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

My steps faltered, and I held on to the bedpost for balance. Hades was right. We learned about soul balancing in the academy. It was mainly the work of the reapers—low-level angels who ushered stubborn souls into the afterlife—but during times of larger imbalances, demons would also guide their share of the souls to Hell.

All thoughts of standing up to Hades evaporated into the ether. There was so much more at stake than putting together Hades’ body, finding Valentine’s heart, or even regaining my power. Kresnik’s preternatural army was the biggest threat to humanity, but this was also an opportunity for Hades to manipulate me into an agreement that might cost me my life.

Even if everything he told me was true, I couldn’t follow along with his plan to lock people away in case Kresnik decided to steal their magic. What kind of government murdered people just so that they wouldn’t become victims of a criminal? I shook my head and continued toward the bathroom. Hades would have to find someone else to put his pieces together.

As I turned the door handle, Hades grumbled something from inches behind my back.

I whirled around, meeting his dusty gaze. “You’re not following me into the bathroom.”

The edges of his cloud rippled. “Why not?”

I clenched my teeth and pulled the silk sheet closer to my body. “Because you should have told me all of this before. Because I’m sure half of what you’ve told me is bullshit. Because I need a break from you to think.”

“So, you have no objections to me watching you shower.” His deep chuckle set my teeth on edge. “What a pity you can’t keep me out.”

“Will you stop being so aggravating?” I hissed.

“After you,” he said, sweeping out an arm like a gentleman.

I knew how to deal with him. The moment he followed me into the cubicle, I would turn on the water and wash his ashes down the drain. I stepped into the white space, and paused in front of the mirror.

For someone who had been under the influence of thrall, I seemed pretty well-rested. My skin glowed with vitality, and a flush colored my cheeks. Even my eyes seemed different. They normally oscillated between pale blue and gray but today they reminded me of celestite, a delicate blue crystal used to achieve higher states of meditation.

“What a savage beast.” Hades formed a cloud behind my back. “I would have secured you to the bed with silken sashes, not savaged you into submission.”

My gaze dropped to the puncture wounds marring the side of my neck, and I tried not to pull a face. Valentine had probably left them there on purpose to mark his territory.

“Will you at least consider what I’ve said?” he asked.

“It’s hard to take you seriously.” I bent my neck to the side, examining it for more bites. “One minute, you’re talking about wicked Light Lords bringing about the end of the world, and the next, you’re acting like a wanker in need of a helping hand.”

His low chuckle prickled across my skin. “Perhaps you shouldn’t be so enticing.”

My nerves tightened with irritation. “Carry on like that, and you’ll be seeing out the apocalypse as a lonely cloud.”

His magic crackled. I ignored him and continued toward the shower, making sure to turn on the water first. Hades backed away from the cubicle, presumably to avoid his ashes being swept down the plughole. I suppressed a smile and hung the sheet over the interior of the shower door.

The warm spray massaged my skin, washing away the scent of smoke and brimstone that clung to my body. I picked up a bottle of strawberry-scented shampoo and tried not to think of the most powerful demon in existence lurking behind the sheet.

As I massaged the silky liquid into my hair, Hades launched into a monologue. “At certain points of history, the world nearly ended because the barriers between realms thinned to the point of breaking.” He reminded me of my history teacher, a demon hybrid with a sharp tongue. “The worst of these occurrences happened during the 1300s when the bubonic plague swept through England.”

“I wrote an essay on John Dastin,” I said over the sound of water. “He tried to reach Heaven with a sword he’d transmuted into gold and opened a portal to Hell.”

“Deaths had reached an all-time high, and reapers became overwhelmed with the numbers of disembodied souls clinging to the realm of the living. The spiritual pressure wore through the barriers between the realms, allowing the unscrupulous to harness the power of Heaven and Hell for personal gain.”

I rolled my eyes and dipped my head beneath the spray. “Yes, and one of those people was John Dastin.”

“Then you understand the extent of the danger Kresnik poses to the world?” he asked.

“Since stopping him from unleashing an army of preternaturals is so important, you’ll agree to my demands.”

Hades didn’t reply immediately. After rinsing the shampoo, I poured a generous amount of coconut conditioner into the palm of my hands and worked it into the ends of my hair. I wanted to help him stop Kresnik, and not just because I was desperate to save Valentine. But he had to understand that he needed my help more than I needed his.

“State your terms,” he said.

“One. You will show me the location of Valentine’s heart.”

“Agreed, but on the condition that I accompany you in my physical body to fetch the item in question.”

“Why?”

“Its location is too perilous for a mortal and requires the use of wings. Besides, I wish to guarantee that you fulfill your end of the bargain.”

I bit down on my lip. It wasn’t like I could fly, and I hadn’t gotten the chance to test my ability to speak as a phoenix.

“What say you, Miss Griffin?” he asked.

I piled up my hair atop my head. “Agreed, subject to my other demands.”

“Which are?” he drawled.

“You will not reap or allow the reaping of any fire user’s