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

“Breakfast dates are hardly the way to a woman’s heart.” He winked.

My mouth dropped open. Before I could tell Hades that I hadn’t agreed to a date, the wretched Demon King disappeared in a flare of hellfire.

“What the bloody hell did I just agree to?” I shuffled back to the four-poster bed and flopped down on the mattress. Macavity climbed onto my lap and made a questioning noise.

He tilted his head and stared up at me through eyes as green as malachite. His whiskers glowed in the light of the will-o’-the-wisps, making him look dignified and wise.

Doubts crawled across my mind like lengthening shadows. They traveled down my spine and settled into my stomach, weighing it down like lead. My throat thickened. “Should I have refused Hades’ offer?”

Macavity dipped his head and batted my hand, indicating that he wanted to be petted. I stroked the patch of fur between his ears. It wasn’t the answer I was looking for but I knew the cat well enough to tell that he was trying to comfort me for having made a terrible mistake.

A gentle paw batted at my nose, accompanied by three sharp meows. I cracked an eye open to find Macavity lying in my arms about to swipe at me again.

“I’m awake,” I said, my voice sleepy.

For a bondage bed within a pervy room of pain somewhere in the depths of Hell, I’d had a surprisingly good night’s sleep. Maybe it was the presence of the cat.

I rubbed my eyes. “Why did you wake me up, anyway?”

A knock sounded on the door, and a woman stepped inside, pulling a rack of clothing. Her flesh-colored dress clung to her slender figure, making me check twice to see that she was actually wearing clothes. At about five-ten, she was a good five inches taller than me, with hair that fell down her back like a cascade of water. In the light of the will-o’-the-wisps, it was hard to tell the exact color, but it seemed very close to white.

“Good morning, my lady.” She bobbed into a shallow curtsey. “I am Minthe, and my lord ordered me to bring you something to wear for tonight’s dinner.”

“Why?” I peered at a selection of green dresses far more revealing than the one Valentine had selected for our evening in Gourmande. “I’m not staying.”

Minthe’s eyes widened, and she released the garment rail, placing her hand on her chest. “He said—”

“Hades told me I could leave in the morning.” I rolled out of bed and walked across the room with Macavity at my heels. “Is there a pair of boots I can borrow?”

She crouched down and rifled through a shelf at the bottom of the rail. A moment later, she produced a pair of stilettos and gave me a hopeful look. I rubbed the back of my neck, cringing at having to put her to more work, but she just nodded and returned to the shelf.

“These might be more to your liking.” Minthe emerged from beneath the clothes with a pair of open-toed kitten heels with bright red soles.

They were nice, if you liked snakeskin and didn’t feel the cold. “Anything fit for a British winter?”

She shook her head and placed the shoes on the floor by my feet.

“Thanks.” I slipped them on. “Could you show me the way out, please?”

Minthe’s brows drew together. “Of course, but my lord also ordered me to prepare breakfast?”

My stomach chose that moment to rumble. I clapped both hands over the offending organ and muttered, “No thanks.”

Uncertainty flickered over her features, and she glanced down at the evidence of my obvious hunger. Macavity stared up at her, licking his chops, but he had the good sense not to eat anything in Hell. Even if the stories of Greek mythology weren’t true and eating breakfast wouldn’t keep me stuck in Hell for an eternity, I still didn’t want to take the chance.

Minthe’s posture relaxed, as did her features, and she offered me a grateful smile. I decided not to ask her why she was relieved at my determination not to stay and stopped myself from questioning if she would get into trouble for letting me leave.

Valentine was out there, still working with Kresnik. I couldn’t afford to stand around in Hell when I knew nothing about his fate. What if Kresnik was now torturing Valentine for failing to retrieve me? I had to make sure he was alright.

Her brows drew together. “May I ask a question, my lady?”

I glanced into the hallway. “Okay.”

Minthe stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. After throwing up her arms to create a ward, she turned to me and wrung her hands. “My lord arrived from his latest mission somewhat diminished.”

“What do you mean?” I lowered myself to the ground, picked up Macavity, and cradled him to my chest.

“There was less of him.” Her gaze dropped down to the floor.

There were a dozen ways I could interpret that comment, ranging from a loss of power to a reduction in the size of his manhood. Considering I’d seen the latter and it was more than adequate for even the largest of appetites, I guessed she wasn’t talking about that.

“Could you tell me the nature of his mission?” Minthe asked.

I shook my head. “We made a bargain not to talk about it.”

“I see…” The way her voice trailed off, it sounded like she didn’t understand a single word.

“Could you let me out, please?” I glanced at the closed door, hoping she wouldn’t try to keep me here all day. “Hades and I are going to the Council of Ministers this morning.”

“Which morning?”

I drew back, my brows furrowing, and uneasy butterflies writhed in my stomach. “What?”

“Time moves differently here in Hell,” she replied. “If you could give me the date—”

“I don’t know.” My mind whizzed through significant events. After Samhain, and the fifth of November, I’d lost track of the days. It was also hard to tell how much time I’d spent under