Captive of the Vampire King (Blood Fire Saga Book 2)

by Bella Klaus

  My heart lurched at the sincerity in his voice. We had always learned that the heart was an organ that pumped blood around the body and contained an extra chamber that generated magic. My gaze flicked up to meet eyes burning with an intensity that stole the words from my throat. “Oh.”

  “I’m sorry,” he murmured.

  Curiosity burned through my insides. Was he sorry for the abduction, the spanking, the imprisonment, or the men he kept beneath the house like livestock? Maybe it was the terror of nearly getting killed by those vampires, the gratitude for having been saved, or the relief of being out of the clutches of Jonathan, but I didn’t voice the question in my heart and instead asked, “You’re taking me back to the penthouse?”

  “Until you rid yourself of that curse, it’s the only way to keep you safe,” he said.

  I dipped my head and sighed. Why did I always have to act so unconcerned about events when everything hurt so much on the inside? Valentine was apologetic. This was the perfect time to demand answers, but a lifetime of erecting a strong front took over my instincts. I tried again to form the words, but my mind went blank.

  “This curse of yours is a siren call to any vampire,” he said. “Whoever attacked you is determined to have you killed.”

  He was right but he couldn’t keep me locked up. Maybe he was content to live as a preternatural, but I couldn’t stomach the thought that so many humans would have to die just so that one person could live. I still didn’t know what had happened to my Valentine. Was his spirit stuck somewhere in torturous pain, or was he in his body and without a sense of empathy?

  My gaze dropped down to my left leg. “If I burned away the curse with my fire—”

  “You would have done that anyway if it worked. Maledictions such as the one tainting your blood are often tied to the life-force of the caster.”

  Valentine flew over a lake that reflected the white clouds swirling through the sky. I peered down directly beneath us, noting that the blood he had stolen hadn’t restored his reflection. My hand slipped over his chest, to the space where his heart had once beaten. Some philosophers believed that a person’s soul dwelled within their heart. Others believed it was like a wraith that possessed a body until it was time to move to another realm. And there were some that believed both.

  Feeling Valentine’s lack of heart made me realize one thing. Even though he had just apologized, he had made no guarantees to change. But then, I hadn’t asked.

  “I can’t return to your penthouse as a prisoner,” I said.

  “And I won’t let you be torn apart by other vampires,” he replied.

  “What about you?” I asked. “Would you like to tear me apart?”

  “Not in the way you’re implying,” he said in a deep, smoky voice that sent a pulse of warmth between my legs. Valentine groaned in my ear, making my core ripple with excitement.

  I clenched my teeth, fighting back my reaction. “How do you feel about me?”

  He stared down at me with a frown. “I already told you.”

  “You told me how you felt when you had a heart.”

  Valentine’s eyes left mine. “I remember loving you back then, and I remember the pain of being separated from you. The few times we have been apart since I rose from the mausoleum, something inside me ached.”

  My brows drew together, and I pulled back to examine his expressionless features. Valentine may as well have described the need for a painkiller. “An ache?”

  “More than that.” He stared up into the sky toward where the moon shone from behind a thick mass of clouds, brightening their edges with a silver hue.

  “Then, what?” I said.

  “My love for you burns as fiercely as it did the day you accepted my proposal of marriage.”

  A breath caught in the back of my throat, and warmth spread across my chest. Even though Valentine had shown his love for me the moment he’d ended his life with the solid flame dagger, and he’d said those words as he lay dying, they carried so much weight now. A surge of emotion made the backs of my eyes sting. Valentine loved me… even without a heart.

  Valentine finally lowered his gaze, meeting my eyes with irises that showed no trace of red. “My love for you transcends everything, including distance, losing my heart, and even death. Now, Hemera Griffin, will you consent to accompany me back to the penthouse as my guest?”

  “What about the men in the basement? Won’t those men I released tell the police what happened to them?”

  “As soon as they leave the wards, all knowledge of our location will vanish from their minds.”

