by Bella Klaus
Prince Draconius dropped to his knees, clutching his face in his hands. “Filthy little wretch! You’ll pay for this on your hands and knees. I’ll train you to swallow swords before you beg to take mine.”
“Is he talking about deepthroating?” asked Kain.
“How would you—” I shook my head. Kain grew up in the Human World, where anyone with access to the internet could discover anything.
The footmen sprang into action, surrounding Prince Draconius with their swords pointed at his back.
“My apologies, My Lady.” Caiman appeared at my side. “Unfortunately, the wards have malfunctioned somewhat since the Supernatural Council registered His Majesty’s death.”
I glanced around for signs of Valentine, but he remained hidden, even though I was pretty sure it had been him who had torn off his uncle’s helmet. Perhaps he wanted me to take the lead and show everyone a display of my power.
“Look at me,” I said in my coldest voice.
Prince Draconius snarled. “When I have you under my control—”
“The Lady Phoenix gave you an order.” Maitland from the legal department stepped through the crowd, grabbed Prince Draconius by the back of the neck, and forced his head up.
Valentine’s uncle glowered into my eyes with a hatred that burned hot enough to evaporate every drop of moisture from my throat. By now, the burn marks made by my flaming spittle no longer sizzled and had turned a livid red.
I swallowed hard, forcing myself to meet the vampire’s eyes. He was the worst kind of snob, who believed that belonging to a royal family made him better than everyone. He also acted as though living for longer than everyone around gave him the right to treat people as property.
“You sent the assassin after Valentine,” I said.
The ancient vampire bared his fangs. “As the troubleshooter of the Royal House of Sargon, it is my duty—”
“You’re still struck off the family tree.”
His nostrils flared. “How dare you speak of my ancient heritage.”
“A coward like you wouldn’t storm a palace without an army of minions.” I swept my arm across the courtyard, gesturing at the lack of hooded vampire warriors. “You hired a low-grade assassin with a forensic device to hold Valentine still and handed him a dagger of solid flame.”
He shook his head. “Lies.”
“You wanted to mimic what happened in Koffiek when your warrior decapitated Valentine.”
“No,” he snarled.
“The Demon King told me you confessed to sending the assassin,” I said. “When I spoke to Lieutenant Cien, he told me you’d sent him.”
“Impossible,” he snarled. “The man probably died in the fire. Besides, why would an assassin announce his employer when he was ordered to ensure that Valentine was alone before attacking?”
My eyes narrowed. “Is that what you told him to do?”
“This is preposterous,” he said with a huff.
I reached down with a flaming hand outstretched and was about to wrap my fingers around Prince Draconius’s neck, when he screamed, “No.”
The noise made my stomach lurch, and I paused before my fingers touched his flesh. “Are you ready to confess?”
“It doesn’t matter if I killed Valentine myself or hired an assassin to do the work.” Prince Draconius’s eyes flashed. “He’s dead, Kain is too young to take the throne, and each of his brothers already signed declarations to say they would waive their right to rule.”
“So, you’re the de facto regent of the Lamia throne?”
“Exactly.” The prince puffed out his chest. “And as soon as the Council approves my regency, every last one of you in this room will beg for your jobs. Including Valentine’s blood whore.”
I slapped him hard across the face, leaving a blackened handprint.
Prince Draconius screeched. “I will tame you, even if it takes me centuries.”
“I’ve heard enough of your bullshit.” I turned to the crowd of guards. “Someone hold him down with magic while I reduce him to ash.”
As the guards stepped out of firing range, a wave of smoky magic swept across the hallway, pinning the prince to the marble floor. He tried bucking forward, but the force slammed his head back down. He thrashed from side to side, roaring and screeching, but the magic wouldn’t budge.
“I know how to defeat Kresnik,” he rasped.
I placed a hand on my hip. “You’re stalling.”
