Taken by the Vampire King (Vampire Warrior Kings Book 3)

by Laura Kaye

  Henrik pulled her in for a long, slow kiss, one she felt into the tips of her left-hand fingers and all the way down to her toes. His arms wrapped around her and he bent her back with his height and the intensity of their bonding. His taste, his smell, his touch—it was all-encompassing.

  And it was also goodbye.

  Unexpected tears pricked at the backs of her eyes before they’d even broken apart.

  She’d remember that kiss for the rest of her life. Which was exactly what he intended. Just in case.

  He pulled away and caught a stray tear with his thumb. “I don’t want you to go. I need you to know that I want you. I want you, Kaira Sorensen. And I hope to God you come back to me.” Another stray tear slid to his hand holding her face. “But, for now, I want you to get dressed. My warrior will be waiting right outside the suite ready to take you back. Go, and live your life, and think this through.” His voice cracked and he swallowed roughly. “And kick some ass in the competition.”

  Kaira gave a sad laugh, and two more fat tears spilled from the corners of her eyes. “Okay,” she whispered, though agreeing to leave him felt like a ten-pound weight had taken up residence on her chest.

  “Okay,” he whispered in return. He pressed a long kiss to her forehead.

  She slipped out of his robe, hating to part with it when she was losing him, too.

  He accepted it, secured it around his shoulders, and stepped to the door. Just when she was sure he wouldn’t look back, he did. “Goodbye, min kjære.”

  Kaira ghosted through the next two days. Her sleep was fitful. Her concentration was shot. Her appetite was gone.

  As much as the exhibit and the competition continued to excite her, most of the time she felt out of place and out of sorts. Like this world—the one which she’d known her entire life—wasn’t real. And the real world, the one with vampires and Soul Eaters and an ancient war of immortals—and a vampire king, her vampire king—was nowhere to be found.

  Grief. What she felt was grief. Like she’d lost something important, vital, necessary.

  Maybe her feelings weren’t surprising, since apparently her father had known of Henrik’s world and been a part of it himself. At least, that’s what the file said that had been slipped in among her belongings. She’d read it three times, absorbing new details each time that she hadn’t known about her parents. And to think that they might even have approved of her having a relationship with a vampire, and perhaps they might’ve even encouraged it…the file was a gift. One that made her feel more connected to her family than she ever had before.

  And it was all thanks to Henrik.

  The file had also included a sheet of lab results explaining that her extraordinarily high white blood cell count, a result of the CML, was what they thought served as the curative property for Henrik’s illness. Did that mean anyone with her same disease could do what she’d done for him? She didn’t know the answer. And she wasn’t sure she wanted to.

  It was more than that, though, wasn’t it? Because a white-hot rage lanced through her blood at the mere thought of Henrik seeking what he needed from another woman.

  Not at long as she could give it…

  Those weren’t her only thoughts and questions, either.

  What would she do as queen? What did that even mean? And what if Henrik wasn’t cured long-term? What if he died? What if his blood couldn’t cure her leukemia? Their doctor had no training to treat her. How would she get the care she needed so she could live as long as she could?

  There were so many unknowns that she was paralyzed—trapped between the wild yearnings of her heart and the logical misgivings of her head.

  And it didn’t help that a mild but continuous sensation of pins and needles continued to play over the skin of her left hand.

  Like a calling, a yearning, a magnet looking for its true north.

  As the hour of the judging ceremony neared, Kaira paced her posh room at the city’s nicest hotel in an incredible beaded silver gown that had been delivered anonymously the previous morning. She had no doubt it was from Henrik; in fact she was so certain that she smelled it to see if she could catch his dark spice on the fine fabric.

  She couldn’t, and it made her sad. And didn’t that tell her a lot.

  Within just three hours, she needed to call Jakob. She needed to make a decision. She needed to have an answer. And even though what her heart wanted was clear, her head still had no earthly idea how to do any of that.