  A cool breeze blew strands of red hair over my face, “Did you do anything to my mind?”

  “No,” he replied.

  “Did you replace the men in the basement?”

  Valentine paused a beat before saying, “After tending to Macavity, I came directly after you.”

  I wasn’t sure if he’d just avoided a direct answer or my mind had reached its fill of supernatural shocks, but a wave of tiredness swept over my body, making my limbs feel as heavy as stone. I rested my head against Valentine’s chest and let my eyes flutter shut.

  The warm coat and Valentine’s body temperature kept the edge off the cold, and I focussed my attention on the magic that had failed me just as the two vampire princes were about to strike. It was all there, flowing through my blood, but so much of it got soaked up by the firestone, severely limiting my potential. My magic would build up to a certain point, but once I had used my flames, it petered out again until time replenished my reserves.

  Why was it that each danger I faced increased the amount of power I could access?

  The air shifted, and I opened my eyes to find us flying through the derelict house, with streams of moonlight shining through the roof.

  “Does this house belong to the company?” I asked.

  “My father bought the land while under the influence of Kresnik.” Valentine flew over the collapsed staircase. “He acquired it for a fire mage who lived here for centuries before demon enforcers caught up with him.”

  “Which explains the scent of brimstone, but why are we here if enforcers already know about this place?”

  “If a passing enforcer senses your fire from the building, he or she won’t investigate it because remnants of the last mage are etched into the walls.” At the top floor, Valentine took a right toward the door and set me on my feet. “This is the last place they would look.”

  It made sense in a twisted sort of way. “Are the wards keyed to my magic?”

  “Of course.” He pressed his palm into the doorframe. “Anyone except Macavity and me will see nothing but a derelict.”

  Valentine guided me inside the warm, bright penthouse, took me into the bathroom, and sat me at the edge of the tub. After turning on the warm water, he knelt at my feet, unlaced my boots, peeled off my socks, and placed his hands on my thighs.

  I glanced down and met eyes as indigo as they had been when he was alive.

  “Let me take care of you,” he said without a trace of humor or seduction.

  When I nodded, he pulled me to my feet and unfastened the buttons of my jeans, wrapping a steadying arm around my back as I lifted one heavy leg after another.

  “I felt your magic as I approached,” he murmured as he pulled my top over my head. “You are becoming very powerful.”

  “Do you think it’s the curse?” I asked.

  He placed a hand on the fastening of my bra as though asking permission to unhook it. I slung my arms around his neck and leaned my tired body against his, letting him finish undressing me. For a man without a heart and who could arouse me with a single word, he was being surprisingly well-behaved. Valentine even pulled down my knickers like a gentleman, and lifted me into the tub.

  I sank into the warm water, letting it melt away all the tension in my muscles. “Thank you.”

  His gaze swept down my body. “The black flames damaged your beautiful skin.” He rolled up his sleeves, reached into a drawe
r within the bathroom’s marble counter, and pulled out a bottle. “Let me take care of that for you.”

  “What’s that?” I asked.

  “An absorbent to soak up corrupted magic. When I first found this house it radiated dark power.” He held up the bottle and raised a brow. “May I?”

  Nodding, I stared down at myself and winced at how pale and thin I had become in just a week. I wasn’t as curvy as some, but I tended not to eat when stressed, and it sometimes took a toll on my body. On a good day, I was a solid B-cup, but all the stress around assassins and arrests had made me lose a few pounds. Now, I could see the outline of my ribs and my hip bones looked too prominent.

  Valentine poured a cool, white liquid over my neck and wrists, and everywhere Jonathan touched me with his hands and the black flames itched and sizzled. I hissed a breath through my teeth, wondering how someone could be so vicious.

  “You’re bruised,” Valentine said.

  I stared down at the dark marks marring my skin. “Oh. That’s from when I got jostled about in the mausoleum.”

