s right hand. Neither of the people I was now considering my team had ever shown him deference before the Light Lord’s arrival.

Valentine wore a slim-fitting black shirt that looked like regular cotton at first, but as he came closer, the slight fading over its collars and cuff indicated that it was denim. This was the first time I’d seen him wear jeans, and they were a slim fit that emphasized his muscular thighs.

If he hadn’t drowned me in thrall and glutted himself with my blood, I might have salivated. Right now, he made my pulse pound harder than a war drum.

“I told you to stay in your room,” he said in a voice stern enough to make my nerve endings tingle.

My heart stopped beating for a full second before it thudded against my breastbone, and an avalanche of dread tumbled into my stomach. This was a completely new Valentine—one who actually believed I was his property.

He grabbed my arm and hauled me to my feet. Warmth seeped through my reaper cloak, indicating that he had fed. Tamping down my emotions, I tilted my head up to meet his sharpening eyes.

Up close, his irises weren’t quite violet, nor were they crimson or any other shade related to blood. They were a rich plum, bordering on merlot, with a ring of black around the edges that formed a gradient from dark to light. White flecks ran across the middle in starbursts that reminded me of lightning bolts.

He’d fed. Several times, judging from the glowing health of his skin, making him look like the man who had walked into the crystal shop that fateful morning. My throat dried. Too little blood made him regress into a talking corpse, and not enough turned him into a tyrant. I wasn’t quite ready to know what he’d be like with more than enough and with magic running through his veins.

I licked my lips, the movement making him drift toward me with a glint in his eyes.

Valentine stood so close his smoky magic caressed my skin, making every nerve tremble with anticipation. My throat dried, and I gulped, not knowing if this conversation would end with a punishment or with a kiss.

“How can you be out in the sun?” I hoped to change the subject.

“The wards here filter out its harmful rays. Now, explain yourself,” he said with a command that made me stand to attention.

“We’ve already had this conversation,” I said. “You can’t keep me confined to a room, especially when there are so many dangerous people about.”

“These rules are for your safety,” he said. “Only Our Lord and his chosen are permitted into the main house.”

I shook my head. He was completely missing my point. It was his so-called lord I was terrified of the most. “How is forcing me to stay comatose under the influence of vampire heroin going to protect anyone?”

His eyes hardened. “You belong to me.”

“If you truly want me safe, you’d put me in a safe house somewhere outside the wards,” I said from between clenched teeth. “But all you want is a constant source of food and sex.”

The corner of Valentine’s lip twitched, indicating that this was exactly what I meant to him. “This transgression merits a punishment.”

“And what if I disobey you again?” I asked.

“You won’t.”

My jaw tightened. This version of Valentine was the most aggravating person who ever lived. Or in his case, died.

Valentine’s head snapped up. “Our Lord calls.”

I grabbed his arm. “Wait.”

Valentine stared down at me through reddening eyes. This was the first warning that I