  How could you make rational decisions about something so magical?

  Every time one part of her brain came close to convincing her that she wanted Henrik, another part reminded her that they’d met when he attacked her, bit her, and took her against her will.

  Finally, she couldn’t stand to be in her room for one more minute. Maybe the fresh, crisp night air and the short walk to the auditorium would clear her head and shed some light on how to choose the right path. On autopilot, she made her way through the hotel and out onto the crowded, festive, aurora-lit street.

  The lights were already putting on a show, a diffuse green providing a backdrop for a brighter, rippling wave of the same color.

  Everywhere she looked, people were paired or grouped up. Friends, lovers, spouses, siblings, parents, children. She heaved a breath, swallowed her solitude, and made her way down the street.

  Gasps rang out. Then oohs and ahhs. Ahead of her, people broke into quick walks and runs to the intersection. Kaira glanced up in time to see a curtain of red flash through the sky.

  How remarkable!

  City lights usually obscured all but the strongest color variations. Sometimes those couldn’t be seen by the naked eye at all, only captured on film.

  Oh, why didn’t she have her camera?

  She reached the intersection, but the gathering onlookers formed a wall she couldn’t get through or see around. She tried anyway, people giving way when they saw how fancy she was dressed.

  Finally, she stepped through an opening in the crowd and looked up through the break in the buildings.

  Her heart leapt into her throat. A towering cathedral of red stretched to the heavens, supported by an undulating wave of green. And, at the very bottom, hanging so low in the sky you could almost touch it, was a perfectly formed band of blue light.

  It was the once-in-a-lifetime blue aurora, and it was the color of Henrik’s eyes.

  Seeing this rarest aurora, when their love of the lights was one thing that had bonded them, had to be a sign. With a final ripple, the blue faded away. The crowd erupted in cheers and applause.

  And Kaira knew what she had to do.

  Kaira scrabbled to find her phone in her purse. Her hands were so shaky it took three tries to pull it out. People dispersed, heading back on their merry way again, leaving her in the middle of the intersection to make maybe the most important call of her life.

  “Jakob? It’s Kaira. I want him,” she said when he answered the phone. “Tell Henrik I want him. Please tell him to come get me now,” she blurted out, her hand stinging and her chest filled with such a mix of emotions that it was hard to draw a deep breath.

  What if he’d changed his mind? What if she’d waited too long?

  “Thank God,” Jakob said. “Tell him yourself.”

  “What?” Phone still pressed to her ear, she looked up, her gaze scanning right and left. She did a double-take when she saw him, standing right in front of her on the opposite side of the intersection. Something seemed different about him, but she was too emotional to think on it. Her breath shuddered in her chest and tears formed of fear and happiness pooled in her eyes. “I see him.”

  But Jakob didn’t answer. The line was dead. And, this time, she didn’t need him to tell her what to do. Her heart had already made the leap across the square, she only had to join it.

  Dodging groups of festival-goers, she wove her way through the street. And then she saw what was different.

  He’d filled out, which was a monumental understatement.<
br />
  The hollows of his face were gone, the bones of his hands no longer protruded, and he now carried the muscular bulk she’d once feared might make him imposing. And, was it the lights, or had his hair even taken on the faintest blond hue? As if all that weren’t enough, a thin braid, like the one Jakob and the other warriors wore, hung down the left side of his face where, two days ago, he’d had a bald patch.

  He was devastatingly handsome and fiercely masculine. And she was so happy for him she could’ve thrown herself around him and squeezed with all her might.

  But she stopped just short. “Henrik? I called Jakob.”

  He stepped down off the curb and came close enough that she felt the heat from his body through the cold night air. Why wasn’t he saying anything?

  Her heart was doing quadruple time in her chest, nearly making her breathless. “And, if you still want me—”

  The kiss was a full-body experience. She hadn’t even seen it coming. Arms tight around her, he picked her up, claimed her mouth and made it blazingly clear just how much he wanted her. She was dizzy and breathless and recklessly aroused by the time he returned her to her feet.

