Thrall of the Vampire King (Blood Fire Saga Book 4) Bella Klaus (little red riding hood ebook free .txt) 📖

Maybe realizing what she was a part of might shake her faith in Kresnik, even a little.

Straightening, Aurora pushed open the door. “We can’t have you dawdling all day just because you’re the favorite of our preternatural general.”

“Favorite snack and sex toy,” I muttered.

Her nostrils flared, and I was sure a chuckle sounded from the malevolent spirit beneath the bed.

The older woman’s steps faltered. “We all must play our role in bringing about the new world order.”

A dozen retorts rose to my tongue, but Kresnik’s continued attempts to use Valentine as the instrument of my execution reached my mind first. I was supposed to be cooperating, not giving them more excuses to organize my demise.

“What’s this mission?” I asked. “It will be great to stretch my legs.”

The tension around Aurora’s body relaxed, making me narrow my eyes. Seeing me like this had affected her. I wasn’t sure if it had triggered a bout of prudishness, but I hoped it was guilt. Even if she felt nothing for me, I was still the person who had taken up two decades of Aunt Arianna’s life. She had to be thinking about the effect my subjugation might have on her sister.

Aurora raised a flaming hand and burned off the rope securing my right wrist to the bed. When the tension loosened, and my arm melted into the mattress, she stepped back. “Get dressed.”

“I can’t move my limbs.”

She exhaled a long breath through her nostrils. “What’s wrong with you now?”

“Can you get me the reaper cloak?” I asked. “There are some stabilizers in the pocket that might help dilute the thrall.”

The tiniest of flinches made her posture stiffen, but she turned in a circle to find the cloak. “Where?”

I dipped my head toward the space between the bed and the fireplace, and she followed my gaze.

After extracting the box Healer Calla gave me earlier, I flipped open the lid and stared at the identical marble-sized balls of red. I made a mental note to see if charcoal might absorb the thrall, and picked up four. Not because I particularly wanted to go on the mission, but I needed a clear head for my next conversation with Hades.

If I could get him to negotiate a truce with the Flame to stop persecuting the fire users, tell me the location of Valentine’s heart, and promise not to drag anyone but Kresnik into Hell, I would agree to reunite his ashes.

The stabilizers fizzled on my tongue, and the liquid slipped down my throat, making me feel like I’d overindulged in red wine. I bowed my head, resting my chin on my chest, and exhaled a long, weary breath. This was insanity. I couldn’t continue like this with Valentine drugging me and Kresnik wanting me to participate in his quest.

Aurora cleared her throat, making me raise my head. She stood at the foot of my bed with her arms folded over her chest.

“How long has passed since the last time?” I asked.

“Two days.” Her words were clipped.

“Did I miss anything?”

She didn’t answer, and I popped two more blood stabilizers into my mouth. That information was probably classified.

“Where’s Valentine?” I asked through the fizzing.

“On a mission,” she replied.

“What kind?”

Aurora sniffed. “If you’re well enough to barrage me with questions, then you’re well enough to get out of that bed and join your family for the mission.”

“Fine.” I swung my legs out of bed, stumbled one step across the mat, and fell onto my hands and knees.

My heart rate quickened from the effort, and my breaths came in shallow pants. At least this time, I didn’t break the fall with my face. It was no wonder the old vampires liked to inject their victims with thrall. It made sure they would stay put until the next feeding.

“Get up,” Aurora hissed.

Clinging to the bed’s wooden post, I pulled myself up to kneel and then to stand. As I held on to it for balance, Aurora turned her head from my nude form. Whatever.

With tentative steps, I walked around the bed and lowered myself onto the stool. It took nearly an hour of floundering for me to gather up a new outfit from the cupboard where someone had kindly laid out a uniform of jeans, a white t-shirt, and a pair of black boots. When I finished dressing, I placed the cloak over my shoulders.

“Don’t let them see your power,” whispered Hades.

I gave him a sharp nod and rose, using the footboard for balance. It didn’t require a Demon King for me to realize that they would take it from me the moment I demonstrated having any magic.

“Do you need any assistance?” Aurora asked in a tight voice.

“Yes, please,” I murmured.

She crossed the room, took my hand, and wrapped it around her shoulders while encircling my back with her other arm. I reeled forward, but she caught me before I fell. I hobbled at her side through the upper level of Kenwood House, down its stairs, and into the stairwell that led to the Flame.

My head spun, and my breath became shallow. Valentine had given me enough thrall to last days, if not a week. I shuddered to think what would happen if he caught me gallivanting through the hallway with Aurora. Hopefully, he would understand that I was only following orders.

We reached a larger-than-average training room, where three other groups of people clung to the corners. I glanced at my teammates standing on the right and cast my gaze over the others. I didn’t recognize any of them, but from their slumped postures, forlorn faces, and scratching hands, I guessed they were like us—reaped of magic.

Aurora walked me to our corner and propped me against the wall before walking into the middle of the room and putting her hands together in four sharp claps.

“Brothers and sisters.” Her voice echoed through the room. “I expect you’re all wondering about your places within Our Lord’s new regime.”

Mutters broke out across the room. No