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

father’s. It’s to be expected. If you had lived during the time when humans preyed upon the weaker of the supernaturals, you would understand Our Lord’s desire to protect us.”

I rested my head on his shoulder and sighed. “Maybe that’s what I’m missing.”

Valentine drew back and placed a soft kiss on the tip of my nose. “I knew you would fall in line when you understood.”

I stretched my lips into what I hoped was a genuine smile. Istabelle had a book in her library called Witchcraft Act of King Henry VIII, which outlined the sixteenth-century witch trials that caused the weaker supernaturals to band together with stronger ones to create Logris and escape persecution.

Humans had changed since those times, and London’s human population had expanded from sixty thousand to nine million. Even if I believed that humans were below us, the numbers didn’t make sense. Even if Kresnik turned the entire prison population there still wouldn’t be enough people to defeat all the humans.

We rinsed off and changed into fluffy bathrobes. Valentine guided me through a door within the bathroom to a walk-in wardrobe half the size of my studio apartment. It was nearly as luxurious as the one in his palace, with floor-to-ceiling closets that housed the clothes he’d brought over from the penthouse.

I padded across the wooden floor and onto a rug with a deep pile that yielded beneath my bare feet. In the middle of the room stood a chest with drawers thin enough to accommodate jewelry and soft benches on either side. I settled onto the seat facing the women’s clothes, my eyes falling on the dress.

My breath caught. Valentine might have called it green, but its fabric was a silk that matched the iridescence of peacock feathers. Golds mixed with greens and blues and a deep indigo to form a dazzling array of eye-catching patterns.

“It’s beautiful,” I whispered.

The design itself was simple, with sculpted cups that hugged my smallish breasts, a bustier that pinched in at the waist, and a skirt that flared at the hip. A split ran up most of its length, ending inches below my knickers.

“I want you to wear my ring on your finger.” Valentine nibbled my ear. “So everyone knows you belong to me.”

My lips parted, but all I could do was nod. If we were going to a supernatural establishment, it might be handy to have a way to return to Valentine’s side in case a fight broke out and we got separated.

After dressing, I stood in front of a full-length mirror, admiring Valentine’s choice of outfit. The fabric clung to my modest curves, and the slit showed a glimpse of my slender legs which looked even longer with silver sandals.

Valentine stood behind me and slipped a silver choker around my neck. “You look ravishing. I could feast on you all night and throughout the day.”

My reflection stood alone, with the choker he held seeming to move by itself. A band of sadness wrapped around my chest, squeezing out a sigh.

“How do I look?” he asked.

I turned to find him wearing a royal blue tuxedo tailored around his muscular frame that brought out the violet of his eyes. I smoothed down his indigo lapels and straightened the matching bowtie.

“Perfection, as always.”

His face split into a dazzling smile of blunt white teeth that made my heart melt. “After years of dressing myself, it’s reassuring to know I can do it without the use of a mirror.”

I brushed a lock of hair off his face. “Do you miss your soul?”

His eyes sparkled. “I feel freer than ever. Especially around you.”

“Because you don’t have to be a gentleman anymore?” I asked.

Valentine wrapped his hands around my hips, bringing our bodies close. His warm hands slid beneath my skirt and cupped my ass. “Beneath your sweet and pure exterior is a girl who enjoys my darker side.”

My brows drew together. “You put me on a pedestal?”

“At one point, you were going to be the mother of my children.” Valentine snapped my knicker elastic, yanked off the garment, and tossed it over his shoulder.

Grief speared me through the heart, spreading its cold across my chest, squeezing my lungs into a tiny ball. I held my breath, and lowered my gaze to his white shirt. There was no point in arguing with Valentine while he was still under Kresnik’s influence. Even though I knew why he had changed his mind about starting a family, it still cut like a knife.

He placed his fingers under my chin and tilted my head up to meet his eyes. “Disappointed?”

“We’re together,” I said, feeling every ounce of conviction in my words. “That’s all that matters.”

Valentine nodded. “Our lord needs a preternatural general who can carry out his orders and to maintain the magic of his troops.”

An implication hung in the air that every vampire turned with Valentine’s blood would die if he stopped being a preternatural. It was no comfort to the people in the infirmary but something we could use against Kresnik in the future. I pushed aside that thought for now and focussed on the upcoming dinner.

“Of course.” Rocking forward on my tiptoes, I placed a peck on his lips. “We live in service of Our Lord.”

A knock sounded from beyond the door, making Valentine’s head snap up. Relief flooded my insides, and the muscles of my chest loosened, allowing me to exhale. It was hard to utter any of those disgusting lies when all I wanted to do was shout and rage about how Kresnik needed a spot in the deepest pits of Hell.

Valentine draped my shoulders with the reaper cloak and placed a warm hand on the small of my back. “Shall we?”

I forced a smile. “Looking forward to it.”

A pair of the guards who usually patrolled the grounds stood in the courtyard of Kenwood House, wearing their usual denim donkey jackets and jeans. They both clicked their heels and saluted before rushing to the limousine and opening the door.

Inside, it was dark with spotlights