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

care and said he would move me into his palace and teach me to become a king, I thought I’d won the lottery. He was ten times better than my dad and taught me lots about being a vampire. Now he’s changed.”

“The guy you saw at my friend’s house was just his body that contained his memories, his mannerisms, but not his soul. Once I reunite—”

“What are you doing with the future King of the Vampires?” said a cold voice.

I jumped back from Kain, my heart racing.

The branches parted, and Prince Draconius emerged, flanked by four palace guards and a pack of Inferno hounds. Valentine’s uncle stared at me through eyes as red as blood, and he pulled back his lips, exposing lengthened fangs.

Chapter Twenty-One

I stepped back from Prince Draconius, the guards, and the Inferno hounds, and bumped into a tree trunk, my gaze darting from Kain to Valentine’s uncle. Even more vampires emerged from behind the weeping willow’s curtain-like branches, their magic overpowering the Cleopatra stone around my neck.

One of them wore a calico jacket, with a bright yellow tape measure around his neck. He was probably the tailor who had dressed Kain in that ridiculous gold outfit.

The elder vampire tilted his head to the side, the way a curious owl might look at a floundering mouse. He wore a similar military outfit to the one from the day before, but adorned it with an even larger sword. This one had a long, curved blade—all the better for slicing off heads.

“I ask again, cow, what are you doing with my ward?”

My gaze dropped to his long fingers, which hovered over the hilt of his oversized sword.

Kain stepped between us, his hands balled into fists. “We were just talking.”

Without seeming to move, Prince Draconius positioned himself between Kain and me, shaking his head like a disappointed teacher. “I don’t expect you to identify predatory women, seeing as you have come from the Human World, but the young woman over there was propositioning you for sexual intercourse.”

Kain shook his head. “She isn’t like that—”

“Use your senses, boy.” The elder vampire drifted forward as though propelled by the wind. “Her elevated heartbeat, the flush of her skin, the tremors of desire, the scent of her arousal. It has been years since I have encountered someone so wanton.”

Mortification burrowed through my insides and curled itself into a writhing ball of shame. I needed Valentine so badly, and now his wretched uncle was twisting the symptoms of my addiction and making me sound like I was trying to groom a teenage boy.

Kain turned around and stared at me, his eyes wide.

My stomach flipped, and all the moisture left my throat. Baby vampires still had enhanced senses but had to concentrate in order to use them. Humiliation crawled across my skin like an army of centipedes and my insides swirled with nausea.

Someone chuckled from behind the trees, and I glowered at the leering vampires who could also probably smell my need. If any of them remembered me from that night on the palace steps, they were probably thinking I’d moved on from Valentine to the new pretender to the vampire throne. The backs of my eyes grew itchy and hot, and I breathed hard, trying to stave off tears.

“Don’t listen to him,” I whispered to Kain.

“The boy does not need to heed my words,” Prince Draconius drawled. “His ears and nose can sense the truth.”

Shame burned through my every nerve ending. “If I’m feeling anything, it’s because I miss Valentine.” I clenched my teeth, my insides trembling at the unfairness of these accusations. “Valentine and I are engaged.”

Prince Draconius turned to the guard on his left, who wore a red uniform with gold embellishments similar to Queen Elizabeth’s beefeaters. “Prepare the girl for interrogation. Make sure to hose her down before she enters my bedchamber.”

Fear stabbed me in the heart, bringing with it a flood of adrenaline that forced palpitations to reverberate across my chest. Talking to these people wouldn’t work. Prince Draconius came from a supernatural city where vampires reigned supreme. He probably thought that anyone who didn’t suck blood or wasn’t as strong as him was scum.

My gaze darted around the vampires once more. They’d already made up their minds about me and anything I said would end up with me naked and tied to a bed or a torture rack. It was time to show a bit of force.

I spread my arms wide and flared out my magic, letting flames pour out from beneath my cloak. “Come any closer, and I’ll burn you into ashes.”

The guards’ steps faltered. They glanced at their boss for guidance, but Prince Draconius’s eyes bulged, and he said through bared fangs, “This is no ordinary magical fire.”

Dread rolled through my belly, but I held firm, hoping he would think I was something less attractive than a phoenix, like a salamander shifter. I kicked myself on the inside. What on earth possessed me to not realize that an ancient vampire might be able to tell the difference between phoenix fire and the flames of a fire mage?

The prince’s eyes glittered with a sick sort of wonder—the type I’d only seen on Hades that time in the Supernatural Council building when he had decided that I would be his pet.

“Leave her alone.” Kain stepped in the elder vampire’s path, but Prince Draconius brushed him aside with a gesture, his gaze fixed on me.

“What are you?” he murmured, his voice breathy with awe.

Sweat broke out across my brow, and every fine hair on my body stood to attention, as if I needed any signals that I was in danger. “Stay away.” My voice shook. “I’m warning you.”

In the blink of an eye, the vampire pressed me against a tree trunk, his hand wrapped around my throat. His touch was firm, gentle, as though what he held was too precious to damage. “Perhaps there is something inside you worth investigating.”

“Let go of me.” I placed a flaming hand on