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

him walked the Shifter King, whose features deepened into a scowl, followed by the Fae King, also wearing the same robe as his colleagues.

The Witch Queen stepped out from the right, followed by Hades, the only Council member apart from Valentine not wearing a robe. Instead, he wore a replica of the same suit as Tony Manero in Saturday Night Fever, with a silver shirt instead of black. He flashed us a broad smile and swept his arm toward the thrones for the Witch Queen to go first.

After settling next to the Angel King and making sure everyone else had settled on their thrones, she spoke. “Please be seated.”

Valentine and I sat.

“This is a formal hearing to document the contraventions of the Supernatural Secrecy Act. On the week before Yule, the people of London witnessed a phoenix and an ifrit racing from Notting Hill to Trafalgar Square, which we had warded off in advance from humans on the advice of the Demon King.”

Hades sat straighter in his seat and cleared his throat. “It is unfortunate that the reapers I expected failed to arrive before the wards rose.”

The Angel King pursed his lips. “As I have already explained, all teams were deployed to the concentrations of preternatural magic around London.”

I glanced at Valentine, who nodded. It looked like Kresnik had wanted to distract the Council so he could carry out his plan with minimal inference.

The Witch Queen continued. “While enforcers attempted to apprehend Kresnik in Trafalgar Square, a number of fire users created a rift above Canary Wharf that could be seen for a hundred-mile radius.”

“A hundred miles?” the Fae King said with a scoff. “I spoke to faeries in County Tipperary who could see the rift.”

Valentine sighed. “With all due respect, this hearing is limited to the effects the events had on humans, not on supernaturals in Ireland.”

“Unfortunately, multiple cameras captured these events, including a crew broadcasting straight to news stations across the country,” said the Witch Queen. “Despite our attempts to contain the breach with enforcers wearing invisibility charms, the Human World is now aware of supernatural activity.”

“This is the biggest breach in the Secrecy Act in centuries,” said the Fae King.

Valentine steepled his fingers. “I would remind the Council that the fire users who created the rift have been apprehended, as has Kresnik.”

“Yet the phoenix in the center of the affray sits before us unpunished,” said the Fae King.

I ground my teeth, suppressing a snarl. Why didn’t that mischief maker go back to sleep, or whatever he did during Supernatural Council meetings? The Fae King’s quicksilver eyes danced with amusement, and the corners of his lips curved upward with the beginnings of a smile. On his left, the Shifter King scoffed. I guessed he was thinking the same as me.

“This is old ground,” Valentine said through clenched teeth. “We’ve already established that Miss Griffin was magically coerced by Kresnik to follow his commands.”

The Fae King leaned back in his throne and smirked. “So you say.”

“Stop fucking about,” the Shifter King barked. “King Valentine already presented the evidence.”

My eyes narrowed. The Fae King only wanted to stir up trouble for amusement. The only difference between him and the herald was that the old man standing behind us wore his ugliness on the outside. You had to wait until the Fae King opened his mouth before working out he was an even bigger asshole.

“The Shifter King is correct that the Council already accepted evidence presented to exonerate Miss Griffin.” Hades leaned forward, staring at me with a gaze heated enough to set my clothes on fire. “We’re forgetting one important matter.”

Valentine’s warning growl rumbled in his chest, and I stiffened, my heart sinking. In the back of my mind, I’d hoped that Hades had moved on to another fixation in the month I’d gone missing. Perhaps all that talk of flying phoenixes had roused his desire for a fiery pet.

“What on earth are you talking about?” asked the Witch Queen.

“King Valentine, of course.” Hades spread his hands wide.

“Explain,” Valentine snarled.

“Some of the humans said they’d spotted a flying man in armor battling the phoenix and the ifrit through the air. I can vouch for those eye witnesses and tell you that King Valentine rushed after Kresnik the moment we broke free from his traps.”

I slumped forward in my seat and gaped at the Demon King sliding his hands down his lapel as though he’d won the disco-dancing trophy in Saturday Night Fever. Valentine’s features hardened into a mask of repressed outrage, and his furious breaths filled my ears.

Hades drummed his fingers on his chin. “Of all the individuals who have ever breached the Supernatural Secrecy Act, I would say that King Valentine’s transgression was the most heinous.”

“Why?” The word burst through my lips before I could stop it.

The Demon King turned to me and grinned. “It would be unfair to condemn an innocent young woman for acting under coercion. One cannot be surprised at Kresnik’s actions. Lawbreaking acts are part of the very definition of criminality.” He paused for dramatic effect. “However, King Valentine swore to this very Council to uphold the law, making his breach of the Act all the more punishable.”

“Hear, hear.” The Fae King burst into a round of applause. “All those in favor?”

Hades raised both hands. “One vote for me and another for my esteemed colleague, the Mage King, who I’m sure will join us once he finally escapes captivity from one of Kresnik’s many lairs.”

My hands balled into fists. Every bone in my body trembled with the urge to leap out of that seat, fly across the hearing room, and pummel Hades until I reduced him to a pile of ash.

“I vote nay and propose that we discount the proxy vote as invalid,” said the Witch Queen.

Hades shot her a filthy glare. “King Beowulf, what say you?”

“Nay.” The Shifter King folded his arms across his chest.

“Aye,” said the Fae King.

Inhaling a deep breath to tamp down my fury, I turned my gaze to the