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

Shudders travelled up and down my back as she struck the massive tuning fork again and again and again, her face twisted with concentration and a touch of hatred. The room filled with the sounds.

“How many cords were there?” I rasped.

She bustled around the room, setting crystals around my head and placing them on each chakra. “Seven finger-sized attachments and a cord as large as my arm that runs from your solar plexus. That’s the one I’m trying to shatter.”

Istabelle attacked it with smaller tuning forks, Tibetan singing bowls, and the sounds of the gong, pausing only to turn down the heat on the stew so that it wouldn’t dry out. By the time she finished the sound-healing session, sweat was beaded on her brow, and her fluffy hair was limp.

She stood by the terracotta bowl, dousing her hands in the water. “How on earth did you end up with so many foreign bodies in your aura?”

“There was a ritual.” I pushed myself up to sitting and licked my dry lips. “They used the Star of Ishtar to connect me to a few other people, and they used me to drain their magic.”

“How did they convince you to participate in such a thing?” she said, shaking her head from side to side.

I rubbed the back of my neck, and winced. “When I got arrested, my aunt arranged for someone to put powdered firestone in my blood transfusion. It ended up stifling my powers, and those people offered to help.”

Istabelle continued staring at me with wide eyes, her lips tightening.

Every organ in my body squirmed under her attention. The way I described things, it sounded like I’d been duped as soundly as Little Red Riding Hood. Looking back, I’d been so desperate for a way to help Valentine that I hadn’t thought about the wider consequences of associating with the people of the Flame. It wasn’t like I could leave when the blood lure curse was attracting hungry vampires.

Jonathan hadn’t helped when he destroyed Valentine’s heart. After Father Jude had stopped Valentine’s soul from drifting to Heaven and helped me to resurrect the damaged organ, I got swept up in a wave of happiness and trust.

“They made me believe they wanted to unlock my power so I could fight in their war when they really wanted to steal my magic.” I reached into my pocket and pulled out the firestone heart I’d taken from under Aurora’s pillow, which glowed with absorbed magic. “On the plus side, I still have this.”

Istabelle shook the water off her hands and wrapped her arms around my shoulders. “I know it’s hard to be brought up as a Neutral, being told you have nothing to offer, but you have to understand that it’s an illusion insecure supernaturals use to fabricate superiority.”

My throat thickened. She was right. Valentine was one of the strongest and highest-ranked people in Logris, yet he never once treated me like I was his inferior.

Istabelle drew back, meeting my eyes. “Even when you didn’t have your fire power you were an intelligent and formidable young woman on the cusp of becoming a powerful healer. As a phoenix shifter, you must realize that every unscrupulous supernatural will wish to take advantage of your gift.”

I nodded. Both versions of Valentine had warned me of something similar. “Thank you.” I rubbed my palms on my thighs. “Did you manage to remove all the cords?”

Istabelle guided me off the healing table, out through the door, and into the hallway that led to the rest of her bunker. “It will take several sessions with crystals more powerful than anything I have down here to extract the attachments from your chakras.”

My shoulders sagged. “Oh.”

Macavity wound around my feet as we continued toward the kitchen area on the right of Istabelle’s bunker. I glanced down at the cat, meeting his jewel-green eyes. Was he hungry again?

“Meow!” The impatience in his voice said he was more resentful at being shut out than ravenous, but we could appease his anger with another plate of scraps.

“All the attachments are severed,” she continued. “Any magic your heart generates will belong entirely to you. I did cleanse two substances from your chakras. One of them was thrall, but what was the other?”

“Valentine called it Quell,” I murmured. “While we were with Kresnik, he noticed my power coming back, and was trying to block my magic to make it undetectable.”

The rich scent of lamb, red wine, and rosemary filled the air, making my mouth water. We stepped into the main living area, where the table was already set for three. Macavity raced to the two bowls Istabelle had reserved for him and lapped at the water. I guess he was readying himself for a feast.

“After we’ve eaten, I will help you absorb the magic in the piece of firestone you kept in your pocket.” She walked to the oven and slipped a pair of mitts over her hands. “After that, you’ll need a large quantity of Cleopatra stone.”

I stopped at the other end of the table, my mouth falling open. “What for?”

Istabelle raised her brows. “When you’ve absorbed your power, every supernatural with the ability to sense magic will know you’re a fire user. You’ll need something to stop people from recognizing the extent of your power.”

Chapter Eight

Hours later, Istabelle snuck me out of her bunker through a concrete ventilation shaft that led up to the Eisenhower Centre. It was a building beneath the subway of Goodge Street station that was used by the former president during World War II.

Nut and Geb were still waiting for me at the other side of Istabelle’s front door, but I wasn't going anywhere with a pair of murderous demons. Valentine would just have to deal with the fact that I’d abandoned the guards.

Macavity perched on my shoulder, with his claws digging into the thick fabric of my cloak. We navigated the concrete interior of curved walls and endless staircases, illuminated by the brilliant