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

racks of torture devices, including floggers and single-tailed whips.

A four-poster bed took pride of place in the middle of the room. Unlike the draped furniture Valentine preferred, this one had a golden frame with subtle hooks that reminded me of pulleys, and a coverlet of black leather topped with thick pillows of scarlet.

My eyes landed on the opposite wall, which consisted of golden bars that formed a cage. In the middle of the enclosed space swung a perch large enough for a phoenix.

Hades stared down at me, his eyes softening. “Miss Griffin, you are the most peculiar creature.”

“Hmmmm!” A snarl reverberated in the back of my throat.

He leaned into me, filling my nostrils with the scent of brimstone, cypress, and mint. “What’s that? In Hell, we communicate with words, not grunts.”

Fresh panic sliced through my heart, and I thrashed on his lap, jostling a frozen Macavity.

“Careful now,” Hades said as he carried me to a four-poster bed. “We don’t want you hurting your brave little cat.”

He dumped me onto a firm mattress, and the bindings around my wrists and ankles separated to secure me to the four posts.

I thrashed my head from side to side screaming at the Demon King. Whatever obscenities I wanted to say came out as “Hmmmm!”

With a click of his fingers, Macavity disappeared from my lap. A furious roar shook the air, making my heart leap. I raised my head off the mattress to meet the flashing green eyes of a leopard pressing his muzzle against the golden bars with angry sparks crackling off his golden fur.

I sucked in a sharp breath between my teeth. This was nearly as bad as when Jonathan attacked Macavity with his black flames. The poor cat looked like he was in agony.

Hades paused at the foot of the bed, and with a flick of his wrist, released the magic from around my mouth.

All the air but none of the pent-up frustration whooshed from my lungs. “What did you do to my cat?”

He glanced over his shoulder at the oversized leopard, whose fur looked more like flames than fine soft hair. “Nothing…” He turned to me and smirked. “Unless you think I should.”

I pointed at the leopard-shaped ball of electricity. “He’s…”

“A hellcat.” Hades’ eyes shone with mirth. “This is the Fifth Faction of Hell, where all demons show their true faces.”

My gaze wandered from his face, down his neck, and to the pecs exposed by his unbuttoned shirt. He looked pretty much the same as before, if not a little more smug. “Why have you brought me here?”

“Because I own you,” he said in a voice as ominous as thunder.

He prowled around the bed, his maroon eyes glowing amber. If hellfire could coalesce and turn into a man, it would look like Hades. Tall, broad, muscular, and smoldering, he stalked toward me with the grace of a creature accustomed to torturing and imprisoning souls forever. His was the face of the kind of demon who lured people into sin. His was the face of Hell.

My throat dried, and my gaze darted from Macavity’s demon form to Hades. “You’re wrong, now release me before—”

“Section six, subsection six, point six of the Supernatural Council charter states that all fire users caught within the Human Realm are to be dispatched for confinement in the Fifth Faction of Hell.”

He lowered himself onto the mattress, making it dip and making me slide an inch closer to his body.

“This isn’t what we agreed,” I rasped through a throat bitter with betrayal. “You said—”

“Contracts signed under duress are null and void, and we did not sign a contract.” He leaned into me, trailing his fingers over the sensitive skin of my cheek.

“I saved you from Kresnik.”

His eyes narrowed. “For the past few days, I have endured the sight of you being bent over and fucked by a vampire who never once managed to subdue your defiant spirit. I intend to pummel you into submission.”

“You shouldn’t have been watching us,” I snarled.

Hades chuckled. “Fortunately for you, I enjoyed every frustrating moment. Without me to guide you, Kresnik would have drained you of your magic and left Valentine bawling over your husk. At least now, he had one last fuck before saying goodbye.”

Fury coursed through my veins, crying out for vengeance and making my limbs tremble. My hands curled into fists, making me rear up within my bonds. “I did everything you asked and more. This is how you repay me?”

He shook his head. “You’ll be free to roam my realm once you get the vampire’s thrall out of your system and learn the pleasures of a real man.”

“But I don’t want—”

“Silence.” He rose from the bed and stared down at me with hard eyes. “You will be my most prized pet.”

I pushed my magic into my hands, making them glow. If I could muster enough fire to damage Hades…

He pointed at my left hand. “What is that?”

“What are you talking about?”

“That ring of ownership.” He bared his teeth. “A calling stone.”

I glanced at the large diamond. “It’s my engagement ring, and I already made a blood oath with Valentine.”

“We’ll see about that.” A flaming dagger emerged between his fingers, and he grabbed my hand. “When I’ve divested you of that pesky thing, King Valentine will have no recourse but to—”

Hellfire shot up his arm, burning the sleeve of his black jacket. It spread across his red shirt, setting it aflame. With a snarl, Hades flung off the garments and threw them to the floor.

Amber fire burned in his eyes. “What did you do?”

I stared up at him, my heart drumming a rapid beat. At last, something was finally going right for me this evening.

“You can’t hurt me,” I said through panting breaths. “It’s like what happened with Coral and Kresnik when he tried to attack her. When I used my blood to resurrect you from your ashes, it formed a bond between us. Anything you do to me backfires on you.”

I held my breath. Even if I’d set things