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

and pepper, and he looked beyond distinguished. His jaw was a bit weak, in my opinion, but even I couldn’t deny that he was handsome in a sleazy kind of way.

“Viktor, call off your goons before I kill them all,” Maxwell said as he dropped yet another one.

“Goons? Ah, Maxwell, you sound more ignorant every day. I suppose you won’t recall Italian at one point.”

“On the contrary, he speaks Italian a lot,” I said hotly.

Viktor didn’t blink but laughed heartily. “Oh, my, aren’t you a bit much. I didn’t care what you say. I don’t care what you think, and I don’t care to hear you say another word. Angelika, if she says one more word—”

“Maxwell killed her,” I said boldly, “and I’m going to kill you.”

Viktor clapped a single time. To my surprise, the fog dissipated. The room remained gloom, a dark gray color for the walls, the same hue the color of the stone floor. A dull red carpet lined a path to a throne the same color as the walls. This room really was a throne room.

The vampire thought himself a king. He wasn’t. He was nothing more than a pawn I would crush beneath my heel.

But even as I thought that, I knew I was being foolish. I had no strength, no power, no might. I couldn’t do anything against the likes of the vampires.

Chosen or not, I was weak.

My fingers brushed against my necklace as Viktor stalked past me, Maxwell, and the other vampires on his way toward the throne. Halfway there, he pivoted about.

“Leave us,” Viktor said with a snap of his fingers, and the vampires all fled as if they had been waiting for that command their entire lives.

I glanced at Maxwell. He didn't appear alarmed, but I was. I just knew Viktor was the most dangerous vampire in the lot.

“Maxwell, let us be civilized about this,” Viktor said calmly. “Let me kill her and then you. Then, we can be done with this entire sordid mess—”

“You will not touch a hair on her head,” Maxwell said through gritted teeth.

“If you will leave him be,” I started, but the vampires ignored me.

“So much for civilized,” Viktor said with a laugh. “You look as if you wish to become a cannibal.”

“Maybe I do,” Maxwell hissed.

“If you want blood, you’ll have to take it, but as I said, in a civilized fashion.”

“What does that even mean?” I cut in.

Without looking at me, Maxwell murmured, “He means without weapons.”

“But…” My mind raced. Without weapons would mean the only way they could kill one another would be through decapitation.

That hardly struck me as civilized, but I wasn’t about to tell them that. I doubted either would appreciate the notion.

Oh, a fire could kill them… but fire was wild, unpredictable, and uncontrollable. A fire that could kill Viktor could easily claim Maxwell as well. No, that wasn't suitable anyhow, mostly because I had no means of starting one.

"As it turns out, I would rather kill you first," Viktor mused, stroking his face. He had a neatly trimmed goatee, and I hated the sight of it, the sight of him. He made my skin crawl. "It would bring her the most pain if she were to witness you die because she does love you, does she not?"

I said nothing, even though that might speak volumes.

“Are you ready?” Maxwell demanded.

Viktor swept out his arm. “Do you have any last words for your pet before we begin?”

I bristled and then turned toward Maxwell, but he was busy removing his coat and flinging it aside. He discarded a few other weapons he had up his sleeves and then hesitated and removed one from up his pants.

“I’m ready,” Maxwell called.

"Ah." Viktor gave me a faux sympathetic look. "Maybe he doesn't love you after all. Bravo on your part, Maxwell. You made her think she means something to you, truly you did, but you were just merely using her to get to me. Oh, how utterly tragic! But how incredibly joyous and satisfying it will be when you both fall down dead. Should I bury you together then in one plot?"

“Why not just stake our heads?” I snapped, infuriated at his insinuations.

“Perhaps I will.” Viktor’s laugh was deathly chilling.

Without another word, the vampires raced at one another. They fought with punches and kicks so swiftly that I couldn't see them all. At first, it seemed that Maxwell had the upper hand, but Viktor was cunning and sly and, most of all, elusive. His counters were devastating, and he made Maxwell stagger once, twice, three times.

The fourth time Maxwell backpedaled, I circled around them and headed toward Maxwell’s coat. No. I couldn’t. That wouldn’t help any. There was no way for me to get a stake to Viktor, and I wouldn’t be able to kill him with one.

But might it cause a distraction? Would it give Maxwell enough time to regain the advantage?

As I waited and watched and worried and wondered what to do, the two vampires continued to fight, locked in a grueling, terrible, vicious brawl to the death. I was so anxious I wrung my hands, and my fingers brushed against my wedding ring.

The clasp.

What was the bezel of the black rose hiding?

I lifted it and realized the wedding ring was actually a poison ring. Inside was a bit of a green liquid.

Quickly, I shut the clasp again, and my heart almost stopped. Maxwell was on his knees. Viktor was standing high above him, poised for the killing blow.

“Wait!” I called out. “Don’t you want to know what your brother said before I killed him?”

“My brother? You mean my son, you ungrateful—”

"Oh, yes, Magnus. Do you want to know what he said? Do you want to know how weak he was? What a sniveling little wimp he was? He didn't call out for you. He didn't call out for Angelika either. No. He called out for his mommy."

Viktor’s eyes flashed. “You lie.”

“Maybe. Maybe I am lying, but there’s one way for you to