Fatal Cravings: Immortal Keeper Vampire Paranormal Romance Series by Daniella Starre (a book to read txt) 📗

“Come now. We must make our move now.” He held out his hand, and I placed mine in it.

My heart raced, and I feared the other vampires lurking in the place would hear it, that it would be almost like a homing signal to them, but none came. Did they not realize Maxwell was here? Or did they know and they were lying in wait?

Maxwell brought me out from the dungeon, and we climbed up a dark, tightly spiraled staircase. I thought for sure that the stairwell would go on forever, but then it stopped, and we stepped out into a hallway.

My vampire husband didn’t waver and immediately headed to the left. I had no choice but to follow after him. Although we held hands yet, his strides were much longer than mine, and I had to run to keep up. He was using a bit of his vampire speed.

Massive stone doors stood before us, and Maxwell kicked them open. One of the doors cracked, the loud boom echoing throughout the entire building. It was an impressive display of power, and I could only gape as Maxwell released my hand, having shoved my knife into it, and stepped forward.

I hurried after him, my pace slowing as I took in the dark room that, sure enough, resembled a throne room. A dark fog lingered on the ground, rising to above my head, and I could just make out Maxwell’s form in front of me.

And I could also make out the glowing eyes of at least twenty other persons surrounding us.

With a hiss, one of those sets of eyes darted forward. A vampire grabbed my arm, but Maxwell was there, shoving a wooden stake into the vampire’s heart.

What? How had he…

Maxwell was already reaching inside his suit jacket again. Only now did I realize that it was lined with weapons, and he grabbed out another wooden stake. The next vampire to approach, Maxwell shoved the stake through hard and so deep into the vampire that the stake’s tip came out the other side.

Feeling a bit faint, I stumbled back a step. A vampire darted forward to grab me, but Maxwell yanked the vampire away from me and bit the vampire's neck so savagely that he decapitated the vampire.

A few of the vampires fled.

To alert their master? Did that mean Viktor wasn’t here?

The other vampires who lingered, ten if I counted correctly, hung back a bit, circling us, wary now that so many of their brethren had fallen so easily. Maxwell was fighting as if possessed.

What was driving him? Love? If that was the case, would it be love against love when he fought Viktor?

"Where's Viktor?" I demanded. My voice echoed, considering the room was so still and empty of furniture unless the fog concealed it. "Where is he?"

Maxwell glanced around, eyeing the vampires, and he straightened and adjusted his jacket. “He’s not here, the coward.”

“In hiding.” I snorted. “What a surprise. He can’t handle that a human killed his son, but he can’t even stand up and face me himself. What kind of a father is he? A pathetic one—”

“You’re the pathetic one,” the vampire from before said. Angelika Maxwell had called her. Magnus’ lover.

She stepped forward until she stood before Maxwell.

Maxwell eyed her, appraising her without a word.

“If you think I will let you go with her, you’re wrong,” she said coldly.

“Where’s Viktor?” Maxwell demanded.

“Like I am going to tell you.”

“Fine. Then I’ll kill you all.” Maxwell surveyed the others.

Ten of them, one who especially wanted to have us tortured and then killed. I didn’t like those odds at all, but Maxwell knew what he was doing, right? Was he banking on Viktor leaving orders that we weren’t to be killed?

Or maybe Viktor didn't care who ended us. Maybe it had all been some kind of trick ploy for us to end up here. This fog wasn't natural. This had been staged, set up as if a movie.

Did that mean Viktor was somewhere watching us?

I glanced around, looking upward at the ceiling. The cathedral ceiling rose up high, a dome in the center. We weren't near the center of this huge throne room, so I couldn't see inside the dome, but maybe Viktor was hiding there.

Curious, I took a step in that direction, but Angelika moved to block me. She smiled like a lioness ready to pounce on a wounded gazelle, and I swallowed hard. My knife would only work if she drank my blood first.

She hadn’t taken the bait before.

Would she now?

My hand shook as I lifted my hand, the knife still in it. I could cut myself, trying to get her to drink…

Might there be another way? If Maxwell handed me one of the stakes…

But I didn’t have the force or strength to drive a stake in deep enough to kill a vampire. Maybe I could wound one—maybe—but that would be all I could do.

Angelika raced toward me.

Maxwell stood before me. Angelika jerked and then slumped down onto his arm. He jerked his arm back and then threw it out. She flew off the bloody wooden stake in his hand and slumped to the ground.

My vampire husband turned to me. “We need to get out of here,” he murmured in my ear. “Now.”

“Why…” I could see why. All around us, more eyes were appearing. Viktor’s reinforcements had arrived.

Like a dizzying blur, Maxwell fought off the vampires, holding them back, and we inched toward the door we had entered when a hand clamped down on my shoulder.

“Well, well, well, what do we have here? Maxwell, Annabel, you two don’t think you’re leaving so soon, do you?”

My blood turned to ice, and I swallowed hard. I didn’t have to have already met the vampire to know whose voice that belonged to.

Viktor had arrived.

12

I whirled around. I also thought Maxwell knew how to wear a suit. It churned my stomach to realize it, but Viktor did too. His hair was a bit salt