  He gripped her shoulders, his hands strong and warm. “I want you with everything I am, kjære, but I need you to be sure. What about all you will sacrifice?”

  She shook her head. “I have no family, no real career. You live in the best possible place in the world for me to do my photography. And, if your blood can’t cure me, I can find a doctor here.” Kaira stepped tight against his newly big body. “I’m sure. This feels like what I’m supposed to do.”

  His eyes flashed. “I am strong now, because of you. My blood will work. I feel it.”

  The thought of being healthy again sent a shiver of amazement over her skin, but that wasn’t why she was choosing him. “Either way, I love you, Henrik.” The words were out of her mouth before she’d thought them through, but she immediately knew their rightness.

  He groaned and held her tight. “You are my heart and my light, Kaira. I love you, too.”

  “Oh, Henrik. I want to do this now. The mating.”

  “So do I. But your ceremony starts in—” he looked at a big military-style watch on his wrist, which was so much thicker than it had been before “—eight minutes. You’re not missing it.”

  “But—”

  “No buts. I’ll not have it any other way.”

  She bit back a smile. “You know, that’s not always going to work with me.”

  “What?”

  “That line. I don’t know if that works with your guys, but you need to know that sometimes I’m gonna say ‘too damn bad.’”

  His eyebrows raised to his hairline. “Will you, now?”

  She lost the battle against the grin and finally just gave in. “I will.”

  “And, is this one of those times?”

  Kaira was nearly mad with her need for him. Her hand tingled. Her core ached. Her throat was oddly dry and scratchy.

  She was hungry for him.

  But the show was its own once-in-a-lifetime, wasn’t it? And it was only an hour. Surely, she could wait an hour. Right?

  He licked his lips and flashed the promising tips of his fangs. Oh, he didn’t play fair. No, she could do it. Besides, where else was she going to wear a gown this gorgeous?

  She heaved a breath. “No, this isn’t one of those times.”

  “Very well.” He turned and offered her his arm. “May I escort you, then?”

  A thrill shot through her. “I would love for you to escort me tonight.” She snuggled into his side and reveled in the feeling of companionship that surrounded her.

  His eyes smoldered and flared with blue light. “And tomorrow?”

  “And all the tomorrows.” Heat bloomed on her cheek as she peered up at him.

  A low growl rumbled in his throat. “Let’s go collect your prizes and get out of here.”

  Kaira laughed. But she loved his faith in her. And she loved his plan.

  Because she was completely taken by her vampire king. Now and forever.

  Chapter 12

  Standing at the closed doors of the Hall of the Chieftains, a ceremonial room located in the heart of Henrik’s mountain citadel, Kaira heaved a deep breath and peered up at her escort, Jakob.

  “I will never be able to express the depth of my gratitude, Kaira,” he said, his expression filled with earnestness. “You aren’t just saving him. You’re saving all of us.”

  “I love him,” she said. Simply. Honestly. “And I care about you, Jakob. I see how much you love him, too.”

  A single, solemn nod. “Are you ready?”

  Kaira swallowed hard. She felt the weight of the delicate silver crown Jakob had given her to wear upon her head and the delicious softness of the velvet robe upon her skin. The concept of queen still felt completely foreign. But even though butterflies whipped through her belly, Henrik felt entirely right. She truly was ready for him. “Yes.”

  Jakob opened the door and escorted her inside.

  Kaira’s gaze collided with Henrik’s where he knelt in the center of the room, surrounded by candles and a lush carpet of dark furs. It was all she could do not to run to him, to take off the hood of his robe, look him in the eyes, and kiss him until neither of them could breathe. Her left hand tingled, and it was a sensation she cherished because she knew what it meant—they belonged together.

  The firelight of the many torches on the walls allowed her to admire her king—his fierce masculinity, his newfound vitality, the intensity of his attraction to her, which flared in his glowing eyes. The closer she got to him, the more she swore she could smell him, and the more she wanted to taste him.