“No, no, no,” Prince Draconius blurted. “We knew he would return eventually. After so many of our kind died putting my older brother to rest, we spent centuries ensuring that Kresnik’s poison never reached New Mesopotamia.”
My heart skipped. His words actually made sense. Keeping my expression neutral, I stared down at the vampire prince who continued to lie on the floor like a squashed bug.
“If you knew so much about Kresnik, why didn’t you act against him the moment you knew he’d risen?” I asked.
The ancient vampire curled his lip. “One does not give away for free that which can be traded for immense gain.”
I clenched my teeth. Basically, he was waiting for the right moment to take advantage of our desperation to be rid of Kresnik. The more I spoke to the prince, the more loathsome and despicable I found his personality. There wasn’t a single redeeming feature in the ancient relic.
“You have five seconds to tell me what you know about defeating Kresnik,” I said, carefully enunciating my words. “If I hear more of your bullshit—”
“I need assurances that you won’t burn me,” he blurted.
Forget that. Raising a flaming hand, I held up an index finger. “One… Two—”
“Alright!” he shouted. “We found a way to banish Kresnik into Tartarus.”
“How?” I lowered my hand.
Prince Draconius’s eyes darted to my left. “I could tell you,” he said through panting breaths. “But I need assurances from Kain that I won’t die.”
The young man placed a hand on his chest. “Why me?”
“Because you’ve just inherited the Lamia throne, boy.”
“You’re wrong.” Valentine’s deep voice echoed through the entrance hall. The crowd parted, and he stepped forward with his hand raised, indicating that it was his magic that had kept Prince Draconius pinned to the marble floor.
His uncle’s eyes widened. “How did you—”
“You must have fallen on hard times to hire such an incompetent assassin.” Valentine glared down at the older vampire with eyes harder than industrial diamonds. “However, you did deliver Poseidon’s trident, which will help us immensely in the upcoming battle against Kresnik.”
A breath caught in the back of my throat. Was he about to show Prince Draconius mercy?
“Nephew,” the older vampire rasped, his eyes watering. “I was a second father to you after Antonius died. Spare my life for the sake of his memory—”
Valentine cut him off with a growl. “You will tell me everything you know about Kresnik’s weakness. After that, you will remain in a cell until I’m ready to find my father’s missing soul.”
My brows drew together. Did Valentine really mean to spare his life?
Prince Draconius’s lips parted, and his gaze darted around the crowd of vampires. “Surely, after all this time, Antonius will be in Heaven—”
“He isn’t, and neither is he in Hell,” said Valentine.
The other vampire bowed his head. “I will concede to your demand if you will set me free upon the successful completion of our quest.”
“Agreed.”
As Valentine, Caiman, and Maitland jostled Prince Draconius down one of the hallways, I stood in the entrance hall, pulled my magic back into my chakras, and rubbed my chin. Maybe I should have said something earlier, but I hadn’t wanted to undermine Valentine in front of his subjects.
Kain bumped me on the shoulder. “You were such a badass.”
“I was mostly fed up with his existence.” I placed a hand on his bac
k, steering him out of the entrance hall and toward Valentine’s suite. “He’s just so—”
“Annoying?” Kain asked. “Aggravating? A complete and utter asshole? You should have seen what he was like with all those lackeys carrying out his every demand.”
I winced. The few encounters I’d had with Prince Draconius had been bad enough. I couldn’t imagine what it would have been like for Kain to be stuck in a building with the wretched vampire.
My gaze rose to the young man’s aquamarine eyes. “Sorry you had to endure him for so long.”
Kain raised his shoulders and headed for the stairs. “It wasn’t so bad.”
Something in his voice told me that he was just trying to be manly and brave so I wouldn’t feel guilty about the time he’d spent confined in the palace. As we reached the first-floor landing, a little voice chirruped from below, and I glanced down to find Macavity stretching up toward Kain in the universal sign that indicated he wanted to be picked up.
