Passion of the Vampire King (Blood Fire Saga Book 5) by Bella Klaus (best motivational books txt) 📗

He rose from Lazarus’ shoulders and into my arms, purring loud enough for Valentine’s brother to hear. I walked out of the apartment, shooting him a significant look.

“Please keep me updated.”

“I’ll send you as many messages as you did me.” He slammed the door.

My mouth fell open. Before I could rush back to explain myself, Captain Zella stepped in my path.

“We need you to examine a few dossiers,” she said.

I stepped back. “What kind?”

She placed a hand on my shoulder and marched me toward the exit. “This way.”

Every nerve in my body burned with the urge to return to the apartment and help Lazarus trap Christian, but I couldn’t risk the enforcers knowing about Beatrice and hurting her for being acquainted with supernaturals.

I trudged out into a darkened courtyard with all the lamps turned off, where a black van awaited. Moonlight reflected off the courtyard’s white walls, providing me with a vague idea of our surroundings. The enforcers had even cut out the illumination all the way down The Conduit, casting Wimbledon Common in darkness.

Our feet crunched against the gravel, mingling with the sound of the distant traffic. I couldn’t help griping that Christian would choose today to descend on Beatrice’s apartment, and I would miss the chance to set his body parts on fire.

“Where did you disappear to this morning?” asked Captain Zella.

“Valentine summoned me.” I held up my left hand, letting moonlight reflect the diamond’s faceted surface.

Her brows rose. “So, the Vampire King made a fire user his cow?”

“First, I’m his fiancée. Second, he thought that giving me a call stone would keep me safe. Third, he didn’t know I had fire until after I resurrected him,” I said, trying to sound more disapproving than dishonest.

Captain Zella paused in the middle of the courtyard and stared down at me with piercing black eyes. “You never did answer my question.”

I shook my head. “It’s escaped my mind. What did you ask?”

“What’s the Council hiding?” she asked. “Did you really resurrect the Vampire King? Did Kresnik really return from Hell, or do we have a new Light Lady?”

My hackles rose at the insinuation in her words. She had the opportunity to speak to the Supernatural Council this morning yet she remained silent. Narrowing my eyes, I pulled back my shoulders and met her gaze. “I have no idea why you’re asking me about the Council’s decisions when you followed them without question when it came to my execution.”

Macavity meowed his agreement, even though I was sure I hadn’t updated him on my arrest.

Captain Zella flinched.

I walked around the van, leaving the woman stewing in the middle of the courtyard.

“Kresnik did rise from the dead.” I reached the back of the vehicle and knocked on its double doors. “And he used Kenwood House as a stronghold for the souls people like you sent to Hell to bolster his power. If you have a question for me that’s relevant to winning this war, I will answer it.”

They opened, and the enforcer behind the door walked through the van's interior, which was about half the size of my studio apartment in Grosvenor Square. It worked with the same spatial magic used to make one-room cottages in Striga appear like family homes on the inside, but adapted to account for the vehicle’s movement.

I held on to the side of the door and stepped up into a space that was gray from floor to ceiling with a wide seat of black leather taking up the back. Its shutters lay closed with fluorescent lights and a big screen above the back seats providing illumination.

Two of the enforcers from this morning sat opposite each other at computers on a desk in the middle of the van, which narrowed out into a counter that ran down the vehicle’s length.

The door behind me slammed shut, and Captain Zella walked past, holding her shoulders at a tense angle. It was hard to feel bad about offending her when she’d just accused me of being the latest Kresnik.

She reached into the pocket of her uniform jacket and extracted a remote. I carried Macavity to the seat at the end and pulled my reaper cloak out of my bag.

As the engine roared into action, Captain Zella pointed the remote over my head. I turned to find the screen filled with the seven-crowns insignia of Logris.

“The former Vampire King purchased a number of properties during the Kresnik era,” she said. “We need to know which ones you believe are currently in use by his organization.”

“They never confided in me about locations,” I replied, already sounding like I was repeating myself.

Macavity settled onto my lap and pretended to sleep.

“Will you at least take a look?” Without waiting for an answer, she clicked the remote, bringing up an image of a vast field that could have been anywhere within Europe.

I shook my head, and she clicked her remote again and brought up a picture of a familiar-looking mansion.

“That one,” I said.

She folded her arms across her chest. “Are you sure?”

“Valentine and I encountered Kresnik’s shadow there.”

The other two enforcers turned around in their seats and gaped.

“Continue,” said Captain Zella.

“He banished it to Hell.” I clicked my mouth shut, not wanting to add that Jonathan and the rest of my team had helped. Captain Zella didn’t need the full details of what had happened in the derelict, and I didn’t want it to look like Valentine was allying in any way with Kresnik.

The next few images meant nothing to me, and when we reached the end, Captain Zella pursed her lips but didn’t comment.

I exhaled a long breath. “What’s next?”

She nodded at the male enforcer, who tapped something on his computer. “Since we spent an entire day searching for you across London, we will return to Logris, and tomorrow, I’ll send a team of ward breakers out to the property you identified.”

“Valentine asked me to find someone,” I said, thinking about Jonathan. “He was recently cast out, but Kresnik sent a search party out