  A growl reverberated in Valentine’s throat. “When I get hold of my brothers…”

  I turned to him and smiled. “You acted just as badly while you were under the influence of the curse, and they still think I’m your murderer.”

  His brows rose. “You’re defending them?”

  “I also know the pain of losing you.”

  We stared into each other’s eyes for several moments, drinking each other in. Affection shone in his eyes and for a moment, he could be the same Valentine who had given me back that ring. I inhaled a deep breath and asked myself what I would do if I never unlocked the full extent of my magic, and Valentine remained forever an undead vampire. Could I be happy with this particular version of the man I loved?

  He was still loving and caring and could be a gentleman when he wanted. The answer was yes, but that didn’t mean I would give up trying.

  Valentine placed a hand on my shoulder, pushing me forward so I could sit up. He traced his fingers down my back before pouring lotion over my shoulders. I clenched my teeth at a painful sensation of stabbing needles.

  “What happened there?” he asked.

  “Jonathan encased us in a sphere of black flames and a man in protective clothing came in and yanked me out.”

  “I should have killed him when I had the chance,” he snarled.

  I glanced over my shoulder and met Valentine’s reddening eyes. “Why did you take Jonathan?”

  “Hadn’t he been stalking you?”

  “Valentine.” I placed my hands on his forearm, making him tilt his head to the side in question. This care and attention he was showing me gave me the courage to ask something I had pushed aside the day before. After inhaling a deep, fortifying breath, I asked, “About my phoenix flames—”

  “Yes,” he replied.

  “You don’t know what I was going to ask.”

  The corner of his lips curled into a smile that melted my heart. “I promised myself that if I could bring you back unhurt, I would give us the best chance of a future together. That includes finding what my brothers did to my heart and letting you bring me back to life with your phoenix flames.”

  A breath caught in the back of my throat. “You mean it?”

  Valentine nodded. “I want everything. Marriage, a future, and children. With you.”

  I reached up, placed my arms around his neck, and brought him down for a kiss. “I love you.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Valentine’s lips were warm and soft, just as they had been when he was alive. He smelled of sandalwood and musk and wood smoke, setting my senses alight. For a heartbeat, Valentine paused, seeming stunned that I had made the first move, then he drew back as though wanting to ask if I was sure, but I clung to him, wanting more.

  This time when he kissed me, it was with a firmer touch. Dominant, demanding, with lips that devoured mine and made me ache for him to use that clever mouth everywhere. I couldn’t tell if it was the vampire saliva heightening my arousal or my innate longing to be with the beautiful vampire, but I moaned into the kiss and parted my lips.

  Valentine cradled the back of my head, holding me in place, and slipped his tongue into my mouth, filling me with his familiar taste. It wasn’t blood as I had expected, but red wine with a hint of mint and dark chocolate. I dug my fingers into his shoulder muscles, and clutched at him as though I was afraid he might disappear.

  This was our first kiss since I had fled from him in the Notting Hill safe house, and when he had died on top of me, I thought I would never get to see him again. Valentine caressed my tongue with wet, languid strokes, and the warm water in the bath seemed to swirl between my legs, mirroring the movement.

  What Valentine was doing to me was beyond imagination. Not just the way he explored my mouth, seeming to anticipate exactly what I needed or the way he moaned and growled into the kiss. Being here with him was a miracle. After seeing his desecrated corpse, watching him rise and turn into the zombified vampire who had carried me through the night, I never thought he would become whole.

  One of Valentine’s hands brushed over a nipple, sending a jolt of fire to my core. A breath caught in the back of my throat, and I squeezed my thighs together, but the movement only intensified the sensations between my legs. It was… maddening. Just enough pleasure to arouse, but not enough for completion.

  As my arousal grew, the water around me simmered, and steam rose from the water’s surface. My head spun, and I placed a hand on the edge of the tub to rise, but Valentine scooped me into his arms.

  “Valentine,” I murmured, my eyes rolling to the back of my head. “Take me to bed.”

