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

the Council said had burned out his magical core had actually survived. Kresnik then moved to the land Valentine’s father had bought for him and commissioned the building of that mansion. That’s where all the fire users lived for centuries, until the demon enforcers raided it.

My gaze lingered on the ashes, which darkened with Kresnik’s blood. At some time during the raid, Father Jude led the fire users out to safety, while Kresnik fought the demon enforcers and got dragged into Hell. At least that’s what happened to his soul. The Council must have destroyed his body, and his shadow slithered away to cause mischief.

I sucked in a breath, waiting to see if Brother David would rise.

Up on the stage, Kresnik leaned toward Valentine and murmured in his ear. Valentine kept his gaze on mine throughout the conversation, making me hope they weren’t talking about Kresnik’s plans to have me exsanguinated now that I had served my purpose.

The audience chatted among themselves until a scream echoed across the stage. Kresnik spread his arms wide. “Behold, Brother David is once again whole!”

Applause thundered, picking up volume as the sound continued to bounce off the walls. Kresnik wasn’t anything special—he just used the power of seven to amplify the power of a phoenix. Only Clarence, Gail, and Racon knew that, but they weren’t around to tell the audience that the emperor had stolen his clothes.

“Did you see that?” asked Coral.

“It’s pretty much what happened when Father Jude rose from the ashes,” I muttered.

She ignored me and joined in the applause.

I leaned away from the other woman, my stomach plummeting. Had she been swayed by this resurrection to respect Kresnik?

The naked Brother David turned in a circle, not seeming to understand what was happening. Healer Calla placed a sheet over his shoulders and guided him to the side of the stage, where he shrugged off the covering and rubbed his temple. The last thing he probably remembered was having his heart torn out by a demon enforcer, if he remembered anything at all.

I’d bet my former collection of black tourmaline that Brother David’s body was alive but soulless. It wasn’t common knowledge, but I’d come to learn that supernaturals kept their souls in their hearts. Kresnik just revived a heartless body, and the real Brother David was probably already in a cell within the depths of the Demon King’s lair, being tortured for daring to have fire.

Kresnik flicked his arm, indicating for Brother David to take a seat. The newly resurrected man stumbled from side to side before someone guided him off the stage and into a space in the front row.

The other fire users crowded him, seeming to be asking questions, but Brother David stared ahead at Kresnik the way Valentine stared at me. My skin tightened. How many of those dead people would he bring back wrong?

“One more thing before I restore my faithful warriors.” Kresnik turned to Aurora, who dipped into a low bow and walked behind the screen.

Moments later, she reemerged with two of the men I recognized from Jonathan’s banishment. They led a dozen uniformed enforcers, each bound with metallic chains around their necks and ankles and wrists. Chains linked the enforcers together, forcing them to walk in lockstep.

Aurora bowed low and presented the chains to Kresnik, who turned to the audience and beamed. “When I clamped down on the wards, I collected every single intruder, dead or alive, to join my ranks.

Within Kresnik’s hands, the chain turned as red as hot coals, and livid heat spread down the other links and up into the first collars and cuffs.

The first enforcer’s scream was so gut-wrenching that I leaned forward, gulping mouthfuls of air.

“What’s wrong with you?” Coral whispered.

I shook my head, my gaze fixed on the horror unfolding on the stage.

That first enforcer fell to the ground, followed by another and another until steam rose from the chains. A hushed awe spread across the auditorium, but all I could feel was a stomach rippling with nausea. Kresnik was burning them alive.

When the last of the enforcers lay on the ground with saliva frothing from his mouth, Kresnik turned to the women standing at the big screen. “Ceremonial slaughters.”

Each of them extracted daggers and walked around the stage. I stared into Valentine’s eyes, holding his gaze as though it was the only thing keeping me sane. What was the point of doing this? Revenge? Recruitment? To prove to the newcomers that Kresnik was powerful?

The women reached down and stabbed the men through their hearts. Each time one of them flinched, I shuddered hard enough to make my teeth chatter. When they were sure that all of the fallen enforcers were dead, the women returned to their positions.

“Behold.” Kresnik raised his arms, and the dead enforcers rose to their feet.

By now, I couldn’t stomach the spectacle, much less the applause. I lowered my gaze to my lap, waiting for this assembly to end.

Kresnik said, “Please see to it that my Preternatural General has the very best room within the upstairs house.”

My head snapped up, and I gulped to find both Kresnik and Valentine staring at me with different degrees of hunger. One of them hungered for my blood, but the other hungered to destroy me. I pursed my lips. Kresnik hadn't been kidding when he said the time for hiding was over. He wanted some of us to live above ground, just so the Supernatural Council would see how powerful he had become.

Aurora turned to Valentine, who nodded and followed her toward the steps that led to the door at the top of the auditorium. As Valentine passed, he wrapped his hand around my bicep and pulled me off my seat. I stumbled up the stairs after Valentine, hoping he would take mercy on me and not drain me to a husk.

“Where are we going?” I asked, but both Valentine and Aurora ignored me as they reached the top of the stairs.

I glanced over my shoulder, wondering if Kresnik wanted