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

Valentine folded his arms across his chest. “What do you propose?”

“Another agreement, this time without the duress.” Hades’ tongue darted out to lick his lips.

“I’m listening,” said Valentine.

Hades’ eyes darkened even further. “Come inside. I won’t be overheard by gossiping servants.”

Valentine glanced down at me as though to ask if I wanted to play along with Hades’ new machinations. I raised a shoulder. The Demon King was always in the company of one woman or another. He just might be serious about not wanting to be left alone in a darkened room and might make us a genuine offer.

We stepped back into the dueling room, letting the door click shut behind us.

“Speak,” Valentine growled.

Hades nodded. “At some point in the future, Miss Griffin will remake me.”

So all his talk of having separated our connection had been bullshit. “You want me to burn you into ash again?”

He lowered his head, resting his fists on his thighs. “But this time resurrect me without your blood.”

“So you can come after me again?” I snapped.

“So I can stop obsessing over you,” he barked. “I can barely stand it. When I’m with Coral, all I can think of is you. Not even a pair of water nymphs and a succubus could distract me from my desire, Miss Griffin.”

Revulsion twisted through my insides with a twinge of guilt. If what he was telling was the truth, then his behavior would never cease. “Is this because I resurrected you with my blood?”

“What else could explain this unholy obsession? I haven’t felt this way about a woman since…” His lips tightened, and he jerked his head away with his nostrils flared.

I stepped closer to Valentine, taking comfort in the warmth and strength of his larger body. Hades didn’t need to complete the sentence. I already knew he was talking about Persephone, the wife who appeared in half the artwork around his office, private quarters, and palace.

“Do we have a bargain?” the Demon King growled.

Valentine stroked his hand up and down my arm, silently communicating that accepting or rejecting his proposal was entirely my decision.

“I agree to your demands, but what about everything Valentine asked for?”

Hades exhaled a choked breath. “We can tack that onto an agreement.”

“And what about the duress?” I stared down at the Demon King, who knelt on all fours with his head bowed in defeat.

“Since the offer came at my instigation and is unrelated to the pitchfork lodged in my lungs, I believe our contract will hold in any supernatural court of law.”

Valentine stared down at Hades without a trace of pity in his red eyes. I placed my hand on his chest and tilted my head to the side in a silent question. By now, Valentine’s faith in the goodness of the Supernatural Council had to be hanging by a fraying thread. Not only had Hades continued to plot against him, but the Demon King hadn’t lifted a claw to ensure Valentine’s safety during his time in prison.

I also sent out a silent word of thanks to Nut and Geb. They didn’t realize this, but their threats to eat my organs had triggered me to stage a jailbreak. Even though Valentine might have been able to kill the assassin with his telekinesis, there was no telling if Prince Draconius would have come in to complete the murder himself.

Without a word to the Demon King, Valentine guided me to the door, and we stepped out into the hallway.

Caiman stood to attention with the trio of wizards. “Your Majesty?”

“Please send for someone who can draft a contract,” Valentine said.

The butler inclined his head. “Maitland is already at your service.”

A heartbeat later, a tall vampire appeared and swept into a low bow. “Your Majesty?”

When he rose, I met his green eyes, recognizing him as a member of Valentine’s Board of Directors. Maitland was the Head of the Legal Department in his property holding company. The man always dressed like an undertaker with his frock coat, high-necked shirt, and cravat, and in all the times we had worked together, he’d barely acknowledged my presence.

“I need the utmost discretion on this matter,” Valentine said.

Maitland inclined his head. “As always.”

Valentine and Maitland sat on the uncomfortable sofas, drafting up a contract using Hades’ blood as the ink. Hades knelt on his hands and knees in an expanding pool of blood.

I leaned against the wall with my arms folded against my chest, trying not to cringe at the spectacle. Even with my basic academy education, I knew that signing a contract in one’s own blood made it more binding than signing it in ink, but drafting its wording in the blood made it irrevocable.

In between the discussion, the Demon King’s gaze drifted toward mine. A lump formed in the back of my throat, and I tore my eyes away from him and tried to look everywhere except him.

The man was insidious. Odious. Devious. Yet why couldn’t I stop myself from feeling pity?

I shook off those thoughts and focused on the upcoming battle.

After several minutes, Maitland waved a hand over the scroll, drying the blood to a deep brown. “I will take this to the treasury for safekeeping.”

“Thank you.” Valentine placed a hand on the other man’s arm.

The lawyer turned on his heel and strode out of the room with Caiman, letting the door click shut.

“Satisfied?” Hades asked through clenched teeth. “I have agreed to advocate for you with the Council of Ministers, cease allying with your enemies, fight Kresnik, help you find the soul of King Antonius, and stop pursuing Miss Griffin.”

“Immensely,” Valentine said.

“Then remove this infernal trident from my back before I bleed to death.”

“You’re immortal,” I said.

“That is hardly the point,” the Demon King hissed through clenched teeth.

Valentine rose from his seat, placed a foot on Hades’ ass to steady himself, and yanked the trident from his back.

Hades threw his head back and screamed. “You did that on purpose.”

“Perhaps.” Valentine wrapped a hand around the Demon King’s neck and flung him against the wall, sending two of the