Bonds of the Vampire King (Blood Fire Saga Book 7) Bella Klaus (books to read this summer .TXT) 📖

I took a bite of the cheese and pickle open sandwich. “So, Lieutenant Cien killed his partner so he could get at Valentine?”

“All evidence points to that.” Beowulf’s thick brows drew together. “Did Cien exhibit any strange behavior when he escorted you to and from King Valentine’s cell?”

“Apart from a bit of innuendo about a conjugal visit, no.” I stared at my lap.

Every fiber of my being wanted to blurt that he’d been employed by Prince Draconius to murder his own nephew and make him rise as a preternatural, but I held my tongue.

“I hoped that you had started the fire as a ruse to help him escape.” The Shifter King leaned close, his gaze penetrating. “King Valentine always seemed to be able to rise above anything, even death.”

I bit down on my lip and squirmed. He knew I was hiding something… or at least he hoped. I hoped he was too good a friend to press for information. “What are the others on the Supernatural Council saying?”

“The bastards are all talking like they never suspected him of being associated with Kresnik.”

“Right,” I muttered. They were probably feeling sheepish at having failed to protect a man they’d condemned for the stupidest suspicion. Hades was probably laughing his ass off at having finally gotten rid of Valentine.

“What do you want me to do about the boy?” he asked.

My head snapped up. “Kain?”

He inclined his head. “Prince Draconius is already pushing to put him on the throne.”

I rolled my eyes and sighed. “Of course he would.”

The door opened, and Valentine strode inside, holding the trident. “I’m sorry for causing you worry, my friend.”

Beowulf rose off his armchair and bellowed with laughter. “I knew you couldn’t be bested by a shadow mage.”

As the two monarchs exchanged manly hugs, some of the tension around my insides eased, and I took a few bites of my cheese roll. Withholding the truth from Beowulf had felt awkward, considering that he seemed to be Valentine’s only true ally in the Supernatural Council.

For reasons I couldn’t fathom, Hades seemed to be able to influence everyone else, including the Angel King, into siding against Valentine. Only Beowulf ever saw through his manipulation and had the courage to call him out.

Valentine and Beowulf lowered themselves into leather seats and helped themselves to the ploughman’s lunch. One of the footmen brought beer in pewter tankards for the kings and prosecco in a champagne flute for me.

Beowulf downed his beer in a long gulp and set down his tankard, only for a servant to replace it with a fresh drink. “You know of the Council’s challenge?”

Valentine nodded. “Mera has identified a number of ways to defeat Kresnik.”

The Shifter King glanced at me with his brows raised.

I sat straighter in my seat and preened. “There are only a few ways to kill an immortal Greek god, and most of them involve dipping weapons in the bodily fluids of another equally powerful deity.”

Beowulf picked up his fresh tankard, this time only drinking half its contents. “What do you mean?”

“Blood, bile, and the bone of a god can kill another.” I picked up a sausage roll and took a large bite of spicy sausage meat encased in crumbly pastry.

“Where will you find anything like that?” he asked.

“Mera collected the bile of a Titan named Python.” Valentine raised his tankard to his lips.

I nodded my thanks at Valentine for saving me from having to answer with my mouth full and washed down my sausage roll with a long sip of prosecco. Its honeysuckle and honeydew aromas filled my nostrils, and I hummed my appreciation as the cool and bubbly liquid slid down my throat.

“The trident Valentine came in with is ancient and could possibly work against Kresnik, but I also have a reaper’s scythe I can infuse with phoenix flames.”

Beowulf grunted his approval. “Won’t your flames make him rise from his ashes?”

I shook my head. “Someone assured me that the scythe will send him to his certain death, but I’ve also commissioned some ward masters to create vessels to hold his body parts for an eternity.”

The Shifter King turned to Valentine and grinned. “You have a resourceful female!”

“One of the benefits of vampire society is that both our male and female members provide an equal contribution to our success.”

“That’s because there are so few of you.” The Shifter King downed the rest of his beer.

I exhaled a long sigh. Beowulf either didn’t get the hint or was subtly telling Valentine that he didn’t believe in gender equality for shifters.

A knock sounded on the door, and Caiman stepped into the parlor, his posture rigid. “My Lady, we’ve just received a delivery for you containing spheres.”

“Excellent.” I turned to Valentine and grinned. “Those are the vessels I was telling you about.”

“There is another matter.” The butler cleared his throat. “The Demon King is here with a bunch of flowers. He says the matter is of the utmost importance.”

Chapter Nineteen

I twisted around on the leather armchair with my lips pursed and my teeth clenched hard enough to crack their enamel. Of course Hades would track me down to the palace. He probably put Prince Draconius in contact with the assassin.

“What are we going to do about him?” My gaze darted to Valentine, who had barely touched his tankard of beer.

Valentine rose from his seat and picked up the trident. “Send him to the dueling room.”

Beowulf grunted with approval. “You’re going to duel the Demon King.”

“I’m not going to give him the chance to wriggle out of a fight, but first, I need to know the depth of his treachery.” Valentine’s gaze shifted to me, his violet eyes turning red. “Can you face him?”

“I can do more than that.” I rose off the seat, my fingers drifting toward the pocket where I kept the miniature scythe.

“No.” Valentine raised a hand. “I wish to settle this matter with my own hands.”

I nodded. It seemed fitting considering I hadn’t