  He drew back and stared at me through irises ringed with indigo, lightening to a deep turquoise in the middle. Flecks of white mingled with striations of red, creating a shade that was less violet and more magenta.

  “Tell me what you want, Inamorata,” he murmured in a voice tight with restraint.

  “You.” I placed both hands on his cheeks for emphasis. “I know what you are, and what you’ve done, and I accept you.”

  His eyes fluttered shut. “Being a preternatural has destroyed my self-control. If I taste a drop of your blood in this state, I cannot guarantee your survival.”

  “Then don’t use your fangs.” I slid my hand down his cheek.

  Valentine’s jaw tightened, and he turned his head away. “You are the ultimate temptation. Beautiful, strong, and thrumming with power. I can hear your heartbeat, feel your magic coursing through your veins, and your arousal…” His nostrils flared. “It fills my every sense until all I want to do is consume every morsel of you until it’s all mine. Even without your curse, the way your blood calls to me—”

  “I trust you.”

  Valentine turned back to me, his eyes now a deep red. His full lips protruded with the onset of fangs, making him look like he’d meant every word about wanting to devour me. Before I could second-guess myself, he sped me out of the bathroom, up the podium and onto the four-poster bed.

  I sank into the mattress as the curtains closed around us with only the barest amount of light illuminating Valentine’s bronze skin. The red in his eyes glowed, reminding me of how sometimes headlights would reflect the eyes of a predator lurking in the dark.

  Anticipation spread across my skin, mingled with a touch of dread. I waited for Valentine to set upon me in a flurry of hands and lips and teeth, but he stood unmoving at my bedside, his muscles trembling with restraint.

  “You are so beautiful,” he growled.

  My cheeks heated and the intensity of my gaze made the sensation spread down my neck and over my chest. Valentine let out a low groan that went straight between my legs. I bit down on my lip and squeezed my thighs together. Perhaps to a vampire, a wet redhead with her skin flushed from the bath was like an all-you-can-eat buffet.

  “Come here.” I reached out a hand and ran it down the side of his muscular thigh. “You undressed me. I
want to see you.”

  Valentine lowered himself onto the side of the bed, making the mattress dip with his weight. I slid toward him as he brought his head down and stared at my lips as though we hadn’t just kissed in the bathroom.

  My heartbeat quickened, as I yearned for him to place them on mine, then Valentine’s eyes flared with satisfaction. Had he been reading me for permission? This wasn’t like the arrogant vampire who had spanked me to the brink of climax yesterday and smirked as I had yearned for more. The tiny curve of his Cupid’s bow lips told me that he was pleased with my reaction.

  Before I could ask him why he hesitated, he pressed his lips on mine in a kiss more tender than I would have expected from a man who had reduced a group of vampires to their knees. His lips were both sweet caresses and dark promises of all the pleasure to come.

  Anticipation wrapped around my body like an embrace. I wasn’t scared of Valentine. After tonight, he had proven the depth of his feelings. Even if he was a bloodthirsty preternatural, he could never hurt me. I reached for the buttons of his shirt, sliding them out of their holes and revealing inch after inch of warm, smooth skin. His flesh yielded under my touch as though he was alive, and I brushed my fingers over his nipples, making him groan.

  Valentine undid the buttons at his cuffs, letting me slide the silk shirt down his muscled arms. All the scars were now gone, looking like death hadn’t marred an inch of that masculine perfection. Valentine inhaled a deep breath, expanding his already bulging pectoral muscles and tightening the defined contours of his six-pack.

  As I traced the outline of a long, thick erection through his pants with my fingertips, all the moisture evaporated from my throat and settled within my slickening folds. Valentine had looked so enticing the morning he had crashed my pool party with Beatrice, and I was ready for more.

  But when I reached for the buckle of his belt, he placed a hand over mine.

  “I said I would take care of you,” he murmured. “Let me focus on your pleasure.”

  My brows drew together. Didn’t he want to have sex? “But I want us to—”