Bonds of the Vampire King (Blood Fire Saga Book 7) by Bella Klaus (romantic books to read TXT) 📗

if someone had subjected me to my worst fear. Epimetheus had brought this mess on himself, and the last thing I wanted was to get stuck between that bearded freak and a raging dragon.

Up ahead, the ground sloped downward, forming a gentle valley, at the bottom of which stood a configuration of rocky structures the size of four and five-story buildings, arranged in three concentric circles. It reminded me of a monument like Stonehenge. Whatever its purpose might have been, there were enough loose rocks around it to form a hiding place for a five-foot-five creature like me.

Lightning flashed across the clear sky, shining brighter than the rays of the sun. Epimetheus cried, “Aetos and I command all the eagles in this realm, Brother. Come any closer, and they will descend upon you like locusts.”

A plume of fire filled the air, causing Aetos to squawk. I glanced over my shoulder to find that Epimetheus and the eagle had changed direction, and Kresnik was now following them. Black dots appeared on the horizon, which I guessed were more birds arriving for backup.

Good luck to them all.

I flapped even harder, faster, picking up speed and increasing the distance between what was going to be a one-sided battle featuring an insane Titan who was about to overcome his eagle phobia with dragon fire.

Swooping down, I flew parallel to the valley’s slope with my wings outstretched, and drifted over the air currents. Roars filled the sky—belonging both to Epimetheus and to the dragon. They mingled with the guttural cries of the eagles, but I didn’t dare waste time turning around.

If I could work out how to break free of the Realm of the Gods before Kresnik had finished dealing with his brother and the birds, I might trap him here forever.

The tall structures I’d seen from a distance were cairns up close—small stones piled atop each other to create larger structures. They were dotted all over England, but this was the first time I’d seen so many close together, and it reminded me of the ancient circles we’d studied in the academy, circles that supernaturals of old had used to access higher levels of magic.

I flew over the first circle of cairns, then over the second, and over the smaller enclosure in the center, where the ground was etched with runes and glyphs and symbols too ancient for me to fathom.

At the other end of the circle was what I could only describe as an igloo of stone that stood about twelve feet tall. I knew better than to venture inside and disturb whatever horror lurked within its depths. Instead, I drifted over it and landed behind a pile of rubble, my talons hitting the hard stone.

A glance toward the skies told me the battle was in progress. Kresnik’s green dragon hovered in the air surrounded by eagles the same size as Aetos, some of them swooping on his head and trying to slash at his horns with their talons, others surging up from below, trying to peck at his underbelly.

“Bloody hell,” I squawked as a shudder ran across my flames.

In London, some lunatics would throw chunks of bread out on the street to attract pigeons, even though there were signs everywhere prohibiting people from feeding the flying vermin. On my first week in Grosvenor Square, I stumbled across a man sitting at a bench, dousing himself with crumbs. Pigeons perched all over him, seeming to eat him alive.

Kresnik was the dragon equivalent of the pigeon man, except he was fighting back.

I snatched my gaze away from the sight and inhaled a deep breath. What did I need to do?

One: cry as a phoenix and let the tears flow.

Two: wish the rift into existence.

Three: jump into the rift?

My beak made an annoyed clack. I should have stuck around for more instructions, even if it meant braving what lurked beneath that funky beard. Now I had to improvise.

I stared at the rocky ground and blinked over and over, waiting for the tears.

Nothing happened.

A furious roar tore through the air. My head snapped up to the sky, where four eagles fell to the ground, their bodies on fire.

Cold terror shuddered through my insides, making the flames of my plumage flicker. Bloody hell. Kresnik was winning faster than I’d anticipated.

Turning back to the rocky ground, I inhaled another deep breath, this time thinking of everything I would lose if I remained in this realm. I’d never see Beatrice again. Never know if Lazarus was able to restore her youth. I’d never see Kain grow to become a full vampire, and I’d never get to play with Macavity or help him fulfill his purpose for returning to the Human Realm.

The backs of my eyes grew hot, and the flames across my cheeks flared. If I stayed here, I’d never know what happened to Valentine. He had followed us across London, dodging Kresnik’s fireballs, then suddenly stopped.

My throat thickened. Kresnik wouldn’t tell me what had happened. Maybe he wanted to break the news when he was ready to activate the rift.

Tears blurred my vision, evaporating as they spilled down my cheeks. I leaned forward, letting them splatter onto the ground, but no matter how much I cried, the drops of water just remained there.

I still didn’t know what had become of Aunt Arianna and the rest of the coven. Even if the people at the Atlantis Exchange got hold of her, my phone was missing. Did she manage to leave Great Britain, or was Hades keeping her in Hell as a hostage? If I didn’t find a way out of this realm, I would never know her fate.

More tears fell, and my mind drifted back to Valentine—all versions of the man I loved. Alive, newly risen from the dead, the tyrant, the loving soul, and the incarnation with the broom up his ass. Life could be so unfair. It had taken so much effort to restore him, only for Kresnik to tear us apart. Again.

Right now, I would