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

gust of cold air. All the blood packs were gone, replaced by blue bottles containing a blueberry-based drink that claimed to be rich in iron. I read the wording on the label, which also said it would help women suffering from heavy periods. I clenched my teeth. Was this some sort of joke?

Shaking off those thoughts, I took a bottle, twisted off its cap, and sniffed its contents.

Valentine hurried to my side. “What are you drinking?”

“Don’t worry, it doesn’t contain aspartame.” I raised the can to my lips. “It’s hard to eat properly while under the influence of thrall.”

His face fell. “You were hungry?”

I placed a hand on his chest. “Only as it wore off.” My insides cringed at the manipulative way I tried to sound casual, but not a single word was exaggerated. “I tried to get out of bed but fell on my face and broke my nose.”

“Innamorata.” He cupped my cheek. “I thought I was keeping you safe.”

“How?” I asked.

“Our Lord is demanding of those who fail to meet his exacting standards.”

My teeth clamped down on the inside of my cheek as I refrained from correcting Valentine. By now, Valentine must have worked out why the people in the infirmary had gotten so injured.

Any normal person would disapprove of Kresnik’s tendency to act like becoming magicless as a result of having one’s power stolen was a moral weakness that warranted eternal punishment.

Valentine’s word sank into my skull. Because of him, I’d missed the first few days of Kresnik’s reign, when he had also gathered other teams for rituals to extract their magic. Because I had thrown up this morning, I missed an opportunity to get myself maimed and injected with vampire blood.

“You did it to protect me?” I asked.

His thumb brushed against my cheekbone. “You’re mine, and I don’t share.”

Disappointment thickened my throat, and I swallowed down a lump. It was unreasonable to expect an admission of love or care or any kind of affection when he was still under Kresnik’s influence. I had to be grateful that his desire to protect me was even greater than his wish to obey his so-called lord.

Valentine pressed his lips against my forehead and gave my ass a gentle pat. “Get into the shower.”

Unlike the rest of the house, the bathroom was ultra-modern, with a heated floor, marble worktops and a gigantic cubicle large enough to fit eight. A quartet of sunflower-shaped shower heads hung from the ceiling with another four hand-held hoses mounted on the walls. The magic warding Kenwood House had to be immense to support all these extra features while still maintaining an alternative space in the real world.

After hanging up my cloak, I kicked off my boots, pulled off my sweater, and let my jeans fall to the warm tiles in a puddle of denim.

A long sigh heaved from my lungs. Tonight was going to be a disaster, and my only means of staying alive were the blood stabilizers in my pocket. Healer Calla had prescribed two a day, but I’d taken six to counteract the thrall and ended up spewing artificial blood all over the training room floor. I took another two and turned on the valve, letting out jets upon jets of hot water.

I stepped into the shower, letting the spray soak into my hair, pummel my skin, and massage the worries from my scalp. Instead of thinking about what could go wrong, I needed to find a way to build up my magic. With a deep breath, I pushed my power down to my hands and produced a glow.

Excitement skittered up my spine. A few more attempts, and I might create a flame. Firestone no longer encased my heart, and there would be no limit to my power as long as I could wrestle it from Kresnik.

Just as I was about to try again, Valentine’s large body pressed into my back, his hands cupping my breasts. My heart flip-flopped, and I pulled back my magic. He ran the tip of his nose up the column of my neck and groaned.

“Have you fed?” I murmured.

“Twice today,” he said.

Relief flooded my system, making me lean against his chest. “Are you still only eating bad people?”

“More or less.” He nibbled on my neck and slid his fingertips down my belly.

I turned around, meeting his darkening eyes. “What does that mean?”

“Our Lord is building up his ranks with an army of humans who don’t deserve their lives.” The hot spray plastered his hair to his scalp, bringing out the sharpness of his cheekbones.

Apart from being a little thinner than usual, Valentine looked much the same as he had appeared when alive but without the radiance of his newly restored soul. An ache formed in my chest as I thought about Valentine’s soul, trapped within his heart. He had a sense of the passage of time and would become anxious that I hadn’t visited.

My gaze lingered on his cupid’s bow lips. “Criminals?”

Valentine’s hands settled on my waist. “There are several prisons within flying distance, a source of strong candidates.”

I rested my hand on his chest. “Aren’t you worried that humans will find out about the Supernatural World?”

Valentine placed his fingers on my lips. “We have hidden since the time of Henry VIII. It’s time for supernaturals to take our place within British society.”

“At the top.”

His fingertips slid down my jaw and over my neck. “We are stronger, faster, magical, and longer lived. Our Lord doesn’t wish to destroy them—”

“Only turn them into an underclass.”

Valentine’s brows formed a deep V, making my stomach clench. It wasn’t his fault that he was spouting this nonsense, and hadn’t I just told myself I would play along?

“I’m sorry.” I slid my arms around his neck, pressing my body against his. “You know what I’m like with my incessant questions. I never mean any harm.”

“Not everyone will find them charming.” He wrapped his arms around my middle and pulled me into his chest. “You’re an intelligent young woman with beliefs that oppose your