Passion of the Vampire King (Blood Fire Saga Book 5) Bella Klaus (the red fox clan TXT) 📖

long breath. Hades recognized him immediately as the former Prometheus, and the angular-shaped magic was like nothing I had ever felt before. Everything about that man we accidentally resurrected added up to being Kresnik.

“It’s mostly him,” I replied.

Captain Zella frowned. “Explain.”

The enforcers behind us leaned closer.

“The real Kresnik was defeated five hundred years ago, right?” I asked. When she nodded, I continued. “What the people saw when he burned out his magical core was his faked death.”

“What?”

“That’s what he told us.” I stroked Macavity between the ears. “His body continued to live on with diminished magic for another few centuries before demon enforcers caught up with him and dragged his soul to Hell.”

Light flared from my engagement ring, making me squint. Squeezing my eyes shut, I clutched a yowling Macavity to my chest, hoping he hadn’t damaged his vision.

The sweet scent of incense filled my nostrils, and by the time I opened my eyes again, we were standing in a darkened room that smelled of incense. Smoke curled around my senses, and strong arms wrapped around my back, accompanied by soft lips on the column of my neck.

“Innamorata.”

Chapter Four

My breath caught in the back of my throat, and I stiffened in Valentine’s embrace. I’d thought it would take me days to track him down—weeks, even—but here he was, kissing my neck as though we were back in our room in the Flame.

Our surroundings were part boudoir and part opium den with red walls decorated with flecks of gold that shimmered like stars dipped in sunlight. Mushroom-shaped lights floated toward the ceiling, trailing gold tassels that reminded me of the legs of a jellyfish.

A low coffee table stood in front of me, consisting of a twisted skeleton dipped in gold carrying a thick pane of glass, and on its sides were a chaise lounge upholstered in gold, and a love seat in red leather. This had to be Hell or at least the lair of a demon.

My mouth dropped open. “What the hell?”

Macavity wriggled in my arms. I loosened my grip, letting him jump down to the floor and dart across a black rug, over the red carpet, and out of a cat flap.

Valentine’s lips grazed my earlobe. “He’s probably gone to join the other hellcats for a late breakfast.”

Right now, an escaping cat was the least of my problems. I whirled around, glaring the vampire in the eye. “How—”

He stared down at me through eyes that looked black in the dim light, with a tiny smile curving his cupid’s bow lips. Today, he wore a black shirt that shimmered like silk and clung to his biceps and prominent pecs with a matching pair of pants that did nothing to hide his athletic frame.

A palpitation resounded through my heart that reached the bundle of nerves between my legs. From his lack of denim attire and the tenderness in his violet eyes, he looked… not so under the control of Kresnik, and the sight of this independent-looking Valentine sent a flush of heat through my skin and made my nipples tighten. As I licked my lips, Valentine’s eyes tracked the movement, and his own lips parted as though wanting to meet mine.

“How did you spirit me away this time?” I asked, my voice hoarse.

Valentine took my hand and raised it to his mouth. Still keeping those dark eyes fixed on mine, he pressed his lips on my ring finger. “You’re wearing the call stone.”

My lips tightened into a thin line. I should be happy to see Valentine—relieved, even—but something about this vampire didn’t make sense. Not this romantic rendezvous or even last night, when he didn’t drag my carcass back to Kresnik.

There hadn’t been much time to think about Valentine’s odd behaviors last night with Hades trying to get me settled into his Hell as his BDSM playmate. This morning, I’d been too preoccupied with leaving Hell and dealing with the Supernatural Council. But now I had Valentine here in the flesh, I needed answers.

“How’s your lord?” I asked, my voice filling with venom. “Did he demand my return?”

Valentine placed another kiss on my knuckle, the corner of his mouth curling into a smug smile. “Kresnik believes the Demon King escaped captivity and dragged you to Hell.”

“The Demon King did drag me to Hell,” I snapped.

All traces of self-satisfaction melted from his face, leaving his features slack. “How did he—” Valentine’s eyes roved over the cloak, which I’d fastened up to the neck. “Take that thing off.”

“Why?” I stepped back, trying to pull my hand out of his grip.

His fingers closed around mine, and he wrapped a strong arm around my waist, holding me to his broad body. “I want to see for myself that you’re alright.”

My eyes narrowed. “You should have thought about that last night before you buggered off.”

“Mera,” he growled from between clenched teeth.

“Fine.” Rolling my eyes, I unclasped the fastening, letting the cloak fall open.

Valentine stepped back, his gaze dropping to the lace trim of my bra, showing beneath the skin-tight minidress, and his irises burned a vivid crimson. “He made you wear those clothes?”

“Hey.” I pressed a hand on his chest, making his eyes snap back to my face. “Why don’t we talk about the real problem?”

His brows furrowed. “If that creature touched you—”

“Last night, some blood-sucking brute ambushed me in a broom cupboard, stripped off my clothes, ravished me against the wall, and drank a large quantity of my blood.”

Valentine continued glaring down at me as though the brute in question was some other Vampire King. I flashed my eyes at him, trying to prompt a response, but he bared his teeth again in a snarl.

“Do you know what happened after the horny vampire left me naked and weak with blood loss?” I asked.

“Mera.” His tone of voice suggested that I was one comment away from a hard spanking.

Ignoring the warning, I curled my fingers, grabbing a handful of his prominent pectoral muscle. “Enforcers came.”

All the righteous anger melted from Valentine’s features, leaving him