“Come on then, you mangy cat.” Kain reached down, grabbed Macavity around his middle, and settled him on his chest.
“Meow!” The cat batted him on the nose.
“Macavity is a majestic being.” I tickled him under his chin.
He turned to me with a sharp nod and meowed his agreement.
“Master Kain.” A deep voice came from the other side of the hallway. “I’m glad to see that you’ve returned from your trip. Please make your way to your suite so I may test you on what you’ve learned.”
The young man groaned.
With a grimace, I hurried toward the queen’s dressing room and placed my hand on its door. If Kain had been watching Kresnik the entire time, I doubted he’d had time to crack open a book.
The room was untouched since I’d left it, and it took a few moments of rifling through the closets and drawers before I realized that the armor was probably behind the curtain. I pulled it back to find four suits.
The one on the far right was a female version of the armor Valentine wore, an embossed leather two-piece that looked like it would mold around my form. Next to it stood another suit that consisted of a low bodice and a long skirt. I wasn’t sure if it was a battle ballgown or if it was enchanted to take on another appearance.
“Which one?” I turned to a suit the color of oxblood that looked identical to the black one, except it had no arms, only shoulder plates that extended down to the elbow.
A knock sounded on the door. “Come in?”
Valentine stepped inside with a smile playing on his full lips. “How do you like your armor?”
“It’s impressive, but I can’t tell which is which.”
He pointed at the green one on the far left, which consisted of a tunic with leather strips hanging down the arms and its hem. “This is the most versatile of the suits, and I had it made to allow for both your phoenix and regular forms.”
“When did you organize all this?” I asked.
His features sagged, and his eyes became distant. “In the month you were missing, all I could do was cling to the certainty that you would return.”
“So you prepared this room?”
“Among other rooms in the palace,” he said. “There’s a healing room modeled on the one in Mrs. Bonham-Sackville’s Crystal Shop, a nursery. I even commissioned a little kitchen where you could make those chocolates you love so much.”
“Why?” I whispered.
Valentine’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down, and his violet eyes glistened. “If I didn’t keep busy, I would have fallen into despair, thinking Kresnik could have killed you or torn you apart. Instead, I worked with seers who convinced me you were still alive, and prepared for the day you would return.”
My chest tightened, squeezing my heart until its beats slowed to a painful halt. “I’m so sorry—”
“Don’t apologize,” he murmured. “Not when you spent as much time as you have trying to bring me back to life.”
I slid a hand over the leather armor encasing his shoulders and threaded my fingers through his silken hair. “It’s still hard to believe we’re together without anyone driving us apart.”
He wrapped an arm around my back, pulling me close, and dropped his gaze to my lips. “Now that my uncle is safely behind bars, we can defeat Kresnik and deal with the Council of Ministers without his interference.”
My hackles rose, and the muscles of my upper body stiffened at the reminder of Prince Draconius.
Valentine frowned. “What’s wrong?”
“You should have cut down your uncle so he never plotted against you again.”
He blinked as though wondering if he’d misheard me. “Mera—”
“Why did you pardon that bastard? Your uncle didn’t just want you dead. He wanted to turn you into a preternatural all over again, have you destroyed, and take over Kain’s life.”
“He did.”
“Yet you’re letting him accompany you on some adventure to find your father’s soul? At any time, he can stab you in your back, return to the palace, and take charge.” I waved my arms around for emphasis. “What about Kain? He’s been terrified for weeks about being forced to take the throne.”
Valentine wrapped his arms around my waist. “Uncle Draconius will not return from the quest.”
“What makes you so sure?”
“Because if my father’s soul is trapped somewhere, I will need another soul to replace him.”
“What?”
He slid a hand over the leather of my armor and cupped the side of my face. “How much do you know about mythology?”
“Not all the details, but I know the stories,” I said. “What’s this about?”