  God, she’d been drinking water all day and she couldn’t quench her thirst.

  Jakob guided her through the inner circle of Henrik’s warriors who all stood with their heads bowed. He helped her step onto the low dais and released her, giving her a warm smile and a look of such abject approval. She cherished both.

  But just then all Kaira could see was the man, the vampire, the king who had taken her in every single way.

  Henrik held out his hand and she accepted it, and the jolt of energy that erupted upon their touch made her suck in a breath. It skittered over her skin, tightened in her throat, and stirred a ferocious arousal in her blood and between her legs.

  By the way Henrik’s fangs stretched out, she wasn’t the only one feeling it, either. “You are my salvation in every way. You have not only given me health, you’ve given me something more to live for, to fight for. You’ve given me hope, and allowed me to become the leader I should.” He squeezed her hand and swallowed hard, and the emotion in his voice and eyes had her getting choked up at how right this felt. “Kaira, I take you as my queen, my wife, my partner, and my equal. I pledge to love you, cherish you, and protect you. Now and always.”

  Falling to one knee around them, the warriors chanted in an ancient language, their tones fierce and proud.

  Kaira’s heart swelled in her chest. How had she found so much in so little time?

  Henrik continued, “The ancient blood magic has deemed us an excellent match.” He held up their hands between them. “A match most rare. And I agree. There could be no one else for me except you. Kaira Sorensen, will you be my mate?”

  She felt no indecision now. “Henrik Magnusson, I could think of nothing I want more than to become your mate. And I promise to love you, cherish you, and protect you, too. I am yours, Henrik. Always.”

  The words were no more off of her tongue than an intense heat flared between their palms. For a long moment, Kaira felt as if her skin had been seared. And then as quickly as it began, the sensation disappeared.

  Henrik raised their joined hands to his mouth and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. Which was when she saw that parts of their mating marks were now filled in with colors—greens and blues and reds. He flipped their hands over to real a new mark on their palms as well, with tight knots. Kaira gasped. It was stunni
ng.

  And pure magic. Just as all of this was.

  Another roaring cheer rose up from the warriors, making Kaira smile even as an urgent need clamored through her body.

  “Henrik...” She wasn’t sure how to voice what she needed, she just knew that she yearned for him. “Please.”

  He nodded as he unfastened the hooks on his robe and lifted the hood off his head, revealing a stunning silver crown studded with faceted red stones—the same stones now braided into the side of his hair. “It is time.” He dropped the cloak behind him.

  He was completely naked. And utterly desirable.

  “Oh, God, I need you.” It should’ve felt strange or uncomfortable to experience this in front of these other men, but all she could see, think about, and focus on was him.

  “I know, kjære. Now you.”

  She disrobed as well, leaving her in nothing but a soft, shimmery shift and her crown. Trembling, she swallowed hard. Kaira felt like she stood on the edge of a cliff, and couldn’t wait to fall.

  Henrik retrieved a blade from where it sat at the ready beside him and put it to his throat. And then he cut a thin line until a rivulet of blood run down his throat, his chest.

  Kaira whined, nearly beside herself with desire. “Henrik—”

  “What do you want to do, Kaira? Whatever urge are you fighting, give in to it.”

  She put her fingers to her throat and knew. “I want your blood.”

  Henrik groaned. “Yes. Yes, kjære. Take it. Take me. Now.”

  On pure animal instinct, Kaira flew at him. Henrik caught her in his arms and roared his approval as her mouth found his throat. She groaned in delirious ecstasy as his blood flowed into her. It felt so right. It relieved the urgent hunger she’d felt. It made her feel more alive than she’d ever felt in her whole life.

  And she couldn’t get enough.

  She whimpered and clutched at him.

  “That’s right. Take all of me, my Kaira.” He stroked her hair and held her to him so tight.