Bonds of the Vampire King (Blood Fire Saga Book 7) by Bella Klaus (reading e books .txt) 📕

The light streaming down hit the walls, lighting it up with the greens and purples and indigos of the rift.

“Shit.” This certainly didn’t look like London.

Rolling to my side, I took in my surroundings. I was in a cavern of some sort, and it was about the size of Grosvenor Square. At the far left of the space, stalactites hung from the ceiling, some as long as eighteen feet, others growing diagonally into the cave’s craggy and uneven walls.

On the other side lay the most pristine turquoise pool. Its surface was still, seemingly shallow with moss-covered rocks dotted about, forming stepping-stones.

I rubbed my dry throat, promising myself that no matter how much thirst clawed at me, I would not touch that water. It was probably guarded by the Greek god version of zombies.

“Are we even in the Realm of the Gods?” I muttered under my breath. This could be a pocket dimension or an enclave within any of the Factions of Hell.

Beyond the water stretched more walls, and the only way out seemed to come from the shard of light up above. I took a deep breath, readying myself to shift.

“Sleeping beauty awakens.” Kresnik’s voice echoed through the chamber.

The sound hit me like a jolt of adrenaline. I scrambled to my feet, glancing from side to side.

Kresnik emerged from behind a stalactite that had formed a column, clad in a white tunic that barely covered his balls. Snatching my gaze away, I wrapped a hand over my breasts, held out the other, and covered it in flames.

“Stay back.”

Kresnik rolled his eyes. “Must you be so dramatic, Hemera?”

“It’s Mer—” I clamped my lips shut. Why the hell did I want this murderous asshole calling me by my preferred name? He needed to die, now.

Pushing my magic outward, I shifted and charged him with my wings outstretched. Kresnik vanished, leaving me skidding on my talons. I spun around to find him standing by the water.

“Stop this nonsense at once,” he snapped.

A harsh cry tore from my beak. This was futile. There was no way to land a punch on a being who could teleport. Not without the speed of a vampire. I uncurled my wings and leaped, pointing my head toward the sky.

Strong arms wrapped around my neck, squeezing it in a choke-hold. “If you don’t behave yourself and shift back into a woman, I will pluck out every feather before extinguishing you in the pool of Zeus.”

The scent of burning flesh filled my nostrils, I glanced down to find the skin on his arms sizzling, but he didn’t so much as hiss from the pain. I thrashed, kicked, and flapped, but Kresnik gripped tighter, cutting off my air.

Panic spiked, and palpitations resounded through my chest. At this rate, I would faint, leaving myself vulnerable to Kresnik’s fury. If I wanted my revenge, I would have to attack while he was distracted. Or if I couldn’t escape, I would wait until he fell asleep.

Lowering my wings, I drifted to the ground, landing on my outstretched talons.

“Good girl.” As he released his grip on my neck, the seared flesh of his skin regenerated, turning pink and then bronze. He nodded with approval. “Now, change back.”

My jaw clenched. Something about this situation was off. Surely with his immortal body, Kresnik should have sustained more damage? Why did he regenerate when Hades had been reduced to ash?

I stepped backward toward the water, shaking my head. In this phoenix form, I wasn’t so vulnerable and at least had the power of flight. As a woman, I was only half his size and significantly less powerful.

He exhaled a long sigh. “Hemera—”

I screeched.

“Listen to your father,” he said in a voice as sharp as a whip.

My beak clacked shut. I breathed hard, wondering how on earth he’d managed to subdue me with a few words.

“Good.” He folded his arms across his chest. “We reached the Realm of the Gods, but something went wrong.”

I folded my wings behind my back, waiting for him to speak. Kresnik remained silent for several heartbeats, staring at me, leaning forward with his brows raised. Perhaps he was drawing out the suspense. Perhaps he wanted me to turn back to a woman and ask for details. Either way, I’d be damned if I did anything he wanted.

His features twisted into a rictus of fury. “Tiresome creature. I ought to twist your neck and drown your writhing corpse into the water.”

A sharp breath hissed through my nostrils. In less than five minutes, he’d already revealed the psychopath lurking beneath the facade of parental authority. This seething lunatic was the real and only Kresnik.

“Hemera,” he said with a tired sigh. “We’re stuck here.”

I tilted my head to the side.

“The passage back to London that my people created has vanished.” He spread his arms wide, and when I still didn’t ask for more information, he continued. “I expect that enforcers arrested them in Canary Wharf and have already carried out their executions. If we don’t work together, you’ll never reach Valentine.”

If I had hands, they would curl into fists. If I had fleshy nostrils instead of two slits in my beak, they would flare. My feathers ruffled. How dare this monster invoke the name of the man I loved to manipulate me into helping him return to take over Great Britain and beyond?

Did Kresnik think I’d be desperate enough to ally with him and doom the world? It was only a matter of hours before he got tired and fell asleep. Then I would escape and see what I could do to return home and leave him behind.

I walked to the boulders at the edge of the pool, found myself a suitable perch, and settled.

He strode toward me with his fists clenched. “That’s your answer? To do nothing?”

Tilting my head to the side, I stared at a penis-shaped stalactite straight ahead that bent to the left.

“Hemera,” he growled. “You can at least honor me with the courtesy of words.”

“If you can hear me, my answer is to