“Look at Prometheus, Atlas, and Loki,” he said. “There are a whole host of stories where immortal beings are trapped in long punishments. Some methods of saving them involve killing their jailers, but if they’re trapped within an object or an enchantment, the only way to get them out is by replacing them with a similar captive.”
I nodded, remembering most of the stories. The gods were always trapping each other in impossible places, starting with Cronus, the Titan who swallowed all his children, including Hades. Atlas was the brother of Prometheus, condemned by Zeus to hold up the sky on his shoulders for siding with Cronus.
“What about Loki?” I asked.
“He was the Norse god of mischief who was punished for causing the death of Baldr,” Valentine said. “He lies in a cave, tied to a rock with the entrails of his own son. That’s where he’ll remain until the end of the earth, with a poisonous snake dripping venom into his eyes.”
I shook my head. King Antonius might not need the sacrifice of Prince Draconius to be set free. Besides, we could work something out without keeping his worthless uncle alive. I studied Valentine’s features, wondering how best to phrase my next question without causing offense. Valentine was sometimes a little too noble for my liking, especially when it came to dealing with members of his family.
“How do you know Prince Draconius won’t replace King Antonius’s trapped soul with yours?” I asked.
“You wouldn’t allow it.”
“Damn right, I won’t—” I reared back and digested his words. “Wait. You’re allowing me on this quest?”
“Of course.”
“Not keeping me locked up somewhere, tied to a bed, or in the protective custody of a feral creature?”
The corners of his lips tightened. “I wasn’t myself when I did those things.”
“I know.” I wrapped my arms around his neck and brought our lips together in a lingering kiss. “It’s just so hard to believe you’re trusting me.”
“You’ve grown.” He kissed back. “The control you have over your magic has developed immensely since you could only make sparks, and your ability to shift to a phoenix or an ifrit renders you nearly indestructible.”
“Seriously?” I met his violet eyes.
“Your idea to use the snake bile has given us a means to subdue Kresnik, and the trident you
took, combined with the Demon King’s blood, will guarantee that he’ll die, not to mention the way you use your scythe.”
I rubbed the back of my neck. “Now you’re making me sound like a one-woman killing machine.”
Valentine’s eyes softened, and the corners of his lips melted into a smile. “You’re more than anything I could ever have dreamed of in a partner. Beautiful, resourceful, loving, and exceptionally powerful.”
“Say that again?”
“You’re powerful?” he asked with a grin.
“All of it.”
“Why don’t I show you my appreciation, instead?” Valentine’s lips descended on mine with a kiss that made me sway on my feet.
I grabbed onto his shoulders to hold myself steady, but his arms already cradled me around my back.
“What about the battle?” I asked.
“This won’t take long,” he murmured into the kiss.
I choked a laugh. “The last time you said that—”
“You saved me from having to deal with an assassin.” He hooked his hands beneath my thighs, scooped me up, and carried me across the room to the daybed.
Valentine’s woodsmoke and musk scent engulfed my senses, and his magic curled around my limbs like silky strands of sin. My nipples tightened, and a pleasant shudder ran down my spine. It settled low in my belly, stoking a fire that hungered for more.
“I want to be on top,” I said.
He smirked. “As My Lady Phoenix wishes.”
A laugh huffed from my chest. “You’re enjoying that silly title.”
“Why not?” His deep voice resonated through my insides. “You make me feel like the luckiest man across the realms. There are dozens of Vampire Kings, and even more monarchs in the Supernatural World, but none of them have a soulmate as loyal or as kind or as beautiful or as powerful as you.”
My breath quickened at the sincerity in his words. Valentine had always spoken about me like I was a prize, but I’d always thought he had just been saying that to boost my confidence. After everything we’d both suffered to get to this moment, I believed him with every fiber of my being.
Valentine sat on the daybed, positioning me atop him so I straddled his thighs. Our gazes met in a connection as deep as the ocean. Valentine’s eyelids were hooded, and he stared out at me through wide pupils ringed by the barest trace of violet.
