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

“Why this person?” she asked.

“His power is supposed to be important.” I ran my fingers down Macavity’s side. “Something about extracting the fifth chamber of his heart and using it to store more power.”

“Right then.” The captain walked to the back and lowered herself into one of the seats. “Let’s return to Logris and look for this person in the morning.”

A long breath eased out of my lungs, and I slipped a hand into the pocket of my cloak and rested it on the sphere. I had the rest of the night to spend with Valentine’s soul.

Chapter Ten

We passed the rest of the journey in silence, with me sitting on one end of the back seat with Macavity, and Captain Zella scrolling through a handheld device. With each passing moment, Beatrice’s wrinkled face continued to haunt my mind, and my mind spun with speculations.

What if Christian was part of a larger organization that was bottling the youth of humans for financial gain? My gaze darted to Captain Zella, and my insides itched to tell her about what had happened to Beatrice. If I did, she’d want to know how we’d become acquainted and for how long.

I shook off those thoughts. Now that we’d identified the source of her drain, Lazarus could contact someone who could track Christian down. Anxiety quickened through my insides like a bout of indigestion. What if Christian decided to cut his losses and move on to the next girl?

Even if we’d stopped Christian from draining her life-force, she’d still aged at least forty years and looked like her own grandmother. Killing Christian wouldn’t be enough. We had to extract what he’d taken from her and give it back.

I pulled out my phone and sent a text to Beatrice’s number. Have you heard from him?

Minutes later, Lazarus hadn’t replied. I tapped out, Lazarus, I know you’re reading this. Have you contacted the healers?

After ten minutes passed and there was no return message, I exhaled an annoyed huff and texted. I’m going to research creatures that feed on women via sex. Let’s not murder anyone until we’ve found a way to restore Beatrice?

When Lazarus didn’t reply, I huffed an annoyed breath and slipped the phone into the pocket of my overalls. If he wanted to be a dick and act like he was the only person in the world who could help my best friend, I would have to make inquiries without his help.

Moments later, the van stopped, and the enforcers sitting at the desk rose from their seats, opened the door, and stepped out into the dark.

“We’ve reached the enforcer barracks,” said Captain Zella. “Is there anywhere you would like us to take you?”

My gaze dipped to the cat slumbering in my lap, and I considered my options for a place to stay. According to Kain, the cottage I shared with Aunt Arianna was empty, so going there would mean sleeping on the floor. Macavity would be welcome in the palace but I wasn’t keen on facing Valentine’s brothers after my encounter with them in the mausoleum.

I met the taller woman’s inquisitive gaze. “Do you have a spare room in the barracks?”

She inclined her head. “Follow me.”

We stepped out into a darkened parking lot illuminated by glow-worm-sized bulbs that ran in parallel lines, marking out the walkways. A few of the lights were embedded in the ceiling, allowing glimpses of similar vans to the one we’d just ridden in, but I couldn’t make out the size of the space or anything about it except for the slightly damp atmosphere.

Captain Zella guided me past an array of different vehicles, including regular human cars, motorcycles, and push bikes. At the end of the walkway was another elevator, which didn’t look ominous or ornate. When we stepped inside, the cab moved at a regular pace, and Macavity only twitched an ear.

“How many people live here?” I asked.

Captain Zella turned to me with pursed lips and a raised eyebrow. “That information is classified.”

I turned my gaze to the display, which indicated that we had just left the basement levels. She was probably still sore from how I’d spoken to her earlier.

“By the way,” I asked, “do you know any creatures that feed from humans through sex?”

Her gaze swept up and down my body. “Apart from succubi and incubi?”

“Something more subtle.”

The door’s locking mechanism clicked, and Captain Zella gestured for me to go in first. I stepped into a hallway of dark gray floors, pale gray walls, and dim ceiling lights that matched the decor of the enforcers’ van.

I turned back to the captain and asked, “What if there was a creature that had sex with a woman and didn’t feed from her at first? Maybe all the sex was setting up a means to feed from her later.”

She walked alongside me down the hallway, her eyes narrowing. “That’s a rather specific request.”

“So it doesn’t exist?” I asked.

Captain Zella shook her head, sweeping her arm to the left for me to turn the corner. “What you’re describing is a genus of faerie that works in a similar way as incubi but install themselves with humans to feed off them over a long period.”

My brows rose. “That’s legal?”

She stopped walking, looking me full in the face. “Have you encountered one?”

I gulped and placed a hand on my chest. There was no point in getting the enforcers involved if Lazarus could fix the problem, but then the stubborn git wasn’t answering my messages. “I’m…” My mind scrambled for ideas. “Can I answer that question when I have more information?”

Without replying, she took me through a maze of gray hallways and unmarked doors, which seemed a lot more convoluted than the route I’d taken with my teammates when we had walked into the Demon King’s trap.

I glowered at the woman’s transparent attempt to confuse me. “Are we going around in circles so I can’t memorize the route?”

She stopped at one of the doors and placed her hand on the panel at