Bonds of the Vampire King (Blood Fire Saga Book 7) by Bella Klaus (romantic books to read TXT) 📗

standing beside me both times I saw you put yourself back together, you would never doubt yourself again.”

The warmth in his voice filled my heart to bursting, but it was too early to feel any sense of impending victory. Even with Poseidon’s spear, Hades’ blood, the reaper scythe, and our snake bile, it was going to take every ounce of our strength to beat Kresnik.

“Alright.” I leaned forward and placed a kiss on his lips. “We’re going to get through this battle and be well enough to celebrate for an entire weekend. Then we’ll plan our wedding.”

His gaze darted to the side, and the corners of his lips curved into a sheepish smile.

“What?” I asked.

“Sleeping was impossible during your month away. To keep busy, I already made arrangements with vendors and service providers, but you’re free to change whatever you like.”

I pulled Valentine down for another kiss. “You have the best taste, and I’m sure whatever you chose will be spectacular. Now, help me activate this armor, so we can kill Kresnik and get to the celebrating.”

As soon as Valentine completed the last few fastenings, the armor’s magic clicked into place. It was witch magic, a gentle undulation that reminded me of being submerged in a warm bath or swaddled in a blanket and cast adrift across clouds of blissful sleep.

The leather strips that made up the arms and legs molded around my limbs, creating an even more snug fit. I inhaled and exhaled shallow breaths, wondering how far this armor would squeeze my body and if I’d ever be able to move in so much of the stiff fabric.

“Move your limbs,” Valentine said.

I raised my arms, rotating them in wide circles. “Like this?”

He nodded. “Legs, too.”

I jogged on the spot then bent from side to side. The leather softened and warmed, taking on the consistency of molten rubber before it suddenly cooled to body temperature.

“What’s happening with it now?” I asked.

Valentine walked me to the other side of the dressing room and stood me in front of a mirror. My flame-red hair made a sharp contrast with the alabaster of my skin, the vivid blue of my eyes, and the vibrant green leather.

“I look like a comic book superhero,” I murmured.

The armor molded around my every contour, from my neck down to my fingers and toes. I raised an arm, studying the carvings on the leather, which were mostly decorative, but in between the swirls were glyphs and runes.

“I don’t know much about comics, but you look like the perfect warrior,” Valentine said. “Devastatingly beautiful and deadly.”

“All I need now is a cloak,” I said with a chuckle.

Valentine stepped away and returned with the reaper cloak. “You’re going to need this to remain invisible to the humans and their recording devices.”

“Thanks.” I turned around, letting him place the garment on my shoulders. “Now I feel ready for battle.”

We stepped out of the dressing room and into the upstairs hallway of Valentine’s suite, our footsteps echoing on the marble floor. Valentine’s large hand rested on the small of my back, anchoring me to reality.

My heart pounded a steady beat—not fast or panicked, but it also wasn’t relaxed. It was hard to believe that in less than an hour, we would face Kresnik again for a battle that would decide our fates.

“Nervous?” he asked.

“Only because I want to get this right,” I said. “I’m not scared of him or his minions.”

He pressed a kiss on my temple. “With the weapons you’ve gathered, Kresnik will be just as vulnerable as any other supernatural.”

“You’ll use the trident?” I asked as we reached the top of the stairs.

“I wouldn’t trust the Demon King with it. Even if he can teleport, he still can’t move as quickly as a vampire.”

“And we might never get it back,” I muttered.

“True.”

“What about the snake venom?” I asked.

“Caiman will use it for our firestone weapons.”

We reached the bottom of the stairs and continued down the hallway to the door that led to the rest of the palace. At this time of night, the wall lamps should have provided soft illumination, but white light streamed in from the tall windows that overlooked the palace gardens.

The air shifted, bringing with it the scent of ozone, and even more light streamed in from the windows. A magical force on the edge of my consciousness made my ears ring.

I glanced over my shoulder for the source of the disturbance but found nothing except a hallway and doors. Whatever was happening was taking place miles away from the palace. “Why is it getting brighter?”

“The wards of Logris are defending themselves from attack.” Valentine pushed open the door, and we continued down the palace’s main building, passing the doors to the rooms where he received subjects, to his office, and to the offices of some of his staff.

After a final set of doors, we reached the main entrance hall, where Caiman stood in an armored version of his butler uniform. Next to him were footmen holding stands of firestone weapons, including longswords, broadswords, short swords, and daggers.

Mercenaries lined up behind the butler, as did a few vampires I recognized both from the palace and from Valentine’s property company. All of them wore leather armor of varying degrees of antiquity, including one man whose garments looked medieval.

Valentine inhaled a sharp breath through his nostrils. “What is the meaning of this?”

Caiman inclined his head. “Your Majesty, a number of your subjects wish to fight at your side.”

Maitland stepped forward and cleared his throat. “A number of strange occurrences have taken place across Lamia these past two months. We didn’t understand at the time but now realize that you were trying to shield us from Kresnik.”

I gazed up at Valentine, who surveyed his subjects. Beneath his stoic mask were clues to how he really felt. He blinked more rapidly than usual, his Adam’s apple bobbed, and his breaths quickened.

Valentine hadn’t expected the help of his subjects in the war against Kresnik. That was why he had hired mercenaries