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

“And you should act the part and remember that nothing you can do will harm me.”

A cold smile spread across his features that didn’t even begin to reach his eyes. “I never did pursue the members of your coven or the old Master of Crystals who sheltered you during the time you spent outside Logris.”

My stomach dropped. “We had an agreement.”

“Don’t test me.” Hades took a large bite from his toast and stared at me through the corner of his eyes.

I glared back, already preferring him as the ash cloud whose parts were stuck in jars. Hades was a bloody menace, and I couldn’t wait for my power to return so I could put him in his place. “How about you stop being rude to me, and I’ll treat you with the respect you think you deserve?”

He dabbed the sides of his mouth with a napkin and sniffed. “That sounds acceptable, provided that you stop broadcasting your desires for certain male appendages.”

My lips formed a tight line. If I knew how to keep my thoughts private, Hades would be the last person I’d send my deepest desires. Rolling my shoulders, I muttered something about trying my best.

“Now,” he said in a tone of breathy exasperation, “will you please eat something so that I may finally feel less ravenous?”

I picked up the bowl of miso soup and took a long sip. It was the perfect temperature, the perfect balance of salt and sweet and umami—that savory taste that reminded me of eating black olives. The soup warmed my insides and was a balm against my frazzled nerves, but I needed more. When I finished its contents, I picked up the bits of tofu with my chopsticks, and looked for something else.

My gaze landed on the plate of pastries, which contained a cinnamon roll, a pecan and maple braid, an apricot custard turnover, pain au chocolat, and a beignet, which I’d only ever seen in a Disney cartoon.

If I had any sense, I’d choose something more substantial, like the scrambled eggs or the avocado toast. Ignoring those boring suggestions, I reached for the beignet, but Hades cleared his throat.

“Try the pain au chocolat,” he said. “It’s your favorite.”

“How do you know?”

The corners of his lips tightened with annoyance. “I can’t abide sweet things, yet I can’t shake off the craving for Green and Black’s 85%, whatever the hell that is.”

Two cups of ginger tea appeared on the table, and I took a long sip before reaching for the chocolate croissant. It was as sweet and spicy as how Healer Calla had made it, making me wonder how the woman was getting on in Hell. She had started off so well, showing the warmth that Aurora had lacked. In the end, she was just as evil as Kresnik.

Kresnik.

My head snapped up, and I turned to Hades, who was shoveling spoonfuls of chocolate porridge into his mouth. “Valentine told me—”

“I’ve seen and heard enough of the Vampire King, thank you very much,” he said, sounding more bitter than burned coffee.

“Kresnik placed an army of preternatural zombies in the sewers beneath this building,” I blurted. “They’re waiting for the right moment to strike.”

Hades dropped the spoon into his bowl with a soft plop, and clicked his fingesr. In a puff of brimstone-scented smoke, a winged enforcer arrived, already kneeling with his head bowed. Leathery wings sprouted from the back of his uniform and folded neatly behind his back.

“Theodore?” asked Hades.

“Yes, sire,” said the enforcer.

“Send a small team into the sewers and report back on what you find.” Hades turned back to the table, plucked a black olive from a bowl, and dipped it in hummus. “Be discreet.”

“As you command.” The demon enforcer disappeared in another puff of smoke.

“Do all the demon enforcers work directly for you?” I asked.

He inclined his head. “All demons from the Fifth Faction are loyal to me. Theodore was the team leader who apprehended Kresnik last century in his hideout. He’s the only living being who knows the location of his original carcass.”

Kresnik’s body would be bones by now, so I pushed aside that thought, focussing on a more important matter. “Could you release my bodyguards from the elevator?”

“Nut very kindly took your place last night for all seven courses.” He smirked. “She and her brother agreed not to interfere in our courtship.”

Angry heat surged through my veins, but I held back an explosion of rage. This was probably what the manipulative Demon King wanted—an opportunity to rouse my anger so that he would become something more to me than just a minor annoyance. There was absolutely no way I would give him the satisfaction of knowing he had affected me.

Acting like he’d meant to say acquaintance instead of courtship, I took a bite of pain au chocolat and hummed. “You must have a wonderful pastry chef.”

His shoulders sagged, and the smile playing on his lips dropped. “Pastry?”

“Valentine served me something like this a few days ago.” I turned my attention back to the croissant. “Can you believe he could be so romantic after losing his soul?”

Hades’ eyes hardened, and his lip curled, presumably to utter something scathing about my lack of reaction to the suggestion that he’d spent the night with Nut. Before he could say anything, Theodore returned to the room with his wings outspread.

“Hundreds of the magicless undead, sire,” Theodore said between panting breaths. “Close to a thousand.”

Hades and I exchanged stricken glances. Kresnik had a third of that number when we visited his underground chamber. How could they have multiplied so quickly?

“Gather firestone—” Hades clicked his teeth together and snarled. “That bloody bastard stole it all.”

“How are we going to destroy them without the sewers collapsing?” I set down the pain au chocolat, picked up a napkin, and wrung it between my hands. Wizards and witches might be able to protect the integrity of the sewers with powerful spells and perhaps with the help of mages to control the elements, but my knowledge